Meet The Netley Boys - One at a time
A monthly, light-hearted interview with a member of NATA.
Please note - these views expressed in these interviews only reflect those of the individual concerned, and do not represent NATA as a whole. This is the only section of the site where club football is mentioned - if you are likely to be offended by this, please don't read on.
July 2001: Rich (The Ladies Man)
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| 1. First home and away matches? |
| The 1-0 victory over Sweden at Ibrox in 1996 and the 1-1 draw with Norway in Bordeaux's Stade Lescure during the 1998 world Cup.
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| 2. Best away trip? |
| 1998 World Cup (Were you in Bordeaux?) followed by the Czech Republic the following year. Ah… When I think back to Prague… Beer at sixteen pence a pint, 42 hour drinking sessions, Cinzano with a busty hotdog seller and the only occasion when I've been threatened with being thrown out of a pub… because of the Cinzano with the busty hotdog seller!
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| 3. Best foreign stadium visited? |
| With Scotland I'd say Werder Bremen's Weserstadion (I've
not seen us play anywhere particularly amazing!) Aside of Scotland matches
there have been a few others, Ajax's Amsterdam Arena, Bayern Munich's
Olympiastadion and Nantes' Stade de la Beaujoire.
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| 4. Best foreign pub/club visited? |
| Club Clan in Bydgoszcz, Poland or The Bulldog in Zagreb, Croatia.
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| 5. Describe your usual match-day attire |
| My tartan combat trousers have now been handed over to The Wee Man and I now wear my kilt (Ross, modern red) and a N.A.T.A. t-shirt of some description. In the past it has been The Ladies Man shirt from the 'classic range' of N.A.T.A. merchandise, but more recently the 'trip' shirts have been worn on match day. Domestically my habit of mixing an afternoon at The Dell with a night on the lash has led to some criticism. Certain people have said "I can't believe you're wearing that to a football match!" So Fat Man, I hereby apologise for my model figure, my flashy shirts and my arse hugging trousers! I only wish I could resemble a space hopper like you!
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| 6. Is there anywhere you have seen Scotland play that you would like to go back to? |
| Bordeaux. I spent less than 24 hours there during the World Cup but fell in love with the place. Sarajevo was quite an experience and was very 'thought provoking'.
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| 7. Where have you have seen Scotland play that you would NOT like to return to? |
| San Marino. We based ourselves in Rimini for that one and it was dead! No
centre, no hub of activity, not much in the way of nightlife. I was being told "But it's out of season". Out of season? I couldn't even see anything that was closed let alone open!!!
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| 8. And where do you want to go to (but haven't yet)? |
| So many places, where do I start? Moscow, Berlin, Barcelona, Tokyo, Lisbon, Azerbaijan… I know Ulan Bator (simply because I'd like to know what the hell is there!) Yeah, lets bombard the SFA with requests for an 'International Challenge match' with Mongolia! I'll meet you in a pub in the town square!
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| 9. Who's the best Scottish player that you have actually seen? |
| John Collins. So much so that I bought an AS Monaco shirt at France '98… And he signed for Everton less than two months later! Monaco or
Merseyside? Er… JC… Why?
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| 10. Who's the best opposing player you have actually seen? |
| Jan Koller of the Czech Republic (tore us apart in Prague) or Edgar Davids of the Netherlands.
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| 11. Who would you most like to see succeed Craig Brown? |
| Alex Ferguson would be the obvious candidate.
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| 12. Favourite Scottish home and away kits of all time? |
| Home? 1998 World Cup. Away? 1986 World Cup (iridescent yellow hoops). I don't think we've had any particularly good away kits. Maybe it's time for a modern day version of Lord Roseberry's
colours!
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| 13. … And your least favourite? |
| Both the current home and away kits. The away shirt is… well, a disgrace!
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| 14. What is your favourite and least favourite Scotland chant/song? |
| Favourite? "Everywhere we go, people want to know, who the hell we are, where the hell we come from…" Least
favourite? "Doe-a-deer…"
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| 15. Which have been the highest and lowest points of supporting Scotland? |
| Both would involve the play-off for Euro 2000 against England. Am I the only one who thinks Scotland were absolutely robbed at Hampden? 'They' deserved nothing from that game! Afterwards (and like many of you?) I was inconsolable… Until my mind was taken off it by a stripper (allegedly) who I met at The Shed nightclub in Glasgow. As for the game at
Wembley? It was a bitter-sweet feeling for obvious reasons.
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| 16. Favourite domestic stadium? |
| The Dell, not because it's a great stadium but because of the memories I have of it. We said farewell to her recently as we move into The St. Mary's Stadium next season. In Scotland I've always loved Ibrox and Parkhead is looking beautiful these days.
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| 17. Best domestic match ever attended? |
| I've seen a few great games. Southamptons' 3-1 win over Manchester United (famous for United changing from their 'invisible' grey kits at half time). The following year they arrived in a different kit (so nothing could go wrong?) and
departed with a 6-3 defeat! In 1988? I saw a 17 year old Alan Shearer score a hatrick against Arsenal on his Southampton debut (shame he turned out to be such a
wanker!) and more recently Southampton's last ever league match at The Dell when Matt Le Tissier scored against Arsenal in the 89th minute. The fact that it was 'Le God' who scored the last goal at The Dell meant so much. It was the stuff that dreams are made of!
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| 18. Favourite chant/song heard at a domestic match? |
| "What's it like to f**k a fish?" Southampton to Portsmouth fans during an
F.A. Cup tie in 1997.
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| 19. Best domestic pub/club? |
| In Southampton? Los Marinos (Becks on tap), The Square and Tuesday's at La Margarita (Latin night!). In Glasgow? No particular pubs but club-wise The Shed and The Tunnel are pretty cool.
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| 20. What are your pet hates? |
| Mornings, alarm clocks, women drinking pints, bellbottoms and anyone trying to lift my kilt.
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| 21. What makes you chuckle? |
| Any misfortune that falls upon England, Portsmouth or Manchester United.
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| 22. You're stranded on a remote island in the Hebrides. Before the ship went down you managed to salvage some belongings (to help you pass the time until you're rescued) including… |
| 1 book? The Bible because I'm conscious (guilty?) of the fact that I've never read it from start to finish!) 1 magazine? World Soccer. 1 album? U2 - Achtung Baby. 1 film? Braveheart. 1 beer? Becks. 1 spirit? At the moment I'm into Southern Comfort. And 1 famous member of the opposite sex ? Without a shadow of doubt, the stunningly beautiful Sophia Loren (in her hey-day). |