The Scotland Epistles Football Magazine

Some offbeat crowd scenes, pub scenes and sightseeins. Hopefully we haven’t captured anyone being somewhere or with someone that they shouldn’t – ach, it was all for the cause anyway…..

15th August 2012  Scotland and Australia line-up for the national anthems prior to their friendly match at Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh.

15th August 2012   Australia supporters in the ‘Rolf Harris’ end celebrate their team taking an unexpected lead against one of the giants of the northern hemisphere. Scotland recovered to win 3-1.

8th September 2012    Amy MacDonald and her band at Hampden prior to our World Cup Qualifying campaign kicking-off against Serbia.

8th September 2012  Scotland and Serbia take the field and the ‘Road to Rio’ begins with a goal-less draw.

11th September 2012  Scotland and Macedonia line-up prior to fighting out a 1-1 draw in their World Cup Qualifier. Macedonia win the ‘most psychedelic flag award’ however.

11th September 2012   Andy Murray U.S. Open Tennis Champion – but could he hit a decent ball to the back post?

12th October 2012     Another ‘snazzy’ flag but this time Wales also throw in a band for good measure, at the Cardiff City Stadium.

12th October 2012  Disappointed Scotland fans at the Cardiff City Stadium see Wales win the World Cup Qualifier 2-1.

16th October 2012  In the King Baudouin Stadium, in Brussels and therefore in Belgium for our usual defeat, this time in a World Cup Qualifier.

16th October 2012    No it’s not the Partick Thistle end at the Champions League Final, it’s Belgium supporters celebrating their second goal in a 2-0 victory over Scotland. It just goes to show though, that beating us still means something to our opponents! Hic!

22nd March 2013  Scotland and Wales line-up at Hampden Park prior to the World Cup Qualifier, the snow, a 2-1 victory for the Welsh, the snow getting heavier, disruption to public transport etc etc – what a feckin night it turned out to be.

22nd March 2013   Who says politics and sport don’t mix?

7th June 2013    Outside the Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia an hour before kick-off.

7th June 2013  A paraglider arrives at the Maksimir Stadium as part of the pre-match entertainment. It sure beats the hell out of having to listen to a Croatian equivalent of Des Clarke.

7th June 2013  Croatia and Scotland emerge from the’tunnel of love’ for the World Cup Qualifier.

7th June 2013  If you’ve got it, flaunt it – Celebrating a rare Scotland away victory. [1-0 versus Croatia in Zagreb – sounds good doesn’t it?]

14th August 2013  England v Scotland in a celebratory match for the 150th anniversary of the [nameless] Football Association at new, totally over-priced, Wembley.

14th August 2013   Standing with the English – It has to be said though that I’ve done a lot worse.

6th September 2013  Belgium come to Hampden for a World Cup Qualifier.

6th September 2013  It’s half-time in the game against Belgium so time for Roary the mascot to get a ‘backie’ on a Harley around a rain-soaked Hampden. And they say Vaudeville is dead.

15th October 2013    Croatia supporters in the West Stand at Hampden bring gifts of flares prior to our World Cup Qualifier.

15th October 2013  Justice is done as Scotland complete a home and away ‘double’ over Croatia. Croatia still made it to the play-offs however and eventually Brazil 2014. Funny how things work out….

15th November 2013  You’ve guessed it – The Yanks are coming….

15th November 2013   Hand on heart it’s Scotland v USA in a friendly match at Hampden Park,Glasgow.

28th May 2014   Craven Cottage, Fulham, London – venue for a Brazil 2014 World Cup warm-up  –  for Nigeria….

28th May 2014  The Tartan Army celebrate a goal at the one-time home of Jimmy Hill during the Nigeria-Scotland match.

11th October 2014   Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow on the day of the Scotland-Georgia Euro Qualifier.

11th October 2014   Georgia and Scotland just prior to their soccer masterclass.

14th October 2014   The Tartan Army gather in Warsaw’s nearly-new, old town.

14th October 2014   Up in the ‘Gods’ at Warsaw’s National Stadium during the Poland-Scotland Euro Qualifier.

14th November 2014   Celtic Park, Glasgow awaits the arrival of the Irish for our Euro Qualifier.

14th November 2014    Scotland and the Republic of Ireland line-up at Celtic Park.

18th November 2014   Fireworks at Celtic Park, Glasgow ahead of the damp squib friendly versus England.

18th November 2014     The Saint George’s Cross replaces the Union flag amongst the England support at Celtic Park.

25th March 2015   Heaving crowds flock towards Hampden ahead of our friendly international against Northern Ireland.

25th March 2015   Time for reflection on the passing of a true Scotland legend – Dave MacKay.

29 March 2015   Oh how we all cheered when UEFA’S new kids on the block – Gibraltar – drew level at Hampden by scoring their first ever competitive goal. Colin Stein, cunningly disguised as Steven Fletcher would help spare our blushes with our first hat-trick since 1969.

29th March 2015   Hat-trick hero and George Clooney lookalike….

5th June 2015    Easter Road Stadium, Edinburgh  

 There are two sides to every argument. 

5th June 2015   Some arse holds up the Scotland-Qatar friendly match at Easter Road as the stewards draw lots to see who’ll tackle the problem.

13th June 2015  The Tartan Army in the Temple Bar area of Dublin.

13th June 2015  Mixing with the Green Army near the Aviva Stadium, Dublin.

13th June 2015  Scotland supporters in North Stand at the Aviva Stadium.

13th June 2015   Republic of Ireland v Scotland on candid cameras.

7th September 2015  World Champions Germany, are reminded who they are playing.

7th September 2015  Scotland and Germany line-up for the national anthems and an intrusive cameraman.

8th October 2015  Polish flares in Hampden’s West Stand just prior to our Euro Qualifier.

8th October 2015  Poland supporters in Hampden’s East Stand.

11th October 2015   11,ooo Scots head for the Estadio do Algarve, near Faro for the final game of the 2016 Euro Qualifying campaign and the party that wasn’t.

11th October 2015   Inside the Estadio do Algarve and it’s a whole new ball game.

11th October 2015   A sideways glance at kilts,flags and gaudy jerseys.

11th October 2015   Gibraltar 0  Scotland 6   and our second hat-trick in the same calendar year thanks to Steven Fletcher and his magical beard.

8th October 2016   Just in case you weren’t paying attention, the Hampden electronic scoreboard lets everyone know that the home side have done something positive – versus Lithuania in a World Cup Qualifier incidently.

8th October 2016  …..and it was James McArthur [of Crystal Palace] who netted the last minute equaliser against those dastardly Lithuanians.