CAN it be only two weeks since the country was awash with the red and white flag of St George?

Public buildings, shops, privates houses and cars flew the colours of the nation, while hope ruled heads as England began its battle for World Cup glory.

Today most of these flags have gone. They didn’t even survive long enough to welcome home Roy’s vanquished Strolling Players.

During those days leading up to the first game against Italy, the filling station at a Banbury supermarket was among those businesses handing out flags to customers. There was an enthusiastic demand. The day after the Italian embarrassment, this demand had dwindled and I took advantage of being offered two flags. (Never look a gift horse... and all that.) Following the Uruguay defeat when Suarez twice put the boot in – rather than his teeth – the gift flags were removed and with an inconsequential third game still to play, not a flag was to be seen at the pay desk.

After all why clutter a counter with the unwanted?

I DID make the effort to watch our final goalless embarrassment against Costa Rica, but to my shame, I slept through a large part of the first half, waking with only eight minutes of the entire match left to play. Perhaps I was lucky.

Tuesday was not a good day. National pride took another dip when our cricketers lost to Sri Lanka with one ball left to face. Thank heavens for an unusually gruesome Midsomer Murders repeat on Channel 10 that saved me from more football torture.

THERE was still more bad news on Tuesday, but neither football nor cricket were part of it. This time it came from the law courts where Andy Coulson, former editor of the now departed News of the World, was found guilty in the phone-hacking trial.

I have known Andy since he was that fresh-faced trainee reporter, straight from school, determined to succeed at a training school where I once worked. He was one of the best young reporters I ever had the pleasure to work with.

What has happened to him since is sad, but the fallout could be worse for the industry at large. When something like this occurs everyone is tarred with the same brush.

Demands for press controls to be inflicted by the Government will against grab the headlines; our much-envied free press will again come under threat. I can assure you that honest newsgatherers outnumber the wrongdoers by many hundreds to one.

Andy has to endure his punishment along with his ruined reputation. But I wish some national newspaper proprietors, whose unrealistic demands pressurise their employees into taking that step too far were also to be seen in the dock.