Football Extra newsletter: Deployment within the Tartan Army

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Just going to the World Cup is your special trip. Before I left Glasgow airport on my way to Dublin and on to Boston, the fun had well and truly begun.

At the entrance there were flights to Reykjavik, London, Dublin, Lisbon and many other cities spread out. Each plane had a snaking line full of stuffed Scots. It seemed as if a tartan-clad exodus had begun or a friendly raid had been planned, with everyone happy to go along.

Before dropping off my suitcase, two men were interviewed near the airport entrance. Their less traveled but still impressive route would be Glasgow to Lisbon, on to the Azores, then I think Cancun in Mexico before flying to Boston. All very impressive except they missed the first of those flights. I don’t even want to think of the thousands lost because of the ‘wee’ lie in!

The best was yet to come, when I passed through passport control, I was drinking coffee when a lady with a heavy voice made an urgent announcement over the intercom: “Anyone who has lost their kilt, please come to the lost place immediately”.

Then I saw a rare thing, the whole airport was laughing together.

He may not have noticed he had lost his kilt, but if he was a real Scotsman (not wearing an undergarment underneath) I bet everyone would!

Go big against Haiti – or head home

There is trepidation buried beneath the Scottish smiles of my fellow travelers from the Tartan Army.

Scotland have a problem: our most important game of the World Cup will probably be the first against Haiti. Overcome that and they can go through – anything else and it’s a long shot even Cristiano Ronaldo wouldn’t want to try.

The same situation is true for the Haitians and because winning against the strong Brazilians or the highly skilled Moroccans seems to be a distant, although not impossible, prospect.

A four-year career – or 28 if you consider how long the Scots have waited to make a World Cup final – can disappear in less time than it takes to watch a film.

The entire nation seemed to go into some sort of mini-nervous breakdown when it emerged that Scott McTominay had missed training session due to a stomach ache.

This is not a natural reaction but it reinforces what everyone already knows; if Scotland don’t win against Haiti it might be a good idea to start packing your bags before they are fully packed.

Who will be the surprise package?

Scotland fans who jump over the lake, whichever way they choose, will have a great time and a lot of fun. They will be fun but fearless which is what you need to be successful on the field.

The top teams are fearless at first. I don’t think England are too worried about not getting out of their group. Croatia is not the strongest team in Africa and if England fails to beat Panama there will be questions in the Houses of Parliament.

England also have a useful habit of keeping clean sheets – no goals conceded is a major challenge for others in this party.

Whatever Thomas Tuchel says to ease the pressure on England, given the depth of talent, they are certainly among the favourites. I would also suggest that this is the most open World Cup I have ever been to.

Since 1998 the winners have come from the powerful countries of Europe and South America, the usual suspects as it were, but maybe the outsiders have a chance because there is no clear and obvious favorite this time.

Turkey and South Korea reached the last four in 2002, while Croatia and Morocco thwarted their chances of reaching that in previous years. Who’s to say one of the others can’t take that extra step this time?

No tea at this Boston party

There was a party in Boston on Friday night.

I have to admit, going for it probably wasn’t the best idea when I was still a little late from the flight. Being a Tartan Army affair, it certainly could not be described as the Boston Tea Party by any means.

I intend to give a full and frank account to everyone, as soon as the lawyers have examined it and I can remember some of it.

There was a set of songs by The Proclaimers, a rousing rendition of ‘Flower of Scotland’, then a few toasts and then some dirty…but as comedian Kenny Everett used to say, “it’s all done in the best way”.

However I found myself sitting next to Hearts manager Derek McInnes this evening and decided not to push the boundaries of journalism too much and ask about his immediate future. He wouldn’t tell me anyway.

With John Swinney, the first minister of Scotland there as well as Hollywood actor Gerard Butler and a host of other celebrities, the vibe seems to be “happening in Boston, staying in Boston”…

This is the joy of the World Cup, fun and harmony. Even though prices are alarmingly high for traveling fans, every flight from Scotland and Ireland has been packed with the Tartan Army this week.

I walked the length of our airbus and didn’t see a single American going home, or the usual tourist among football fans. These seats are booked for many months.

There is no doubt that the planes have been directed in large numbers around the world, even if the Scots are ardent fans of their country side.

The contest is a few days old, but it’s just getting started for some of us. With real fans around you, if you concentrate, you might just be able to hold off the monstrous monetization of this year’s festival…for a while.

This is my full column from this week’s BBC Football Extra newsletter. For every World Cup match we’ll be sending out daily editions, hitting your inbox before the day’s play to help guide you through the biggest and busiest tournament of all time.

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