Marky Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Belarus in the same group the following summer was the same scenario. Our game was on the Tuesday, so we went via Budapest the previous Friday and took in the Belarus-Slovenia group game on the Saturday.Yup we did another Tues-Sun. Flew to Vilnius. Tuesday night there. Minibus to Minsk (hilarious), Wed/Thurs in Minsk and Fri/Sat back in Vilnius. Probably remains my favourite trip of all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaid Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Belarus in the same group the following summer was the same scenario. Our game was on the Tuesday, so we went via Budapest the previous Friday and took in the Belarus-Slovenia group game on the Saturday. Was just looking at the dates for these games, the game in Minsk was a Wednesday rather than a Tuesday, but what's interesting is that both times we played in Minsk, 1997 and 2005, the game was on the same date - June 8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonny78 Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 away in 2005 to beralus.. that side owned us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wigtownshire-Matt Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Thought when the fixtures came out it would be rubbish but, hasn't been too bad. I work four days on four off so it's pot luck as to what date the games fall but have been fortunate so far. Getting back to Stranraer has always been a nightmare regardless if it's a midweek game or not. Find myself driving to all home games now. Quite a few people have attempted to run busses but with little interest. Should we win in Georgia the Germany and Poland games are going to be fantastic under the Hampden floodlights. C'mon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geeman Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 I am not a fan of it either at all. I work Mon to Fri 9 till 5 and am also fortunate to live in the Central belt, in fact half an hour car journey from Hampden, but it still dont. For a good few reasons. 1. I cant get time off my work as Im a teacher and on days of games feel like im in a constant rush to get to there which makes the enjoyment less 2. For me football is for a Sat and thats it. I enjoy the social aspect of having a few drinks before a game and then having the next day off to do something else. Banter and pre match is all the fun. Midweek does not allow this. 3 I can hardly get to any away games now at all as Im not allowed holidays outwith term time. Sat games made this possible as can fly etc on a Fri. Less away games and less away points 4 I have a 2 year old and if its a midweek game I dont see him and is harder to get a babysitter 5 - Mon are just an awful day for football. Its a Mon you survive your first day back at the most then want to go home. You dont want to go to a football game in the pissing rain or snow 6- Its dark midweek I could go on! Having said all this I am at the midweek games and try to go to every away game I possibly can. Right there in the trenches with you Teaching in the North East is far from handy for even midweek home games. Will not be missing the Germany Poland double header but they will be LONG days particularly if, well I'm not tempting fate by predicting a result but won't be difficult to imagine what would make the journey worse. For away games had a happy accident when I saw Ireland away was a Saturday this year and am also able to make Faro/Gibraltar due to school holidays. Really fancied Malta away but it's a Sunday night so thank you Platini for ruining a chance of a nice holiday and match in Malta. England away I'll be praying for nice flight times from Aberdeen to Heathrow and the underground gods to be in my favour to get the match on time. Week of football has left me seething and I could accept constant midweek home games if it meant most away games were Saturdays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shotts56 Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Thankfully there were far fewer away games those days otherwise it would have been impossible. I think the "worst" run I can remember was in 1995 when we were away in Moscow at the end of march, San Marino in April and the Faroes at the beginning of June. I missed out the San Marino trip and I can't think of many people that went to all three. Ditto. Did Moscow and Torshavn in 1995, but I had to give San Marino a miss as there was no way I could afford three away games in three months. Paying a fortune for Scotball to Moscow, and then spending a week in Torshavn on Ian Sharp's ferry/youth hostel trip completely destroyed what meagre savings I had at the time. Was glad to get to get to San Marino a few years later though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonny78 Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 i support san marino Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostZapper Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 in one of my previous jobs i was pretty much required to work just about every saturday so was always a nightmare getting to Saturday games. i remember standing in the hotel reception trying to blend in with the wedding guests watching Kenny Millers goal putting us 1 up against Italy! Midweek matches were much easier to get off.... i did leave shortly after that, and thoroughly enjoyed the 5 Saturday home matches during the 2008 qualification campaign! The saturday matches always have the bigger draw - proper day out, beers before and after.... But to be honest, i'm not overly fussed either way. i generally take a half day so i can have a few pints in the afternoon before a midweek match, and enjoy the odd Friday/Saturday day out we do get.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaid Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Ditto. Did Moscow and Torshavn in 1995, but I had to give San Marino a miss as there was no way I could afford three away games in three months. Paying a fortune for Scotball to Moscow, and then spending a week in Torshavn on Ian Sharp's ferry/youth hostel trip completely destroyed what meagre savings I had at the time. Was glad to get to get to San Marino a few years later though. I was on Ian Sharp's Torshavn trip as well. That whole week goes down as one of the most surreal experiences ever. I reckon another week would have seen it descend into Wickerman territory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendryselbow Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Wasn't sure about the week of football concept but have to say i have quite enjoyed it, Germany game on a Sunday was great, loads of locals out and about made for a cracker of a day. A Monday is no more of a pain the hoop than a Wednesday, if anything it's easier to make it a long weekend. An easy solution for those of us who don't live in the central belt would be to put on a couple of slightly later trains North and East, considering there are only about 5 home competitive games a year it surely shouldnt be too costly, as at the moment it's worth the gamble and some mug ends up having to be a designated driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wigtownshire-Matt Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 Wasn't sure about the week of football concept but have to say i have quite enjoyed it, Germany game on a Sunday was great, loads of locals out and about made for a cracker of a day. A Monday is no more of a pain the hoop than a Wednesday, if anything it's easier to make it a long weekend. An easy solution for those of us who don't live in the central belt would be to put on a couple of slightly later trains North and East, considering there are only about 5 home competitive games a year it surely shouldnt be too costly, as at the moment it's worth the gamble and some mug ends up having to be a designated driver. And continue to ingnore those south of Gladgow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonny78 Posted August 7, 2015 Share Posted August 7, 2015 just put them on saturdays please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LewisEDI Posted August 8, 2015 Share Posted August 8, 2015 I reckon another week would have seen it descend into Wickerman territory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shotts56 Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 (edited) I was on Ian Sharp's Torshavn trip as well. That whole week goes down as one of the most surreal experiences ever. I reckon another week would have seen it descend into Wickerman territory. Aye, it was definitely one of the bizarrest weeks of my life. Ronnie McDevitt's book has a chapter on it down to a tee. 24 hours each way on what seemed like a fishing trawler with a bar, and then a week in a youth hostel that was really just a five-a-side hall with bunk beds put down. One evening sitting bevvying away in the youth hostel, in staggered one of the troops with a cow he had stolen from a local field, he brought it into the bar in the youth hostel, and then left it standing there moo-ing away whilst he buggered off to bed. Everyone tried to ignore it, but with the best will in the world, its hard to enjoy your beer when there's a cow standing next to you. The following night some other boys stole the goalposts from the local football stadium (with the nets still attached to them) and somehow managed to manoeuvre them through the front door at the youth hostel to bring into the bar. They got jammed halfway in and no-one could work out how to move them either in or out. Ian was a good lad, but unsurprisingly I think he chucked running away trips shortly afterwards. Edited August 9, 2015 by Shotts56 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaid Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 Aye, it was definitely one of the bizarrest weeks of my life. Ronnie McDevitt's book has a chapter on it down to a tee. 24 hours each way on what seemed like a fishing trawler with a bar, and then a week in a youth hostel that was really just a five-a-side hall with bunk beds put down. One evening sitting bevvying away in the youth hostel, in staggered one of the troops with a cow he had stolen from a local field, he brought it into the bar in the youth hostel, and then left it standing there moo-ing away whilst he buggered off to bed. Everyone tried to ignore it, but with the best will in the world, its hard to enjoy your beer when there's a cow standing next to you. The following night some other boys stole the goalposts from the local football stadium (with the nets still attached to them) and somehow managed to manoeuvre them through the front door at the youth hostel to bring into the bar. They got jammed halfway in and no-one could work out how to move them either in or out. Ian was a good lad, but unsurprisingly I think he chucked running away trips shortly afterwards. I seem to remember it as a donkey but you could be right. Used to walk down to the brewery buy a few cases of beer and get a taxi to take it back up the hill to the youth hostel. The morning as we were leaving I was talking to the boy that was running it and that had been his first week. He was pishing himself laughing as he pointed to the two six foot high stacks of crates filled with empty beer bottles and then the sign on reception that said "no alcohol allowed on premises". He wasn't bothered as he was going to take the empties back and get the deposits. A nice tip for him. I also remember a week-kent foot solider enjoying nocturnal pleasures with a girl who could moan for the Faroes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HIGHTOWER 1314 Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Big sharpy ran buses to france for the world cup in 98 and i should know as i was on one of them buses.What a great trip despite spending 3 weeks in a bus travelling the length and breadth of france and staying in cheapish digs called PREMIERE CLASSE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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