Sharon to the rescue with her long-awaited
questionnaire! There's also been a wee update to Paul's Fortuna
website. See you in October!
MINI-UPDATE (Part I): Sun 28th September
2008
Just a quickie this month - the gallery
from 2 nights in Iceland and a whole bevvy of new quotes.
Why no Macedonia photos? Well, for starters I took over 500
and these need cutting down, and I've just not had the time.
Circumstances dictated just one weekend
at home in what's been a hectic month, however I'll have a
stab at getting some more stuff on next week.
So, back to the football... a mixed start
for Scotland saw a solid win in Iceland preceded by a shambles
on and off the pitch in Skopje. A fantastic country (particularly
for food), political jiggery-pokery meant thousands of Scotland
fans were left locked-out of a half-full stadium. Thankfully
everyone took it in their stride, but I do feel sorry for
the guys who didn't make it and hope it didn't put too much
of a downer on the trip.
Hope to be back with a further wee update
before Norway, but we'll see...
It's taken her a few weeks (er, months even...), after she
told me she had problems remembering the dates of her first
games (men never forget these things!), but here it is - your
chance to get to know NATA's shortest member a little better
...more
A flying visit, but here are Paul and Helen's photos from
Iceland. We'll have links to other NATA members' galleries
shortly, but expect loads of rocks (due to our geogology correspondents)
...more
If there is one thing the recent double-header was good for,
it was quotes. Hundreds, well 28, of them have made the final
cut and are now online for your delight and delectation ...more
So why does it always take so long to update NATA Online?
A quick glance at Paul's "other" website will give
you a clue - he's always in Germany! ...more
EDITORIAL: Sun 31st August 2008
Another month end, another mad rush to get
an update, and another rabbit pulled out of the hat by the
skin or our teeth (nothing like a mixed metaphor...)
Special thanks to NATA's on-loand member
Kenny Hamilton for taking the time to do a very illuminating
questionnaire. We can also introduce the rest of the NATA
squad for the upcoming qualifiers in a Sky Sports styleee.
As promised last month, and believed by
nobody given how this usually works, we can bring you the
next chapter of our popular Look-alikes series (and thanks
to all who have contributed ideas and photos, even those that
haven't made it yet). We also have a look back at our last
trip to Iceland, as well as some of my "holiday snaps"
at Fortuna matches.
There's another mention of the Tartan Army
Childrens Charity - remember that even if you read this too
late to donate towards the Tartan Skopje appeal, the monthly
lottery will continue, and you can sign-up online in minutes.
So, happy surfing (and travelling) for the
next month, and I'll be back with an update soon after the
Macedonia and Iceland trips. If you're going, enjoy; if not,
enjoy it on the telly - see you all in September!
And if you want to get to know one of our members (well,
loan member at least) a little more initmately, why not read
about how much Kenny is looking forward to Oslo next year?
...more
NEW: Non-TA German Galleries
Whilst waiting for Scotland's campaign to kick-off, Paul
has been over for a couple of Fortuna games - away
to Burghausen and home
to Unterhaching (photos on Paul's own website).
Finally, if you're heading off to Reykjavik next week, why
not reminisce about our last visit in 2002, which saw Berti
Vogts' team claim a decent 2-0 win. We have both words
and pictures.
STOP
PRESS: Sun 3rd August 2008
As promised, here's the loooonnnngggg awaited
Lookalikes Gallery, with 12 new lookalikes. And there's more
to come soon, but please remember to let me know if any TA
lookalikes you spot on tour in the meantime!
EDITORIAL: Wed 30th July 2008
The new qualifying campaign is drawing ever
closer, and we even have a warm-up game to look forward to
in the shape of Northern Ireland next month. Not that it's
drawing the crowds in - this could be the first game for many
years without a single NATA member in attendance! A combination
of school-holiday timing, unattractive opposition, illogical
ticketing policies (one per SSC member!?) and daft pricing
(in the face of a credit crunch) have all conspired to keep
ticket sales down - here's hoping these pick up in the next
three weeks!
Anyway, enough doom and gloom - we bring
you a mixed bag this month: photos of drunk people on a boat
(and some sights); NATA's own Victor Meldrew on what he dislikes
and dislikes; a pub-by-pub guide to the best city in Germany;
and a smattering of quotes from the Prague trip. Where's the
look-alikes I've been promising for the past six months or
so? Almost here, honest - in the next few days, gallery number
17 will be here!
So, with all this on offer, have we peaked
too soon? Is there anything left in the tank for the next
month or two? Fear not, I plan a veritable blitz on look-alikes,
plus an updated Prague guide, the NATA squad for the qualifiers
(not much in the way of surprises) and Sharon has promised
me, only today, that she'll pull a questionnaire out of the
hat in time for the next update.
Until then, enjoy the summer, enjoy the
Northern Ireland game (whether you're going, or just watching
it on the telly like me) and enjoy the anticipation of a new
campaign!
It's been a while, but it's here at last! Twelve new look-alikes,
including NATA's own Ally, Helen and Bruce, as well as several
Loony Alba members. And there's more to come soon (promise!)
...more
Another summer, another drunken boat trip on the Thames courtesy
of Loony Alba. 62 photos of the below-deck drinking and some
of the sights are now online ...more
After much cajoling and pleading, it's Ally to the rescue
with the first NATA Questionnaire in 11 months! Sharon's promised
one for August, but for now read about Ally's likes and dislikes
as the elder statesman of NATA ...more
A new season, a new guide. Now clocking in at 7 pages, our
guide to Düsseldorf has even more pubs and the lowdown
on the best places to eat and drink in Germany's premier party
city.... Download
here
TACC Lottery - Now Online! For only £5 per month help
the TACC support disadvantaged children in Scotland and abroad,
and have an opportunity to win a cash prize! More
details (external website)
Only four quotes from Prague, but they're not too shabby
...more
EDITORIAL:
Mon 30th June 2008
It's been a while since a proper update,
and despite my best endeavours, this one still falls a little
short of what I'd hoped to unleash on an unsuspecting public.
Notwithstanding exams (last Tuesday), network problems (next
weekend's chore) and a laptop on a go-slow, at least we do
have some new Tartan Army related content to bring you for
the first time in a while...
Following on from the excellent trip, and
not-so-excellent performance (let's face it, it was the definition
of a meaningless end-of -season game for Scotland!), we have
a photo gallery AND a diary account of the trip. Unfortunately,
"technical difficulties" have limited the number
of photos, as a corrupted memory card kicked in right before
the match, although everything from the Monday night right
up to the Friday lunchtime remained unscathed.
To go a little way to making up for that,
there is an additional Prague gallery on my own "scrapbook"
website from the second week I spent there in mid-June, as
well as some other snaps.
With the exam out of the way, and no more
football on the telly to distract me for a wee while, the
next update will most definitely 100% contain a new look-alikes
gallery, and a few more morsels besides, so keep 'em peeled.
Not the full story, unfortunately, as a corrupted memory
card means no photos of the match or the afternath. Nonetheless,
there's still around 100 snaps to give you an idea of what
we got up to ...more
A beer-by-beer account of 5 days in the Prague suburbs from
Paul's perspective. This fills in the gaps that the camera
failed to capture, and gives a flavour of Prague away from
the stag parties and strip clubs ...more
Away from Tartan Army duty, one of Paul's "other"
websites has been updated with photos from three home wins
in the tail end of the season, although Fortuna narrowly missed
out on promotion ...more
NEW: Non-Tartan Army Photos
And finally, here are the full photos from trips to Düsseldorf
in April,
early
May and late
May, as well as the second (non-Scotland) week in Prague
in June.
STOP
PRESS: Sun 25th May 2008
Just a quick to say there won't be a proper
update this month - sorry! Just been too busy with travel
(away to Prague tomorrow) and studying for a work exam. We
will be back in June - promise!
EDITORIAL: Mon 28th April 2008
Another month, another struggle to get an
update out on time! Still, here we are again, even if it is
another brief one...
A trip to Brussels at the start of the month
has provided a raft of new quotes and some juicy photos. There's
also a chance to gen up on travel tips and pubs for the Prague
trip at the end of May, as well as a look back on our last
game in the Czech Republic in June 1999, when a very big man
came on and turned the game in the Czech's favour.
So where is the Look-alike gallery I promised?
Well, it's almost ready, but a combination of things has,
as ever, stopped me from putting the finishing touches to
it. However, with the battering the pound is taking against
the euro has curtailed at least one trip to Germany in May,
and promises to keep me at home for most of the summer, so
plenty of time for updates then! We will be back in May, although
I'm not quite sure with what just yet! Stay tuned...
April brought about another NATA-centric drinking trip, this
time to Brussels. See the photos on Paul's scrapbook site...
more
EDITORIAL:
Sun 30th March 2008
Another skin of the teeth update, but such
is the timing of Scotland games! As for the next 2 months,
I can already predict with uncanny accuracy when these will
take place, given how busy I am over the coming months (and
with an exam to study for as well...)
Anyway, for now, feast your eyes on the
Croatia Game gallery, plus NATA-centric football (and beer)
trips to Düsseldorf and Southampton. We've also updated
the ever-popular Quotes section (don't worry Tam - the Look-alikes
will be updated next month!), and given the much awaited announcement
of friendly matches, the Travel Details page has also been
brought up to date. The Czech game has also allowed us to
re-time our countdown below.
It's going to be another full month before
the next update. In addition to a new Look-alikes Gallery,
we also hope to have some more snaps, and maybe (just maybe)
some material from someone other than me. Enjoy for now and
tune back in next month...
Not one but two friendly matches were announced on Easter
Monday, which was handy.... Nonetheless, the Czech away game
and the Northern Ireland home match have allowed us to bring
the Travel Details page up to date ...more
Unusually for Paul's "personal collection", both
of these galleries from March's travels feature a significant
number of NATA members, firstly on a Stag/Hen Trip Revival
weekend in Düsseldorf,
and then on Paul's annual pilgrimage to his Saints
roots
EDITORIAL:
Weds 27th February 2008
Now the excitement of George Burley's appointment
as new manager has died down, as well as most of the knee-jerk
reaction to his assistant Terry Butcher's appointment, it's
down to "business as usual" at home to Croatia at
the end of March. We can help you get in the mood for the
game by reminiscing about the two draws we played out in the
2002 qualifying campaign by looking at our (now very dated!)
galleries.
Still on the reminiscing vibe, we've published
the Georgia trip account to bring the diary section bang up
to date. There's also some more Düsseldorf photos from
my most recent trip to see Fortuna (on my own website).
Finally, many thanks to Loony Alba Chairman
Kevin Donnelly (Keith to his friends), who has weighed in
with a comprehensive eating guide to the St Catherine fish
restaurant district in Brussels.
We'll be back in late March with snaps from
the Croatia home game and anything else we can rustle up.
Bringing the diary part back up to date, here's Paul's opus
on the lengthiest trip of 2007, taking in Glasgow, Tbilisi
and Munich. It could be a long wait for the next one ...more
Thanks to Loony Alba's roaming gastronom, Kevin "Disco
Keith" Donnelly, NATA can bring you his blow-by-blow,
lobster-canape-by-braised-tripe account of the eateries of
St Catherine ...more
Holiday snaps time again, but there are some good ones here,
honest! Photos from Fortuna's stunning 2-0 win against then
league-leaders Wuppertal, plus some good skyline and riverside
shots ...more
EDITORIAL:
Sunday 20th January 2008
As promised, we're back with our second
update of 2008, with another diary account - France this time
- to add to the story of the Faroes added at the start of
the month.
We've also embarked on a new venture for
NATA Online - downloadable wallpapers. I'm well aware that
most people customise their own desktop backgrounds with their
own designs, however the caledar version has served me well
for the past two years and I felt it wouldn't do any harm
to make it available to a wider audience.
A word about this month's other update -
the fixtures and Travel Plans. Since originally publishing
our plans on the 1st January, FIFA have now come out and said
there could be some "small changes" to the Group
9 game plan. Here's hoping 2008's fixtures, which many of
us have already booked for, remain unchanged!
We'll be back in February with the Georgia
diary, along with some other things that I haven't thought
of yet. Until then, have a good one!
New for 2008, we've done a set of downloadable wallpapers.
Paul's been using a DIY version of the calendar type for years,
as he's terrible with dates! ...more
Relive the magic of our historic 1-0 win in the Parc des
Princes with NATA's diary account of the event ...more
STOP
PRESS: Tuesday 1st January 2008
Just a quick mention to say "Happy
New Year", and a bonus update with the long-awaited Faroes
Diary plus some travel news. There will be another update
before the end of the month.