The first heat of summer has hit London and a trip through the suburbs finds the first flag of St George draped across a bungalow roof. In a petrol station the first England car paraphernalia has shown its tatty head.

The players were in Manchester for their first training session and on Saturday the pre -tournament friendlies start with an expedition to Norway. Hodgson dutifully mutters something about looking at some other players. The easy thing to do would be to win the game convincingly.

There is another week of the phoney war before a sold out Wembley sends off the team with a fixture against Belgium. Eight days later the action starts with the game against France.

Slowly football fans across the country will be aligning their schedules, making plans for the England games, meeting up with friends and family and arguing over selection and tactics. It is still weeks away but the beast is beginning to stir. The passion is alive and stirring.

There is nothing like following England, nothing to compare with being an England fan and nothing greater than the pursuit of the first tournament victory since 1966.

Goalkeepers – Joe Hart, Robert Green, John Ruddy.

Defenders – Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson, Phil Jones, Joleon Lescott, John Terry.

Midfielders – Gareth Barry, Stewart Downing, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Scott Parker, Theo Walcott, Ashley Young.

Strikers – Andy Carroll, Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck.

Standby – Jack Butland, Phil Jagielka, Jordan Henderson, Adam Johnson, Daniel Sturridge

Saturday 26th May 2012 19.45 Norway vs England, Oslo, Norway.
Saturday 2nd June 2012 1945 England vs Belgium, Wembley,

Euros 2012

Monday 11th June England vs France. Donetsk.

Friday 15th June England vs Sweden, Kiev.

Tuesday 19th June England vs Ukraine. Donetsk.

Winning the Euros in 2012 – Come On, England