Euro 2008 - No need to care

Here we are then, days away from day one of UEFA Euro 2008.

Like pretty much every single England fan, I admit I originally thought that this year's tournament would not be the same without England's participation.

In a way, it won't be. We won't be able to experience the highs and lows of another England campaign overruled by the fact that we needed another 10 friendlies to determine the perfect squad.

We won't be able to watch England slump through the group stage and once again fall terribly short of the big stage that is the Final.

We also won't see them play under such intense pressure on them to deliver good football.

But is that a good thing?

Let me explain. This year, Euro 2008 will be like when the school bully decides to pick on someone else instead of yourself. The other teams, fans and media being the bullies, England those normally being bullied.

It will be like when you lose out on becoming a professional footballer for the team of your dreams, but you have the enjoyment of watching them instead, without the pressure on you.

It may also be like when you break free of the prison that is the world of football and the pressure it gives you, while the other prisoners suffer.

Don't misunderstand me though, football is no prison, more of a sporting heaven instead.

But as an England fan this summer, I - as well as millions of other fans who will still follow the tournament - will be able to watch the action in Austria and Switzerland from the comfort of my living room, and not drip a single drop of sweat for my country.

It will be a bit like the Premier League for me. I support Newcastle - have done since I first knew about football, but since they are normally a mid-table team - or have been over the last few years - I struggle to show a huge amount of interest for them sometimes, and instead I choose to simply enjoy watching the football the Premier League offers.

Football is about passion. If you don't show passion for the team (or teams in some people's cases ) you love, then you aren't a true supporter of that team.

But for England fans, our team will not feature in Austria and Switzerland over the next few weeks, so there is nothing to show passion for - only enjoyment.

It will be interesting to focus more on the possible winners of the tournament, instead of England and whether they can actually make a Semi-Final.

It would be nice to witness England finally overcome the bogie team that is Portugal, but that is something that is more unlikely than ever right now.

But I am looking forward to sitting back and enjoying Euro 2008, without a care in the world about who wins.