STOP PRESS: Thursday 12th December

Regrettably, despite the best efforts of the 2008 Bid Team and many avid supporters throughout the Tartan Army, Scotland and Ireland failed to win UEFA approval in the bid to host the 2008 European Championship Finals.

Many thanks go from NATA to everyone involved in taking the bid forward, particularly Tartan Army stalwarts such as Wee John, Tam Ferry, Kenny Nicol, Hamish Husband and the entire ATAC Committee, Davie MacDonald and many others whose names I have forgotten or do not know. Without the original vision, commitment, passion and drive of these and many other individuals, the 2008 bid would never have got off the ground, let alone have reached the chambers of power at UEFA.

Whilst the full story behind Scotland and Ireland's failure to win the right to host the Championships is yet to surface (but keep an eye on UEFA, the Scotland 2008 pages and the TAMB for any information), we at NATA want to take the time to recognise the hard efforts of the individuals above in making the bid, if not the dream itself, a reality.

To all those responsible (you know who you are, even if I've forgotten your names!), NATA (and the Tartan Army in general) salute you. Thank you for giving us all so much hope, and do not lose heart.

Paul & NATA, 12th December 2002

Monday 9th December 2002

Keepin' it fresh, NATA Online now had two brand new sections for your delight and delectation - and best of all, we need YOUR input to help them grow. Check out the Tartan Army Look-alikes and the Tartan Army Quotes sections and email us with any suggestions (or complaints, if you take yourself far too seriously!). This is in addition to all the usual gems you'll have come to know and love us for:

• The Tartan Army Look-alikes is a brand new page highlighting what you've always thought but been too polite to say! It may have a slight NATA bias at the moment, but that's where you come in!
• Also brand new to NATA is You Said What? A Colemanballs for the Tartan Army generation - the pick of the quotes from the most recent trips. There may only be a few at the moment, but from small acorns...
• The Portugal diary account weighs in at another 3,000 words plus, but then you wouldn't expect anything less now, would you?
• And as ever, it's illustrated with a glut of photos - 91 in total: here (42 of Porto Sat-Mon) and here (49 Braga Tues-Thurs)
• The T-shirts page has been updated with the latest fashions - see the Braga special here 
• And a timely update has been carried out on the Travel details page, including Turkey info (for the "Future Team" game)
• You can now get NATA Online on the move on your mobile phone with the new NATA WAP site (go to http://tagtag.com/nata, but not here, you fool! On your phone!). It's only just begun, but expect a pared down version of the real site with details of recent updates and a link to the Ananova section on Scottish football news.
• Finally, doesn't anyone care about the future of Scottish football? VOTE NOW in the NATA poll, and don't have me tell you again!

With no games for a few months (lack of annual leave has ensured that there will be no NATA representation in Mainz) means that I can now have a crack at the Korea and Hong Kong updates, so watch this space (but don't hold your breath!) - expect some more updates to the two new pages in the coming weeks as well. There is also the small matter of a reconnaissance trip to Frankfurt in December to check out the city attached to the airport that many of us know so well.

Cheers and Merry Christmas, Paul & NATA

Sunday 10th November 2002

Just one week to Portugal and I'm still supposed to be off the bevvy (and onions, and garlic, and curry, and...), however, just like Don Hutchison, I'm itching to get back in to the thick of things, so I may well be dipping a toe in the port.

• What do you get if you give a sober man on a week-long Tartan Army jaunt to Iceland a digital camera? Over 400 photos! Around a quarter of these are online, available here (27 of Thurs & Fri), here (36 of Sat & Sun) and here (55 of Mon - Wed)
• The Iceland diary account is also up and running - it's actually two separate articles pinned together (and is therefore a wee bit tamer than usual). Don't worry though, the truth will out eventually about the Bananaman and Nature Boy episodes, let alone the hard work put in by the Inverness boys for Scottish-Canadian relations.
• We have a brand new Poll on the most exciting upcoming attacking talent in Scottish football - check out the results of the away shirt vote on the Polls Archive page.
• The Travel Page has been fully updated - the Trip Countdown has been updated to reflect the Lithuania trip (it's a long way away at the moment!), and the list of known and rumoured fixtures has been brought up to date.
• The T-shirts Page 2002 Trips Collection has been updated with the Iceland slogans - modern technology enabled NATA to model no less than four different designs - which one is best? You decide...
• NATA has teamed up with the oldest established Tartan Army club, Lunnainn Albannaich, and we are now affiliated in terms of membership enquiries and ATAC representation etc - read more about this here.

I'll be doing my utmost to get a Portugal update on by Christmas, but given I have my birthday, the Loony Alba St Andrews Night and a trip to Edinburgh taking up three weekends out of four, please don't be too disappointed. Remember, if you are looking for something to read to keep you going, and the older diary accounts don't appeal, why not see if you suggest any new additions to the Travel Essentials on the Joy of Talc page?

Cheers, Paul (NATA Fat Man and webmaster)

Wednesday 2nd October 2002

Not a full update, but as a friendly has been arranged in Portugal at the last minute, I felt it only right to get the details on the Travel page. Whilst you're here, you may as well check out the two new songs on the Songs Page (thanks to Nigel Bruce for one of them).

Saturday 14th September 2002

NATA are back with a vengeance - despite a well-publicised illness to Paul (the ongoing stomach saga - see the Joy of Talc pages - has come to head with some hardcore medication and an instruction to stay off the bevvy for 2 months), the site has been updated with a veritable feast of juicy morsels, including:

• An epic (3,000 words!) Faroes diary account from the sober pen of Paul - a long read but I hope you find it worthwhile!
• No less than 88 photos from the Faroes trip, on not one but two pages (taking the total photo count to well over 500!)
• Ten photos from the Denmark home match have been added to the Miscellaneous Photos page
• As have 8 photos of Helen's victory in the ATAC Ladies Penalty shoot-out (courtesy of ScottK)
• The T-shirt page has been updated with the 2002 batch to date, including our acclaimed Misbehavin' in Torshavn effort.
• The Travel details page has been updated, and the countdown now points to the Iceland game
• A brand new topical poll about Away shirts has been added
• And to allow you to check out the results of previous polls, a brand new page has been added to show all the previous Topical Poll results

Due to the millstone hanging around my neck that is the Korea and Hong Kong updates (see the News Archive page for the saga of my hard-disk failure) I've decided to push on with other updates with a view to updating the Far East details in due course. The fact that I got a new digital camera before the Denmark match, and still have no less than 10 developed films to sift through from the Far East has also contributed to this decision! However, in order to satisfy some of the public demand to see photographic evidence of the trip, I've taken the rare step of putting photos on the this page, as a wee taster of what is to come.

In all honesty, it's unlikely that the site will see another update until after Iceland, as I will be putting some time into the Worthing FC Supporters Association web site that I am also running, but please have a look around, vote in the new Poll, and even sign the Guestbook.

Cheers again for everyone's patience in waiting for this update, Paul 

Thursday 1st August 2002

Excuses, excuses... a fatal hard-disk error 4 weeks ago scuppered the update I was planning, so I'm afraid it's still a wee while away, but fear not NATA Online will return! In the meantime, I can reveal details of a very special new NATA product on it's way - check out this link for the MUST HAVE item in the North Atlantic.

Cheers, sorry about the delays, and thanks for your patience, 
Paul

Friday 28th June 2002

Hello, and apologies again for the late updating of the site. The Far East trip was great, but I've been a wee bit busy since I got back, and as a result the web site has had to take a back-seat. I have been elected Chairman of the newly-formed Worthing FC Supporters Association (you can see the WFC web site here), and there's been a lot to do to get things off the ground. In between this, we've squeezed in a trip to Perth for the ATAC Sevens (where Ally Maciver won the joint Player of the Tournament award whilst playing for NOSTA and Helen won the Ladies Penalty Shoot-out for Loony Alba) and we're squeezing in trips to London, Lille and Brussels.

Anyway, many great photos of the Far East have been taken (mostly by ally on his shiny new camera) and I am in the process of gradually formatting them in between everything else. Please check back soon, when we hope to have at least some of the following:

• Korea photos
• Korea diary
• Hong Kong photos
• Hong Kong Diary
• Upcoming travel update
• And maybe even a new Questionnaire!

In the meantime, why not look over some old photos, read about our past misadventures, or plan for a trip with this list? You should also check out the excellent new Lunnainn Albannaich website.

Cheers, Paul

Sunday 12th May 2002

Well, a week turned into a month, but here's the new NATA update. And just in time too, as I'm jetting off to Korea tomorrow (complete with my freshly sprained ankle!) to watch the 3 game Far East tour. So, here's the all-new NATA update, just one game behind again (Aberdeen photos due when I get back from holiday):

• Paul's diary account of 4 days in Paris is now online, along with...
  An amazing 45 photos of Paris can be found here (Tues & Thurs) and here (matchday), taking the amount of photos on the site to just shy of 400!
• The Joy of Talc page has had a new addition courtesy of Paul's sleeping habits, plus an amendment to Loo Roll entry (at the insistence of Bob, aka Tartan Army Casualty).
• The words to the Don't bend down song, a catchy wee ditty about a tefal-headed Swedish manager, are on the Songs page.
• The travel page now reflects the upcoming Far East trip, as well as the somewhat optimistic Brazil rumour.
• The links page has also been updated with links to the ATAC site, the new Black Earnside Tartan Army, the website of the infamous "Black Douglas" (see Heids on Sticks), and the holding page for the somewhat controversial Internet Tartan Army (aka WEBTA).
• When did you last send a Tartan Army Postcard?
• And don't forget to vote in our highly topical poll about favourite home shirts.

That's all from us for the time being. After Korea/Hong Kong I hope to bring you the usual mix of photos and tales, along with some photos from Aberdeen and a new questionnaire (remember them? You can look over the old ones here).

Monday 8th April 2002

Apologies for a reduced update for now, but a bout of food poisoning on my return from France, coupled with a hefty chest cold, have combined to limit my creative output for the time being. The France photos are here and will be scanned shortly, so I hope to have a further update next weekend.
For the time being, check out:

• The diary account of the trip to Bath for the U-17 match against Lithuania.
  14 photos from that very game.
• Updated information on Away Travel, with details of the Hong Kong/Korea rumour
• And lastly, friendlies notwithstanding, the Countdown has been switched to the Faroe Islands match

Please check back in a week or so to see photos from Paris, a Paris diary account, and updates to the Joy Of Talc and T-Shirt Gallery pages.
And lastly, NATA will be in Aberdeen on the 16th, with Paul & Helen flying Easyjet from Luton and looking forward to a "Leo Sayer" with Ally & Sue. The Inverness Boys will be joining the proceedings early afternoon.

Monday 4th March 2002

Less than a month to Berti's first game in France (check the exact time left on our new-fangled countdown), and Paul and Helen are planning a wee warm-up on Friday 8th March in Bath for the Scotland U-17 match with Lithuania, along with representatives from Loony Alba and the Wee Midges and Swindon Tartan Armies. Speaking of travel, the poll results are in - 56 people voted, with Germany coming out on top with 29%, Iceland and France close behind in joint second with 25% each, Lithuania capturing the imagination with 16% and puffin-fanciers bringing up the rear with 5% for the Faroes - take the new Poll above.

Back to the front, a bumper update this month, featuring the following:

• We now have dates for the qualifying games, along with some sketchy travel plans, on the Travel Page
• Also check out the Travel Rumours section for speculation on possible games against China, Morocco, Norway and Nigeria
• The Fat Man is in the chair for this month's NATA questionnaire, where he reveals a disturbing fascination with Jenny Agutter.
• The "Song That Shall Not Speak It's Name" now boasts an amazing 50 verses (split into 3 sections), and has it's own page here.
• The Links Pages has been updated, specifically with links to ATAC (The Association of Tartan Army Clubs), The Wee Midges TA and the Pompey TA 
• Two new photos have been added to the Latvia home gallery (inc Billy McNeill in action and Rich actually smiling)
• And last, but not least, we took delivery of a new batch of NATA badges at HQ this week, in time for the France trip, as supplied by Black Dragon Badges. See them here, or read more about them and their predecessor on the T-Shirt Gallery page.

Tune in again early April to get the lowdown on France, a possible new-look TA listings (postponed from this month due to technical difficulties), and various other morsels of information. Between now and then (in fact, in the next few days) the site is due to get it's 5,000th hit, which is not bad for a wee Tartan Army from a Hampshire village!

Cheers, Paul & NATA.

Monday 4th February 2002

So, it's sunk in that there'll be no sun, sand and sangria in our Qualifying group, as we await our Northern European tour. A preview of the destinations, along with a bit of rumour-mongering, can be found on the vastly-improved Travel Page.

The results of January's new manager poll are in, with Nevio Scala (now Shakhtar Donetsk's manager) a firm favourite with 40% of the vote. Jim Leishman came in second with 23%, the Troussier (20%), Vogts (10%) and Craigy Brown (8%). Unsurprisingly, Rioch and Graham failed to catch the imagination and scored zero! Check out the new poll above.

Also, the questionnaires have now become bi-monthly, as we'll run out of interviewees too quickly at current pace.

So, all in all, this update brings you:

• 22 photos of the madness and mayhem surrounding the Latvia home game
• And 15 photos of the trip to Prague to see what might have been - Czech Republic vs Belgium, Nov 2001
• Travel previews on all 4 destinations, along with speculation surrounding an April friendly
• A new poll - "what trip are you most looking forward to?" - see above
  

Friday 25th January 2002

The draw for the Euro2004 Qualifiers was made today, with Scotland drawn in Group 5:

• GERMANY 
• SCOTLAND 
• ICELAND 
• LITHUANIA 
• FAROE ISLANDS

The dates for these matches will not be known for a few weeks, and NATA Online will be updated as soon as they are known. In the meantime we will have a preview of each destination from next Sunday night (3rd February) on the Travel Details page.

First thoughts from NATA: Expensive!

Happy Burns Night to all!

Monday 7th January 2002

Welcome back to the "all-new for 2002", re-launched Netley Abbey Tartan Army Online web site.

We're back with big plans for the future, with regular updates (at least one per month) and a whole host of new features. To kick-off the New Year, we have set up a Tartan Army Postcard page, where you can send your friends TA images with your own message.

We will also have topical polls (see above), with at least one per month - hopefully this month's question will be resolved sooner rather than later by the SFA!The Travel Details page now boasts a countdown to the kick-off of the next game (currently believed to be the France away match).

Other additions since the last update:

• Meet NATA - it's the turn of Sue (aka The Sick Chick) to sit in the NATA hot-seat.
• Four members of NATA went to Prague to see the Czech Republic v Belgium play-off. Read all about it here (photos to follow in February's update)
• As we've moved web-space provider, we've also moved Guestbooks - please sign the new one here. The 2001 Guestbook can still be seen here.
• Another 6 Brussels photos have turned up and been added to the Belgium 1 gallery
• And two odd photos have been added to the Miscellaneous Photo Gallery

Please check back early-February for the next update, which will include:

• Photos from the Prague 2001 trip
• Photos from the Latvia home game
• A brand-new Topical Poll
• News and reaction to the Euro2004 Qualifying Draw (due on Burns Night, 25th Jan)
• And a new Monthly Questionnaire from another member of NATA