My pre-tournament reading of Why Germans Do Better was an obvious invitation for chaos to enter the door of the Euros.
It hasn’t been entirely anarchy, but stories are coming in about poor transportation to get to the games, long waits to get in, and a lack of organization in fan zones, many of which closed today due to the weather.
My retreat from Munich to Cologne was fraught with difficulties such as are arising elsewhere.
Germany is crunching for numbers. My train left late, the length of its carriages was reduced due to “technical problems”. It caused crowding and disputes over reserved seats.
Fans pose in front of Cologne Cathedral
Scotland will face Switzerland tomorrow in their second match of Euro 2024
Scottish fans begin to gather before the decisive match.
Amid the frustration caused by this first-world problem, one Scot roared: “It’s as bad as ScotRail.” “No, it’s not,” said his companion, deliberately drinking a can of beer that would be illegal on the 6:12 p.m. train to Yoker.
THE tartan army is gathering in Cologne, but Marienplatz is sure to be remembered for generations.
This is the square where Scots gathered before and after the war by Germany.
Martin Compston’s crowd surfed, Rab Douglas threw balls in the air and Laura Woods, the sportscaster, cavorted with fans.
My favorite moment came when a former soccer player I knew was greeted by a man of a certain age who said he was friendly with the soccer player’s family. “We lived in the same neighborhood and the woman upstairs had a mental problem,” he said. And then he moved on.
This is the kind of exchange one travels across a continent to witness.
The morale of the tartan army is improving. Just in time, no doubt, to be crushed once again.
Walking out of the Cologne train station to encounter a magnificent, enormous cathedral, one punter said we should all go inside and ask for a little divine intervention.
This was eventually scrapped when the band voted to seek another type of livelihood that involved spirit.
Great support is expected in Cologne and the city authorities estimate that there will be more than 60,000 fans.
Germany has had some problems due to the large number of fans.
Also, the cathedral didn’t seem big enough for the help we needed.
One of the mysteries of football, at least for the Caledonian soul, is what it would be like to support a team with a real chance of winning a tournament.
So it was educational to be in the Scholars bar, just below Marienplatz, and watch the Germans watch the Germans win.
His attention was diverted as the team scored at will and attention turned to Scottish language issues.
‘What is a bag of cans?’ a German asked an increasingly exasperated tartan army infantryman.
“It’s a collective term for our three defenders,” was the scathing reply.
There are three stages to dealing with the situation as a Scotland supporter. First there is hope, second the terrible reality and then the desperate search for benign omens.
It is in this spirit that I bring you the psychic powers of Lewis Morgan and the editors of World Soccer.
The New York Red Bulls winger gave a spectacular interview to that august body and was speaking when he had as much chance of making the Scotland squad as, well, Ryan Gauld.
But young Lewis is in Germany as a draftee. He told his interviewer, presumably a few weeks ago: “I would love to be part of the Scotland set-up and I’m not going to give it up.”
So, in the spirit of solidarity, I suggest that we Scottish fans don’t give up either. Although we probably should.