Like so many other sad men (and some women) across Europe and beyond, tonight I will be tuning in to watch Germany play Holland in Euro 2012.
The prospect reminds me of a story a good friend once told me about night he was in a bar with a Dutch pal.
As time went past and the drink began to flow, the Dutchman became more and more tetchy. The reason was that a group of Germans had joined proceedings and the Dutchman wasn't a big fan of Germans.
My friend asked him why, to which he replied that, during the Second World War, the Nazis had apparently seized bicycles across Holland and melted them down to make armaments.
After providing this clarification, the Dutchman suddenly put down his drink, stormed across the bar towards the Germans and shouted: "Give us our bicycles back, you b******s!"
Let's hope it's a good game.
