Rich NATA

Have a Google of Luciana Berger, Labour (!)

Pleasantly surprised when I saw Heseltine and Galloway talking about this issue of legitimacy just yesterday. Heseltine, a staunch Tory and Galloway (who described Sturgeon as "Thatcher in a kilt") both expressed the opinion that you can't change the system, simply because on this occasion it doesn't suit the establishment. Galloway expressed his dislike of the SNP, but still had the decency to acknowledge the SNP were democratically legitimate.

I work with someone who did a Black Sea cruise last year and he said Batumi was a lovely place.

I suspect those who hate it probably do so because they would prefer an out-and-out cheesy 'football song'. Football songs tend to be...... Daft! I think those who like it do so because they can separate it from the football and judge the song on its own merits. It's probably the most serious football song I've ever heard. Or to put it another way; the most un-football, football song I've ever heard. I quite liked it and base that opinion purely on the song and not any reference to football. I tend to think when football meets music, it's usually naff.

Re. Ikechi Anya: those who witnessed him play for Cadiz away to Orihuela a couple of days after the last match in Spain can vouch for him. When he saw the Saltire one of us had brought, he shouted over, "I'm Scottish too; I was born in Glasgow". Re. Matt Ritchie: as a Southampton fan, I'm more worried he was born in Gosport; effectively Portsmouth.

Thanks for the advice, Wanderer. Think I can say with a fair degree of certainty, I'm going to be THE advance guard for this one. I arrive in Tbilisi the Saturday before the match (yes, a whole 6 days before) with Flat Earth and Lamia arriving the day after, I think. Unfortunately, I wont be heading into Kiev centre. My first flight lands in Kiev at 04:20 and the onward flight takes off at 12:00 If I leave the airport it will only be to get four hours sleep in one of the airport hotels.

So, at LGW they'll give me TWO boarding passes and my luggage will be checked-in ALL THE WAY to Tbilisi. When I arrive in Kiev I just head for arrivals/exit with my hand-luggage. Come back X hours later and head straight to departure's (no need to go to the check-in desks?)

Can confirm this printed in TODAY's English version on The Sun (colleague of mine buys it). Also included quote from Clegg and how he would never do a deal with the SNP...... An irrelevent comment considering he'll never need to rely on the SNP to help him become PM.

Anyone booked on any of the overnight flights out of Gatwick? I've been contacted re. my 00:10am departure, which is now departing 70 minutes earlier and from what I can see, that's the same for all flights that week. Hope it doesn't f*ck up the connection for any of you flying down from Scotland. For me it's no big deal at this end of the journey, but it extends and already very long transfer at Kiev - now 7 hours 40 minutes, which has kick-started me into thinking about a hotel at Kiev Airport. However, despite my many years of travelling, I don't know what the situation is regarding leaving the airport. I had always thought you had to stay airside, but I suspect that's not the case. If you (and your luggage) are booked on a Gatwick-Kiev-Tbilisi ticket, can you leave the airport? I assume the luggage just goes through the normal transfer process.

This is an absolute mess... FIFA is either corrupt OR inept (and I don't think it's the latter!) Awarding World Cup's to Qatar and Russia (I foresee corrupt police harassing fans and vast distances) was ridiculous. It is admirable to think World Cup's could be played in places that have previously been overlooked, but the fact of the matter is some countries are unsuitable, for various reasons; safety; logistics; political circumstances. The top leagues should unite and just say, 'This is your mess. We are not reorganising our seasons'. I mean, this filter's right down to the lower leagues too (what with the promotions/relegations).

Question re. Bohemians... The lady at the club said we should send a cheque 2/3 weeks before the match. They've got Euros; we've got Sterling....... How do we send a cheque? Can you write out cheques in a different currency or across borders? Never had the need before.

There have been some cracking days out at clubs (and even towns) away from the international matches. Sometimes because of the matches, but more often because of fellow Scotland fans and locals alike. There were big TA attendances at Haarlem and more recently Duisburg. The number's in attendance were quite staggering, I thought. There were smaller attendances in Prague at Sparta Krč and Viktoria Zizkov as well as Holzwickede in Dortmund, but good times were had. Then there were those where you could count the TA on one hand; Dukla Prague; FC Kray v RW Essen; and in Poland, Znicz Pruskow v Zaglebie Lubin (where I may well have been the only one). But without doubt, the days out at Graffin Vlashim v Dukla Prague and Orihuela v Cadiz (with a certain Ikechi Anya playing for the away team) go down as legendary in my book... Vlashim and Orihuela were truly wonderful days out.

Have had some e-mail communication from Bohemian FC and this is what I've found out... With regard to this fixture, we will have a very good attendance, but not necessarily a sellout. Tickets will be on sale on match day, if you wanted to purchase. Would recommend come early, either way, on the night. Stiles open at 6pm. I should have the tickets approx. 2/3 weeks before the game. I am not sure if Casa Rebele (edit: that's a football shop in Temple Bar area) will have them. If you want to send a cheque with your postal address I will post out same, you could send the cheque 2/3 weeks before the game? I would recommend sitting in the Jodi Stand, Section C or D. All our seats are Free Seating. 15 per adult. We have two bars which will be open before the game. Enjoy your trip to Dublin, and hope you bring us Luck on the Night.

P.S. according to Google Maps... Bohemians (the one with the bars) looks to be a 30 minute stroll north of the Liffey. St. Patricks Athletic is a 45 minute stroll from the centre; west of the Guinness brewery; south of Phoenix Park.

May be of interest to the usual suspects... There are TWO domestic League of Ireland matches on the eve of the international match... Friday 12th June (both 7.45pm kick-offs) Local derby, Bohemians v Shamrock Rovers at Dalymount Park (10k) And also St. Patricks Athletic v Limerick at Richmond Park (5k) Bohemians' club website promotes the THREE bars under the main stand here... http://bohemianfc.com/?page_id=83 And here's the St. Patricks Athletic website... http://www.stpatsfc.com/stadium.php

You ever been to Montpellier?Whenever I've been asked whether I'd like to live in any of the places I travelled to, Montpellier always comes to mind. I was only there for 24 hours (during France'98) but liked it.

Just wondering if any of you got to visit the city of Gori during the previous jaunt to Georgia (?) The birthplace of Stalin, he's the local boy done good to the people of Gori Yes, I know... He was a brutal dictator, but he was the only person of any note to come out of Gori. The house he was born in has been preserved and next to it there is the Stalin Museum. 'Excellent, but biased' is what my guide book says; it seemingly avoids any mention of purge's, gulag's or the Ukrainian famine. The people of Gori might respect Stalin, but that doesn't stretch across Georgia as a whole. There was a huge statue of Comrade Stalin stood in the city square until 2010... The locals then woke up to find the Georgian Government had removed the statue overnight. There is talk of said statue going to the Museum at some point. Elsewhere is Gori there is a War Museum concentrating on WW2 but with a section on Georgia's recent feud with Russia. I can't honestly say I'm interested in fortresses, but there is one in Gori which even I think is impressive. I've read 3 different estimates of how far Gori is from Tbilisi (30km, 47km and 85km). I'm not sure which it is, but I wondered if any of you had been there last time (?) I'm toying with the idea of going and spending a night or two. Failing that, I might look at arranging some sort of TA daytrip if other's are interested (although I'd like to split that responsibility with other's cause I'm not the most reliable person the morning after the night before).

That's off the menu too... Because we're not Scotland the Brave, are we?!?!?! We're 55% Scotland the Cowardly.

That would be quite something. It will be sad, but it is what should happen.

With the referendum result on the back of the SFA's ticket price-hike (so, a double-whammy by way of disappointment's) I'm not the least bit inclined to attend the Georgia, Ireland or England matches. Re. Poland away: I've already shelled out on flights and accommodation and will therefiore be travelling, but I'm in two minds about actually attending the match. That said, I'm sure I will. But I simply cannot comprehend how we can sing 'Flower of Scotland' after what has just happened. I'm inclined to think we should bow our head's; listen to it as an instrumental and spend a moment thinking about what has happened; a moment of mourning if you like. How? How can you be proud? I cannot comprehend how you can vote 'No' and the sing 'Flower of Scotland' You will be contradicting yourself.