I dodged England v Denmark fanzone madness to watch Euros action in a classic Manchester boozer

Unfortunately, they can be loud, hectic, disorganised and you could end up with a pint of beer poured over your head. I have long been an advocate of the good old British boozer as the place to be for football. Conversation can flow as easily as the beers and you get a proper, organic communal experience.

With that in mind, I went to The Seven Oaks in Chinatown to watch England vs Denmark and was delighted by the experience. The walls may not be the prettiest and it does not have the clean, sleek look of many modern bars, but it has two floors, plenty of space to sit or stand and a plethora of top-quality screens to watch disappointing draws.

They have two beers under their own name - the Oaks pilsner, which is a pretty standard and perfectly good drink, and the Oaks Ale, which is made specifically for them and has a really nice depth without being too dark. Both cost £3.75 - which is inarguably great.

Despite England’s poor performance, the atmosphere was great and the bar staff were very helpful and chatty, despite being run off their feet. If ever I needed convincing that traditional pubs like The Seven Oaks are the place to be for international tournaments, consider me completely won over.

Between now and the end of England’s journey, we’ll be trying our a few other boozers to get a proper sense of how important they are to local Mancunians and the footballing conversation.