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Happy Metz Day


jagfox
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5 minutes ago, jagfox said:

So no memories then? :whistling:

It was bloody hot, the area around Metz station was rammed with Jags fans having a red and yellow party, picked up my tickets from Robert Reid outside the ground, then met David Taylor (RIP).

Lambie cunningly resurrected Paul Kinnaird from nowhere for the game. Still can't believe Derek McWilliams' shot came back out from the post rather than roll in. Afterwards back up the town where we all had a great night. Except Nicky Walker, who in contrast had a smashing time.

Hard to believe that in the intervening 24 years we've never come close to repeating the exercise.

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Got one of the buses from the Woodie, stopped at Forton services a couple of hours later and me & my mate somehow missed the bus leaving (and they missed counting us!) which had our passports and carry out still on board. A few minutes later the Station Bar buses came in to the services and we managed to get a lift (sat on the floor) with the hope of catching our bus at Dover. Overtook our bus around Birmingham area and somehow ended up in the same services a few hours later where we were reunited it with. That was a real panic start to the best weekend ever.

Highlights were the march to the ground, and meeting the Metz fans after the final whistle. I think they thought we were there to cause trouble just like English fans had a few months earlier (Notts Forest I think) but soon realised we were there for fun. 

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Great day.  A lot of hazy memories thanks to few small tipples.  Random memories:-

Lovely weather.

Little cafes using the silver knife to removed head from the beer (seemed very cultured after drinking in Station Bar pre bus)

Bagpipes leading the Jags fans after the game from ground back into town and people waving at us from their windows.

Getting a pic with some Metz players in town later that night, I’m sure Robert Pires was one of them (wish i could find it now).

Guy I know who is the grumpiest Jags fan i know being in a mood after the game saying “I dunno why every c*** is happy we lost”

Couple more years and trips to Europe are hopefully back on the cards.

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46 minutes ago, elevenone said:

Great day.  A lot of hazy memories thanks to few small tipples.  Random memories:-

Lovely weather.

Little cafes using the silver knife to removed head from the beer (seemed very cultured after drinking in Station Bar pre bus)

Bagpipes leading the Jags fans after the game from ground back into town and people waving at us from their windows.

Getting a pic with some Metz players in town later that night, I’m sure Robert Pires was one of them (wish i could find it now).

Guy I know who is the grumpiest Jags fan i know being in a mood after the game saying “I dunno why every c*** is happy we lost”

Couple more years and trips to Europe are hopefully back on the cards.

Great stories. I wanted to go but was skint at time! Nb is ty that grumpy guy on this forum by any chance? Lol. 

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1 hour ago, elevenone said:

Great day.  A lot of hazy memories thanks to few small tipples.  Random memories:-

Little cafes using the silver knife to removed head from the beer (seemed very cultured after drinking in Station Bar pre bus.

Guy I know who is the grumpiest Jags fan i know being in a mood after the game saying “I dunno why every c*** is happy we lost”

Station Bar...

Grumpy...

My money's on big George.

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Twenty four years. Where has it all gone? I wasn't even forty then.

I handed over £49 for the bus and had no idea where Metz was. Per mile it turned out to be bloody cheap. Jesus, it was a long journey. 

As we got off the bus at the first services, the order was barked out, "Nae knockin'".  The last person back on to the bus proudly pulled a bonsai tree from under his jacket. Pointless and hilarious. Where is that tree now? It must be seven inches tall by now.

At another services,  there was a family with a kid in a Celtic top. Last thing they expected was 50 Jags fans walking through the door. Poor kid had nowhere to hide.

The travelling was forgotten when, driving into Metz, the excitement rose at the sight of Jags fans everywhere.

Leaving the ground after the match and seeing the crowd of Metz fans waiting for us. Wasn't sure what was going to happen then they began chanting "Scotland, Scotland". The shirt swapping march back to town was remarkable. A Jags top was clearly a prized item that night.

The best moment? Nicky Walker downing a pint in one. Or something like that :thumbsup2:

There may be other European jaunts ahead but there will never be anything quite like that.

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Like dl1971 I was young and skint and couldn't get time off work.  If I could have spoken to my younger self I'd have told me to resign my job, beg borrow or steal.......so envious of those who went. Thanks for sharing

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2 hours ago, BowenBoys said:

Twenty four years. Where has it all gone? I wasn't even forty then.

I handed over £49 for the bus and had no idea where Metz was. Per mile it turned out to be bloody cheap. Jesus, it was a long journey. 

As we got off the bus at the first services, the order was barked out, "Nae knockin'".  The last person back on to the bus proudly pulled a bonsai tree from under his jacket. Pointless and hilarious. Where is that tree now? It must be seven inches tall by now.

At another services,  there was a family with a kid in a Celtic top. Last thing they expected was 50 Jags fans walking through the door. Poor kid had nowhere to hide.

The travelling was forgotten when, driving into Metz, the excitement rose at the sight of Jags fans everywhere.

Leaving the ground after the match and seeing the crowd of Metz fans waiting for us. Wasn't sure what was going to happen then they began chanting "Scotland, Scotland". The shirt swapping march back to town was remarkable. A Jags top was clearly a prized item that night.

The best moment? Nicky Walker downing a pint in one. Or something like that :thumbsup2:

There may be other European jaunts ahead but there will never be anything quite like that.

Superb. Laughing my head off at the bonsai story. Classic!

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I was living in Strasbourg, so got a train. Met another Thistle supporter on the train who had come from somewhere in Germany. Couldn't believe all the Jags fans and flags hanging from balconies (flags, not fans) just across from the station. A beer, then finally started walking up to the ground, and as we got nearer we could hear loud singing from inside ..... Thistle fans already inside were in full voice, so it was great to join them.

The actual game was pretty dull, but the atmosphere before, during and after was something else. I got back to Strasbourg at around 1 am, and watched a replay of the entire match on tv before going to bed. 

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I remember leaving from the Station Bar.  Was a long enough bus trip but the sheer excitement of Thistle in Europe and mixing with lots of Jags fanatics on the bus made it pass quickly.  Metz was a nice looking wee place, not that much sightseeing was done. The march to the ground was great. The game was awful. I have to say I missed quite a lot of the afters passed out back in the room from too much bevy. Next day there was stories of the team having been in the bar downstairs and Steve Pitman falling out with a few fans giving him a hard time. Not sure if true, but if it was they must have been a bit over confident from the swally as Pitman was quite a tough guy. Thinking back to that team there were a few heid the baws in it.

Hard to believe it was so long ago but yet again when I've seen photos surface on facebook there's a lot of folk (including myself) who were a lot younger looking and less bald and portly back then.

Edited by Cork Jag
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Here my story of Metz 

Booked  last two seats for bus  on I think Thursday night 

left from station bar  friday morning with piper giving us a farewell tune  he might have even got on bus 

No problems all the way to Dover 3 buses in a convoy over the channel and lambies army on it's way 

I think we just pass Paris  when the first problem of rattle came from underneath the bus .

Stop once or twice then we got the call to abandon bus as it was knackered 

So  we all got on the two surviving buses. 

Transferred our luggage and away we went 

I personally stood all the way to Metz once the buses arrived it was a sea of red and yellow  

seen hotel as in the pictures just need to collect luggage and book in 

Problem was 3 bags were left on broken bus mine my mates and a other 

No problem got booked in and got washed

 and went outside to everyone mauling around the square . In a sea of red and yellow 

I'm sure the game was that same night Saturday 

We walk to stadium singing and chanting all the way never felt so emotional in all my life .

Tears rolling down when teams came out 

Game itself was pretty  poor until William's hit the post 

Then we had a glimmer of hope 

Beat 1_0   but we didn't care was great to be there.

Back to hotel for pint and something to eat ended up in the  same pub with all the players having a drink got pissed 

Cant remember much more that night followed morning our bus arrived to take us all home .so we got our bags changed and off we went .

No problems  travelled through France over the channel  then it happened again 

bus broke down again 

Broke down at I think was outside gillingham or coalchester 

Bus was knackered again so got off bus and waited for replacement bus 

We ended up in some pub owned by a Morton supporter 

He was a f___ing nutcase 

The replacement  bus was coming down from liverpool so we well on by time bus came at mid night 

As we left the pub owner was going to fight some taxi drivers with a baseball bat. 

We left him to it 

We arrived home I think Monday morning or it could have been Tuesday 

A full day after all the other buses 

Got taxi and went home 

Bought  papers and seen the    photograph of the fans under the big flag  was delighted to see myself in photo 

Cant wait to go again 

Mon the jags 

 

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