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HartyfaeLarbert

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About HartyfaeLarbert

  • Birthday 07/05/1987

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    rosshart3@hotmail.com
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    HartyPar

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Larbert/Edinburgh
  • Interests
    Watching Scotland home and away,watching Dunfermline Athletic home and away,playing and watching fitba generally!

HartyfaeLarbert's Achievements

  1. Yeah, couldn't understand also why there seemed to be just one gate open - I wondered what the situation would've been like had the crowd been bigger. Took us an hour after the whistle to get a bus (failed miserably to get a taxi or a bus for that time) back to Faro. Didn't seem too well organised in terms of where to wait, or the numbers available for the amount of supporters there. We went out to the fanzone but ended up just going into the ground really early when we took a look at the beer queues. Seemed silly to have so few drinks / food outlets available when encouraging as many fans to head out to it before the game.
  2. Agreed. I can appreciate it is not everyone who can travel to the majority of away matches, but I'd fallen off the points ladder a long while before gaining a first point for the England game. I'd travelled to the Netherlands in 2009 and didn't get a ticket (think there was a ballot? Can't remember) and the double header of Cardiff and Brussels, ended up with a ticket in Cardiff but not in Brussels. After Wembley though I went to the Poland and Nigeria friendlies which anyone going could've got a point for, which got me high enough for Germany, then Poland, and subsequently Dublin. I'm absolutely gutted I can't make Georgia mind, but with the games we've had in the last couple of years, the opportunities to get on the ladder have been there. I hope that there will be 2000 Scots in Tiblisi and that talk of large scale harvesting ends up just being that.
  3. Given some of the teams we could've drawn, it's not a bad draw. It could've been much worse - certainly Slovenia and Slovakia, while difficult, are winnable home and away. And you'd like to fancy our chances of 6 points against Lithuania and Malta. On that basis, and the fact I haven't been to any of those countries, I'm quite content. As for England, I'd have rather avoided them for a few reasons; I'm not sure I can be bothered with the circus that's going to surround them, and the Wembley trip I don't think will be as fun as 2013. After the November game, the novelty had worn off for me and it showed we have to improve to have a chance of taking points off them. While we can, I suspect that they will win the group and second place is more realistic. But, when you look for example at the group the Dutch are in, I think overall we have to be pretty content.
  4. I really enjoyed Dublin but agree with what most others have said, I've had other trips that I'd place before it. Poland this campaign and the friendly last March are two of my favourites, as was Dortmund. I look back to my first trip - Belgium 2001 - with great fondness (result aside). Huge travelling support and it was just a great build up to the game. Really enjoyed ourselves in Brussels afterwards too - I was only 13 or so at the time so was a big thing for me. Quite possibly still my favourite though was Iceland 2002 under Berti, after the Faroes shambles. The team played well that day and got a good win (Gary Naysmith screamer) but the weekend our group had is right up there with some of the best laughs and fun I've ever had. I fell in love with Reyjkavik and I still regret not returning two years later to see Dunfermline play.
  5. Can only echo what everyone's saying - top trip and the Irish were superb hosts. The craic, warmth and friendliness throughout the weekend was first class and I hope to revisit Dublin and other parts of the country in the future. Four of us were staying in apartment above a pub - fantastic in itself - about 15 minutes walk from Temple Bar. We were the only Scots in the place all weekend as it was a bit out of the way but everyone in there, from the landlord and staff to the regulars, couldn't have been more welcoming to us. The banter we had with them was a real highlight. Mixing with the home fans before and after the game was great fun too but another highlight for me was a walking tour we went on on Sunday. Led by students, our guide was extremely knowledgeable and full of humour as you'd expect. A great way to spend 2-3 hours and find out a bit more about Dublin and Ireland's history. Was absolutely burst yesterday - an early flight to Glasgow and the amount of Guinness consumed over the three days did me in! Superb trip overall though. Loved it.
  6. Glasgow - Dublin Friday with Ryanair, returning Monday.
  7. 2 for block 132. Absolutely buzzing - I couldn't help but do a minor fist pump when I opened the envelope
  8. Completely agree regarding the goals we're losing - they were preventable last night and that was the most disappointing thing about it. For the second we had opportunites to clear and didn't, and for the third there was no-one tracking the runner before the ball was pulled back to Rooney. Last night was disappointing but, as much as it pains me, you have to credit England for their approach to it. They were up for it right from the off and chased all night - watching Rooney hare back into his own half to make a tackle at 2-0 with 10 minutes to go summed them up. They played with the intensity that we needed to and I think their fast start in taking a grip of the ball ensured our support was subdued throughout. The energy levels weren't there as compared to the Ireland game which I think, rightly or wrongly, has had an effect mentally and physically on the team. Perhaps Strachan could've freshened the team up a bit but would it have made much difference? As said, this was our poorest display for over a year and probably England's best. Their players playing at the top level showed up and were the difference - much as I think he's a total scrote, Wilshere was excellent. Defensively I'm still concerned that we lack depth there. We need a dominating centre half (not a slight on Hanley or Martin) but neither strike me as the type to really organise the backline like a Colin Hendry used to. We made it difficult for ourselves by making too many mistakes and conceding possession too easily. Brown didn't have his best night in midfield while we didn't get the ball to Maloney enough. Up front we miss Steven Fletcher in a big way - Martin just can't hold it or link the play as well as he does. Naismith had an off night too. On the positive though, Andy Robertson I felt did well (took his goal brilliantly) and Anya looked a threat first half. I thought Stevie May and Johnny Russell did well when they went on and should surely not have done their chances of future involvement any harm. It's disappointing to lose but the big game was Friday and we got the result we needed. We can't let this overshadow the fact we've had a really good year, are playing some good football and have given ourselves a real platform for the rest of the qualifying campaign. Roll on Gibraltar in March.
  9. To be fair to McCarthy, I was at Everton's match at Sunderland (I watch a fair bit of Everton) and he was struggling in the last 5-10 minutes. When he went down, everyone assumed it was cramp, especially as he was able to get back on the line to make a clearance in the last seconds. It will be interesting if he's back in the Everton squad for the West Ham game on the 22nd. Good news for us as he's been fantastic for Everton. Does a lot of untidy / "dirty" work if you like but does it very well. He and Robbie Keane, for me anyway, were the two Irish players to be most wary of. Whether he regrets the decision to play for them he only knows but him being out can only benefit us and allow Brown and Co to take hold in the middle of the park.
  10. Loved it in March, loved it again this time. Brilliant locals - on the match day in the city and outside the ground before and after - the Poland fans were absolutely brilliant. One of the highlights for me was in the square we were asked for photos with a Polish mum and dad with their wee boy. My mate had an old Scotland top that didn't fit him with the idea of giving it away to a youngster. Anyway, after we put the top on the wee boy for the photo, his parents moved to give it back, to which we said he should keep it. You'd have thought you'd made the wee man's year - was a really lovely moment. Warsaw is a beautfiul city and amazing to think most of it had to be rebuilt after 1944. There's a lot of history to it and while the weather undoubtedly helped, it was a nice place to walk around. I felt a wee bit moved with all the high fives, handshakes and photos after the game! A good game of fitba' as well in a really impressive venue. Brilliant
  11. Hope all the guys who had their flags pinched get them back. I never personally saw any of it happen in Poland, but our group were chatting to some boys from the east of Fife on matchday who had mentioned they'd seen it happen. We had two flags with us and lost one. It is a wee flag and easily replacable, but thought I'd ask if anyone may have seen it. We were staying two minutes from Klub Harenda (plenty of Larbert TA in there after the match) and we had our flag put up inside the pub by the cracking staff on Monday. We left it there to match day and it was fine, and we thought we'd be able to pick it up again on Wednesday. It wasn't there but we don't know what happened to it - it may easily have been misplaced / lost or maybe someone's found it if it came off the wall and picked it up for safekeeping. Anyway, just thought I'd ask if anyone knows what may have happened to it - it's just a saltire with "Kincardine Bridge Tartan Army Supporters" - can you ping me a pm? I expect its just been lost and we'll get another made, but thought I'd ask anyway.
  12. Got home yesterday, spent today recovering. Brilliant trip - I always love going to Germany, but this trip was even better than I'd hoped for. The only disappointment was that we didn't get at least a point from the game! We drove over to Dortmund via the Newcastle - Amsterdam ferry, which was party central on Friday night. Plenty of TA on board and a live band - which allowed a piper to do a wee set - ensured a wee bit of tiredness on the Saturday. We got to Dortmund late afternoon after stopping off in Nijmegen (we visited Arnhem on the way home) and went out into the city at night. Superb atmosphere and we ended up in a pub called Ganse Markt, just off the square. Friendly staff / locals and cheap beer which was ideal. We didn't spend long in the square on Sunday - we went out early to Strobels for Ted Christopher and my dad and I wanted to get into the stadium nice and early. What an atmosphere there though - the honey monster must've been knackered come kick off - and the Scots and German fans mixed brilliantly. We got chatting to a few Germans and they were absolutely brand new, remarking on how they looked forward to visiting for the return match. A couple of them couldn't quite believe the scale of the party that was going on! As I expected, they were good fun and very friendly. The atmosphere in the stadium was electric and I don't think I've heard Flower of Scotland sung with such emotion or passion for a long time. And as for the goal celebrations - my word. Absolutely chaotic. I think I hugged near enough everyone in my row and the ones in front and behind! Just brilliant. The only downside was the result but it was a great trip, and the drive to Dortmund from the ferry port was nice and easy. A trip that will live long in my memory - cannot wait to return to Warsaw next month!
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