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I am back in Donetsk for Wednesday's semi-final metting between Spain and Portugal.

Donetsk is In Soviet times it was a centre for the manufacture of military hardware and as such was closed to foreign travellers.

I first visited Donetsk in 2000 with Arsenal, for a match against a new emerging force in Ukrainian football -

At that time, the region still felt as far removed from Western Europe as is possible. There were two hotels in Donetsk, one was terrible and the other was worse. Arsenal brought their own food, bedding, toilet roll and cleaners; the rest of us had to make do.

We were warmly welcomed, though. I remember travelling through dimly-lit streets to Shakhtar's stadium for training the night before the match and having an orange and black Shakhtar scarf thrust into my hand by a supporter. He just wanted the name of his club to be spread abroad. He's certainly had his wish, with and Champions League football almost guaranteed every year.

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At Euro 2012 in Poland:

It was a fairly bedraggled look for first thing on a Friday.

As Gdansk's rush hour started to build, so dribs and drabs of Republic of Ireland fans bedecked in every kind of green-and-white fancy dress imaginable started to plan their route to Poznan.

The costumes had taken a battering in the long hours spent in the bars of the old town, and their owners' voices were harsh and hoarse after not just an hour and a half, but days of out-singing their Spanish counterparts.

The Polish TV crews loved it, relishing the opportunity to marvel at the Irish appetite for enjoyment despite a proper pounding at the hands of the Spanish.

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I might be eight days late but I have finally made it to Euro 2012.

I gather there are few people who have been wondering where I have been, which is nice, although there may have been many more enjoying my absence! Suffice to say that a lot of the last two weeks have been spent shuttling between home and hospital after a family emergency and I am just glad that I am able to get here at all.

The alarm went off at 03:45 BST on Wednesday to get me up in time for the early flight to Warsaw. A quick drive into the centre of the Polish capital took me past both Legia Warsaw's impressive new ground and the gleaming National Stadium where the Poles have played Greece and Russia in their first two group games.

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