Blaise Tapp: Football fans shine abroad and that’s not just from sunburn!
Despite protests to the contrary, most people are quite partial to a stereotype.
Whether it's dismissing an entire generation as unreliable and self centred, as in the ongoing diabolical treatment of Gen Z, or how all Lib Dems wear sandals with socks and like real ale, many of us fall into that easiest of traps from time to time, probably because it is so easy to do.
Perhaps the best known stereotype of them all is that of the Englishman abroad - the individual that the vast majority of us go out of our way to distance ourselves from whenever we venture away from these shores.
This most unflattering of stereotype depicts a barely housetrained individual, who is as red as a Kent tomato from day one of his budget Benidorm holiday, during which time he'll consume his own bodyweight in two Euro a pint lager and sausage and chips, all of which he will have purchased exclusively from a backstreet bar named after Sir Winston Churchill.
Because such people do indeed exist, this reputation has stuck for decades, possibly even centuries, meaning that, largely speaking, many of us are almost ashamed to admit we inhabit the same island as these characters.
However, this past week, I have been living a reality that proves this almost cartoon portrayal of us and our compatriots, is just that - a lazy exaggeration of the extent of English bad behaviour on foreign shores. I write this from the sunny Swiss Alps, where we are for the Women's Euros and I can say that I don't think I have ever been more proud to be English than I have been this week.
English football fans have an even less enviable reputation than the vest wearing individuals who swill down their cooked breakfast with four pints pints of Carling before advancing on the sunloungers, but the thousands of Lionesses' fans who've travelled hundreds of miles to cheer on their team have been the most incredible ambassadors for our country.
You won't have heard any news reports of inebriated England fans being teargassed by helmet wearing riot police because there hasn't been any trouble out here.
The impeccable behaviour we've witnessed is probably down to the friendliness of most of those who follow the family-orientated women's game of football but it is also a very welcome reminder of what a likeable bunch we English can be. This reality, however, isn't anywhere near as convenient to use in everyday conversation than the tired old Englishman abroad cliche.