ironbrew

Went on a half day trip from Aix en Provence to Cassis in April. Didn`t see much of village as was on boat trip to see rocks (can`t remember name) which wasn`t a great idea as boat was small, sea was choppy and we`d stopped for winetasting on way but it looked good. Lots of better alternatives to Marseilles - Aix en P, Avignon,..... Nimes was nice but a bit further away.

Gibraltarian team which beat Celtic failed to win 14th league in a row which would have been European/world record. So 2nd placed Gib team beat Celtic (well aware of second leg result etc).

Today`s defeat is not a surprise given opponent is Italian and often troubles top players especially on clay. Wonder if Andy might enter 250 tournament next week in Geneva or Lyon to get some match practice before Paris.

9 days before so home v NZ on Monday 5th might be possible.

Wanting to visit Plitvice National Park. Is it worth doing by day trip from Zagreb? Have read park gets busy around midday when tours arrive so maybe worth spendong a night near park.

Is it easy to find trips like this when there or better to book before? Seen some tours online though some seem very expensive

San Sebastian is beautiful and has bars with great food but is also very expensive. Bilbao is much more down to earth and cheaper than SS,. Near SS Zarautz with beautiful beach, famous for surfing is worth a visit and more so the coastal villages nearby especially one (can`t remember name) where Spanish naval hero Elcano was born.. All comments so far have mentioned Spanish Basque Country but there are good places in French part too. Border town of Hendaye has a fantastic beach, great gardens and some nice bars. Much cheaper than SS too. nearby St Jean de Luz is nice too.

Guessing there`s no friendly this midweek because SFA thought there was a chance of a managerial change after Friday and because they reckoned a match would mean losing money. N Ireland are playing Croatia who will have demanded a good fee i suppose but with current success a good crowd and TV fee can be guaranteed.

Changing thread a bit but I was on an Edinburgh to London in August which left Waverley on time but then stopped just before Berwick for about two hours because of "trespassers" on the bridge at Berwick. Apparently in Berwick this means people threatening to jump off bridge and police and coastguards were called before we were allowed to move into Berwick station and then cross the bridge. Service after was superb with staff phoning ahead, booking hotels in London etc.

Was 2012 not important to Hearts fans not just because they`d won a cup they don`t often win and against local rivals but also because full extent of Romanov situation was starting to appear so fans would have known that it could be the last ever trophy won by club? As it turned out, they avoided liquidation and could win the Scottish Cup again this season though I suppose many would prefer a League Cup win next season after so many years without winning it.

Thanks. Seen meals on river cruises too but looking for something a bit less sophisticated and less expensive! I was in London on Christmas Day last year . Spent most of day waiting for lost luggage to be delivered from airport but had an excellent evening meal in pub which was part of a hotel (from outside looked like a pub rather than a hotel bar) in street between Westminster and Buckingham Palace so will try to find place again and see if they take bookings for midday.

Can anyone here recommend a pub/restaurant/hotel in London for a Christmas meal on Christmas Day? Realise that most places are closed but I know a fair number of pubs open at midday and hotel restaurants may be open too. Not looking for anywhere expensive (though reading earlier comments about 100pp on a normal day make me think Christmas Day will mean sandwiches and wait till Boxing Day) so turkey,crackers and a bit of wine and beer would be fine. Anywhere central but especially Kings Cross/Euston area would be great.

I`ve lived in various European countries in last 30 odd years and main change has been that now almost nothing is known about Scottish clubs. People still know names Celtic and Rangers but not nearly as much as before and other clubs are virtually unknown. In 80s and 90s when Scottish clubs regularly played in Europe in September or even later whichever clubs were in Europe were known-I remember people in France and Spain knowing about St Mirren for example. Success of Aberdeen and Dundee United in 80s got some recognition but a lot was having name of a city and DU were reported as "Dundee" for many years even at time of beating Barcelona etc. Before our clubs were knocked out by German or Spanish clubs, now it`s by Slovenian or Maltese so it`s normal that we don`t get so much recognition. On positive side, Scottish clubs now have fans in Poland, Spain etc who have become genuine fans while living in Scotland and kept an interest after going home. Incidentally, how well are Scottish clubs known in England?

Think Don Revie had a bit of Scottish blood too. When he was playing, not eligible for us I suppose just as Joe Baker wasn`t and Alex Cropley and Bob Wilson wouldn`t have been if a bit older.

2 out (Hearts result tonight one of most humiliating ever for a Scottish club and may have cost them a lot of money though they`d probably have lost in Russia and lost money on trip, Hibs pride intact but Hertha Berlin would have generated massive gate and especially TV revenue) and 2 through (Celtic after himiliation in Gibraltar and Aberdeen after being lucky to get to second round). Reality is there are no easy games and sadly clubs and countries probably consider Scottish opposition as a good draw. Anyway, not sure how ranking system works but presume wins by Hearts in last round and Hibs tonight (counts as victory I suppose) will help for future years.

I was at Hungary game. Was it not Marshall`s debut?

Seem to remember us getting to playoffs and several full Hampdens during Vogts era. Lots of defeats in friendlies but new players got experience in full and B team which following managers benefitted from.

May have between 1 and 3 category 3 tickets for Bordeaux quarter final on Saturday 2nd July. Was hoping to get another game in (preferably Paris QF on 3rd) but still likely to have ticket(s) spare for Bordeaux.

Might have between 1 and 3 category 3 tickets for Bordeaux quarter final on Saturday 2nd July.

Who will Shire be playing next season? Whichever league they`re in, they`ll have to win it then beat Highland champions and last in Division 2 to get back. Not easy.

Can anyone recommend a bar in Rome which will show Scottish football?

Fair score would have been 0v0 since Aberdeen looked like they wanted to score but couldn`t while Hearts scored while looking like they`d be delighted with a draw. Lets hope for good of league that promoted team(s) and others that don`t go down see chance to challenge Celtic but playing decent football.

If these are 2 of our best 3 teams even more evidence of terrible state our game`s in. Presumably both teams will improve in second half.

Have also been thinking of going to Croatia this year. Seen and heard great things about Plitvice Lakes and Krka National Park. Without a car so would be organised trip. Anyone know if best from Zagreb or Split? Have also seen possibility of trip from Zagreb to Split with park trip on way which sounds good as I`m thinking of visiting Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik (day trips from there to Montenegro and Bosnia etc) but was an expensive option.

Is this price for 1 or 2 people? 2 presumably.