Cast your mind back to the England games in World Cup 2002 & 2006 and the Euro Championships in Portugal. What is the most vivid thing that comes to mind other Sven’s total lack of football knowledge? For me it is the sight of hundreds of English flags draped over the edge of each tier in the stadiums. Every inch was taken with either a St. George Cross or some other flag used by an England fan. Each game the sight was truly something to behold. This trend has also extended to Arsenal away games in Europe over the last few years, where you can see flags never before seen when playing at home.

So what’s the relevance? Well, returning home from the Aston Villa game I could not believe my ears when I heard an Arsenal fan moan about the fact that there was no colour on the front of each tier at Ashburton! This man needs shooting. Of all the things to pick at he chooses the one thing we have the power to change within an instant, not the price of the pies or any of the other food and drink available. Surely, not having any advertising on the front of each tier is a Godsend. Since I can recall, we were never allowed to obscure advertising at Highbury and were it not for the likes of Red Action who persuaded the Club the put up banners celebrating our title victories at the grounds of our opponents then we would not even have had them (Red Action, I would like to hear if you have approached the Club to have these put up again?).

The fact that there is no advertising is the biggest invitation to drape flags over the front of each tier, adding colour to a stadium that as we all know, needs a little bit extra to make it ‘our’ stadium. A Charlton supporting friend of mine (not the one who beats that bloody drum at the Valley) who came to the Porto match even picked up on this straight away. Now that’s embarrassing.

I cannot believe that since the first match at Ashburton the number of flags has increased by about 10! What are people waiting for? We will all moan as soon as the Club attaches adverting around the ground preventing us from using flags so why not take action now and bring your flag along and add to the most impressive stadium in the land. If you have a flag, get your finger our and bring it to the match. If you are in the lower tier throw it up to the box above and get them to drape it from their tier. And there is no excuse for their not being any flags from the upper tier. However, from experience, a word of warning to those in the top tier. If your flag drapes past the concrete the awfully nice people in the box below may get upset and complain that it is blocking their view, even though if they were seated during the match as they should be then this would not block their view.