“There is such joy in having people back in stadiums. People who want to make the most of it and get behind this team after the year and a half we’ve all endured.
“I know there will always be a segment of the “fans” that won’t be so well-behaved. I don’t want to get into some of the less savoury scenes, because that is not what this piece is about, but I will say this.
“Booing? Really? Come on, we’re better than that.
“Sing songs, get drunk, throw pints, have fun. That’s what we do. That’s our culture.
“But when you boo other national anthems and our own boys taking the knee … when you act out your worst impulses, often in the name of “patriotism,” honestly most of us are embarrassed by it.
“You can call yourself a patriot, but that’s not what the word means to me. As someone who loves England deeply and is proud to have represented this country 80 times, my view is that true patriotism comes from caring about the values that not only your country has, but also those it aspires to hold.
“It irritates me when basic ideas of empathy and conscience are twisted into notions of anti-Englishness, when in fact those values are among the most English of all.