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17 Years Ago Today...


John_B81

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Remember it like yesterday :ok:

Went with my Grandfather after we both had been able to get tickets.

Remember we got the bus up to the stadium about 6 hours before kick off, and though it was very busy, I found the pre-match atmosphere to be pretty dead as we just walked around the World Cup village all day before the gates opened (we thought it was wise to get there early and avoid all the party in the city).

Recall there was a 10 foot high steel fence right around the stadium and Scots were trying there luck to get in.... saw one boy manage to scale it, ran towards us and screamed "quick, give me your cap so the police can not find me" and then just ran into a large crowd (always wondered if that guy ever did see the game :-)) ).

We were seated right up in the heavens, but still a cracking view..... game seemed to start and end in minutes, yet John Collins took what felt like a life time to take his penalty and for it to hit the back of the net.

After the game we were making our way back to the bus and the heavens opened with a monsoon (weather had been cracking all day) so we just ran into one of the little food stall tents to get out of the rain.

Just hope I do not need to be the same age my Grandfather was before seeing Scotland at a World Cup again :ok:

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I was only 17 at the time and was watching at home but the whole build up to the event was amazing. Can't believe that was the last time we were at a major finals.

Hopefully we'll be back in France this time next year. :ok:

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We got the afternoon off school. Remember running home and then going to my mates to watch the game. My earliest memory of watching a Scotland game on TV and at least a good indication of the heartache that goes with it, if not the setting.

My earliest memory of watching Scotland on TV was against Costa Rica in 1990 :-))

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We only had tickets for Norway so chose to stay at home for this one. Watched it in the Tartan Tent on Glasgow Green, the atmosphere was amazing, nearly greetin' at the anthems, pints all over the shop when we scored. But of course the oh so familiar disappointment at the end.

The factory I worked in gave everyone the afternoon off to watch the game. The advantage of having a fitba mad boss :ok:

I mind seeing a photo of the Kingston Bridge at 5pm, there was one car on it!

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We got the afternoon off school. Remember running home and then going to my mates to watch the game. My earliest memory of watching a Scotland game on TV and at least a good indication of the heartache that goes with it, if not the setting.

More or less the same except I wore my top to school and watched in my own house.

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I remember it like it was yesterday. Only 11 at the time. Had our High School visit that day and remember us all sprinting home. Flags out etc.

Went over with the family to St.Ettiene for the last game across against Morocco. Just remember thinking "I can't wait until I'm old enough to go following scotland at tournaments myself".

Would never have believed that we would miss out on every single tournament since then, and that I would go though my whole teenage years and twenties without getting the chance.

Hoping and praying for next year. This has to be our time again.

Edited by Toll Bridge TA
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Can't believe that was 17 years ago.

Felt very very lucky to be in Paris and to have tickets for the game. However my missus constantly goes on about what it was like back in Scotland the day of the Brazil game, everywhere closing early to go home and watch the game, flags hanging out of windows everywhere, shops giving out free Irn Bru and shortbread ... in a way I feel as though I missed out on that, as I just cant imagine what it would be like seeing the whole country getting behind us.

Still a great day, and we walked out of the stadium (in a monsoon) have done ourselves proud and not fearing Norway or Morocco at all.

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:-) - we were there for 22 nights - even had Marseille booked and we stayed there 3 nights

pity we didnt know there was plenty Norway-Italy tickets around or we would have went to that match

Remember singing in St Ettiene the night before our Morocco game "Scotland's going to Marseille, Englands going to Calais... " (Romania had just beaten England in front of 10k Scots fans watching on a big screen in the town centre.)

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This game was my earliest memory of watching scotland playing. I was in primary 3 and remember being on a school trip to blacks haw farm earlier that day. I then got picked up and taken to my grandas to watch it.

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In preparation for a potential house move, I was having a clear out recently and discovered the VIDEO of the match.

Des Lynam opens the opening broadcast of World Cup '98 with...... "Now earlier today I was approached by an attractive redhead wearing a rather fetching tartan skirt - THEY'VE DEFINITELY ARRIVED!"

Before cutting to a load of footage of the TA in Paris and at the end of those clips he says, "They're good boys and they're having a good time."

I don't know, but I think Des might have had a genuine soft spot for the Scotland fans.

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For some reason, I remember the day of the game being a quiet one in Paris, and a crowd of us just went out for dinner afterwards - no big sesh.

However, the night before on the Chaps Elysses was immense. They had a pre World Cup procession and an estimated 1 million people on the streets. Supporters of every nationality mixing, and we had a big carry out after having been drinking by the Pigalle all afternoon.

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Squad of us drove out and to all 3 games in a clapped out old land rover!

Brasil game remains the most expensive match ticket I ve paid for!

We were all nearly 30 and I recall us discussing it could well be 50 before we were at another tournament. We thought due to distance to tournaments, lifes ever changing events etc little did we think Vogts, Burley & Levein would do us in!! Sadly our prediction of then is true but France 2016 here we go again!!

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