England flag furore feels trivial but football remains a muster point for discontent

Flag. noun. A piece of bunting used as an emblem for military or naval purposes, signalling decoration, display, propaganda.

Flag. verb. To droop, to flap feebly, to grow spiritless.

Yep. That just about covers it. As the current England shirt flag-desecration lesbian conspiracy-rage shemozzle (imagine explaining all this, in fine detail, to a time traveller from 1993) edges into its third day, both dictionary definitions of the four-letter word at its centre seem about right.

Perhaps with a little foresight the Football Association could have avoided the unhappiness over the recoloured George Cross on its latest overpriced scratchy nylon replica shirt by suggesting this design detail was r…