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Your World Cup memories


Dunty

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Another party about to begin without us. Is there anyone on here who actually remembers Scotland at a World Cup?

The only ones I'm old enough to remember are Italia 90 and France 98 (interesting that we always say the Italian version of Italy but the English version of France).

Italy I was just a wee kid. Didn't appreciate the build-up or even us being there much.

France I was genuinely proud that we were in the opening game, even though it was pure luck of the draw. Thought the Brazil game was actually a damp squib - the fact it was so corporate and hardly any genuine fans there. Norway and Morocco seemed to be proper WC games.

 Can't believe it's so long since we've had a chance to go back. Germany 2006 was the worst one to miss out on as it was in Europe, great place to go, and we'd have taken an amorous support. Think we had somewhere between 20,000-30,000 in France.

Anyway, I've not got many WC stories to tell, but love reading others and their trips. 

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33 minutes ago, Dunty said:

Another party about to begin without us. Is there anyone on here who actually remembers Scotland at a World Cup?

The only ones I'm old enough to remember are Italia 90 and France 98 (interesting that we always say the Italian version of Italy but the English version of France).

Italy I was just a wee kid. Didn't appreciate the build-up or even us being there much.

France I was genuinely proud that we were in the opening game, even though it was pure luck of the draw. Thought the Brazil game was actually a damp squib - the fact it was so corporate and hardly any genuine fans there. Norway and Morocco seemed to be proper WC games.

 Can't believe it's so long since we've had a chance to go back. Germany 2006 was the worst one to miss out on as it was in Europe, great place to go, and we'd have taken an amorous support. Think we had somewhere between 20,000-30,000 in France.

Anyway, I've not got many WC stories to tell, but love reading others and their trips. 

There plenty "genuine" fans there. I was one of them. As were about 12000 others.

 

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France 98 for me.

The train journey from Aberdeen to Paris was brilliant, picking up fans all the way down to London. 

Got my allocated ticket for Brazil but didnt really enjoy the game. I thought the Brazilian fans were arrogant and unfriendly. Security was pretty tight in Paris the day before for the opening ceremony and we ended up in a bar accross the road from the Auld Alliance at night just after the Collymore incident.  

Spent a week in Arcachon near Bordeaux for the Norway game and had a blast. I guess my only gripe was constantly looking for tickets in Bordeaux and having to settle for watching it in the fan park. 

We didn't go to St Ettiene but had a horrendous 1 day train journey from Arcachon to Bordeaux to Paris to London to Edinburgh then a bus rail  replacement to Aberdeen........

We'd looked at getting to Marseille if we beat Morocco, but wasnt to be.     

10 days of sun / football / beers with your mates, whats not to like. 

Euro 16 in France would of been fantastic, especially since there wasn't so much pressure on securing tickets. 

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I was born in 79 I have vague memories of Mexico 86 mostly tied to the mascot guy. Italia 90 was my first proper and I would credit with the catalyst of becoming a football fan. Most of my memories of Italia 90 are mostly non-Scotland related - Schlachi, Cameroon, thon stick guy, coco-cola mini footballs, England run to the semis - on that I remember watching England West Germany with my Mum who never watches football and the drama of that game with Gazza and Waddle. I remember watching Brazil v Argentina. I recall the Costa Rica game and  in the naivety of youth as they were small and I had never heard of them prior, that meant they were garbage. I remember the Brazil game but not the Sweden game. This was the first where a tournament came to define a summer - grabbing a football at half time and playing "world cup" at the park. Playing lots and lots of football with anyone and everyone then biking home for the games and Pavarotti singing - magical time. USA 94 we weren't there but the pain hadn't set in for me, that summer my memories was recording games on VHS, getting into collecting football tops and if you had one of another nation well they were the best. Holland, Baggio, bags of water, massive stadiums, opening ceremony, Bebeto and Romario, Worldcup pinball game. World cups and summer was awesome, getting out of school for summer. 

 

France 98 - This time it was, on, we were there and I was pumped. I had us a shoe in to progress - beat Morocco and Norway and we were on. The opening game I was on holiday in America so I watched it on ESPN which was a novelty. I loved that match to bts and do this dy, Coln Hendry doing keepy uppies, the penalty the pride even in defeat......then came PAIN. We were out.....Norway got a jammy win and we got thrashed. That tournament was all about some Frenchman with a funny name who won games on his own, Ronaldo and his funny hair, some controversy with Nike at the final. Little did we know then that would be it for 20+  years. 

I will stop there, even at age 38 , World Cups are exciting affairs, planning holidays around and parties and the debates and armchair analysis - super bowls, Wimbledon, Olympics take a bow the daddy of all sporting events is in town.........please Lord let us be at the next one.

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1978 - 10 going on 11

1982 - 14 going on 15

1986 - 18 going on 19 - first WC watched with alcohol. Friday June 13th finished early and went to the pub to watch the Uruguay game - not forgetting the play offs to get there v Australia. Pubs got a licence to serve beer at 6am provided they did food too (roll and sausage)

1990 Attended - Stayed in Menton in the South of France and travelled through to Genoa & Turin by train

1992 Attended - Went by bus to Sweden with Ian Sharp's Euroscot - stayed in Halmstad & travelled to Gothenburg and Norkopping by bus

1996 Attended - Euroscot again - bus from Scotland to Birmingham twice & London. Were left in Birmingham after the Switzerland game

1998 Attended - Euroscot again - by bus. Stayed in Paris, travelled down to Bordeaux for 5 days then up to Chasse sur Rhone in between Lyon & St Etienne

Edited by Ally Bongo
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1982 - first ever away game was v New Zealand. Awesome experience even if 2 quick Kiwi goals had us brickin oorsels. On to Seville for the Brazil match and had the immense privilege of watching the greatest team I'll ever see. How they didn't lift the trophy was a mystery. We actually played well but annoyed them a bit by scoring first. Then the USSR and big Joe stroking the opener in like it was a training match. Wee Strachan was brilliant that night. And then the "Oh FFS" moment followed by the late equaliser that gave us 2 or 3 minutes of hope.  :(

1986 - had the cash but didn't go to Mexico cos I would've had to travel by myself and am not the best flyer in the world. Regretted it ever since.

1990 - Ian Sharp's bus to Yugoslavia and then travelled down for the games. Made pals on that trip that are still pals today. Some mental characters on the bus - Jimmy aka The Tasmanian Devil, a binman from Edinburgh. Got on the bus at Leven and nobody would talk to him by the time we reached East Wemyss cos he was such a fkin arse. He got utterly rat-arsed every night and eventually got levelled for being a complete twat. Came doon for breakfast with his pus in a state next morning - "Did somebody hit me last night?"  :lol:  The less said aboot the games the better though. Would happily have gone straight hame after the Costa Rica one. Great atmosphere for Sweden though but we then stank the place oot against Brazil. If I remember right we would've gone through but for a last-minute goal somewhere in another group. We were rank though and wouldn't have deserved it.

1998 - only ("only!") got a Brazil ticket cos the French wanted us all in their country spending our cash in their bars and restaurants but didn't want us in the grounds. Galling to see so many suits at the game when us and the Brazilians could've filled the stadium. Went home afterwards but was planning the trip to the next round right up until the Morocco game.   :(

In between there were 2 Euro Championships. I've been more than privileged - 5 major tournaments - and desperately want these days to come round again for those that haven't experienced any. 

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1990: First one I remember. Loved that World Cup, never wanted it to end. Think England would have beat Argentina in the final had they won that penalty shoot out v Germany - frightening how close they came to winning it twice. Really, though, Italy should have won it.

USA 94: Wasn't too bad we missed out because we had Euro 92 and Euro 96 either side softening the blow, and just adopted Ireland to support. Stand out moment from that tournament was them beating Italy.

France 98: Was 16. Begged my dad (who's not a football fan at all) to take me. They had that World Cup ticket hotline to phone if you hadn't got tickets through your own association. GMTV had their cameras in the home of this England middle class family to see how they got on. Of course, the closer you were to Paris, the more chance of your call connecting, so the English were getting through but no-one in Scotland could. They went live to the English family, who had got through but been told all the tickets for the England games had gone, so they had bought for the Scotland ones, which subsequently all the English started doing. Phoned the number for days before it was announced the Scotland games were sold out. Accepted at that point I wasn't going, but two days after they were supposedly sold out an article on teletext (remember that) was claiming - and this sums up the farce of it all - that if you phoned and said you were a Scotland fan you were being told they were sold out. But, if you said you supported anyone else, you could buy Scotland tickets because FIFA wanted a certain amount of neutrals at each game. So I started phoning the number again, after an hour got through, was on a waiting list for 45 minutes (which meant missing afternoon at school but was I hell hanging up) and finally a French woman answered. In my excitement she asked who I was supporting and I said Scotland, and she then asked what games I wanted tickets for. "Norway and Morocco", to which she started typing and said "okay......Norway versus Morocco". No no, Scotland versus Morrocco. Quick pause before she must have taken pity on me and said the magic words "we only have category A tickets left" (which were on the halfway line, top tier, opposite main stand. Great tickets). Boom, thanks, bought two for me and my dad, told her I loved her, got so excited I forgot to buy for Norway or even ask about Brazil, got off phone and ran out to tell the window cleaner I was going to the World Cup.

Brazil game. My memories of that was that for five years me and this other guy hated each other, but he was the boy hosting everyone for the game so we had a one-day truce to watch it, and were celebrating Collins' goal with each other like we were best mates. Went back to hating each other after it.

Norway, we battered them but were 1-0 down and going out. Was watching it with my mum and had explained that if we lost then the Morrocco game was essentially meaningless. Knowing how much I had talked about going to the World Cup, even she leapt out of her chair when Burley scored.

Morocco. It was better than everything I imagined a World Cup to be. We arrived the night before, and England were in the midst of losing to Romania as we checked into where we were staying - a pub that had cleared some offices to and turned them into bedrooms to rent out. The atmosphere that night and the day of the game was brilliant - Scots fans, Moriccans, quite a few English there (unsurprisingly given the ticket hotline) but they were taking the banter well after losing to Romania, loads of Dutch and Mexicans who were starting to arrive as their game was there a few days later, and of course the French. The game, nearly missed it. Lost my dad, spent hours trying to find him, went back to accommodation, he wasn't there. Was convinced he'd gone without me. He burst through the door about 20 minutes before the game shouting "where the bloody hell have you been?". Had to sprint to the stadium, were singing the anthems as we ran up to the turnstiles. Of course, we got pumped. Had a Moroccan behind us screaming Allah's name at every goal. My dad said as we went home that even tho he wasn't a football fan he'd go again, just for the whole atmosphere. And yet here we are, 20 years later and we've never had the chance to go again. By the next World Cup I'll just be 10 years younger than he was when he took me. 

Qatar is a crap venue for a World Cup but if we qualify I'll be there, even if it's only for one game.

Edited by Sempre
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14 hours ago, Sempre said:

1990: First one I remember. Loved that World Cup, never wanted it to end. Think England would have beat Argentina in the final had they won that penalty shoot out v Germany - frightening how close they came to winning it twice. Really, though, Italy should have won it.

USA 94: Wasn't too bad we missed out because we had Euro 92 and Euro 96 either side softening the blow, and just adopted Ireland to support. Stand out moment from that tournament was them beating Italy.

France 98: Was 16. Begged my dad (who's not a football fan at all) to take me. They had that World Cup ticket hotline to phone if you hadn't got tickets through your own association. GMTV had their cameras in the home of this England middle class family to see how they got on. Of course, the closer you were to Paris, the more chance of your call connecting, so the English were getting through but no-one in Scotland could. They went live to the English family, who had got through but been told all the tickets for the England games had gone, so they had bought for the Scotland ones, which subsequently all the English started doing. Phoned the number for days before it was announced the Scotland games were sold out. Accepted at that point I wasn't going, but two days after they were supposedly sold out an article on teletext (remember that) was claiming - and this sums up the farce of it all - that if you phoned and said you were a Scotland fan you were being told they were sold out. But, if you said you supported anyone else, you could buy Scotland tickets because FIFA wanted a certain amount of neutrals at each game. So I started phoning the number again, after an hour got through, was on a waiting list for 45 minutes (which meant missing afternoon at school but was I hell hanging up) and finally a French woman answered. In my excitement she asked who I was supporting and I said Scotland, and she then asked what games I wanted tickets for. "Norway and Morocco", to which she started typing and said "okay......Norway versus Morocco". No no, Scotland versus Morrocco. Quick pause before she must have taken pity on me and said the magic words "we only have category A tickets left" (which were on the halfway line, top tier, opposite main stand. Great tickets). Boom, thanks, bought two for me and my dad, told her I loved her, got so excited I forgot to buy for Norway or even ask about Brazil, got off phone and ran out to tell the window cleaner I was going to the World Cup.

Brazil game. My memories of that was that for five years me and this other guy hated each other, but he was the boy hosting everyone for the game so we had a one-day truce to watch it, and were celebrating Collins' goal with each other like we were best mates. Went back to hating each other after it.

Norway, we battered them but were 1-0 down and going out. Was watching it with my mum and had explained that if we lost then the Morrocco game was essentially meaningless. Knowing how much I had talked about going to the World Cup, even she leapt out of her chair when Burley scored.

Morocco. It was better than everything I imagined a World Cup to be. We arrived the night before, and England were in the midst of losing to Romania as we checked into where we were staying - a pub that had cleared some offices to and turned them into bedrooms to rent out. The atmosphere that night and the day of the game was brilliant - Scots fans, Moriccans, quite a few English there (unsurprisingly given the ticket hotline) but they were taking the banter well after losing to Romania, loads of Dutch and Mexicans who were starting to arrive as their game was there a few days later, and of course the French. The game, nearly missed it. Lost my dad, spent hours trying to find him, went back to accommodation, he wasn't there. Was convinced he'd gone without me. He burst through the door about 20 minutes before the game shouting "where the bloody hell have you been?". Had to sprint to the stadium, were singing the anthems as we ran up to the turnstiles. Of course, we got pumped. Had a Moroccan behind us screaming Allah's name at every goal. My dad said as we went home that even tho he wasn't a football fan he'd go again, just for the whole atmosphere. And yet here we are, 20 years later and we've never had the chance to go again. By the next World Cup I'll just be 10 years younger than he was when he took me. 

Qatar is a crap venue for a World Cup but if we qualify I'll be there, even if it's only for one game.

Great post mate 

some folk will never know that fever

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49 minutes ago, robbo cop said:

Was 10 years old in the 1974 world cup but still have some memories and we had a very decent side as we had in 1978. We had a good spell qualifying in the 70s and 80s..  good times.

We had great sides ; players from best clubs in the land who were winning trophies ( and sharp,speedie and nevin....)but couldnt do it when it really mattered; at the finals

we also failed at qualifying for euros for a long time

Not sure if mgmt was too conservative (especially in away games) or players never really gelled as a unit ; L’Pool guys never really emulated club form on consistent basis ; and pulled a bit of a black holland players type splinter group ; pre mexico 86

did i mention nicols miss....

 

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On 6/6/2018 at 7:40 PM, Auchinyell Sox Change said:

We had great sides ; players from best clubs in the land who were winning trophies ( and sharp,speedie and nevin....)but couldnt do it when it really mattered; at the finals

we also failed at qualifying for euros for a long time

Not sure if mgmt was too conservative (especially in away games) or players never really gelled as a unit ; L’Pool guys never really emulated club form on consistent basis ; and pulled a bit of a black holland players type splinter group ; pre mexico 86

did i mention nicols miss....

 

Yes we should have done better with the players we had back then, it is true that a good few never displayed there club form when it mattered. Just to qualify now would be a major achievement....changed days 

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First one I remember was Italia 90.

Can remember the Sweden and Brazil games but thankfully not the Costa Rica game. My dad went absolutely mental when Brazil scored the winner, still haven't seen him as angry to this day.

France 98 I was just a bit too young to travel myself and had to watch it at home. The buzz leading up to it was unreal. Can remember all 3 games clear as day, especially the Norway one.

Been to 40+ away games and never got a sniff of a major tournament. My dad has just recently retired and I'd love nothing better than going to a World Cup with him. I'd say at his age, Qatar is the last roll of the dice. If we qualify, i'll be going regardless.

If America got 2026 I could see us going to that but he'll be 70 by then and I think it would be pushing it in terms of travelling from city to city.

Bad enough for me never having been to one but there's boys in my office who weren't even born the last time we played in one! In fact, Tierney who has captained us, had only just turned 1 when we played Brazil in the opening game.

That's beyond depressing.

Edited by Squirrelhumper
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OK, I'll be first to say I remember 1970 :lol:

Actually all pretty vague, except for frequent reminders of Brazil's goals in the final and Pele vs Banks.   I had a booklet from a comic (The Victor or Hotspur or something like that) to record the scores in, and recorded scorers too.   It's probably still up in the loft.   I also put a sympathetic mark next to the team I thought deserved to win each game, so I must have watched at least highlights of most of the games.

I do remember being impressed by Peru though.   Maybe just because it was the first time I'd seen anyone get a ball round a wall at a free kick.   (Did they actually bend much in those days?)   When '78 came around I was wondering why they were being written off.

 

 

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6 minutes ago, Grim Jim said:

OK, I'll be first to say I remember 1970 :lol:

Actually all pretty vague, except for frequent reminders of Brazil's goals in the final and Pele vs Banks.   I had a booklet from a comic (The Victor or Hotspur or something like that) to record the scores in, and recorded scorers too.   It's probably still up in the loft.   I also put a sympathetic mark next to the team I thought deserved to win each game, so I must have watched at least highlights of most of the games.

I do remember being impressed by Peru though.   Maybe just because it was the first time I'd seen anyone get a ball round a wall at a free kick.   (Did they actually bend much in those days?)   When '78 came around I was wondering why they were being written off.

 

 

Aye Peru were a really good team back then. Cubillas scored 5 goals in 4 games. They only got knocked out by, probably, the best international team ever, in the QF.

 Hector Chumpitaz was a fantastic player as well. I couldn't understand them being written of either. I can only assume that a lot of Scottish folk didn't bother to watch them in 1970. Ally McCloud included.

Rivelino was always talked about as the free kick expert and aye, they did bend a lot. But Cubillas was just as good and they both usually hit it with the outside of the foot.

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23 minutes ago, Orraloon said:

Aye Peru were a really good team back then. Cubillas scored 5 goals in 4 games. They only got knocked out by, probably, the best international team ever, in the QF.

 Hector Chumpitaz was a fantastic player as well. I couldn't understand them being written of either. I can only assume that a lot of Scottish folk didn't bother to watch them in 1970. Ally McCloud included.

Rivelino was always talked about as the free kick expert and aye, they did bend a lot. But Cubillas was just as good and they both usually hit it with the outside of the foot.

Cheers. I did have a wee look on YouTube, and 1st up came one sided highlights of that QF. Brazil were a class apart, and was wondering how reliable my memory was. Again.

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Have lived in Guernsey since 88. Me and a mate drove to 90 WC through France and stayed on camp site outside Genoa. Great time especially day and night of Sweden game. Saw all 3 group games.

 

France 98 a few of us went to the Norway game in Bordeaux. Had a cracking 2 nights in Bordeaux. Best experience ever watching Scotland. 

 

Hopefully will get chance to attend another finals at some point. Would like to attend with my two boys who unfortunately have only ever supported ABE at finals

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Was at the Sweden and Brasil games in 1990 and Brasil and Norway in 1998. Good memories of both but never thought that 20 years later we wouldn`t have qualified for WC or EC again. 1990 was better with Italy being more of a football country than France (even when France were playing, you`d hardly notice it in Paris-maybe different later in the tournament) and by 1998 our team was already rotten (weaker than some of our teams since then I`d say) and I didn`t really enjoy watching our football (Scotland v Norway in Bordeaux must have been one of the worst WC finals matches technically for many years). Now I`d take any qualification with any level of play. Hard to know what Euro 2020 will be like with so many venues but sure a lot of us will have great memories of tournament even if we don`t qualify.

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1 hour ago, ironbrew said:

Was at the Sweden and Brasil games in 1990 and Brasil and Norway in 1998. Good memories of both but never thought that 20 years later we wouldn`t have qualified for WC or EC again. 1990 was better with Italy being more of a football country than France (even when France were playing, you`d hardly notice it in Paris-maybe different later in the tournament) and by 1998 our team was already rotten (weaker than some of our teams since then I`d say) and I didn`t really enjoy watching our football (Scotland v Norway in Bordeaux must have been one of the worst WC finals matches technically for many years). Now I`d take any qualification with any level of play. Hard to know what Euro 2020 will be like with so many venues but sure a lot of us will have great memories of tournament even if we don`t qualify.

Thought the first few days of that world cup in Paris were the most amazing days of my life at that time

A festival of football

That continued down into Bordeaux and St Etienne (which was supposed to be a dump) but ranks right up there. The couple of days before the game!!!

Feel sorry for the boys that have been following since, that didn't get to experience that

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10 hours ago, ironbrew said:

Was at the Sweden and Brasil games in 1990 and Brasil and Norway in 1998. Good memories of both but never thought that 20 years later we wouldn`t have qualified for WC or EC again. 1990 was better with Italy being more of a football country than France (even when France were playing, you`d hardly notice it in Paris-maybe different later in the tournament) and by 1998 our team was already rotten (weaker than some of our teams since then I`d say) and I didn`t really enjoy watching our football (Scotland v Norway in Bordeaux must have been one of the worst WC finals matches technically for many years). Now I`d take any qualification with any level of play. Hard to know what Euro 2020 will be like with so many venues but sure a lot of us will have great memories of tournament even if we don`t qualify.

I have to confess that when our name came out the hat for the opener vs Brazil, I shat it.   The nervousness continued for the months right up until we scored as I feared the possibility of humiliation in front of billions.   Yeah, I'm a glass-half-empty guy :lol:

In the end though, had that same old feeling that we could have gotten a point...

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