France 98 Opening Game

[mizfit]

I ran home from school and watched it. 

even my football hating mum was going mental when we scored. 

[DA Baracus]

It was a 17.30 kick off.

I remember now why we were all singing that 'When the Scots go up to lift the World Cup!' song. It was because there was an episode of McCoist and McAuley on TV a few days before and they ended by them and the audience all singing it.

Also the Only An Excuse France 98 special was brilliant, especially the song at the end.

[Al B]

Not sure what it is specifically about France 98, but even though my vivid memories of Tournaments start with Mexico '86...(have convinced myself I remember bits of Spain '82 but not sure I actually do )both France '98 and Italia '90 seem to have been absolute standouts.

[DA Baracus]

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Club
1	GK	Jim Leighton	24 July 1958 (aged 39)	86	Aberdeen
2	MF	Jackie McNamara	24 October 1973 (aged 24)	6	Celtic
3	DF	Tom Boyd	24 November 1965 (aged 32)	55	Celtic
4	DF	Colin Calderwood	20 January 1965 (aged 33)	28	Tottenham Hotspur
5	DF	Colin Hendry (Captain)	7 December 1965 (aged 32)	32	Blackburn Rovers
6	DF	Tosh McKinlay	3 December 1964 (aged 33)	19	Celtic
7	FW	Kevin Gallacher	23 November 1966 (aged 31)	36	Blackburn Rovers
8	MF	Craig Burley	24 September 1971 (aged 26)	25	Celtic
9	FW	Gordon Durie	6 December 1965 (aged 32)	40	Rangers
10	MF	Darren Jackson	25 July 1966 (aged 31)	24	Celtic
11	MF	John Collins	31 January 1968 (aged 30)	49	AS Monaco
12	GK	Neil Sullivan	24 February 1970 (aged 28)	3	Wimbledon
13	FW	Simon Donnelly	1 December 1974 (aged 23)	8	Celtic
14	MF	Paul Lambert	7 August 1969 (aged 28)	12	Celtic
15	MF	Scot Gemmill	2 January 1971 (aged 27)	13	Nottingham Forest
16	DF	David Weir	10 May 1970 (aged 28)	5	Hearts
17	MF	Billy McKinlay	22 April 1969 (aged 29)	25	Blackburn Rovers
18	DF	Matt Elliott	1 November 1969 (aged 28)	3	Leicester City
19	DF	Derek Whyte	31 August 1968 (aged 29)	11	Aberdeen
20	FW	Scott Booth	16 December 1971 (aged 26)	16	Utrecht
21	GK	Jonathan Gould	18 July 1968 (aged 29)	0	Celtic
22	DF	Christian Dailly	23 October 1973 (aged 24)	10	Derby County

[Rugster]

6 minutes ago, DA Baracus said:

It was a 17.30 kick off.

 

Yes, local time. It was 3.30pm in the UK.

[Blootoon87]

I remember watching it with my dad. Now my dad couldn't give a f**k about football but he was going mental when Collins scored. Probably the first time I remember him showing any emotion.

Sent from my G3121 using Pie and Bovril mobile app

[LondonHMFC]

35 minutes ago, Al B said:

I remember walking along to the wee shop from our cabin that morning to get a paper, and the front page was a massive picture of clouds in a cross against a blue sky that had apparently been sighted the day before, and I was utterly convinced we were going to win the game based purely on that. 

Still in my bedroom at my folks house. 

A few years back, I'm sure it was Craig Burley saying he didn't think he would see Scotland qualify for another tournament in his lifetime. Thought he was just talking shite, but fucking hell. Twenty years. Hasn't half gone quickly. 

[LondonHMFC]

3 minutes ago, Blootoon87 said:

I remember watching it with my dad. Now my dad couldn't give a f**k about football but he was going mental when Collins scored. Probably the first time I remember him showing any emotion.

Similar to my old man, couldn't give a f**k about the National Side anymore. Think that was the one that really got to him. Then again, he did put his fist through the ceiling when the Argies won that penalty shootout against England. 

 

[microdave]

I watched it in the pub which was packed. One of my mates was in the toilet when the penalty was awarded and came running out thinking we'd scored, such was the noise. It was even louder when the ball went in. I also remember that Daily Record front page. 

And for the comparison of time since we were last there, my daughter was born the following year and recently got engaged. And still waiting to qualify again!

[ICTChris]

I was 17 and watched it at home with my brother.  I watched the other games with a big group of mates in my pals house.  It is kind of strange to think that this was just considered normal, Scotland had only missed out three tournaments (Euro 84 and 88 and world Cup 1994) in my lifetime at that point.

[microdave]

1 minute ago, ICTChris said:

I was 17 and watched it at home with my brother.  I watched the other games with a big group of mates in my pals house.  It is kind of strange to think that this was just considered normal, Scotland had only missed out three tournaments (Euro 84 and 88 and world Cup 1994) in my lifetime at that point.

That's the really sad thing about it. Nobody under 25 will remember what it feels like to watch Scotland at a major finals!

[LondonHMFC]

[Adamski]

I was at Glasgow Uni during the 1998 World Cup. My last exam of the year was on the morning of the Scotland vs Brazil game. Loads of folk turned up to it kitted out in Scotland gear with plans of going straight to the pub once it finished. Last exam + opening game of the World Cup + Scotland playing Brazil in it really added up to it feeling like Christmas morning when you're a kid.

Watched the game in the QM Union - place went berserk when John Collins scored.

Later that night in a drunken conversation with one of my pals we agreed to hitch it to France the next morning. When morning came around I bottled it and told him I'd changed my mind. My pal went anyway. He had an amazing time. I still regret not going for it.

Still - wasn't all bad. For me that World Cup was one of the highlights of the whole University era: - exams finished, decent weather, nothing to do all day but laze about in parks and then go to the pub for the games, getting pished, staying out late, rolling out of bed whenever and doing it all over again. Total easy life and happy times.

[Jute]

I was just to the left of the picture in the opening post. Had arrived in Paris that morning and had spent the morning and afternoon drinking under the Eiffel Tower. Went up to the game early to see the opening ceremony a take in the atmosphere. More beer at the ground then the game them more beer is the pissing rain afterwards. Got back to the hotel at 5 in the morning just in time to pick up the bags and head to the station to get the train to Bordeaux. Rough journey to say the least. Was in France until 2 days after the last game against Morocco and had a riot.

France was the 3rd tournament (90 and 96) I had been to and never for a second thought it would be 20 years and counting to the next one.

 

 

[ICTChris]

Scotland team that day

-----------------Leighton---------------

--Boyd---Hendry---Calderwood---Dailly---

------Burley----Lambert---Collins----------

-------Gallagher---Durie--Jackson--------

Don't really think that Gordon Durie or Darren Jackson were World Cup standard strikers.

[TheScarf]

1 hour ago, Al B said:

I was on holiday with a crowd of my mates at a holiday park in Aviemore, and watched it in the big hall along with literally everyone else staying there, all crammed in. It was utterly mental...never felt an atmosphere like it outside of actually being at a match.

I remember walking along to the wee shop from our cabin that morning to get a paper, and the front page was a massive picture of clouds in a cross against a blue sky that had apparently been sighted the day before, and I was utterly convinced we were going to win the game based purely on that. 

Was that an old Boys Brigade campsite?  I watched Scotland v Holland at Euro 96 in a similar sounding hall in Aviemore at a BB camp. 

[Al B]

45 minutes ago, TheScarf said:

Was that an old Boys Brigade campsite?  I watched Scotland v Holland at Euro 96 in a similar sounding hall in Aviemore at a BB camp. 

Nah it was a big log-cabin, timeshare-type place around a golf course. The big hall area was where they served breakfast, and then had the evening "entertainment".

I did stay somewhere that sounds like what you describe, when I went on a hiking/climbing trip in primary school...big youth hostel-type place with 2 dorms and a big hall.

[TheScarf]

2 minutes ago, Al B said:

I did stay somewhere that sounds like what you describe, when I went on a hiking/climbing trip in primary school...big youth hostel-type place with 2 dorms and a big hall.

Yep that sounds like it.  The old hall had a relic of a tv where you could just about get signal enough to see the game.

[German Jag]

Was living in Melbourne in 1998, so game was on at daft o‘clock in the morning. 

Had to go to work an hour or two after the game finished, so watched in complete sobriety.

On getting home from work, there was a letter from the next door neighbour complaining about the noise the night before (presumably around the time that Collins scored).

[Poet of the Macabre]

Loving the responses guys, cheers x

Think the thread sums up why people get so pissed off with the national side. Even the 98 WC, a total failure for us on the park, brings back such fond memories. We don't ask for much.