Euro 2012: France v England - TV review

Afternoon/early evening viewing in my house would ordinarily be the quiz show Pointless. Yesterday afternoon, and with little expectation, England made their way onto a sweltering Ukrainian football pitch with many pundits expecting a pointless result.

The run up to Euro 2012 has been somewhat muted, with greater focus in recent weeks shed on Olympic torch bearers, visiting a town near you, and the soggy celebration of our monarch, as a bizarre parade of boats made its way up the Thames.

Whether it was because of these notable events, or because of the much-publicised lack of belief in the side, England could have been forgiven for thinking they had not made it to the finals.

With little if any fanfare, the tournament arrived. And when a colleague sneaked up on me at work asking if I would like a go in the Euro 2012 sweepstake, of course, the answer was yes. And guess what? I randomly selected France, making yesterday a win-win situation. Nah, not really. I would gladly give any winnings in a sweepstake to see England come even close to lifting the cup.

Prior to the match, Adrian Chiles interviewed manager Roy Hodgson, a man whose honesty may be his undoing. "Quite often it's not the best team that wins these tournaments," said Roy. A double-edged sword of a comment if ever one was made.

And then captain Steven Gerrard gave a sombre account, reflecting on the woeful events of World Cup 2010.

As the build up continued, Goalkeeping coach – and legend – Ray Clemence was helped from the pitch with a damaged Achilles tendon. It appears even back room staff aren't immune from injury. All this, with Three Lions playing over the loudspeakers in the stadium.

But before the match, I couldn't help think we'd do okay. After all, uncle Roy has already won two out of two, both with clean sheets – regardless of how dull the games were.

First half done, and former Wolves star Joleon Lescott's 30th minute advantage was cruelly cancelled out less than 10 minutes later as Nasri beat former Shrewsbury and Man City keeper Joe Hart. Still, a score line that many would have settled for.

Predictably, Chiles and fellow pundits Jamie Carragher, Gareth Southgate and Frenchman Patrick Vieira, get to sing the praises of England. The apparent pre-match doom and gloom lifting, as the sunshine of hope pours into the studio.

With honours even, the second half gets under way. An early highlight occurred when the director aimed the camera at a French pensioner, asleep in the stands. "Well, it's been a hot day," commented Clyde Tyldesley.

As the game drew to a close, the 1-1 score, on balance, seemed about fair. A far more resilient England was on display than many could have hoped to witness and even though the 32C plus temperature took its toll, it was a mature and disciplined performance.

And the verdict of the "experts"? Much the same as mine. Piece of cake this football punditry.

It appears the weight of expectation seems to have been the problem in tournaments gone by. Perhaps there is something to be said for all this reverse psychology. For all the years of "It's coming home, it's coming home, it's coming. Football's coming home", it appears that a lot more stick and a little less carrot is all that was needed.

If only Frank Skinner and David Baddiel had been singing something negative all those years ago, we could have had a lot more silverware in the trophy cabinet by now.

So sing it loud and sing it proud, "It's not coming home, it's not coming home, it's not coming. Football's not coming home".

There. That should do it. Now, where did I leave that tin of silver polish?

Paul Naylor