THE very mention of England football fans abroad conjures images of violent clashes, water cannons and flying tables.

But reporter ANDREW TAYLOR spent two weeks in the Portuguese town of Albufeira during the trouble at Euro 2004 and paints a very different picture.

THEY say football is a universal language, an institution that unites nations whatever their race, colour or creed.

And the football I watched at Euro 2004 in Portugal did exactly that.

Forget the ugly scenes in the Algarve resort of Albufeira that marred the first week of the tournament.

As an England fan that travelled to Portugal and stayed in the Algarve town of Albufeira, I saw first-hand some of the disturbances.

Not only were they blown out of proportion, they were certainly not helped, in my view, by the baton-wielding Portuguese riot police.

But don't get me wrong. Some of the yobs deserved to be locked up and thrown out of the country.

But for every example of a yob throwing a bottle or smashing a car window, I saw countless examples of peace and affection between the nations taking part in the European Championships that have gone largely undocumented.

Outside the crowded bars and restaurants of Albufeira's Old Town, hordes of supporters draped in their country's colours talked openly with each other and had photographs taken with their new friends.

The English, Germans, Italians, Portuguese, Danish, Swedish, Dutch could all be seen socialising with one another.

Myself, and the party I travelled with, became friendly with a group of Dutch fans who we swapped e-mail addresses with.

They have even invited us to go and play a five-a-side football match against them later this year in Holland.

Travelling north to Lisbon for England's final group game with Croatia, the long and normally lonely highway was awash with the red and white of the St George Cross.

And in the Portuguese capital, those familiar colours mingled with the red, white and blue of Croatia as, again, fans talked, had pictures taken and swapped shirts outside Benfica's world famous Stadium of Light.

Because of the large number of England fans in search of tickets, many 'rival' supporters ended up sitting together inside the grounds.

But the friendly atmosphere remained throughout, with both sets of supporters exchanging banter that never threatened to turn violent.

England's close relationship with Portugal was evident before our quarter final tie with the host nation.

England fans wished the Portuguese bar and restaurant owners good luck - and the friendly locals did the same.

And after England's elimination - and despite the controversial circumstances - their fans waved and gave the thumbs up to the passing Portuguese cars as they zoomed by with horns pipping and flags flying. After Holland's quarter final shoot-out victory over Sweden, Albufeira's Old Town was flooded by the tide of orange as Dutch fans attempted to console their Scandinavian counterparts.

It was truly a celebration. Not only of football but of the happiness, camaraderie and collective sense of identity it can bring to supporters, whatever their allegiance.