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UPDATE: Sunday 23rd December 2007

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!

And remember, we'll always have Paris...

Merry Christmas, Paul

NEW: Georgia Gallery

Bit of a big one, this! 12 gallery pages with no less than 335 photos from the Tbilisi trip ...more

NEW: Look-alikes #16

Hot on the heels of last month's Look-alikes gallery, here's the next installment featuring 13 more victims ...more

NEW: Highlights of 2007

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!

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Italy Home Gallery

Forty-eight photos from the so-near-yet-so-far game against Italy, including many of the ovation at the end of the game ...more

NEW: Look-alikes #15

Back by popular demand, after a wait of nine months, it's Number 15 in the series of NATA Look-alike galleries ...more

UPDATED: Quotes

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!

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Ukraine Home Gallery

118 photos from the recent 3-1 win against the WC quarter finalists, although I have to admit that 50 of them are from inside Hampden ...more

UPDATED: Quotes

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!

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Paris Gallery

A treasure trove of photos from a truly memorable match in Paris. Remember, if we beat France again we get to keep them! ...more

NEW: Lithuania Home Gallery

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

UPDATED: Quotes

Not the most fruitful double-header for quotes, there are nonetheless seven new gems for you delectation ...more

NEW: Magdeburg Photos

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.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Vienna Diary

Shorter and sweeter (but with no added sugar!), here's the diary from Vienna. It means nothing to me... more.

UPDATED: Berlin Guide

Three trips to Belin in the past 5 months have turned up no less than 8 excellent pubs added to our mini-guide... Prost!

UPDATED: F95.co.uk

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...

 


EDITORIAL: Friday 27th July 2007

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...

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Ally's Faroes Gallery

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

NEW: Loony Alba Boat Trip

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

NEW: Stockholm Photos & updated Guide

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.

NEW: Amsterdam Gallery

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...

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Faroes Gallery

Only a day-trip, but still 90 photos in the NATA Gallery (plus a shed load more in Bruce's own collection) ...more

NEW: Austria Gallery

And a whole load more pictures from the Vienna friendly, bookended by weekends in Germany - 170 to be precise ...more

NEW: Bari Diary

Not much longer than a day trip for Bari either, but at least that means for a shorter diary account! A tale of red wine, pizza and passports ...more

UPDATED: Quotes Page

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...

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Ally's Italy Gallery

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

UPDATED: Glasgow Pubs

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

NEW: Paul & Helen's Wedding

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

NEW: Wembley Guide

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...

NEW: F95.co.uk website

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.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Italy Gallery

Is this the fastest ever photo gallery on NATA? Possibly, but when you're in Bari for around 20 hours, there's less photos to worry about! ...more

NEW: Meet Bruce

Resurrecting a very old tradition, here's NATA's own hot-pants wearing Oliver Hardy impersonator Bruce Cairns on what makes him tick ...more

UPDATED: Quotes

No less than nineteen new gems, including 13 from the recent double header, now grace the Quotes page ...more

NEW: Georgia Home Gallery

Four gallery pages of pics from the recent last gasp win against the Georgians are also online for your viewing pleasure ...more

NEW: Ally's Ukraine Gallery

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.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Ukraine Diary

Just five months after the event, but still well worth a read to whet your appetite for the next away game, here's the Ukraine diary ...more

NEW: Look-alikes 14

From the usual suspects to a smattering of new faces, here's yet another thirteen look-alike victims ...more

UPDATED: Quotes

Paul and Helen's recent joint stag and hen do to Düsseldorf in the company of all but one of NATA netted no less than 14 new quotes ...more

NEW: Düsseldorf Stag/Hen Gallery

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

NEW: Loony Alba Burns Night Quiz Gallery

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

UPDATED: Travel Plans

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?

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Lithuania Diary

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

NEW: Look-alikes 13

Twelve new sets of look-alikes, ranging from established NATA members to Sideshow Bob and a Madchester flashback ...more

NEW: Highlights of 2006

Following on from the "Best of 2005", here's list-obsessed Paul's own highlights of the year just gone ...more

NEW: Paul's galleries

And finally, some more of Paul's holiday photos: Salzburg, Prague and Accrington Stanley (away at Bristol Rovers ...on paulallison.co.uk

 

 

EDITORIAL: Friday 29th December 2006

Well, we’ve made it by the skin of our teeth this time! Nonetheless, this update brings a veritable feast of photos, some new travel info and the long-awaited part 2 of the Japan Diary. I can also promise to have the Lithuania and Ukraine diaries online between now and the end of February, so by the time Italy comes around we’ll have been fully up to date for at least, oh, 4 weeks!

Speaking of Italy, they have to confirm the venue by 27th January. Some speculation in the Italian press has been pointing towards Bari (an isolated city on the tip of the heel), but as always, NATA encourages patience and nerves of steel to avoid rushing into non-cancellable bookings before things are confirmed. There’s always the package operators…

We will back in the next few weeks with January’s thrilling instalment; expect some more pictures, the Lithuania Diary and maybe even a new Lookalikes gallery. The Loony Alba St Andrews Night was a happy hunting ground: we spotted Cruella de Ville, Harry Hill and Frodo; see for yourself in the gallery.

Have a happy Hogmanay, Paul

NEW: Japan Diary Part 2

The truth finally emerges, more than 6 months after our historic Kirin Cup victory ...more

NEW: LA St Andrews Night 2006

See the photographic evidence from Loony Alba's ever popular St Andrews Night ...more

NEW: Salzburg Mini Guide

A recent whirlwind visit to Salzburg has provided the material for this very brief Mini Guide ...more

NEW: Düsseldorf Galleries: November & December

Not one but two Düsseldorf galleries, from November and December (on Paul's own site)

NEW: Hamburg Gallery

And another visit to Hamburg (for a Fortuna game) has led to these photos ...more

NEW: Ahlen & Dortmund Gallery

Not to mention a brief trip to Ahlen, via Dortmund, for yet another match ...more

 


MINI-UPDATE: Sunday 26th November 2006

Well, as warned there's been a hiatus in service caused by the house move (and more pertinently, by the complete ineptitude of Tiscali to move my broadband connection). Living out in the wilds of East Surrey means even a simple dial-up connection can take half-an-hour to get connected! If you're reading this, then at least it's worked this time!

Anyway, enough moaning. What I can bring you is a very brief update with a clutch of new quotes and a few new bars on the Hamburg mini-guide. What I can't (and will hopefully follow in December once a reputable broadband provider has stepped into the fray) is photos from Hamburg, Düsseldorf and the Loony Alba St Andrews Night, along with the pick of Ally's Ukraine photos.

So, for now, why not see what else the site has to offer? Normal service will hopefully be resumed shortly.

Cheers, Paul

UPDATED: Hamburg Guide

It may not be my favourite German city, but at least I've found another few decent bars to at least numb the pain of being there! ...more

UPDATED: TA Quotes Page

Just the eight this time, from a recent Düsseldorf trip and the Loony Alba St Andrews night (photos to follow...) ...more

 


EDITORIAL: Sunday 29th October 2006

Yet another photo-centric update for now, as I'm still commuting to and from my new job (20 hours a week!). I'm also about to move, meaning NATA's media HQ is moving even further from Netley and setting up shop in East Surrey. Several anticpated weeks of PC downtime will have a knock-on effect to next month's update as well.

Anyway, aside from all the excuses, we can bring you the photos from the famous win against France and the 2-0 defeat in Ukraine. Kiev was a fertile ground for quotes, and a bumper number have been added to the Quotes page. The Toilets of the World page has also continued to expand, and will need to be split into two pages for the next update, particularly in light of the sheer volume of Ukrainian toilet photos I took (and have been sent).

On the football front, there's a B game in Dublin in mid-November (that we won't be at), and another one rumoured for February. We probably won't hear about a venue for Italy until January, however France have been good enough to confirm for the Parc des Princes.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Ukraine Gallery

235 photos of Kiev, Chernobyl and the ghost-town of Pripyat await in the Ukraine Gallery (with more to come from Ally next month) ...more

NEW: France Gallery

And a further 38 from the amazing, historic victory at home to France, including a shot of Sharon's now famous pig tails ...more

UPDATED: TA Quotes Page

No less than 34 gems, mostly from Kiev but with a fair smattering from the France home game and a cracking late entry from Lithuania ...more

UPDATED: Toilets of the World

A couple of cheeky numbers from Arran and a Japan special have been added to the TOTW page- Ukraine is still to come, when I can stomach looking at some of the photos! ...more

 


EDITORIAL: Sunday 24th September 2006

Just like the Tremeloes, words don't come easy to me at the moment, which is why you've got another photo-tastic update to be getting on with. In all seriousness, having just started a new job, being in the process of buying a house and arranging a wedding are all factors likely to inhibit my ability to update the site as fully as I'd like over the coming months.

What we can bring you in this update is even more photos from the Lithuania trip (thanks to Ally M for sending these through and filling in some of the gaps I missed!). The critically-acclaimed (by the Scottish Sun, no less) Toilets Of The World section has had a bumper update thanks to the festering trenches of Lithuania, as well as some quirkiness from neighbours Austria and Slovakia.

On the travel front, there's a German vibe to the rest of the update. My last week of freedom before starting my new job was spent following Fortuna Düsseldorf to the outpost of Emden and taking in a few other sights. You can see the photos, and read the Travel Tips for four more German cities.

The next update should hopefully see at least one diary account making it online - once I settle into the commute, I might even be able to write these things whilst on the train! For now, keep well.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Lithuania Extra Photos

Thanks to Ally, we can now bring you an extra set of Lithuanuia photos, including shots from downtown Kaunas and the trip to the Statue Museum at Grutas Park, as well as some excellent action shots from the game ...more

UPDATED: Toilets of the World

The world-famous Toilets of the World section (as featured in the national press!) has been expanded. Austria, Slovakia and a job(by) lot from Lithuania now line up with the other latrines ...more

UPDATED: Germany mini-guide

All of my gallavanting around Germany does have some benefit - the NATA Mini Guide has now been supplemented with some tidbits on Emden, Essen and Leipzig. The less said about Dresden, the better ...more

NEW: Emden, Essen & Düsseldorf Photos

And speaking of Germany, photos from Helen and Paul's most recent trip, taking in Emden, Essen and Düsseldorf (and 3 matches, featuring 13 goals, in 4 days!) ...more


EDITORIAL: Tuesday 12th September 2006

A bit of a rushed update, as following a week in Lithuania I now found myself with just one week of freedom before starting a new job in a new town. This will also mean a new home for NATA's multimedia empire, and will no doubt mean less time for web updates, but in the meantime, we bring you...

Photo's galore, with over 350 from our recent victorious double header (and more to come too - watch this space!). There's also a large photo gallery on my own site from my trip to the former GDR to see Fortuna take on fallen giants Dynamo Dresden (and also grab a 4th Division game in the Leipzig World Cup stadium).

The Quotes page has also taken a battering, with no less than 17 new gems making the cut. However, the big news this month has to be NATA making national news - The Scottish Sun ran an article on our Toilets, Drunks and Women of the World sections.

Speaking of which, you can expect updates on these sections in the coming months, along with the Lithuania Diary and Part Two of the Japan trip. We'll also be bringing you some extra pics of the Lithuania trip and an updated Vilnius guide. And that's not even mentioing our next double header that's just a few weeks away! Remember, the best way to make sure you don't miss any updates is to sign up for our free Newsletter below.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Lithuania Photos

In record time too! A total of 303 photos, charting dodgy Vilnius pubs (and their toilets!), the game, a trip to Trakai, the TV tower AND the Vilnius derby on the Sunday after the game. It's all here (well, it's not, but Ally's photos will shed light on the bits I missed) ...more

UPDATED: NATA Quotes

Seventeen new quotes have now been captured for posterity - some from the Faroes game, some from Worthing and the vast majority from Lithuania ...more

NEW: Faroes Home Gallery

53 photos from our 6-0 thrashing of the islanders are now online ...more

NEW: Dresden & Leipzig Photos

And finally, and still on a photo theme, there's a stack of pics from Paul and Helen's trip to see Fortuna away in Dresden ...more

As featured in The Sun...

No sooner was the Toilets of the World section on the site last month, than the press had picked up on it! See a scan of the article of here.

 


EDITORIAL: Friday 18th August 2006

As we stand on the brink of another qualifying campaign, 10 years on from the start of last successful one, it's a time for hope, faith and a little trepidation. What's certain is that this is the toughest test Scotland has faced in a long time, however with confidence at a high following the Kirin Cup win and the U19's sterling performance at the European Championships (not to mention the U20 World Cup to look forward to in Canada next year), can we really scrape it?

Following Walter's successful rebuilding, NATA are also on the campaign trail with a stronger squad. Membership is up to 10 (with a strong WAG contingent), and you can view our ugly mugs in our brand new "sticker album".

The first part of the Japan diary is now online, and it's already bulging at the seams. Trust me, it's a good 'un! There's also the long-awaited, tongue firmly in cheek guide to Toilets of the World, to go with similarly offensive sections on Women and Drunks.

Finally, we've also taken the opportunity to overhaul some of the older pages of the site to make some more room in the navigation menu. Postcards and the Joy of Talc have been pensioned off for now, but don't worry: you can still find them in the Web Archive section.

So for now, have a great time if you're heading for the Faroes home match or planning for the Lithuania trip, and we'll be back next month.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: NATA announce squad for EURO 2008

As the Tartan Army counts down to the start of a new campaign, it's time for that long-awaited new. NATA announces the squad to take us down the long path to qualification. Swapsies?...more

NEW: Japan Diary Part 1

It's been a long time coming, and it'll take a long time reading! The first installment of the Japan diary, covering the 5-1 mauling of Bulgaria, is now online ...more

NEW: Toilets of the World

It's the one you've all been waiting for: you've gasped over our Women of the World pages, you've chuckled over our Drunks of the World section, now writhe with discomfort at... Toilets of the World. Carefully selected examples of the world's WC's for your viewing pleasure. And what's more, there's plenty where they came from ...more

Lithuania Resources

If you're heading over to Lithuania next month, why not cast your eye over what we have to offer:

 


EDITORIAL: Saturday 22nd July 2006

Here's a bumper July update to keep you going for another few weeks. There's a little of everything, from pictures to comedy to travel tips to diary accounts to pictures again.

The first weekend of July saw the hugely successful inaugural Tartan Army "Gathering of the Clans" in Aviemore. NATA were proudly represented by Ally, Susan, James and Lynne, and you can now see the photos (including James' brave stint as WESTA's goalkeeper).

There's also another episode of our popular Look-alike Gallery, with a Loony Alba theme. If you have any more suggestions for look-alikes, please keep 'em coming!

Travel-wise, there's a spanking new Stockholm mini-guide, to go with photos from Helen and my recent weekend there, and the latest In Your Sporran Guide covering Slovenia.

Finally, flush from being featured in the Sunday Times' Ecosse supplement, read the full story of NATA's visit to the World Cup last month.

We'll be back in a few weeks; I'm not exactly sure when or what with, so as Shaw Taylor usedto say, "Keep 'em peeled!"

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Aviemore Gallery

Thanks to new NATA member James McCulloch, we can bring you five gallery pages of photos from the recent Gathering of the Clans in Aviemore ...more

NEW: Look-alikes Gallery #12

A definite Loony Alba theme to our latest gallery, with almost half of our fifteen victims belonging to the English capital's very own Tartan Army ...more

NEW: Stockholm Mini Guide

We've only been back a week (see the photos below), but we can already bring you the lowdown on Scandinavia's biggest and prettiest city ...more

NEW: Slovenia In Your Sporran

And that's not all on the travel front, as our Mini Guide to Slovenia is now available in downloadable "In Your Sporran" format ...more

NEW: NATA @ The World Cup: The Diary

I know you're still waiting for the Japan diary (it is being worked on, honest!), but to keep you going here's a wee update on what Helen and Paul got up to in Germany over the first two weekends...more

NEW: Stockholm Photos

And finally, more photographs to keep you amused! A full gallery of midsummer Stockholm from Paul and Helen's romantic (and non-football) weekend away is now on Paul's own site ...more


EDITORIAL: Saturday 24th June 2006

Adding to our Stop Press update of two weeks ago, we can now bring you the full World Cup galleries from our two weekends over in Germany. Whilst it's heart-breaking for us to be there without Scotland, I can confirm it's a superbly hosted tournament, and every German we met is playing their part.

We met a number of fellow Scots on our travels, and did our utmost to remember names, so if you're one of the guys we met and I've messed up, please let me know.

And never mind that mickey mouse Jules Rimet Trophy, re-live Scotland's victory in the Only Cup That Matters (to us, anyway!) with Ally's Japan Extra Gallery, as well as links to another couple of Loony Alba members' sites.

Continuing with the rolling out of our In Your Sporran guides, it's the turn of that beer drinker's paradise, Brussels, to get the NATA treatment. Ljubljana is next up in July.

Until then, keep well, and finally, a very happy 50th birthday to Singing Phil, a true gentleman of the Tartan Army!

Cheers, Paul

NEW: NATA @ WC2006 (Part 2)

The second weekend of our World Cup adventure saw us take in Ghana's stunning win over the fancied Czechs. Why not Czech out these 89 photos to get a taste of Germany ...more

NEW: Brussels In Your Sporran

So you've heard Brussels is boring? After five beer-fuelled trips over the years, putting in extensive research into the best places to sample the best beers, here's the long awaited NATA In Your Sporran Guide to Brussels ...more


STOP PRESS: Monday 12th June 2006

Just pictures, no words, but with this festival of football upon us (and unfortunately without Scotland's involvement), we can at least bring you two new galleries: NATA @ WC2006 (well, for a few days at least!) and, courtesy of Ally and his big camera, a Japan Extra Gallery.

STOP PRESS: NATA @ WC2006 (Part 1)

Helen and Paul were lucky enough to get two pairs of tickets to the World Cup. First up was Poland v Ecuador in Gelsenkirchen on Friday 9th June, followed by matchdays (without tickets) in Dortmund and Cologne. View the photos here

STOP PRESS: Japan Extra Gallery

And that's not all on the photo front - thanks to Ally & Susan we've got another 160-plus photos of the victorious Kirin Cup trip to Japan ...more


EDITORIAL: Sunday 4th June 2006

Usually, we struggle to get NATA Online updated for when we say we will. Sometimes, very rarely, we surprise ourselves and manage a bumper update in double-quick time. And that's not all... we're already planning for another one before June's up.

But for now, feast your eyes on what we have in store for you. Having lived on the South Coast for 19 years, I had never held out much hope for Scotland playing an international just 5 minutes walk from my front door at my home team's ground. So it might have been non league, but it happened in May when Worthing FC hosted Scotland's victory against Ireland. We have the photos, along with those from the defeat to eventual winners Wales and my very camp photo-shoot in between, for your viewing pleasure.

We didn't make the final game (a narrow defeat to England in Eastbourne) as we were celebrating Fortuna Düsseldorf's 3-0 end of season romp - you can see the photos on my own website.

And that's not all - the big news is the return of our ever-popular Look-alikes gallery, with 17 victims in our 11th gallery. If you're suffering from wanderlust, check out the In Your Sporran guide to Bratislava.

Until next time, Paul

NEW: Look-alikes Gallery 11

Back by popular demand, it's our legendary Look-alikes Gallery. Oft imitated, never bettered; check out the latest 17 look-alikes in our eleventh gallery ...more

NEW: Non-League Internationals Gallery

The Sussex coast hosted the 2006 Semi Pro International Home Nations trophy. Check out our gallery from the games at Bognor and Worthing, along with Paul's photo-shoot (there was a free T&T shirt at stake!) ...more

NEW: Slovakia In Your Sporran

Moving on with our In Your Sporran versions of our popular mini-guides, we can now bring you one for Bratislava. Emerging stag party destination and possibly the 19th or 20th city to be labelled the "new Prague" ... more

NEW: Düsseldorf Gallery (again!)

I know there's loads of Düsseldorf photos already, but there's a reason I keep going back! Anyway, our latest visit was for Fortuna's last game of the season and co-incided with a group of Ipswich Town fans. See the photographic evidence on Paul's own site ...more


EDITORIAL: Sunday 21st May 2006

What a trip Japan was! Aside from two fantastic performances (a swashbuckling, and well-deserved 5-1 mauling of Bulgaria, and a determined 0-0 draw against the hosts, and the odds) and a rare chance to see Scotland lift a trophy, those of us lucky enough to go were treated to fantastic hospitality, great beer, weird food and plenty of culture shocks. There's a wee taste of what we got up to in the Japan Gallery, but you'll have to wait a few weeks for the diary guide.

And for anyone not able to make it but looking forward to the next Tartan Army trip, we've updated our downloadable Vilnius guide.

I'm off to the World Cup for the first two weekends, complete with tickets to see Poland v Ecuador and Czech Republic v Ghana, so that will severely curtail update opportunities until the end of June. But fear not, aside from (yet more) galleries of Düsseldorf we have plenty lined up to let those boring summer months fly by! Remember, the best way to keep abreast of updates is through signing up for our Mailing List.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Japan Gallery

Our second largest gallery ever (219 photos) has now been uploaded in record time. In case you're wondering, the mammoth Graz (plus Brno, Vienna and Bratislava) gallery holds first place by a mere 10 photos... more

NEW: TA Quotes

Japan proved a fertile hunting ground for classic Tartan Army quotes, especially with Chris Houston and Tam Coyle jousting for quote supremacy. Check out no less than 22 new jems from the mouths of jakies... more

UPDATED: Vilnius In Your Sporran

Keeping our feet on the ground, and looking to our next real competitive game, we've taken the chance to update our downloadable Vilnius In Your Sporran guide in light of the August 2005 updates. Not a patch on the In Your Pocket guides, but still worth a look... more

NEW: Bucharest In Your Sporran

And here's a new In Your Sporran guide, just in case anyone fancies a trip to romantic Romania... more


EDITORIAL: Sunday 7th May 2006

As ever, things have been hectic here at NATA HQ, but as promised here's a mini update to keep you going for the next few weeks. We will be back with at least one more update before the World Cup kicks off on 9th June (and 2 members of NATA will be at one of the games that day - Poland v Ecuador in Gelsenkirchen).

The online Tartan Army community continues to grow with some excellent sites out there in terms of both content and design. Our links page tries to capture everything out there in cyberspace, so why not check out the latest additions?

We've also been revisiting our Mini Travel Guides and converting them for the In Your Sporran series. The latest to get the treatment is Belarus, but look our for a few more over the coming months, including both Slovenia and Brussels.

Finally, only the pictures front, there's yet another set of Düsseldorf photos - if you haven't sampled the delights of that fine city's Altstadt, I really do recommend taking it in.

We're off to Japan for a flying trip for the Kirin Cup (as shown on BBC Scotland!), so keep well in the meantime, and sayonara!

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Belarus In Your Sporran

After a wee hiatus, we're now back on track with "Sporran-ifying" our web travel guides to make them easier to print off and take with you on your travels. First up is Belarus ...more

NEW: Düsseldorf Gallery

I know there seems to be a lot of Düsseldorf galleries, but that's because it's such a fantastic place! Our latest trip was at Easter with NATA founding member The Wee Man (and Liz) - see the photos on my own website ...more

UPDATED: Links

Our links page has seen a flurry of activity, with new websites from the 1320 TA, the Tartan Army in Norway, Tartan Army Travels, and McMaradona, as well as the recently revamped and fast-growing Geez The Bounce site ...more


EDITORIAL: Sunday 9th April 2006

A wee bit later than planned, but blame the Japanese FA for knocking off schedule! After over three months or rumour-mongering, gossip and false start confirmations, and much to the relief of several dozen early birds who had already booked, Scotland's participation in the Kirin Cup was confirmed early last week. This is the second time we will have competed in Japan's triangular tournament (we played Ecuador and the hosts in 1995), and NATA's travel plans are now in place.

Since our last update in early March, UEFA have stepped in and sorted out the qualifying game schedule. Apart from the inconvenience of missing out on the last round of fixtures, we've ended up with a more favourable fixture list than before, with all of our home matches falling on Saturdays. The other side of the coin means that every away game is midweek, so a nuisance from a holiday perspective!

We hope to fit in a small update between now and the Japan tour, but remember - the best way to keep your ear to the ground is to sign up for our free newsletter.

Sayonara, Paul

NEW: The plan for Japan

NATA's Nippon adventure is all scoped out, and you can read about here, along with a list of very useful links. You can even download a useful list of Japanese Words (courtesy of Cammy The Ref) ...more

UPDATED: Euro 2008 Preview

Following the delayed UEFA draw to sort out our fixture card, you can now view previews of all our forthcoming trips by date order ...more

UPDATED: Travel Details

And now the dates are sorted, plans can be made. NATA are already booked up for Lithuania and Ukraine. Read all about our travel plans, as well as some general info that may help ...more


EDITORIAL: Saturday 4th March 2006

First things first, the Euro 2008 Qualifiers are still waiting to be set - UEFA have set Thursday 9th March as the date for negotiating, else they will pull out a random draw (and open up all kinds of Faroes/Georgia away double-header scenarios!). Whilst not a fan of the original set of fixtures, I'd now be over the moon if they were agreed. However, for now, in the words of Sydney Youngblood, "all we can do is sit is wait..."

The Kirin Cup rumours continue to gather pace, with the BBC website suggesting that Bulgaria are confirmed for games on 9th and 11th May, coupled with an article in last Wednesday's programme suggesting Scotland may accept an invite for games on 11th and 13th suggests an announcement could be imminent. Personally, I'm not booking until this is signed and sealed!

The reason for only one update in February, despite the to-ing and fro-ing over Euro 2008 qualification fixtures, was spending three of the four weekends (and one of the weeks in between) in Germany

As a result, the NATA Mini Guide to Germany has been updated (a little bit of Cologne and Dusseldorf, and a lot of Hamburg), as well as two galleries (covering North Rhine Westphalia and Hamburg) on my own website.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Switzerland Home Gallery

Twenty-five snapshots of our Swiss shaming are now online. If you weren't there, don't worry, you didn't miss anything! ...more

UPDATED: Hamburg Guide

Fresh from a Fortuna trip to St Pauli, we've brought the Hamburg guide up to date. There's now a bar list (including a St Pauli fans' bar and a brewpub) to whet your appetite ...more

NEW: North Rhein Westphalia Photos

A mixed bag of photos on Paul's personal site featuring Essen (Fortuna away game!), Cologne and Düsseldorf across a 10-day period in early February ...more

NEW: Hamburg Photos

And a gallery devoted to a weekend in Hamburg (St Pauli 1, Fortuna 1) - now do you see why there was only the one update in February? ...more


EDITORIAL: Wednesday 1st February 2006

Well, after much gnashing of teeth, we finally know what stands in the way of qualifying for our first finals in 10 years. There's two ways to look at a qualifying draw: "can we qualify" from a football perspective, and "have I got nice places to go on my holidays". Unfortunately, in my opinion anyway, the answer is pretty much "unlikely" on both counts.

On a personal level, Ukraine and Georgia offer pastures new (and another chance to practice my basic Russian!), whilst the others are familiar in one degree or another.

In any case, there's nothing we can do about it now... except plan for the trips if that's your bag, and it certainly is ours. Our Euro 2008 Travel Preview should give you a few early pointers, but the real fun planning fun begins when the fixtures have been agreed (rumours suggest this could be next week).

Unfortunately, this is very likely to be our only update for the month, as I've another busy one ahead of me. However, it's a beauty - there's loads of travel info (Austria, Slovenia and Czech Republic) and some photos from a recent trip to Prague to keep you busy.

We'll be back in early March with more info on how the Euro 2008 fixture list is shaping up, along with what travel plans NATA members are weighing up. Until then, keep well.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Euro 2008 Qualifiers Travel Preview

The draw's been made, and it's not the kindest. Trips to France, Italy, Ukraine, Lithuania, Georgia and the Faroes await - get some advance information now with the NATA Travel Preview... more

UPDATED: Austria Guide

And on a related note, the NATA Mini Guide to Austria has now been updated. Read about the sights and bars of Austria's second city, Graz, along with Euro 2008 Finals venues Innsbruck and Vienna... more

NEW: Slovenia Guide

Is Ljubljana the "new Prague"? It's a strong contender, but you can judge for yourself with the aid of our newest mini travel guide ...more

UPDATED: Prague Guide & NEW: Brno Guide

And if you'd rather think about the "old Prague" before worrying about a new one, the travel guide to the Czech Republic has been updated with some brand new, bang up-to-date info... more

NEW: Prague Photos

Still on a Prague tip, here's 84 photos of our latest visit in January 2006. If you've not been, go now before it gets even more westernised! ...more


EURO 2008 DRAW STOP PRESS: Friday 27th January 2006

Well, it could have been worse. But it could have been much, much better...

Scotland have been drawn in Group B for the European Championship 2008 Qualifiers. The fixtures will be decided in the coming months, and are expected to start in September 2006. The teams standing in our way (in seeding order) are:

  • France
  • Italy
  • Ukraine
  • Lithuania
  • Georgia
  • Faroe Islands

Stay tuned to NATA Online for next week's bumper update, including a preview for each of our opponents.

(This mini update also included a NATA "South Park" spoof as a banner - see it here)

Cheers, Paul


EDITORIAL: Sunday 15th January 2006

Happy Birthday to us! Five years after first hitting the internet, NATA Online is still here and bigger and better than ever before! I hope you liked our retro-style homepage, but rest assured we'll not be going back to that style. In fact, you can sneak an exclusive look at how we almost redesigned in mid-2005 by looking through our Five Years of NATA Online.

This update's not all about patting ourselves on the back! The 2005 Diary has been brought bang up to date with the inclusion of Slovenia, and a brand new Belarus Mini Guide is now online, in case you fancy a quick return to Minsk? Bringing up the rear is an amended Vilnuis Guide.

And there's lots more planned through the Spring as wait for our first Scotland game of the year - there'll be more Travel Guides, including some new In Your Sporran guides, but most pressingly, we'll be bringing a review of the Euro 2008 Qualifying Draw that is now only two weeks away.

In the meantime, enjoy the updates.

Cheers, Paul

Five Years of NATA Online

Did you know NATA Online has been updated every 21 days on average? Or that there's over 3,500 pages on the site? Here's a look back at some of the quirks and curiosities of the past five years... more

NEW: Slovenia Diary

The missing link from last year has now been added - cast your mind back to our impressive, but ultimately hollow, hammering of the Slovenians in October. The NATA Diary covers a full 8 days, including probably the best brewery tour in the world... more

NEW: Belarus Guide

Thinking of Minsk? Then check out our new Belarus Mini Guide, complete with our Raving Reporter, Richard Ross, giving his lowdown on the club scene... more

UPDATED: Lithuania Guide

Vilnius is fast becoming stag central, however we braved it in August last year and came away with four new pubs to tell you about. These have been added to the Vilnius section of the Baltic mini guide... more


EDITORIAL: Sunday 1st January 2006

Welcome to 2006 - I hope you had a good hogmanay and wish everyone a good New Year!

First things first, many apologies for the unavailability of NATA Online for a few days over the Christmas period. Unfortunately, our webhosting company was unable to sort this out until after the bank holiday period. In case you missed anything, I've left the links on the front page.

At long last, the blow-by-blow account of our trip to Graz back in August (yes, it really was that long ago) has finally been published. Which is just as well, as Graz features in our list of 2005 Highlights. Recent visits to Berlin (in October) and Osnabrück (in December) have been reflected by updates to the ever-expanding Germany Mini Guide.

Lined up for the very near future are the Slovenia diary, new Travel Guides to Slovenia and Belarus, plus amendments to the Austria, Czech and Lithuania guides. Rest assured, if we're lucky enough to draw any of these countries in the Euro 2008 Qualifiers, NATA Online is the place to come for all your inside travel information!

In the meantime, enjoy the New Year, good luck in keeping your resolutions and remember to check back later in the month (or sign up for the NATA Newsletter) for another update.

Happy New Year! Paul

NEW: Highlights of 2005

Whilst we wait for the Euro 2008 Qualifying draw at the end of the month, why not look back on Paul's nominations for the highlights of 2005 ...more

NEW: Austria Diary

It's been a wee while coming, but now, a mere five months after the trip to Graz, we can bring you the NATA write-up of the Austria excursion ...more

UPDATED: Germany Mini Guide

The Germany Mini Guide continues to grow apace, with two new additions to the NATA Travel tome. An autumnal visit to Berlin along with a brief winter trip to the Weihnachtsmarkts of Osnabrück have taken the number of German cities reviewed to fifteen... more

And just in case you missed it...

Seeing as NATA Onlone was offline for a week, here's what you may have missed from our last update:


 

EDITORIAL: Sunday 18th December 2005

Sometimes things happen completely out of the blue and out of one's contril that change all plans beyond all recognition. December has been one of those months, and has seen all bets off, all Christmas market travel plans change, and ultimately, the website update shrink from what had been planned.

Rest assured, the Austria Diary has been half-written and WILL be ready in January, to be followed quickly by the Slovenia trip account! For now, it's more of a graphic and beer-flavoured update to get your festive chops around.

A recent visit to the winter wonderland of Brussels has resulted in a personal photo gallery and a juicy update to our pretty comprehensive mini-guide. This was followed a few weeks later by a flying visit to Osnabrück to watch Fortuna's demise.

Finally, people often ask how I always manage to track down weird and wonderful places to drink - I'm now sharing my best-kept secrets by adding all my beer websites to the Travel Links page.

So that's your lot for now. Enjoy the bunting and frolics, and hopefully see you next year!

Have a great Christmas! Paul

NEW: Brussels Photos

A snow-covered accident waiting to happen! Savour the atmosphere of ungritted, ice-clad sloping cobbled streets with these 20 photos from my birthday trip ...more

NEW: Beer Travel Links

At last, the truth is out. Learn all about the joys of "scooping" and find out where all those pesky foreign micro-breweries are hiding! The rest of the Travel Links have also been reviewed ...more

UPDATED: Brussels Mini Guide

Unable to safely walk the streets for fear of taking a header, we had no choice but to seek shelter from the blizzards in a number of local hostelries, purely for the sake of keeping intrepid NATA travellers genned up! ...more

NEW: Osnabrück Photos

Finally, here's 32 photos from one day in Osnabrück, with a little bit of Christmas Market and a lot of humiliation for Fortuna, who went down 5-0. But hey, we got to see someone burn a scarf! ...more


EDITORIAL: Monday 21st November 2005

See, I promised that the last one was just a quick update, and I was right! Yet again there's more eye-candy and less to read, but that's just representative of the shortening attention spans of today's discerning internet user. Or possibly because I'm still suffering writer's block! Anyway, put all thoughts of Austria and Slovenia diaries from your minds for now and focus on...

A bumper gallery of photos from our credible draw with the USA, as well as a real Look-alikes frenzy - marvel as Campbell "Ming" Burton makes a bid to become the most photographed man in the Tartan Army as he grooms his Lenin beard! Finishing off this update's quartet of tidbits is a brief description of Warsaw in the travel section.

December promises to be a hectic month with lots of travel lined up, so any update is likely to be brief again, but please do stay tuned!

Cheers, Paul

NEW: USA Home Photos

Sixty photos of the trip to Glasgow (by car, for a change) have been added to our ever expanding gallery ...more

NEW: Lookalikes #9

Seventeen new faces meet their match on the latest Look-alike gallery, including several well kent faces from the Tartan Army at large ...more

NEW: Campbell Special

And a normal Look-alike Gallery is not enough to hold the man of many faces (and no forenames), Campbell Burton ...more

UPDATED: Eastern Europe Travel Guide

And last, and at last, here's a wee update to the Eastern European Travel Guide following a short trip through Warsaw in June this year ...more


EDITORIAL: Tuesday 8th November 2005

Just a quick update to keep things ticking over, with over 250 photos from Slovenia (and a separate trip to Berlin) now online.

Coming soon (maybe even later this month, maybe not...) will be the diary accounts of Slovenia and Austria (remember that?). There's also loads of new and updated travel info that I'll be adding to over the bleak winter months, so keep coming back for more!

In the meantime, there's rather a lot of travel planned (I blame Helen's addiction to Christmas markets), so planning a full update is proving tricky. Fear not though, we will still keep coming up with the goods!

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Slovenia Photos

Here they are - 181 photos from an incredible week in Slovenia (and a stop-over in Munich). The diary will follow soon, but for now, feast your eyes on these ...more

NEW: Berlin Photos

And from a weekend watching Fortuna in Berlin (my first ever visit), there are now 85 photos on my own website ...more

REMEMBER: The Joy of Talc

Okay, so there's not an away trip for a loooonnnnggg while, but why not cast your eye over the NATA Guide on what to take on tour? ...more

ELSEWHERE: WESTA 's new look

And in other Tartan Army website news, the West of Scotland Tartan Army have relaunched their website with a rather fetching tartan trim ...WESTA's site


EDITORIAL: Thursday 27th October 2005

I know I said early October, but... I've been very busy, and not just gallavanting around Europe. I've been helping several pals with a number of other web projects and that's meant less time for NATA Online, but only for a while!

What we can bring you now is a bevvy of new quotes, a decent helping of home game pictures and some new t-shirt designs in the NATA Shop. On a non-Tartan Army tip, we've got some extra travel gen on Düsseldorf and Munich as well as some new photos of the former (on my personal site).

There's a lot still to come online in the near future, not least of which are the Austria and Slovenia diaries and Slovenia photos (and there's a lot of those!). Travel-wise, there's new or revised guides on the way for Graz, Brno, Vilnius, Ljubljana and Berlin. So, with all this still to come, why not sign up for our Newsletter to make sure you don't miss a thing!

And finally, look out for our adverts on the Tartan Army Message Board. There may only be the one right now (and that's on here as well), but there's more to come soon!

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Belarus Home Gallery

Forty photos from the debacle at home to Belarus have been added to the NATA Gallery ...more

UPDATED: TA Quotes

A storming 17 new quotes from the Belarus/Slovenia double header have found their way onto the quotes page ...more

UPDATED: Germany Guide

Lot's more info on Düsseldorf, and a wee bit on Munich, have been added to the Germany mini-guide ...more

UPDATED: NATA Shop

Two new designs ("Here for the Beer" and the "No Pants" picture) have been added to the NATA Shop ...more

NEW: Düsseldorf Photos

Added to my personal website, 22 new photos from my recent Düsseldorf trip, with an emphasis on the Mediahafen's architecture ...more

NEW: Sussex Beer Festival 2006

One of the many websites that's been keeping me busy is the Sussex Beer Festival site, a CAMRA festival due to be held in March next year ...visit


EDITORIAL: Sunday 11th September 2005

A mere fortnight after the last update, and here's our biggest one of the year! The Norway Diary and Photos are online already - the Austria Diary will follow, but seeing as that trip was four times longer, so shall the diary be longer.

We've also got a bumper gallery of snaps from the Italy home game and associated festivities - if you were in The Iron Horse, The Shed, Baby Blue or The Sports Cafe, you may even be able to pick yourself out. And the photos don't end here either - check out Bruce's snaps on his own Fotopix site.

Both trips have been rich in humour, and 12 more quotes have been added to the ever-expanding Quotes page. The T-Shirts and Travel pages have also been updated, giving you plenty more to chew over.

Still to come are the Austria Diary, which we hope to bring you with the next update (either late September or early October, before the Belarus home game) - remember to sign up for the Newsletter to get notified of when we update the site.

So in the meantime, enjoy the fact that we're not out of the World Cup yet, and remember to check back soon.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Norway Diary

It's only days since the historic victory (which was 1,061 days since the last one!), and the NATA Diary is already online. Read all about it ...more

NEW: Norway Photos

Not the avalanche of photos you may be used to, but 50 photos from the historic win are now online. Still not bad for less than 48 hours in the country! ...more

NEW: Italy Home Photos

Don't fear, 17 hours of hardened Tartan Army partying has kept up the photo average, bringing another 44 from our encouraging Italian job ...more

UPDATED: Quotes

Another twelve pearls of wisdom have made their way onto the Quotes Page ...more

EXTRA: Graz & Oslo Photos

Check out NATA's member Bruce's Graz and Oslo photos on his Fotopix Gallery (opens new window) ...more

UPDATED: T-Shirts & Travel

And to round off this bumper update, the Travel Details page has been updated with the 2006 international dates, and the T-Shirt Gallery has been updated with the Italy and Graz t-shirts.


EDITORIAL: Tuesday 30th August 2005

A photo-tastic update with all the evidence from Austria (and surrounding countries) and even a few from Vilnius. The Austria diary is "in production" but may be an update or two away from seeing the light of day.

We can also bring you a whole 11 new quotes, which at least gives you something to read! Seriously, if it's meaty morsels of text that you're after, you could do a lot worse than cast your eyes over the Norway 2003 Diary. Would you settle for 0-0 this time around?

Thanks to many people for the kind comments on the travel information and the "In Your Sporran" phenomenon - I know they're not all-encompassing, but I will be working on them throughout the autumn. Updates are already planned for the Czech (Brno), Bratislava, Austria (Vienna & Graz) and Vilnius guides - I just need to find the time!

And speaking of finding time, I have several other commitments that will be keeping me busy, so expect the next update in mid to late September (sign up for the Newsletter to make sure you don't miss out).

In the meantime, why not check out the new NATA Shop?

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Austria Photos

Over 230 (two-hundred and thirty!) photos from the epic trip across three countries, with a superb Scotland performance (for 75 minutes at least!) in the middle of it ...more

UPDATED: Quotes

Bruce Cairns is trying hard to be a one-man quote machine - see the evidence as he contributes 4 of the 11 new quotes added to the legendary Quotes Page ...more

NEW: Vilnius Photos

A handful of photos from a swift Bank Holiday break to Vilnius (booked before we knew about the Austria game!). What a transformation - highly recommended and expect an updated guide in the near future ...more

Remember: Oslo 2003?

A sound Scotland performance saw us secure a very respectable 0-0 draw. Relive the trip, the crowded bars and the £7 pints ...more


EDITORIAL: Sunday 6th August 2005

Hot on the heels of our last update, we can now bring you another of our trademark Look-alike galleries (our biggest yet!), as well as some timely travel info for Austria and Germany.

The links page has had a few new sites added, and we welcome our fellow Tartan Army webmasters to the expanding network of TA sites - good luck with them, and the more the merrier!

And the fun never ends... we're already preparing the next update, but it may be a good few weeks until it sees the light of day! Our route to Graz takes us in via Brno and out from Bratislava on an 8-day extravaganza, and factor in the English bank holiday weekend the following weekend before the September double-header, and you can see how it's going to be a push to get anything online in the meantime!

Anyways, enjoy our latest update for now, and remember to let us know if there's anything else you'd like to see on NATA online!

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Look-alikes 8

18 more innocent bystanders get the look-alike treatment in our biggest Look-alikes gallery to date, from the sublime to the ridiculous. Remember to send us your suggestions (with photos)! ...more

NEW: Vienna In Your Sporran

Just in time for the Austria friendly, here's a comprehensive NATA Mini Guide to Vienna. Make sure you try the Heuriger wine taverns in the suburbs! And because we're nice, we're even going to get an In Your Sporran guide online for you in a week or two! ...more

UPDATED: Germany Guide

Our most comprehensive "Mini Guide" has just got bigger. Some brief details on Hannover have been added from scratch, Düssefdorf has some improved pub information and the Munich section has been updated to include the Allianz Arena and the excellent Unionsbrau. The real jewel in the crown of this update is the Cologne info - grab your cheap Easyjet flight and away you go! ...more

UPDATED: Links Page

Our comprehensive Links page has been brought up-to-date with a few new Tartan Army sites, and new addresses for a few old ones. Check out: Saltire Fashions, Castlemilk TA, KELTA, Longforgan TA, Monkton TA, Rampant Lions, SADTA and Vancouver TA for starters.

If you want your own TA Club website listed, please drop me a line. Reciprocal links are always appreciated! ...more


EDITORIAL: Tuesday 26th July 2005

This update brings together almost all the popular elements of NATA Online - stories, photos and travel tips. "Where's the irreverent yet entertaining humour?", I hear you ask... Fear not, a new Lookalikes page is just around the corner.

The Belarus diary account is a monster - almost 5,000 words covering an epic five-country trip. And they're not all short words either! There's also a raft of more recent photos on my own "scrapbook" site from a surreal trip to Liechtenstein to cheer on Moldova's FC Dacia in the UEFA Cup.

The travel front sees updates to the Brussels guide, with some cracking pubs to play chess in, and a timely update to the Austria guide giving the low-down on Vienna. Let me guess - it means nothing to you!?

A mini update is planned in early August with a Sporran guide for Vienna, and we will try to get the Graz photos online by the end of the month, although I'm sure by now it will shock few of you to hear that due to a lot of upcoming travel things may get a little tight once more!

Take care, Paul

NEW: Belarus Diary

Are you sitting comfortably? You better be - this is a mammoth account of a mammoth trip. Rest assured though, it will take you less time to read it than it did for me to write it ...more

NEW: Vienna Guide

Just in time for the Austria friendly, here's a comprehensive NATA Mini Guide to Vienna. Make sure you try the Heuriger wine taverns in the suburbs! And because we're nice, we're even going to get an In Your Sporran guide online for you in a week or two! ...more

UPDATED: Brussels Guide

Brussels is one of Europe's top drinking cities, yet still relatively free of the stag party crowds. Newly added to the Brussels section of the Low Countries mini guide are details on the excellent Cantillon brewery and some superb bars in which to enjoy the local brews ...more

NEW: FC Dacia in UEFA Cup

Yes, I know I get too much holiday! Anyway, keeping a promise to Andrew (Dacia's press officer and friend to the Tartan Army) following our visit to a league match in October, Helen and I represented the Tartan Army on tour in Liechtenstein with Dacia. We even went to Switzerland, for 5 minutes ...more


EDITORIAL: Tuesday 28th June 2005

Well, we've managed to keep up our run of an update each calendar month, but only just! What we do bring you is a photo-tastic extravanganza, with over 340 photos in this update alone, all from one incredible two-week period!

Starting slowly with a score of snaps from the Moldova home match, we have over 200 from the Eastern European leg, followed up by 100+ from the Confederations Cup. Why the Confed Cup? Well, I have to take a 2-week break from work once a year, and with cheap flights to Germany...

Anyways, another hectic month awaits in July, but we will be back, and with more words this time - expect to see a Minsk Diary and Guide, and a Vienna Guide appearing in the next update or two.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Belarus Gallery

A staggering 217 (two-hundred-and-seventeen) photos from Riga, Minsk, Brest and Warsaw are crammed onto 8 gallery pages. None of the legendary 50p border crossing exist, as it really wasn't the time or the place to brandish the camera, but the rest are all here ...more

NEW: Moldova Home Gallery

Paling into insignificance are the 20 photos I managed to take at the Moldova home game the weekend before the Belaris trip. See if you can spot Christian Dailly making a guest appearance in The Shed! ...more

UPDATED: TA Quotes

11 sparkling new quotes have been added to the legendary TA Quotes page, including a healthy smattering from Belarus ...more

NEW: NATA at the Confederations Cup

And finally, 105 photos from Paul's trip to the Confederations Cup to see three games in Cologne and Hanover ...more


EDITORIAL: Sunday 15th May 2005

First things first, after a whole rush of complaints (well, moaning from Rich really), I've changed the page header font to a more business-like one. Please let me know if you don't like it!

This is going to be the last full update for a wee while, as I've got lots and lots of travelling in the next few weeks - right through to the end of June, in fact. There's an off-chance I may be able to stick a quick update on in the meantime, but don't wait up. (In fact, sign up for the newsletter to make sure you don't miss out!)

In the meantime, however, this update mixes a diary account with some German photos, and travel advice for Nuremberg and Belarus.

Finally, and on a personally sad note, many commiserations to Netley's local team, Southampton FC, who were relegated this weekend after 27 years in the top division. Less than 2 years ago I was cheering them on to the pitch in the FA Cup Final! Here's hoping for a quick return to the top flight for the Saints.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Austria Future Team Diary

The much-awaited (well, by the 19 that were there anyway!) diary account of the trip to Mattersburg for what could be Scotland's final ever Future Cup away game... more

NEW: Nuremberg Photos

The early May Bank Holiday allowed for a relaxing break to World Cup venue Nuremberg. The photos, including some taken from the running track of the WC Stadium, are now on my personal website... more

UPDATED: Germany Mini Guide

A whole load of information about Nuremburg has gone on to the Germany Mini Guide page, so you'll now know where to go for some brewery pub action in Bavaria's second city... more

UPDATED: Belarus Visa Info

In response to public demand, the information I originally posted on the TAMB has been added to the WC2006 Qualifiers Travel page... more


EDITORIAL: Sunday 25th April 2005

It's a very pictorial update for you this time around, with lots to look at and not so much to read (unless you want to go back to Chisinau in a hurry?), but the Austria photos do bring things bang up to date again - expect the diary account, and maybe even the Vienna guide, to follow within a month.

We can also bring you the next installment of Tartan Army Look-alikes, our seventh to date, and even if I say so myself, one of the best yet.

With an incredibly busy six weeks ahead of us (right through until after the Belarus trip), it's going to be tight to get the next update out in time, so please do be patient with us. In the meantime, enjoy!

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Austria B Game Photos

A grand total of 149 photos from the recent Austrian trip, and one hilarious video (courtesy of Tartan Par) of Ludo bugling away on the pitch at half-time... more

NEW: Italy Extra

By public demand, here's another 15 photos (courtesy of Ally & Susan, Bruce and Irene) and 10 video clips... more

NEW: Look-alikes Gallery

Sixteen new additions to our ever-popular look-alikes gallery, with a total of 46 new photos in our 7th Look-alikes Gallery. And keep 'em coming - we've already started putting Gallery 8 together! ...more

NEW: Moldova In Your Sporran

The In Your Sporran series contiunes apace with the addition of Moldova, in case you're in a rush to go back... more


EDITORIAL: Sunday 3rd April 2005

This is now a danger of becoming a habit! In what must be a new NATA Online record, we can bring you not only photos but the diary account of the most recent trip at the same time! And not only that, but barely a week after the event! People will start taking this for granted...

And we're not finished either - as the ink is drying on this update, we're already starting to receive a few extra photos and video clips that will grace the next update. An update you can expect before the month is up to boot! Just don't get too used to this level of service!

Anyway, for the time being (ahead of reality kicking in again in early June), lets all bask in the shared optimism that Walter Smith has steered around a corner towards a new era of Scottish international football.

Take care, Paul

NEW: Italy Diary

A shorter trip should have made for a shorter diary, right? Well, the two nights we spent in Milan still runs to over 3,000 words! See for yourself here with our first blow-by-blow account of 2005 ...more

NEW: Italy Photos

The photos from Paul's camera are now available for your persual in the Italy Gallery. A more comprehensive collection can be found on Bruce's Fotopic pages, and we will bring you some video clips with our next update ...more

NEW: Torshavn In Your Sporran

Our series of downloadable "In Your Sporran" guides continues with a Faroes Guide - feel free to pass this on to any Ireland fans you know who may be heading there in the summer ...more

UPDATED: TA Quotes

Six new quotes have found their way into Tartan Army folklore through being captured for eternity on the TA Quotes page ...more


EDITORIAL: Sunday 20th March 2005

It is a rare and monumental occasion, and it gives me a warm glow when it happens, but for only the second time in the 4+ years the website has been running it is completely up-to-date! The inclusion of the Germany diary (and believe me, it was touch and go!) means that every single trip now has a diary account and photo gallery online. How long will it last? Well, six days I suppose...

So here we are on the advent of a new era in Scottish football. Can Walter Smith turn things around and do what Herr Vogts proved in no uncertain terms was beyond him - namely to take a middling bunch of Scotland players and make the sum of the whole greater than the constituent parts. Well, only time will tell and it's unlikely we'll be any the wiser this time next week, but we can hope.

Anyway, we're off again to Austria in April (for the Future Cup - see the Travel Details page for, ahem, travel details) so it's anyone's guess as to whether I'll be able to fit in another update. Make sure you don't miss out - sign up for the Newsletter at the foot of the front page.

Ciao,
Paul

NEW: Germany Diary

Four months after the event, having been delicately matured in smoked oak casks, the sausage-by-sausage NATA guide to December's B game defeat is now available for your delight and delectation... more

NEW: Tallinn In Your Sporran

Joining the other two Baltic capitals, Tallinn can now boast its own In Your Sporran guide - right click here and "Save Target As" to download to your own PC... more

NEW: Prague In Your Sporran

And not wanting to be left out, the centre of the beer-drinking universe has also muscled into the In Your Sporran range - download the Prague area and detailed pub crawl guide here... more

NEW: Düsseldorf Photos (x2)

Not one, but two trips to Düsseldorf - one in February and one in March, including some cheeky video footage from Bruce's new phone... more


EDITORIAL: Tuesday 15th February 2005

Well, here we are again, bouncing back to cheer you all up again following the abject depression of Valentines Day that's no doubt afflicted most of us!

A bumper update brings you the long-awaited Moldova Diary, five new countries to both the updated Women and Drunks of the World section and a Travel Special. Not only is the Travel Details section updated with our plans for all five scheduled first team away games this year (the qualifying games and a friendly in Austria in August), but the Travel Top Fives have also had a long overdue revamp, with many more pubs for all the list fanatics out there.

However, the most exciting news is that we have branched out into downloadable "In Your Sporran" mini guides, making our popular Mini Guides even more portable. To get you started, and to help with anyone planning the Belarus trip, we've got both Riga and Vilnius covered.

So, with all this to keep you going, what can you expect from us in March? Well, there's the Germany Diary for one, as well as another couple of downloadable guides (expect Prague and one other). Until then, keep well!

Cheers,
Paul

NEW: Moldova Diary

Okay, so it's been a long time coming, but at least it's finally here! Read all about our Moldovan misadventures, and the trip back via Budapest ...more

UPDATED: Travel Details

The Travel Details page has been overhauled to show our plans for Italy, Belarus, Austria, Norway and Slovenia ...more

NEW: "In Your Sporran" Travel Guides

After the runaway success of our popular Mini-Guides, we've decided to give the established competition a run for their money with our new downloadable "In Your Sporran" guides ...more

UPDATED: Travel Top Fives

A fully re-vamped look at Paul's Top 5 travel recommendations, with lots of additional pubs coming highly recommended ....more

UPDATED: Women of the World

Five new entries have been added to NATA's essential guide to where the burdz are, taking the total to 28. Denmark & Hungary have been added to WOTW 1, whilst Moldova, Romania and Spain go onto WOTW 2

UPDATED: Drunks of the World

And on a similar theme, the Drunks of the World section has also been updated with the same five countries - see DOTW 1 and DOTW 2 for details.


EDITORIAL: Sunday 9th January 2005

Well, I know I promised diary accounts, but they don't write themselves, and I have been suffering writers block... anyway, I will try and apply myself to the task in hand in time for our next update in around a month's time.

As well as our new look (well, different font style at least!), we can bring you a whole new load of Look-alikes (with the seventh gallery already in production! Keep the nominations coming!), a fully updated guide to Germany and a new load of Prague photos from yet another drinking binge.

In the meantime, good luck and have fun to anyone still going to Northern Ireland for the aborted friendly match.

Cheers,
Paul

NEW: Look-alikes 6

11 new reprobates get to seek fame and glory by basking in the vaguely similar reflection of others more fortunate than themselves ...more

UPDATED: Germany Guide

An update for the whole Germany guide, including brand new sections on Heidelberg, Köln and Mannheim ...more

NEW: Prague Photos

Another New Year, another drinking session to somewhere in Europe... Prague had the privilege of our patronage for the second year running, along with Bruce and Sharon (and their far better photographs). See Paul's photos here

UPDATED: New look site

Although not as far-reaching as previous re-vamps, we do bring you - brand new for 2005 - an updated menu bar (complete with natty NATA badge), a new font style (which should be easier to read), and bigger text on the "away" version (which is definitely easier to read).


 

EDITORIAL: Mon 20th December 2004

Okay, it's taken a while, but what can I say? It's been a busy few weeks, but at least all this travel eventually makes it on here as part of our popular mini-guides (Moldova this month, an update to the Germany one next month).

This month sees a photographic extravaganza - no less than four new galleries await for your viewing pleasure. This is in part due to my writers block, but the Moldova and Germany diaries will follow, hopefully in time for the next update.

What I can promise you is yet another look-alikes gallery, as the nominations have been coming in thick and fast! Keep 'em coming - there's plenty of room!

Finally, and on a serious note, NATA wishes Walter Smith every success as Scotland's new manager. Whilst not a universally popular choice for many fans, it's time to give the man a chance to rescue our faltering World Cup bid. Having just returned from a trip to Germany, I really don't want to miss out in the summer of 2006!

I wish it could be Christmas every day...
Paul

NEW: Germany B Gallery

The dawn of a new era? Just as embarrassing as the last one! NATA followed the "Future Team" to Mannheim to witness a 3-0 defeat... more

NEW: Moldova Travel Guide

A comprehensive, tried and tested pub (and sight-seeing guide) to Moldova's fine capital, Chisinau, along with some general trips... more

NEW: Moldova Gallery

Photographic evidence from NATA's six days in Chisinau are now here... more

NEW: Loony Alba St Andrews Night

Hosted on Paul's own site, a photo journey through the roller-coaster ride that was the Loony Alba annual St Andrews Dinner... more

NEW: Budapest Photos

The journey continued... hot on the heels of Chisinau, NATA stayed in Budapest for three nights "re-acclimatisation"... more

UPDATED: TA Quotes

Six new quotes, four from Germany and two courtesy of Gary Macdonald, have been added to the infamous quotes page... more


STOP PRESS: Tues 30th Nov 2004

Happy St Andrews Day! Sorry, but the next update is still a few weeks away. In the meantime, the strong rumours suggest that Walter Smith will be confirmed as manager in the next day or two, and that he is unlikely to want a friendly in February.

We'll be back before Christmas (promise!).


EDITORIAL: Tues 25th October 2004

Okay, so this is much earlier than anticipated, but we have BIG plans, so needed to get a move on.

And yes, I know there's nothing on Moldova! Patience, young padawans, patience. The next update, hopefully in mid-November, should boast not just the photos and diary, but an in-depth guide to the place, should you be hurrying back.

Anyway, live for the moment! What we have brought should be enough to be getting on with - some storming quotes, an in-depth update to our travel plans, and some stunning new Look-alikes.

Finally, watch this space for a unique opportunity to be immortalised in Tartan Army folklore.

Is there too much love in the room?
Paul

NEW: Look-alikes Part 5

It's back, with 15 new victims, many courtesy of helpful suggestions (and denhaagdavid's extensive "specialist" collection) ...more

NEW: Norway Home Photos

Only 5 photos, but nonetheless, here is the Norway home game gallery ...more

UPDATED: Travel Details

A thorough update of our travel plans for the known games, and some speculation about the February friendly ...more

UPDATED: TA Quotes

No less than twelve stunning quotes, fresh from the mouths of drunkards, now adorn the Quotes Page... more.


EDITORIAL: Sun 3rd October 2004

A photo frenzy awaits in this update of NATA Online. And not someone else's this time either, oh no!

Feel free to tell us what you think of it - but look! - our email addresses have changed due to the mountain of spam that engulfed NATA HQ every day.

Also fresh for your surfing pleasure, we have the Spain diary account. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first time the website has been 100% up-to-date with all away games covered by both diary accounts and photos! Shame it will only last a week or so, then!

Our Moldova trip involves no less than 6 days in Chisinau (a man's got to practice his Russian!), and then a further 3 days "re-acclimitisation" in Budapest... bragging? No (well, maybe), just warning everyone not to hold their breath for the next update.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Spain Photos

A month on from the rain in Spain, and the camera has dried out sufficiently for the photos to be uploaded to the Spain gallery ...more

And if that's not enough, you can see more photos of Strasbourg and Brussels (on the way to Spain).

NEW: Spain Diary

And that's not all! The diary account of our time in Spain (and in transit) is now also online - it's a big one! ...more

NEW: Hungary & Slovenia Home photos

And in a departure from the norm, I even managed to remember to take photos at the last couple of home mactches against Hungary and Slovenia


EDITORIAL: Sun 12th September 2004

I don't know what all the fuss is about - everyone moaning I'm getting behind with the website, when I updated less then a month ago! Anyway, we're back in business, complete with the Estonia Diary, loads of new quotes and someone else's holiday snaps.

And what's more, we hope to have the Spain Diary, the Spain photos and a few snaps from the last two home matches up and online in the next few weeks and in time for the Norway/Moldova double-header.

Until then... Paul

NEW: Estonia Diary

At last! The long-awaited diary of the 8 day long Estonia trip has finally made it online... more

NEW: (Someone else's) Spain Photos

Cheating a wee bit here, but there is a signfiicant NATA presence in some of fellow Loony Alba member Bruce Cairns' Spain photos. Our own will be here soon - promise!

UPDATED: Tartan Army Quotes

13 new quotes, from the both of the last two homes games and the Valencia trip, with a focus on sangria and bidets... more

NEW: Holiday Photos

Photos of two consecutive weekends in July are now on my personal site - photos from the Innsbruck weekend and the day in London on the London Eye.


EDITORIAL: Sun 15th August 2004

Here we are again. This is where I need to make a wee confession - of the four new articles on the right, two have sprung from external contributors (big thanks to Neil and Donny), and one is no less than six years old! A big spare room clear out turned up my disks from my Uni days, and my dissertation on Scottish National Identity has resurfaced and has been stored on my own site for posterity.

So what is new? Certainly not the Hong Kong photos - Donny sent them to me in March 2003, but I managed to lose the email! Anyway, here they are now - witness the chicken and re-live the story that promises to pass into TA urban legend!

Lots and lots of travel has been piling up the pressure for fresh material, but has at least led to the creation of an Innsbruck guide.

Lots of forthcoming Scotland-related travel (taking up the next 4 weekends) will mean that a new update is a good few weeks off, but you never know, we should actually have the Estonia diary ready by then!? Until then, enjoy the start of the new season...

Keep well, Paul

UPDATED: Women of the World

The controversial Women of the World section has had some new comments added by Tartan Army Lothario "Sexpest"... more

NEW: Extra Hong Kong Photos

Had trouble believing the infamous Chicken Story? Here's some photographic evidence, courtesy of Britney Spears... more

NEW: Innsbruck Guide

Innsbruck is a surprising treasure-trove of top notch bars in an Alpine Valley setting. Gen up on them now, before we're eliminated from Euro 2008... more

NEW: Scottish National Identity

Back in 1998, right before the World Cup, I knocked out this 8,000 word dissertation for my Politics degree. It's pretty meaty, and some of the argument is fundamentally flawed, but nonetheless, here it is on my own site for your reading pleasure... more


EDITORIAL: Sun 18th July 2004

We're all off to Sunny Spain... well, hopefully at least! The long-rumoured friendly has been un-officially confirmed by the SFA, so has been duly added to the Travel section.

The other big change here in NATA-land is the launch of our new club crest - after 5 years without an actual badge, we've spent the last 6 months making the dream a reality. Well, designing a badge, at least. You can now see a preview of the fruits of our labour - expect it to take more of a starring role as time goes by.

The other theme of this update is Estonia - a camera disaster had led to a delay in getting thephotos online, however they're now up with the guide. The diary should follow in the next update.

Speaking of which, we expect to have flowered anew in around a month's time. Feel free to have a look at my own site (www.paulallison.co.uk) in the meantime, as a few odds and end are beginning to surface there.

Laters, Paul

NEW: Estonia Gallery

Almost 200 photos of the week in Estonia are now online! Just think yourself lucky my camera battery gave up on the Tuesday, or there could have been far more! ...more

NEW: NATA Crest Unveiled

It's been over six months in the making, but the new NATA crest is finally ready to be unveiled to an adoring public, no doubt moist with anticipation ...more

UPDATED: Travel Plans: Spain

Okay, so it's not been fully confirmed, but safe in the knowledge that we won't be the only idiots in kilts in Valencia for no discernable reason, we've gone and booked for the Spain game ...more

NEW: Estonia Mini Travel Guide

After such a superb time in Pärnu and Tallinn, Estonia has now been promoted from a mere footnote of the Baltics guide to it's very own page of travel tips ...more


EDITORIAL: Sat 26th June 2004

A long-awaited, and much delayed, update is finally here. Frustratingly, almost everything was ready to go until I came back from Estonia with a swollen tongue and an unspecified virus! Anyway, now it’s here, there’s a bumper update to get your teeth into, with no less then eight different things to float your boat!

From the stories of Hong Kong, including the infamous chicken episode (that have been no less than 2 years in the making!), through to a travel guide to one of Europe’s undiscovered gems. There’s also some non-TA related galleries with photos of Washington and Clydebank, and pictures of our two sponsor boards (don’t go asking us for any money, mind!). However, this is just the side dish… the main course is our completely revamped and resized look-alikes galleries – enjoy.

I’ve also updated the Links page with some new entries, including the Sons of Scotland website. If your site is Tartan Army related, and is missing, please drop me a line. Remember if you do drop in here, and there hasn’t been an update, you can always follow some of the links on here to other TA websites. The CODTA website (www.crackofdawn.co.uk) is always worth a visit for original and humorous material.

The next Scotland game is at home to Hungary in August, a warm-up for the home fixture against their neighbours from Slovenia the following month. It’s not yet certain if there will be a travelling NATA presence at the Hungary game (Ally will be there, but that doesn’t count!), but you can rest assured we will bounce back well before the WC2006 Qualifying campaign kicks off in earnest.

Expect a new, Estonia-themed update within the next couple of weeks. We hope to bring you a diary update, a couple of photo galleries, and a comprehensive pub guide to both Parnu and Tallinn.

Getting the Hong Kong report done has pretty much brought us right back to the present (save for Estonia)… who knows, I may even get a chance to finish that game I’ve been designing for the past 2 years? In the meantime, have a great summer!

I make that Pimms O’Clock!
Paul

UPDATED: Look-alike Galleries

Another long-awaited update – the NATA Look-alike Galleries are back, with all-new (well, some, anyway) larger photos, and many more victims. Now across four (count ‘em) galleries, these will amaze, will shock, will stupefy… more

NEW: Slovakia Guide

As promised, here’s the lowdown on this great wee capital in Central Europe. Go now, before word gets out! And make sure you spend some quality drinking time in KGB whilst you’re there! … more

NEW: Hong Kong Diary

Well, it’s only taken two years, but we can now finally bring you the long-awaited NATA saga of Hong Kong in 2002. Unfortunately, it’s a sad tale of a fat man struggling with the heat and humidity and repeatedly failing to get drunk… more

NEW: Hong Kong Chicken Story

What do you mean “the diary wasn’t that interesting”? Well, it’s a good job that there are footsoliders out there determined to take depravity to new lows. Check out The Hong Kong Chicken & Other Stories… more

NEW: Washington Photos

Photos from Paul and Helen’s trip to DC for Dave & Ellen’s wedding are now online on Paul’s own site. They’re a pleasing mixture of famous sites and random American drunks… more

UPDATED: TA Quotes

9 new quotes - 6 from Estonia alone - have been added to the Quotes page... more

NEW: NATA is proud to sponsor…

Netley Abbey Tartan Army have been the proud sponsors of advertising hoardings at two well-supported non-league clubs this season – Worthing FC and Clydebank FCmore

NEW: Clydebank photos

Not only that, but Paul actually went up to Clydebank for the last home game of the season, and watched the Bankies win 5-0 to clinch the Abercorn Division Two title. The photos from the day are now online on Paul’s own site… more


Editorial: Wed 12th May 2004

Many of us left the game in Copenhagen with renewed optimism - despite the 1-0 defeat, several players who would previously have been considered "stand-ins" played superbly. A defeat, nonetheless, but far more encourgaing than our last two away games. The photos and diary account for this trip are online already, in what must be record time!

Straight after the Denmark game, we were off to the States for Dave and Ellen's wedding (congratulatons!), and hot off the press we can bring you a mini-guide to DC. There's also a very short list of top Barcelona pubs as well.

So, only a few weeks until the end of our international season, with a trip to Estonia and a bizarre friendly against Trinidad & Tobago in Edinburgh. Our next update should be (relatively!) hot on the heels of our return from the Baltics.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Denmark Diary & Photos

Well, that was quick! A short trip means a short diary, and you can read it here. There's also 60 photos of the trip, starting here.

NEW: Washington DC Guide

Straight after Copenhagen, it was off to Washington DC for Dave & Ellen's wedding - here's the guide whilst it's still fresh in our minds... more

NEW: Barcelona's Top Pubs

I've been asked many a time to nominate good pubs in Barcelona, and fresh from adding these to the TAMB earlier this week, thought I best capture them here for posterity too... more.

UPDATED: TA Quotes

Only two quotes emerged from Denmark, but nonetheless they've been added to the list... more.


Editorial: Sun 25th April 2004

Another mixed-bag of an update, feauturing some new material, and some updates of older pages - check out the revamped Meet NATA page for a more in-depth look at the misfits that make up the Netley Abbey Tartan Army.

We can also bring you a look at the Slovakian capital Bratislava, a truly great place for a city break. Although the photos are on the paulallison.co.uk site (being non-TA), consider them a pre-cursor to the Mini Travel Guide that will follow shortly.

So why no Romania home match photos? Well, I was there, and I did have my camera with me, but for some reason I just forgot to take any photos!

Expect a new update in Mid May, a few weeks after this week's Denmark trip and ahead of the Estonia game. As well as Danish photos and reaction, we hope to resurrect the Look-alikes section as well.

Cheers, Paul

UPDATED: Meet NATA

It's been a long time coming, but finally the re-vamped profiles are here. Get to grips with the people behind the t-shirts... more.

UPDATED: Travel Details

We now know the USA tour is off, but at least we have the delights of Tallinn as ample compensation. Check out the NATA Travel Details page to see what we're up to...

NEW: Bratislava Gallery

An Easter break to the Slovakian capital Bratislava has led to over 130 photos being published on my paulallison.co.uk mini-site. Feel free to cast your eye over them - a Travel Guide will follow suit in due course... more.

UPDATED: Women & Drunks of the World

The fact-finding mission to Bratislava has also led to the corresponding entries on the Drunks and Women of the World guides.


Editorial: Sun 28th March 2004

Two updates in a month... NATA are back! With a few trips on the horizon (Scotland for the Romania game, Denmark at the end of April, and Bratislava for a cheeky city break at Easter weekend), normal service will be resumed next month, however, in the meantime...

In addition to new material in the shape of the Wales diary and the relevant additions to the Drunks and Women of the World pages, we've also started turning our attention to bringing other sections of the site into line. Check that you're packing the right pieces with our Joy of Talc page, and see what you're missing on the Solent coast with our Netley Guide.

Our next update is due shortly after Easter, when you can expect the usual mix of morsels, including (we hope) some Romania pictures and some brand new Look-alikes!

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Wales Diary

A shorter trip has led to a shorter diary account, but hopefully it won't disappoint too much! Read all about the shame, the pain and the Brains... more

UPDATED: Netley Guide

A real revamp for the Netley Guide, with some funky new buttons to use as well! ...more

UPDATED: The Joy of Talc

One of the oldest surviving sections of NATA Online has had a long overdue lick of paint, and some new photos to boot... more

UPDATED: Women & Drunks of the World

The drunks and beauties of the valleys have been added to these invaluable guides to the Drunks and Women of the World.


Editorial: Fri 19th March 2004

Things are slowly, but surely, getting back to business as usual here. Obviously, the 4-0 drubbing by Wales took a little adjusting to, as did the recent extraction of my wisdom tooth, but this update should get things back to an even keel.

In keeping with the habit of staggering the photos and diaries (and it's not intentional, honest!), we can bring you the Wales Gallery in an all-new format for 2004. In addition, we've taken a step back to try and look at how people use this website, and we've introduced a User Guide to try and ease newcomers in. Finally, the travel section has also been expanded with possibly the only online Faroes pub guide!

Our next update shouldn't be too far away - remember to sign up for the Newsletter to keep abreast of all new developments.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Wales Gallery

A new year, a new look and feel to the NATA gallery pages - the new set up starts with the Wales gallery, and allows you to click through the photos in a slide-show style... more

NEW: User Guide

In response to the ever-expanding amount of content on here, this new User Guide is intended to help first-time visitors get to grips with site, rather than run off screaming to the hills... more

NEW: Faroes Mini Guide

In good time for the Republic if Ireland's fixture next year, this Faroes mini-guide gives you the lowdown on downtown Torshavn... more

UPDATED: Website Details

In light of the continued growth of NATA Online, and my commitment to helping other would-be web designers wherever possible, I've updated the Website Info page.


Editorial: Sun 22nd February 2004

Okay, okay... not the biggest content update we've ever had, BUT... there's a lot been going on behind the scenes. And besides, after the 4-0 drubbing in Cardiff, I'm hardly champing at the bit to stir myself into detailing my adventures there.

Anyway, we can bring you five all-new quotes, plus photographic evidence of my pub-crawl holiday in Prague back in January. You may even notice a new "look and feel" around the Prague gallery - this is all part of my continuing plan to conquer the entire World Wide Web with the pallison.co.uk web empire!

And fear not, the next update is but a few short weeks away, when you can expect to see a Wales diary and photos, and get the lowdown on travel to the North Atlantic capitals of Reykjavik and Torshavn.

Until then, try not to dwell on the state of Scottish football!

Keep well, Paul

NEW: pallison.co.uk

A new multi-media empire is beginning to emerge... check out my expanding portfolio of other websites at the hub page of pallison.co.uk

UPDATED: Quotes Page

Five more pearls of wisdom from the mouths of drunks, covering such typical subjects as drugs, sex and cricket!... more

NEW: Prague Pub Photo Special

As an accompaniment to the Prague Pub guide, work up a thirst for Staropramen as you feast your eyes on these photos from January 2004... more


Editorial: Sun 1st February 2004

Two weeks later than planned, but then twice the size of what it was going to be! For one reason and another, it's been a sluggish start to the year at NATA towers, but now we're off the starting blocks, we know we'll be bringing you the usual additions throughout the year.

This has been a very travel-flavoured update, with a Prague Pub guide, plus lots of fixture information and travel details for Moldova. We've also brought the diary section a little more up-to-date with the Germany account - just Hong Kong to go now!

We'll be back again in a few weeks with some travel info on the North Atlantic capitals (Torshavn and Reykjavik), and maybe even some Wales photos and stories.

Keep well, Paul

NEW: Prague Pub Special

An exhaustively researched, and very up-to-date (Jan 2004) guide to the watering holes of Prague. An extablished Tartan Army favourite, and a possible stop-over for several of our upcoming away games, this guide may prove invaluable... more

NEW: Germany Diary

A few months late, but nonetheless, the diary account of an epic week in Germany in September 2003... more

UPDATED: Travel Details

Now the fixtures for our World Cup qualifying group are known, more concrete plans can be laid down for the other upcoming games. For a complete list of known and rumoured fixtures, check out the Travel Details page.

UPDATED: World Cup Travel Guide

The World Cup Travel Guide has also been updated in light of the draw, particularly with information on our first destination - Moldova.


STOP PRESS: Thurs 28th Jan 2004

Happy New Year! Sorry I've not been sharper with an update - there's plenty planned, but putting it all together is what's taking the time. Come back in a week or two (if the Worthing game is off this weekend, it should be done then!).

Sorry! Paul


 

Editorial: Mon 29th December 2003

Well, it's been a busy year, both for NATA in general and for this website. At the start of 2003, this site was still being "broadcast" in pale yellow, and had no Flash content whatsoever (you can still see an abridged version here) - we end the year having launched the first ever online TA "game".

Anyway, enough about us. It's been a transitional year for Scottish football as well, ending with that crushing defeat in Amsterdam - you can now view the NATA photos of the event, and read up on a mini-travel guide.

Our next updated is timed to coincide with the announcement of the 2006 Qualifying fixtures, so tune in again after Sunday 18th January for more fun and frivolity from NATA Online.

Have a great Hogmanay, Paul

NEW: Games on NATA Online

It's been a long time coming, but at last NATA Online can you bring you our very own, original game. Well, more of an excuse to waste five minutes than a game as such... more

NEW: Play-Off Photos

You've read the diary (well, maybe you haven't, but it's here if you are interested), now see the photos - the home leg, and Mon & Tues and Weds photos from Amsterdam.

NEW: Mini-Guide to the Low Countries

And speaking of Amsterdam, there's a new addition to the Mini Travel Guides in the shape of a Low Countries guide. To be honest, I'm more of a Brussels man myself.... more

NEW: Interactive Site Map

I've been a bit busy on the old Flash side - in addition to an expanded menu bar above, I've added an interactive site map as well. It;s not in as much detail the old text site map, but it looks shinier... more


Wednesday 17th December 2003

So, two new away games to look forward to in Wales and Denmark for the new year, plus the Qualifying Fixtures to whet our appetites in mid-January. The life of a TA Travel Agent is never dull!

Anyhow, feast your eyes on the morsels below, and get ready for another big update before Hogmanay, which should include some a Brussels & Amsterdam Travel Guide, the Play-Off photos, and some more flashy animated stuff for the post-ironic modernists amongst you. 'Til then, have a good one, and spread the word about the site.

Merry Christmas, Paul

NEW: Hong Kong Photo Galleries

At long last, and for your viewing pleasure: Gallery 1 (Sat & Mon), Gallery 2 (Tues & Thurs), Gallery 3 (Weds Bus trip and architecture) and Gallery 4 (Drunk people) ... more

NEW: Travel Section Updated

Two away friendly games have now been confirmed by the SFA: Wales on 18th Feb and Denmark on 28th April. Read all about NATA's travel plans... more

NEW: Loony Alba St Andrews Night Photos

A great night was had by all, and far more photos can be found at the AWARD-WINNING Loony Alba site, but here is the NATA take on the carnage that was the Loony Alba 10th Anniversary St Andrews dinner dance... more

UPDATED: WC2006 Preview

Last week's World Cup Qualifier Travel Guide has been moved to it's own page... more

(And don't forget our click-through Interactive Guide to Scotland's group)


Sunday 7th December 2003

So, we now know where we're going on our holidays for the best part of the next 2 years! You can read my first thoughts on the matter in the Travel Section. We've also got something a little bit special to mark the relaunch of NATA TV and the recent Qualifying Draw.

I know I promised all the Hong Kong photos, but events have overtaken me a little! At least there's plenty of other morsels to feast your weary eyes on. And expect some more action in the near future, right up to Hogmanay (when I'm taking a well-earned break in Prague. Well, it has been a couple of weeks...). And for any pedants out there (i.e. most of you!), you'll be pleased to know that the "Away" colours of this website have been updated to reflect our lucky, lucky white shirt.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: WC2006 Preview

Not one, but two perspectives on Scotland's draw for the World Cup Qualifiers:

NEW: Amsterdam Diary

I know we're a bit out of kilter here - Germany photos and no diary, and now a Netherlands Diary with no photos, but hey - learn to live with it... more

NEW: Eastern European Travel Guide

A mini-guide covering brief details of what I can personally recommend in Bosnia Sarajevo), Poland (Gdansk), Hungary (Budapest) and Croatia (Zagreb)... more

UPDATED: Odds & Ends

Tying up a few loose ends, the following sections have also been updated

 


STOP PRESS: Sunday 23rd November 2003

I know I said I'd be doing an update... but I really can't stir myself to do it yet! As next weekend is the Loony Alba 10th Anniversary St Andrews dinner, it'll be the weekend after at the earliest (just after we find out where we'll be going for our holidays!).

Paul

 


Sunday 2nd November 2003

Two updates in a week... what fresh nonsense is this!? Hot on the heels of last weekend's (well, Monday's) update, we bring yet more tasty morsels of NATA goodness. Photos, travel guides and t-shirt-related tomfoolery - what more could you possibly want?

What's that, Tam? Hong Kong photos, you say? Your wait is nearly over, young padawan. You may have to wait longer for the diary - so just hang on to your chicken for now.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Part 2 of the Scandinavia Diary

Following fast on the heels of the Oslo Diary last week, you can now read up on our jaunt down to Copenhagen, ahead of our potential friendly trip there in April... more

NEW: Romania Mini-Guide

You can tell all the Scousers you know... that the NATA mini-guide to Bucharest is now online, with our own take on the best sights, and more crucially, pubs, to go to in the Romanian capital... more

NEW: Old Photos

21 new (yet old) photos have been added to the Faroes 1, Iceland 3 and Portugal 1 galleries, however to save you checking them all out - you can just go here. One-stop-shop service from NATA Online - whatever next?

UPDATED: NATA T-Shirt Gallery

It's probably the single biggest avenue of publicity we have, so it's about time we re-vamped the gallery and brought it a wee bit more up to date. You can now view all T-Shirt slogans up to Germany, and gaze in wonder at our three (count 'em...) badges... more

 


Monday 27th October 2003

A day late, but not too bad seeing as I've come back from Bucharest with bubonic plague, or at least, tuberculosis. Feast your eyes on a banquet of photos - over 40 from the last home match, and eight-score-and-two from our UEFA Cup jaunt to Bucharest with Southampton FC.

Much is still planned for upcoming updates, including the Germany Diary (not to mention the Copenhagen part of the Scandinavian story), and a NATA Mini Guide to Romania, so please do keep 'em peeled.

Finally - Holland, eh? Looking at the full draw, it seems our balls may have been cold in the bag. Never mind, we've beaten them in the past - can McFadden be an Archie Gemmill for a new generation?

Laters, Paul

NEW: NATA on a European Tour!

Seven (yes, SEVEN!) galleries of photos of the Bucharest tour. Either start the tour here, or go to each one individually (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7)

NEW: Lithuania Home Photos

A gallery of TA nonsense at the last home match of the Euro 2004 Qualifying Group is now online here

NEW: Norway Diary

Okay, so it's only Part 1 (Oslo and the Big Boat), but Part Two is on the horizon (before the next full update!).

OTHER UPDATES: Quotes & Travel

Quotes - 8 new quotes - 6 from Bucharest, 1 golden oldie from Croatia and one shocker from Germany.
Travel - Play-off details now up.

 


Sunday 5th October 2003

After a wee delay, caused in partly by a touch of the flu, and partly by Aftershock abuse, we can now bring things back up to date with this bumper photo update! (My creative juices weren't flowing enough for the diary entries!)

A hectic few weeks awaits, with the Lithuania game next week, followed by 5 days in Romania with Southampton FC, so I don't realistically expect to get any updates on until around late October, when you can expect the Germany epic and some photos of Bucharest.

In the meantime, remember that the Euro2004 Play Off Draw is made on Monday 13th October, at lunchtime in Frankfurt - keep your eyes peeled on UEFA site for details.

Finally, if anyone is knocking around in Glasgow the day after the Lithuania game, Partick Thistle are playing a friendly away to Clydebank to celebrate the opening of Glenhead Park. Kick off is at 2pm, and its only £4 to get in - see the Official Bankies site for details.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Germany photos

Lots and lots of photos from Paul and Helen's week in Germany, from Hamburg in the north to Munich (1 & 2) in the south, with the wee matter of Dortmund and Ahlen in the middle.

UPDATED: Scandinavia photos

The final two galleries have been added to the Scandinavia photos. Find out what happened on the big boat from Oslo to Copnehagen, and at the Copenhagen derby (Brønby v FCK).

UPDATED: Travel Details

A cut-out guide to the possible play-off permutations is in the Planned Travel section, along with a couple of rumoured away friendlies... more

UPDATED: Quotes

4 corkers from Germany have been thrown into the mix on the Quotes page. If you know of any more contenders, please let us know... more

 


STOP PRESS: Tuesday 16th September 2003

Firstly, a massive hello to everyone we met in Hamburg, Dortmund and München last week!

Secondly, apologies for such a short and sweet update (a full one will follow late September and early October), but NATA can exclusively (I can say that, as I just sat and worked it out!) bring you the ins and outs of what can happen in the EURO2004 Play Off situation - check the details for yourself in the Planned Travel section.

Cheers, Paul

 


Sunday 31st August 2003

Things are pretty hectic here right now, so please excuse the partial update. Just to keep you going, here's half the Scandinavia photos and some cracking quotes.

The Norway Diary will follow shortly (possibly even this week), as will the photos and diary from the Denmark leg of the trip. Also coming soon (though not for a few weeks yet) will be video and audio footage from the Norway ship, including extensive reportage from the "Birthday Party".

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Norway Photos

46 snaps of the "night before" (including Tam Coyle's 40th birthday bash) are on the Gallery 1 page, whilst 40 photos of Matchday and Thursday in Oslo can be found in Gallery 2.

The Oslo diary will follow shortly, as will photos of the Copenhagen leg of the trip.

UPDATED: Quotes

8 sparkling new quotes, from the risque to the elitist to the surreal, have been added to the top of the Quotes page. 7 of these are from Scandinavia and 1 from the mists of time (well, the train to Teplice at least)... more

 


Mini-update: Monday 12th August 2003

Just a quick word to say to expect a new update around Sunday 1st September, when we hope to bring you the Norway diary and photos, along with any other morsels we can produce in time.

In the meantime, besides checking what you may have missed on our news page, why not have a look at some of the other Tartan Army pages out there (listed on our Links page)? The Crack of Dawn Tartan Army have just launched their website (be sure to check out the Troops, School Fitba and Uncle Robbo pages). Also well worth a visit are the Tap Shop and Bishopton TA sites, as well as our parent Tartan Army: Loony Alba.

Radio NATA

Heralding the development of the Interactive side of things, NATA Online is pleased to announce the launch of Radio NATA. Unfortunately, this is a service only available to those with a very fast internet connection, however you can still click here and see what you are missing... more.

 


Sunday 3rd August 2003

A week ahead of the game, we can now bring you a little bit of technological innovation (Radio NATA), a bit of useful travel information (the Baltics Guide), and a bit of useless general stereotyping (but still funny! See Drunks of the World). More of all this below.

We'll now be lying low as we start developing a very top-secret project that will hopefully tickle your fancies. Expect the next update after the Norway game, and until then... keep it country.

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Drunks Of The World

The long-awaited accompaniment to our acclaimed Women of The World Guide, Drunks Of The World is now up and running... more

NEW: Baltics Travel Guide

Continuing our series of mini Travel guides, our combined Baltics Guide is now online... more


Sunday 20th July 2003

Well, I'm certainly putting the summer lull to good use here at NATA HQ! This second update within three weeks see's not only a whole new host of content (below), but a snazzy new colour scheme as well - don't like the home kit? Well, one click of the button above and you're looking at the away colours.

Another big piece of news is that we have now topped 10,000 hits - not bad for a small Tartan Army from the south coast of England! I'm hoping that the new features I have up my sleeve will bring the next 10,000 in much faster!

And speaking of improvements - keep an eye out for even more exciting developments over the coming weeks, including a focus on the interactive side of things, including the very first Tartan Army web radio. Why not sign up for the Newsletter and be among the first to know?

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Home Match information

NATA's very own Hampden Guide - handy for anyone needing travel or practical information for Scotland home matches, and in plenty of time for the Faroes game as well... more

NEW: Glasgow Pub Guide

The perfect accompaniment to the Hampden Guide, NATA's comprehensive Glasgow Pub Guide covers both City Centre and pubs near Hampden, making sure you won't go thirsty! ... More

NEW: Turkey Guide

Continuing the series of destination guides to places I've been on my holidays to, the Turkey Guide, featuring Istanbul and Antalya, is now online.

Just in time for any England fans planning to travel! (Stop sniggering! I'm serious)... more

UPDATED: Web Site Stuff

Okay, I know it's techy stuff, but I know at least some of you care! The Navigation menu at the top of each page has been expanded to give more prominence to the expanding Travel and Interactive sections, but the real big news is our home and away colour scheme - you can read about how it was done here (if you're into that kind of thing!)

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Sunday 29th June 2003

We're is flying now, ohhh yeeaahhh! Big, big things are planned for the summer, starting right now, so you may want to sign-up now for our new Mailing List. There'll be no spam, just information on what's new on NATA Online when it's new on the net.

Feast your eyes on what's new and updated below, and rest assured that the Travel section will continue to grow over the summer. In fact, we'll be re-designing the navigation in time for the next update (mid-July) to give the Travel Section it's rightful place. Expect some exciting news on the Interactive (and NATA TV) front as well.

Until then, enjoy the summer!

Cheers, Paul

NEW: Czech Guide

By popular demand, and especially to help out John, here is the NATA Guide to the Czech Republic. Admittedly it has a distinct Prague bias, but there is a special look at the city's football grounds (and their bars)... more

NOW with pictures (and some have been added to the Germany Guide too!)

NEW: Nigeria Home Game photos

Well, new of sorts! A terminal hard disk error put paid to my first attempts to upload these photos (as well as the Hong Kong ones - coming soon, honest!)

13 photos of the Aberdeen session can be seen here

NEW: Top Travel Fives

In order to give a rundown on his own views on what's what, NATA Web Master Paul Allison lists the good, the bad and the ugly of his travel experiences... more

UPDATED: Other Pages

Website Info

A few more pearls of wisdom have been added to the Wesbite Info page, if anyone's interested!

TA Quotes

One from NATA's LadeeeMeister and three from Maurice the Mad Chemist

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Sunday 15th June 2003

Things are picking up again here at NATA HQ. This bumper update is a mere taster of things to come, as I look to ramp up the travel content on NATA Online. I also have some things up my sleeve concerning NATA TV, which has obviously suffered a delay in launching.

As part of this expansion, I have also invested in an additional domain name for the site - www.tartanarmy.net, as I hope this will direct even more traffic our way.

Anyway, in the meantime, have a butchers at the juicy morsels below...

Paul

NEW: Germany Home photos

No less than 56 photos of our recent draw at home to Germany on 7th June - a pre-match gallery here, and a gallery of the match and the post match fun here.

UPDATED: You Said What

Three new quotes have been added to the Tartan Army quotes page, including some quintessential fashion advice from the Ladies Man...

NEW: Expanded Travel Tips Section

The Travel Tips Section has been radically overhauled in preparation for further expansion over the summer. Feast you eyes on a vast array of Tartan Army Travel Links, and look forward to the new launch of the NATA Mini Guides, starting with...

NEW: Germany Mini Guide

A bite-size guide to Germany, based on Paul's previous travels. As well as a general section, there are entries on Bremen, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Mainz and Munich.

MORE GUIDES COMING SOON!

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Thursday 5th June 2003

A quick update, including the long-awaited captions for the Baltics photos (see Lithuanian Diary below), along with lots of other photo-related goodies (including the English Cup Final).

Expect another update towards the end of June, when Germany home photos should be available with any luck, along with some other treats (whisper it - but Hong Kong may finally get the coverage it deserves!)

All in all, sorry for taking so long, but cheers for sticking with us.

Drink up thy zider, Paul

Lithuanian Diary

It's been a long time coming, but when you see the length of it, you'll understand (oo er!) - weighing it at a hefty 4,600+ words, the Lithuanian dissertation can be read here (it comes in 5 digestible parts for your delight and delectation!)

ALSO: captions have been added to the mountain of photos: here, here, here and here.

Iceland home photos

24 photos of the high-jinks and the low-down of the Iceland home match, back in the days when we used win games.

Relive those happy memories...

FA Cup photos

Not strictly Tartan Army (but I did wear my kilt) - 35 Photos of Southampton FC's big day out in Cardiff, featuring Paul, Helen and sometime NATA associate, Wee Fern. Rich and the Wee Man were there, but missed out on the pre-match fun due to a lazy bus driver!

Turkey report (Extra, Extra!)

A wee bit embarrassing this, but in all the excitement, I kinda forgot... Criminally, the paragraph describing the actual game was omitted from the original diary - you can catch up with it here!

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STOP PRESS 13th May 2003

Sorry, but a combination of circumstances have held up the planned updates. A few busy weekends are ahead of me, so I hope to start bringing it back up to date after the Germany home match. Paul

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Thursday 16th April 2003

The Lithuania photos are up, but unfortunately no captions as yet - these will be a week or two.

And well done to Netley Abbey's neighbouring Premiership Team, Southampton FC, on reaching the FA Cup Final.

Lithuania 1 - Scotland 0

Almost two hundred photos of the trip to Lithuania across 4 galleries: Riga on Sunday and Monday; Vilnius & the U21s game; Kaunas, the game and Vilnius on the Thursday; and finally, the weekend in Riga on the way home. Unfortunately, I have been unable to add caption as yet - these will be online in the next couple of weeks.

The Lithuania diary should be added with the next update (within a fortnight).

You said what?

3 new quotes, fresh from the Baltics, have made it on to the TA Quotes page (at the bottom).

Enjoy.

Cheers, Paul

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NATA Online relaunched: 24th March 2003

Well, we've relaunched to keep "up with the Joneses", please take a moment or two to have a look around. You can even read about the rationale behind the update on the new Website Info page.

Turkey B 1 - Scotland B 1

Cold Turkey! Read all about the NATA tour of Istanbul and Antalya... more

There's also a staggering 117 Photos across 4 photo galleries - access them from the Gallery Index

Far East Special

At last! The wait is over - Paul's Korea diary and gallery of almost 60 photographs are now online... more

Hong Kong diary and photos will follow in due course

Women of The World

Paul casts a fully objective eye over the talent around Europe in this "tongue-in-cheek" guide, based purely on rumour and gossip... more. Do you agree with his "expert" opinion?

& lots more

NATA Online also brings you:

The next update should come around mid-April, when we hope to have Lithuania photos, along with a few more refinements to the site. Please let me know what you think (particularly if the new colour scheme is hurting your eyes!). Cheers, Paul

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Sunday 26th January 2003

Bringing it a bit more up-to-date at last, with some all-new material for you to feast yourselves on. I'm afraid the wait for the Far East tour photos and diary accounts continues, but I expect most of you already knew that. In the meantime, check out the following new material:

  • The Mainz diary has now been added to the mammoth 2002 Diary page - less than 1,000 words this time, you'll no doubt be pleased to hear!
  • The Tartan Army Look-alikes feature has spawned yet another sequel (Look-alikes 3), now featuring some faces from our travels as well
    Some new quotes have been added to the You Said What page (thanks to Dianne)
  • Thanks also to Jason from Netley, who has added another famous person to the list of Netley residents in the Netley Guide
  • Finally, the eagle-eyed amongst you may have spotted the omission of a NATA Topical Poll - I've taken the decision to discontinue this given the drop in popularity. You can view the results of the polls conducted during 2002 here.

Due to increasing pressure to give the people what they want, and in the face of some rather flash Tartan Army websites (Tap Shop TA, Bishopton TA, Loony Alba - perhaps I'm a wee bit biased on that one! - and the soon-to-be-relaunched Highland Tartan Army to name but four) upping the ante, I'm taking NATA Online back to the drawing board for a month of two to see if I can't brighten it up a bit. Please email me with any original suggestions or demands you may have for the site.

Cheers, Paul & NATA


Monday 6th January 2003

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM NATA

Not a fully planned update, but after undue pressure from an overweight Glaswegian with a JD habit, here is what's ready of NATA Online for 2003:

  • Tartan Army Lookalikes 2 - The sequel is here, featuring no less than 16 travelling Tartan Army members.
  • If you give a forcibly sober man a shiny new digital camera and 7 days in Iceland, and you get almost 400 photos (of which 100 or so are visible here, here and here). Give the same man a drink and 36 hours in Mainz?  45 of the stoaters (of admittedly more questionable quality) - See the results HERE 
  • NATA travelled in force to the Loony Alba St Andrews Night, and 17 Photos have now been added to the new Miscellaneous 2 Gallery (more photos online at www.loonyalba.com)

A full update, including a diary for the Mainz trip, will appear here in the next week or so.

Cheers and Happy New Year, Paul & NATA

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STOP PRESS: Thursday 12th December 2002

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

 

 
 

November & December 2001

Why was the web site not updated in November and December? Well, this is down to a combination of things. Aside from the obvious disappointment of not qualifying for the World Cup Finals, there has been time away in Prague and over Christmas. On top of all this, I've had work and study commitments, and I've not been very well recently... excuses, excuses! And, just to rub salt in the wounds, NATA's old web space provider has drastically reduced what it offers in the way of free web-space to the extent that the previous site was too big, so we have now invested in paid web space - this has taken a few weeks to fully sort out.

This new start has given us the opportunity to expand, and I now hope to commit to a realistic target of at least one update a month. I hope you enjoy the site and come back to check on it's progress.

Regards, Paul Allison (aka The Fat Man), Webmaster

 

28th October 2001

Back on track with the updates, although the next one will not now be due until after we get back from Prague in mid-November. Meanwhile, check out:
Helen's Questionnaire has been added to the Meet The Netley Boys page.
And, not content with Prague, check out the Travel Page (forward-planned) details of another potential foray into Eastern Europe for non-Scotland reasons.
And remember, to keep abreast of all the TA gossip, check out Ezzy and Mirza's Message Board. Check back in a few weeks to hear all about Prague.

Cheers, Paul.


24th October 2001

At last, a week and a half later than promised, NATA can bring you a vast update to the site, including an epic account of the ups and downs of the Brussels trip.  

  • At last, the bumper Belgian diary has been added
  • The Sarajevo Tartan Army has been added to the "Meet the Netley Boys" page under the other usual suspects banner, including 4 photos of Mirza.
  • 7 new photos added to the Belgium galleries, courtesy of Stuart and Ally & Sue - 4 of matchday have added to Belgium 2, and 3 of the lost Thursday night have been added to Belgium 1.
  • Two brand new essentials have been added to the Tribute to Talc page
  • And the Travel Details page has been amended to include a surprise trip lined up by four of the NATA faithful

The poor effort in getting the site updated is purely down to the webmasters vain attempts to pursue a work qualification, so be warned for the future! In all honesty, expect near-monthly updates from next week onwards, although do pop back on Monday 29th October for Helen's answers to the NATA questionnaire. To follow soon will be some pictures of the Latvia home game, along with the insider report on the play-off that could have been!

 

23rd September 2001

A lorry-load of photos arrived at NATA HQ this week, so I've been busy scanning, compressing and formatting. You can see the fruits of my labour by looking at:

  • A gallery of 16 photos from the Croatia home match has been added
    As well as a total of 45 photos from Brussels, split into Belgium 1 (26 of Mon/Tues/Thurs) and Belgium 2 (19 of match day) galleries.
  • And to round off the photo theme, two more sepia photos of Netley Abbey have been added.
  • All this, and Ally's NATA questionnaire has been added as well.

Due to having to sort out all those photos, the Belgium diary account will be here for the next update (after the Latvia home match). There'll be nothing new here until Sunday 14th October at the earliest, as Helen and I are off to Barcelona and Glasgow for some sustained alcohol abuse over the next two weekends. Hope to see some of you at the Latvia match. Cheers, Paul.


16th September 2001

Back home and recovered! Hello to everyone I met - it was good to put some faces to names, and a big hello to CARTA (the fledgling Cardiff Tartan Army), who we met in a Brussels drinking den over a couple of glasses of 11% beer. And on another note, some good news from American Dave, who lives and works near the Pentagon in Washington DC - he's fine (if a wee bit shaken). Anyway, back to the update:

  • A brand new anecdote on the Netley guide, along with an explanation of how the Ossie Wall got it's name.
  • Four new "Classic" t-shirts, one honorary T-Shirt (for Mirza) and the acclaimed Belgium design have all been updated on the T-Shirt page in the gallery.
  • Also on the T-Shirt Page is a picture of our brand-spanking-new Pin Badges, as debuted at the Croatia and Belgium matches.
  • 2 new verses (featuring Messrs Booth and Mahoney) have been added to the song that shall remain nameless on the Song Sheet page. 

Tune in after next Sunday evening's update for Ally Maciver's NATA questionnaire, Paul's diary account of the Belgium trip, and hopefully, some Belgium photos.


19th August 2001

Only the one update this month, as I'm off to the Lake District next weekend to purify my liver ahead of Glasgow and Brussels. However, we do bring you a combination of cosmetic changes along with some brand new content to keep you entertained:

  • The France World Cup diary has finally been completed - read all about the second round match that could have been!
  • And speaking of which, the other Diary pages have been split out into 1998/9, 2000 and 2001 to allow for faster loading - and now with tunes to serenade you as you read (see below)
  • Inverness David (aka The Lost Man) takes the NATA challenge and does the questionnaire for September - click here for all the answers (which is almost the complete opposite of everything Clarkston Chris said in his).
  • And last, but certainly not least, music has been added to the individual diary pages, Tribute to Talc and songs page - this is an experiment, and I will add this to other pages if successful - please let me have any feedback by emailing me at fatman@netleyabbeytartanarmy.com

There you have it - enough to keep you going until September? There will be no more updates until after we return from Belgium and recover from the hangover! Cheers, Paul

 

29th July 2001

Firstly, a big hello to everyone I met at the Lunnainn Albannaich meeting on Saturday (yesterday) - I had a great time and it was good to put some faces to names, etc.

Just a wee update this week as it's questionnaire time again - this time in the hot seat it's Clarkston Chris, aka The Blonde Man:

  • Check out Chris's questionnaire here - Chris used to be a ballboy at Hampden, but that doesn't excuse his bad taste in football kits, and even worse taste in pubs!
  • And an account of the USA v Yugoslavia game has been added to the World Cup Diary - just one more to go!

Check back again in the next few weeks for more small updates (and another interview at the end of the month), and of course, after the September double-header when we will have a full post-mortem - only 5 weeks to go now!


22nd July 2001

After the last massive update two weeks ago, we've reached the 2,000 mark on the homepage hit counter - this is around 70 hits a week in the six months that the site has been up and running. I had hoped to get more sorted for this update, such finishing the World Cup diary, and sorting out the away trip diary to make it faster to load, but due to other things going on I haven't quite managed it. I have updated the following though:

  • 17 new photos of Netley Abbey's sights and pubs from the lens of the Ladies Man
  • These photos have also been added in to the Netley Guide to give it a bit more colour
  • An account of the Scotland v Morocco game has been added to the World Cup diary

Right - expect an update next weekend when Clarkston Chris should be in the interview hot-seat, and possibly more of the World Cup diary. Only 6 weeks until Belgium!


8th July 2001

The old Message Board page has been removed from the navigation buttons as part of the reorganisation of the site, making space for new buttons, such as:
A dedicated Travel Page - allowing this page to concentrate on News and Updates

  • An option to Sign Guestbook has been added to the navigation, saving visitors from having to scroll to the foot of the guestbook. And if you haven't yet signed it, well you've no excuse now, have you?
  • A Site Map has been added - to help you stumble around the site, and just in case you can't see the buttons at the top of the page, text links have been added to the foot.
  • And, what you've all been hanging on for in order to book your summer holidays - The Rough-ish Guide to Netley Abbey is upon us (at last), sans photographs for the time being (these should go up in the next update or two), but for the meantime get to grips with this 5-page extravaganza, a "site-within-a-site", no less!
  • As the NATA message board was discontinued in March, the generic Tartan Army Message Board will have to satisfy everyone's message appetite for now. If I hear of an overwhelming demand for us to have our own, then I will sort something out - I've heard nothing in the last 3 months!

So, a thumping great update then. Come back in two weeks for the long awaited conclusion to the World Cup diary.

17th June 2001

We're getting there! From questionnaires to World Cup diaries, along with some photos and some topical melons, its all here! Enjoy:

  • It's here: the Meet The Netley Boys: One-at-a-time questionnaires have finally been launched, with Rich breaking the ice - access is through the Meet The Netley Boys page, but you can go straight to his questionnaire answers here.
  • The World Cup Diary has finally been updated! Entries have been added for Spain-Paraguay and for USA-Iran. Just 3 more entries to go!
  • Four new items have been added to the list of Tartan Travel Essentials on the Tribute to Talcum Powder page - including watermelons, loo roll, Toblerone and cameras. 
  • And 3 more photos have been added to the Poland 2 Gallery, including this one of The Kirrie Boys.

The next update is expected in a fortnight, depending on summer weekend plans (it's hell with no football!), when we hope to bring you more on the World Cup diaries, and the start of the Rough-ish guide.


3rd June 2001

Well, apart from the work-in-progress Rough-ish Guide to Netley Abbey the site is now nearing completion (for the time being), and a good job too, as we're almost at capacity on our free web-space. This hasn't stopped us from adding the following:

  • Links to an excellent MultiMap.com map of the South Coast showing Netley Abbey has been added to the About Netley Abbey section - or just click here (map is zoomable - right down to street level).
  • The NATA Travel details section (at the foot of this page) now outlines the initial thoughts for Egypt and France.
  • And speaking of Egypt, check out the new Egypt Links section.
  • Also added to the France 98 Gallery: two great stadium panaromas of Bordeaux and St Etienne (Spain v Paraguay) from the camera of Inverness David.

Another update will follow in 2 weeks, as I'm off to the Promised Land next weekend (and therefore away from my computer) - check back then to see an update to the World Cup diary, and the first of the not-at-all-late Meet The Netley Boys questionnaires.

 

28th May 2001

Egypt anyone? So it looks like a trip to Cairo is imminent in either November or February - perhaps a bit expensive if we do qualify for Japan/Korea, but I'll be sorting out sorting out some Links that should be up next week. In the meantime, check these out:

  • A Miscellaneous Gallery has been added, with 17 pictures of both England matches, plus Belgium and San Marino at home.
  • After some sound "legal advice" from the webmaster of the Tartan Army Home Pages, the song previously known as the "Posh Spice Song" has been changed to throw the gruesome twosome off the scent.

Next week will see some further updates to the World Cup diary, and possibly even the first in what will become a monthly series of interviews with NATA members.


21st May 2001

Apologies - this update was delayed due to 'technical difficulties'. All the NATA Poland photos are now in, including some from the erratic lens of the Ladies Man, along with the best NATA photo of the entire World Cup. The addition of the Estonia trip gallery means that all 12 NATA foreign trips now have their own gallery page. But first, check out how NATA have made the headlines:

  • The Netley Abbey Tartan Army (well, four of them at least) graced a front cover of a Polish paper the day after the game, click here to see it (also in the Poland 2 gallery).
  • An unbelievable 54 web-worthy photos of Poland have been sorted into two separate galleries: Poland 1 for the Gdansk photos, and Poland 2 for the Bydgoszcz/Wloclawek photos.
  • Don't forget to check out the Poland Account in the diary.
  • An Estonia Gallery, albeit with a meagre 6 photos, has been added here.
  • Pictures of Wee Fern and The Garioch Branch have been added to the Meet The Netley Boys page.
  • And our most amazing photo from France 98, with a Scotland-supporting riot policeman, has been added to the France '98 Gallery, or just click here to see it on it's own.

A gallery section including some photos from various home matches should be ready for next weekend, and the long-awaited "Rough-ish Guide to Netley Abbey" will be following shortly - so check back soon (weekly updates every Sunday night/Monday morning).


13th May 2001

Having had a wee look at the site, I think that it's grown faster than we ever anticipated, so I am planning an overhaul of it in the summer to make it a wee bit more user-friendly. If anyone has any suggestions, please e-mail me on the address at the foot of the page. Anyway, this doesn't mean the site will disappear, nor will the updates will stop! Just take a look at these:

  • Meet the newest members of the Netley Abbey Tartan Army: Wee Fern, and Ally and Sue who have started their very own Garioch Branch (photos to follow).
  • Ally has also provided us with some excellent photos of the Poland trip - more will follow once Rich and myself get our 7 films developed.
  • STOP PRESS: The Swindon and South West England Tartan Army has recently been launched. A big welcome to our nearest neighbours - you can visit their site by clicking here.

Another update will follow next weekend, so be sure to check back soon.


7th May 2001

Well, we made it back from Poland in one piece! A big hello to everyone we met out there, and a big welcome to the newest recruits to the Netley Abbey Tartan Army, Ally and Susan (the Garioch Branch). Their details, along with Fern's (a recruit from the Belgium home match) will appear on the site in the very near future. The photos from the Poland trip (I got through 6 films!) will be ready to go on in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, feast your eyes over this lot:

  • A massive Poland diary entry describing Paul and Helen's 7 days on the voddy and apple juice can be found on the NATA Diary page.
  • Photo Gallery sections added for Germany 1999 and Bosnia 1999 - only 6 photos in each I'm afraid (no fit state at the time to operate delicate machinery!)
  • We've also added a NATA T-Shirt page to the Photo Gallery - go straight to it by clicking here.
  • The "Drink Around The Clock" song has been added to the song page, courtesy of Wee John (Perthshire Tartan Army)
  • The Links page has also been updated, with a few more Belgian sites and some new Scottish football sites.

Apologies for the delay in updating the site - I took a while to recover from the voddy abuse, and my liver is suffering from withdrawal symptoms. I'm planning to knuckle down during the summer to get the France 98 diary finished and the Netley Rough Guide up and running - in the meantime, keep checking back often.


15th April 2001

Here it is - the last update before Poland. Remember to scan below to see what other gems you may have missed (previous update on 14th April):

  • A Tribute to Talcum Powder: a light hearted look at the essentials every TA footsoldier needs on an away trip.
  • More photos added to both the Ireland (6 new) and San Marino (3 new) gallery sections (courtesy of Clarkston Chris).
  • By popular demand from the Worthing FC message board, the Goodnight Horse song has been added to the Alternative Song Sheet.

 

14th April 2001

Sorry about the delay with the update! A combination of the double-header, hangovers and work has prevented me from making an update, but plenty here to make up for it:

  • As previous visitors to the site may have noticed, we've re-jigged the Home Page to give more space for the introduction, and given News and Updates their own page (ie. this one). This has enabled space to be given to outlining any travel plans for upcoming matches - click here to whizz down to the Travel Details section - at present there are entries for Poland and Belgium.
  • A Czech Republic page has been added to the Photo Gallery, with 12 photos of the June 1999 trip - see them here.
  • Already planning ahead for the next trip after Poland? The links page includes some handy Belgian links, for accommodation, travel, pubs and football - get straight there by clicking here.
  • A diary entry for the Montpellier leg of the France '98 big adventure has been added.
  • A NATA e-mail address for American Dave has been added, taking the total e-enabled NATA members to six - see Contact Information for details, and to drop us a line.
  • And lastly, a big thanks to Steve at Worthing FC Online for including a link to this site.

Another update will follow very shortly, so come back soon. Cheers, Paul.


21st March 2001

Two updates in a week! If you haven't been to the site for a wee while, please take a moment to scan down the previous What's New updates to see what you've been missing.

  • A wee taster to The Rough-ish Guide To Netley Abbey has been uploaded - check out the Netley Pub Guide now to see what alcoholic treats await the casual visitor to this Hampshire village.
  • We've taken the decision to link direct to the Main Tartan Army Message Board. We may add a different board in time if the demand's there.

Anyway, we're all off to Glasgow for the qualifiers, so don't expect any updates until April. Please e-mail any comments to the addresses below in the Contact Info section. Cheers


18th March 2001

A later update than planned I'm afraid (due to spending last weekend on the beer, warming up for the upcoming double-header - well, you wouldn't go to the Olympics without a wee jog first, would you?), however we do have:

  • A much improved Links page, with links to a whole load of other Tartan Army web sites.
  • E-mail addresses for Rich, Chris, Steve and Julie - see Contact Info at the foot of this page.
  • Essay-length diary accounts of the Latvia, San Marino and Croatia trips.
  • Photo Gallery sections for San Marino (10 photos) and Croatia (13 photos).
  • We have been advised that we will be losing our current message board from 1st April, so we will be setting up a new one, however as the matches are next week, it may be early April before we have a new one in place.

 

5th March 2001

  • A full account of the Ireland trip has been added to the Diary page.
  • And an even fuller account of the Bordeaux incident has found it's way in to the World Cup Diary.
  • Two new pages added to the Photo Gallery: 8 photos of the Lithuania 1998 trip, and 11 of the Latvia 2000 trip.
  • Another two Pish Spoce verses from that man Ally Macabre again. View the full 16 verses here.
  • And after a brief surge in interest, the message board has quietened down again. Go on - gie us some abuse, will ye?


25th February 2001

  • Photographs of Netley Abbey's famous landmarks, in tasteful sepia tones. View them here.
  • An epic account of the Holland trip has been added to the NATA diary.
  • No less than five new Posh Spice verses (courtesy of Ally Macabre). Sing along with them here.
  • Signed the guestbook yet? Even my mum has!

 

18th February 2001

  • A new Photo Gallery section, with photos of the World Cup, Holland and Ireland trips.
  • Two profiles added to the Meet The Netley Boys page: Welsh Steve and Julie.
  • Three new entries to the NATA diary: Bosnia, Estonia and Wembley.
  • Two new verses added to the Pish Spoce song (featuring Tommy Boyd and Neil McCann) - please add any new verses to the message board
  • And the speaking of the message board - someone gonnae start a ruck or something to make it interesting? (Nothing too abusive/offensive, mind)

 

11th Feb 2001

  • A brand spanking new guest book. Please view it by clicking here, and sign it by clicking here.
  • A new message board

 

4th Feb 2001

  • A partial Diary of NATA trips (will be fully completed by March 2001), with new photos, and a France '98 diary section (again, only partial at the moment)
  • More Links added to the Links & Stuff page
  • Photos of the Inverness and Clarkston branches of NATA
  • Two more songs (including the one-and-only Posh Spice song)

 

 
     

 


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