As the end nears on a varied (and expensive)
year in the life of a Scotland fan, with good victories in
Vienna, Toftir and Paris book-ended by 2-0 defeats in Bari
and Tbilisi, we can look back on our successful climb up the
rankings and our reward of a manageble qualifying group for
2010.
This update sees over three hundred Georgia
photos online, along with my own look back at the highlights
of the year. Another installment of our popular Look-alikes
makes it online with no less than thirteen new likenesses,
and topping it all off is a trio of German Christmas Market
galleries (there's three football games lurking in there as
well).
I'm aware we're lagging behind a wee bit
on the diary front, but the lack of planned games (and manager)
should provide the necessary lull for me to rediscover my
creative flow and put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard)
once more. For now, have a great Christmas and good Hogmanay,
and see you next year!
If there's a man you can count on for a good list, it's our
web-daddy Paul. Here's the obsessive-compulsive's run-down
of 2007's highlights, from the best beers to the best games
...more
NEW: Christmas Market Galleries
Two long weekends in Germany, and three galleries of photos,
if anyone's interested... Weekend #1 in Wiesbaden,
Frankfurt and Düsseldorf, plus Paul
and Helen's
photos of Weekend #2 in Dortmund and Düsseldorf.
UPDATE: Monday 26th November 2007
It wasn't to be for Euro 2008, but as Big
Eck himself said, it's not about "glorious failure";
the campaign was a success and moved us up two qualifying
pots. And it was out of the second seeding pot that we've
been drawn for WC2010 qualifying.
In this update, we bring you the gallery
from the emotional roller-coaster that was the Italy home
game, plus a handful of new quotes. On the comedy front, the
fifteenth installment of the Look-alikes Gallery is now ready
to be revealed to an expectant public, with the promise of
more to come. Finally, we have confirmation of the World Cup
Draw, but no travel information as yet.
Next month will see the Georgia gallery
(over 300 photos, hence the delay!), some initial travel info
for the WC2010 opponents plus Look-alikes #16 (seriously,
it's waiting in the wings!). Until then, good luck with the
Christmas shopping and the inevitable parties!
Just three new quotes from the Italy game, but plenty were
added last month following the Georgia trip ...more
NEW: World Cup Qualfying Draw
We've been drawn in Group 9 with Netherlands, Norway, Iceland
and Macedonia standing between us and South Africa. More info
to come soon, but the (empty) dates are on the Travel
page ...more
MINI-UPDATE:
Tuesday 30th October 2007
Due to a little something called "MiFID"
(it's an EU Directive about easing cross-border investment
business, and related to what I do for a living...), not to
mention a week in Georgia, I've been a bit on the busy side
of late.
So, in effort to maintain the run of monthly
updates stretching back 34 consecutive months (to November
2004), we can bring you the latest quote instalment, plus
over 100 photos from the storming 3-1 home win against Ukraine.
There's a whole shed-load of stuff we will
(eventually...) be putting online, including questionnaires,
look-alikes galore, some more travel info plus the obvious
omissions (Georgia photos, diary accounts stretching back
to the Faroes), it's just a case of finding time. Helen does
have to apply for a passport in her new name shortly, so that
will one silver lining on a cloudy, travel-free month.
Anyway, for now, enjoy the anticipation
of the forthcoming make-or-break clash with Italy and keep
the faith!
Fourteen new quotes, including two late entries from Paris,
as well as loads from Georgia and a couple from Glasgow ...more
EDITORIAL:
Sunday 30th September 2007
Three games to go and we're sitting on top
of the table! Hard to believe, but we've still got a long
way to go, with home matches against two of the World Cup
quarter-finalists and a tricky away trip to the very edge
of Europe. Still, it can be done...
This update is one of the those bumper photo
ones, with galleries from both games in the recent double-header,
plus some holiday snaps from Magdeburg (check out the mental
pink Hundertwasserhaus building!). We've also added a lighter
than normal load to the quotes page - I think everyone must
have been so stunned to come out with the normal level of
wit.
Looking to the future, we'll be back in
late October with photos from the next round of games and
hopefully getting the diary accounts back on track (given
both France and the Faroes were flying visits, they really
shouldn't take too long to write...). For now, take care,
enjoy our rareified position as kings of the castle, and KEEP
THE FAITH!
And let's not forget the sterling performance at home to
the Lithuanians a few days before, with what we all thought
at the time was McFadden's best goal for Scotland ...more
And finally, still giddy from Paris, Helen and Paul flew
to Dresden the Friday after to take in Fortuna's defeat to
FC Magdeburg ...more
EDITORIAL:
Friday 31st August 2007
W.H. Davies may have been stretched for
time to stand and stare, and Mr Kipling may have made exceedingly
good cakes, but here at NATA Towers it's the website we struggle
to squeeze in to our hectic schedule.
Nonetheless, we've yet again kept up our
run of monthly updates (that's now 33 consecutive months we've
somehow chalked up, since November 2004). It may not be big,
it may not be clever, but at least it's here...
On the Tartan Army front, we can bring you
a concise diary account of the trip to Vienna, as well as
a look back at some previous experiences of next month's away
game venue, Paris. Travel-wise, there's a whole host of new
pubs added to our Berlin guide, and finally, one of our "sister"
websites has been updated (giving a clue as why the webmaster
hasn't been around at weekends to do his job on here properly,
perhaps!).
Anyways, September brings a crucial double-header
at home to Lithuania and away to France, and after the next
round of results, we should have a much clearer picture as
to whether we'll be going back to Austria next summer.
Paul's fledgling Fortuna Düsseldorf fan-site continues
to grow, with pictures from the first three away games (all
1-0 wins!) now online, if anyone likes that kind of thing...
more.
Going to France?
Here's a few wee nuggets to get you in the mood, from past
NATA trips to the city of rudeness and slow service...
Another picture special this month, I'm
afraid! But there's some good ones - a full gallery from the
Faroes courtesy of Ally and Susan, including some stunning
scenery (if you like that kind of thing...)
The Loony Alba boat trip was a roaring success,
and with plenty of help from Bruce and Chris Houston, nearly
100 photos ended up on the NATA camera, including some weird
and wonderful effects courtesy of Chris.
Finally, completing the picture round-up,
snaps of Helen and my trips to Amsterdam and Stockholm make
up the rest of this update, along with some tweaks to the
Stockholm guide to explain where to find cheaper pear cider!
We can but hope to bring you a new diary
update in August, along with a new Lookalikes gallery, a look
back at previous French adventures (ahead of September's qualifier)
and anything else that occurs to us in the meantime. Until
then, enjoy the anticipation that comes with the start of
a new football season...
One man's poison is another's passion and all that. Whilst
Paul spent just a day in the Faroes, Ally and Susan spent
a week, and have 179 photos to show for their endeavours ...more
The owl and the pussycat may have gone to sea, but for Loony
Alba's Tartan Navy, they've simply gone to seed. Almost 100
photos from July's riverboat swally ...more
Paul and Helen's second summer jaunt to Stockholm brought
more fantastic weather and the first competitive football
of the new season (Hammarby v Cork City in the Intertoto Cup).
The pics
are on Paul's own site, and the guide
has been updated too.
And finally, some pictures of another summer trip (to Amsterdam)
are also on Paul's own site. I know this can come across as
a little "what I did on my summer holidays...",
but if someone else wants to try their hand at writing some
material ...more
EDITORIAL:
Wednesday 13th June 2007
Well, yesterday was a landmark
for NATA, with a birthday meaning 90% of the membership are
now over the age of 30 (and the youngest seemingly having
hung up his kilt for now!). We're not letting age slow us
down though, oh no...
The recent double header brought two wins, three goals and
none conceded, and bizarrely, a drop in the all-but-meaningless
FIFA rankings!? The win in Toftir may have excorcised some
ghosts, but in qualification terms, it's only allowed us to
keep pace as the top teams keep winning according to form.
Nonetheless, the more points we can get now, the better chance
we stand of jumping pots for the WC2010 draw in November.
This update brings Austria and Faroes galleries, a (short)
Bari diary and 17 spanking new quotes from Vienna, with the
promise of more to come from the Faroes in our next update.
And that's not to mention Ally's Faroes Gallery and a new
set of Lookalikes, which should be in our next update in the
next 2-3 weeks. Until then, enjoy the summer...
The Austria and Faroes trips yet again proved to be a fertile
bedding for quotes - the first part (17 quotes from Vienna)
is now online ...more
EDITORIAL:
Sunday 20th May 2007
After a stop-gap update in April, normal
service is now resumed! Ally's excellent Bari photo gallery
makes up for the whirlwind stop by Paul and Helen (the equally
concise diary account should be available come June's website
update!), and also on the photo-front are some snaps from
Paul and Helen's wedding.
On the travel side, we've finally updated
the Glasgow Pub Guide, despite there not being a home match
until September, as well as bringing a first look at the new
Wembley, with a comprehensive travel guide/diary account based
on the FA Trophy Final, plus over 200 photos (especially for
those of you who like looking at car park photos!).
Still on the travel front, we've got links
to the historic Austria and Faroes info, including the diary
accounts and photo galleries. For anyone still umming and
ahhing, I can really recommend Vienna as one of Europe's truly
great cities, with lots to and see (and drink, of course!).
Did you know that it has more vineyards than any other European
city... ?
Expect a new update in June, following the
double-header away trip. As well as photos from both games
(or from Glasgow Airport if the Faroes flight is fogbound!)
and the long-awaited Italy diary, you can also expect James'
questionnaire and maybe even some new look-alikes. Until then,
whether you're heading to the games, watching on the telly
or following on the web, hope you enjoy them and we get the
results befitting the 14th best team in the world...
With Paul's photographic opportunities
hamstrung by his short visit (less than 20 hours in central
Bari), it's fallen to Ally to come up with a more comprehensive
record of the recent defeat to Italy ...more
It's been due an update for a wee while, and although there's
no home games for another few months, the Glasgow Pub Guide
has now had an overhaul with a few new pubs added and a few
closed ones removed ...more
The day before the Georgia home match (not a coincidence)
saw NATA stalwarts Paul and Helen tie the knot in a small
ceremony after a 10 year courtship ...more
Thanks to ScottK, Paul and Helen managed to get along to
the first competitive game at the new Wembley - Kidderminster
against Stevenage in the FA Trophy. A travel guide and some
photos are
the net result ...more
SEMI-UPDATE:
Sunday 29th April 2007
Unfortunately, a combination of lack of
spare time, writer's block, tiredness and a minor software
failure have conspired to ensure that there is no proper NATA
Online update this month. Rather than leave the website sitting
dormant (remember, only 8 months since January 2001 have gone
by without at least a minor update!), I've turned my attention
to the upcoming double header...
Late May sees a friendly visit to Vienna
- a game that would ordinarily attract a few hundred travelling
Tartan Army footsoldiers. However, couple this with our fourth
visit to the North Altantic outpost of Toftir in the Faroe
Islands in the last 12 years, and you can start to see why
this trip is attracting more interest than usual. From my
own perspective, I'm over the moon, as Vienna is one of my
truly favourite cities and can offer a whole host of things
to do and see - some of which are covered in the NATA Guide.
The Faroes? Well that offers distinctly less possibilities...
Cheers, Paul
Going to Austria?
Looking towards next month's friendly in
Vienna, we can bring you a Vienna
Guide along with a diary
account and photos
of the Mattersburg B game (for which we stayed in Vienna).
And we've even a guide to Bratislava
if you're going that way...
How about The Faroes?
If you're braving the rocky North Atlantic
wilds to see Scotland play at the top of a mountain (seriously!),
then forewarned is definitely forearmed! Here's our guide,
plus 2002's diary and
gallery. Happy reading...
Not all of Paul's websites have stalled
- here's his Fortuna Düsseldorf fan site, in case anyone
is interested in the adventures of a Third Division North
game ...more
EDITORIAL:
Saturday 31st March 2007
Well, talk about the skin of our teeth!?
You think I'm talking about Craig Beattie's shinned winner
last week against Georgia? No - I'm talking about my pledge
to keep this site refreshed with monthly updates...
Anyway, here we are, and it's a photo special
for this photo finish: three Scotland galleries, plus a host
of Fortuna photos for anyone who's interested. The Italy Gallery
may seem a little more sparse than usual, but then a shorter
trip does make for fewer photo opportunities. On the other
hand, the Georgia game may have been on the shortest day of
the year (with the clock's moving), but a bumper NATA crowd
were in attendance.
As well as the usual quotes that inevitably
spill over the sides of the frothing pint glass that is a
Scotland double-header, we also take a step back to the future
with a return to the "Meet NATA" questionnaires
we last had back in 2001-02. Although there's been much beer
under the bridge for all of us since then, we're starting
with someone who hadn't previously filled one in, hence you
being treated to Bruce's fresh, and slightly askew, perspective
on matters.
April should bring another update with an
Italy diary account (again, a short trip means a short diary
account!), some travel info and hopefully some more photos.
And from 3 days in getting the Italy gallery online, here's
Ally's photos from the Ukraine five months after the event!
Blame Paul moving house and losing the CD ...more
NEW: Paul's Germany galleries
And if anyone still wants to see yet more photos, there's
galleries from Fortuna Düsseldorf's home games against
Dynamo Dresden
and Wuppertal,
and their trip to Magdeburg
on Paul's own site
EDITORIAL:
Sunday 25th February 2007
It's been a few weeks, but to make up for
it here's six morsels of NATA-ness to keep you all going for
a month. Like a total lunar eclipse, the puclication of the
Ukraine diary brings NATA Online fully up-to-date on the diary
front. Enjoy it while it lasts...
And on a Ukraine front, next month we can
bring you an extra photo gallery courtesy of Ally. He did
give me the CD months ago, but I only just found it yesterday
going through some of the boxes from my recent move.
Anyways, this month also brings a new set
of Look-alikes, a Loony Alba gallery and, following Paul and
Helen's recent stag/hen do, no less than 14 new quotes and
the accompanying photographic evidence.
Finally, for all those of you who want to
know how we're getting to places and what we'll be doing when
we're there, the Travel Details page has been updated to boot.
In addition to the Ukraine Extra gallery,
next month should also see the resurrection of the Meet NATA
Questionnaires and a new downloadable travel guide. Until
then, we've got two tricky qualifiers to negotiate with our
new manager at the helm. Here's hoping for a repeat of the
majestic France performance.
Okay, it's another Düsseldorf gallery,
however given nine members of NATA (plus another 5 TA regulars)
were in attendance, it's been given the full NATA treatment
...more
It was a terribly drunken night, and most
of the NATA photos have already been donated to the excellent
Loony
Alba website, but here they are in their natural home
...more
With the two big games now in confirmed
venues (Italy in Bari, France in Paris) and the Austria friendly
being announced, some firmer plans have been laid in place
...more
EDITORIAL:
Sunday 14th January 2007
Happy New Year from all at the Netley Abbey
Tartan Army!
This month's bumper update brings something
for everyone: words, pictures, controversy (well, my own opinions
on what was best about the year past) and, hopefully, some
laughs from our newest look-alikes gallery.
This update comes at a time of upheaval
for the national team following Walter Smith's departure.
There's not much I can really add to this rather than try
and encourage everyone to look forward and not back - we are
top of our group, after all!
And speaking of looking forwards, already
guaranteed for your viewing pleasure in February's update
is the Ukraine diary and the next installment of the Look-alikes
Gallery. Why not sign up for our free update news email to
make sure you don't miss out?
We can now bring you the drink-by-drink account of NATA's
week in Lithuania - only one more account to go (Ukraine),
and that's only a month away ...more