Euro 2004 - Reasons to be cheerful
1. History on our side: England's last and only defeat on Portuguese soil came way back in 1955.
2. Cheap booze: A six pack of Portugal's most popular beer, Super Bock, can be bought for as little as £1.20.
3. No need to queue at the bar: Most Portuguese cities have beer vending machines that anyone can use.
4. Football is religion: Supporters can rest assured that they will be visiting a nation immersed in the culture of football.
5. Decent bet: England are currently 7-1 to lift the European Championship Trophy.
6. Nice weather for it: With sunny weather and temperatures averaging in the mid 80s farenheit in June, a wet Wednesday night's football in England will seem a world away.
7. Excellent facilities: The Portuguese have pulled out all the stops to provide world-class stadia for the tournament with the centre-piece being Porto's 52,000 capacity Dragao stadium which will host the opening ceremony and the first match between Portugal and Greece.
8. No need to break the bank: Although prices are showing signs of rising as the country falls into line with the EU, Portugal is still one of the least expensive places to travel in Europe with a decent meal out costing as little as £4 per head and a room for the night as low as £7.
9. Straightforward lingo: As is the case with most European tourist destinations, many locals will speak English but if not, the England supporter can get by on a handful of useful native phrases: Que maneira a publicacao? (which way to the pub?), uma cerveja grande por favor (large beer please), Voce deve ser referee gracejando! (you must be joking ref!) and onde esta a loja a mais proxima do kebab? (where's the nearest kebab house?).
10. Sven's in charge: With Mr Eriksson at the helm, England fans can disregard previous European Championship debacles - remember Euro 88, Euro 92, Euro 2000? - and look to the Swede's record of only one competitive defeat (in the World Cup against Brazil) since taking over as boss, for inspiration.
