Don't get me wrong, I have cheered in the pubs, waved the flags and shed the tears along with the next England fan during our biennial rollercoaster ride and ultimate meltdown in a major international tournament.

But this year, I feel a little relieved not to have to suffer that enduringly long and over-hyped build up that accompanies England followed by the inevitable let down, usually at the quarter-final stage.

I'm glad, for example, the old heroes of 1966 are not being dragged out once more and asked the inevitable: "Can we go all the way this year?"

Of course they have to reply "Yes we can", when in reality they probably know we can't because we can't take penalties.

I'm relieved we don't have to listen to a load of awful England songs on the radio or see the St George's Cross flapping from the windows of vans and cars as they hurtle along the streets.

Also think how much stronger our economy will be with all those workers not pulling sickies the morning after the match before, or darting home in the afternoon to catch the kick-off.

Looking closer to home, it has provided Joe Lewis, the former Harleston schoolboy and Diss Cricket Club cricketer the chance to break into the England team, which surely would not have come had we qualified.

So, while there are many reasons for us to be sad we are not there, I hope you share in some of my reasons to be cheerful.

And besides, I'll probably focus more on the tennis at Wimbledon this summer.

At least with that tournament we don't have a history of hyping up and pinning all our on dreams on the British hopes competing there, do we?