When England last failed to qualify for a tournament, supporters in this country adopted the Irish so that the 1994 World Cup finals remained a significant part of our summer.

Jack Charlton's side were, after all, part English really, with Maidstone's Andy Townsend anchoring the midfield and Scouser John Aldridge leading the attack supported by Orpington's Tony Cascarino - who subsequently confessed in his autobiography: "I didn't qualify for Ireland. I was a fraud. A fake Irishman".

What fans are faced with this summer should be far, far worse. No Home Nations at a tournament, no Republic of Ireland, no interest surely?

And yet, when the games begin at Euro 2008 on Saturday, Merseysiders will become fake Spaniards; Mancunians will have turned into Portuguese; the Fulham Road will be full of wannabe Germans; Highbury and Islington will become a temporary suburb of Paris and the South Coast will be swamped by amateur Croatians.

Why? Well, since Graham 'Turnip' Taylor lost his job in Rotterdam and failed to progress to the finals in the USA following the 2-0 defeat by Holland, the Premier League has become the most cosmopolitan in the world.

Consider this. There will be more English-based stars (42) than any other league in Europe barring the German Bundesliga (56). Arsenal and Chelsea with seven and Liverpool (six) have nearly as many players involved as Real Madrid (eight) and France's Lyon (10).

So Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo will carry Portugal's hopes; Liverpool's Fernando Torres those of Spain; Arsenal's William Gallas can be expected to inspire France and Chelsea's Michael Ballack is back to the kind of form that makes Germany contenders for their first tournament win since Euro 96.

Yet, for all their brilliance, Euro 2008 may well be settled off the field by the sexagenerian coaching club.

The daring fashion of employing young, wet-behind-the-ears coaches with reputations built only on their starry playing careers seems to have waned as no less than nine of the competing 16 nations are putting their trust in coaches in their sixtieth year or beyond. Greece's Otto Rehhagel and Spain's Luis Aragones, are actually in their seventieth.

Okay, so Croatia's charismatic Slaven Bilic, at 39, and Holland's icon Marco Van Basten, at 43, may have bucked this trend by doing exceptional jobs despite having held no previous senior coaching role, but this feels like a championships for the greybeards. Bilic wasn't even born when Leo Beenhakker, Poland's 65-year-young leader, started coaching - and puffing his cigars - 41 years ago.

Now in his 23rd coaching job, he has been voted Poland's "Man of the Year" for becoming the only coach in 48 years to steer them to the European finals.

"Every day is still a real pleasure. As long as I stay physically fit, still able to focus mentally and I'm still enjoying every minute, I'll carry on," booms Beenhakker in a mission statement which could be reprised by his equally nomadic 61-year old compatriot, Guus Hiddink, who's similarly reinvigorated the Russian team. Then there is Luiz Felipe Scolari, 60 in November, who inone qualifier ended up clocking Serbian defender Ivica Dragutinovic with a lovely left jab - exactly the sort of battling qualities the Portuguese boss may well need if he ends up at Chelsea next season.

In contrast to 'Big Phil', 68-year-old Karel Bruckner, who had to pull out of a press conference this week with back trouble, looks the sort of kindly whitehaired gent who ought to be handing out Werthers Originals to his grandkids rather than leading the Czech Republic.

Four years ago, the then 65-year old German maverick Otto Rehhagel steered a Greek side with no stars, no flair and no hope to victory in Portugal. It was a triumph for teamwork, resilience, bloody-mindedness and defensive organisation but, more than that, it may actually have represented football's most remarkable single coaching feat.

Now, along with 10 of his 2004 champions, the miracle man is back - the real miracle being his jet black thatch at 69 - and nobody's going to offer you 80-1 on Greece winning this time.

One coach even more venerable than Rehhagel will be on duty - Luis Aragones, who will be 70 next month. His racially abusive comments about Thierry Henry; his World Cup failure; his unfulfilled threats to quit; the embarrassing stand-up rows with supporters and reporters - no wonder Aragones has long inspired the same confidence in Spain as Steve McClaren once did here.

Only, unlike the brolly wally, he's still at the helm and, despite having chucked national hero Raul overboard amid national furore, has overseen 16 matches without defeat leading up to Euro 2008.

Nike have made an advert for the tournament that shows Liverpool decked out in the red and yellow of Spain. The Cavern club has become the Caverna club and the local chippie is now selling all day tapas in homage to Torres.

If old man Aragones gets it right and shows he is the grandaddy of them all, there is every chance that Viva Espana will be sung from Madrid to Merseyside as Spain finally fulfil their promise and carry off their first title since 1964.