Weary Tartan Army foot soldiers were returning to reality on Monday after their World Cup extravaganza in the United States. Battered Scotland strips and kilts were heading for a much needed laundering, while their wearers were replacing party heads with thoughts of work.
Fans Welcomed Home with Scottish Treats
Despite the team's bitter defeat on the field and the resignation of manager Steve Clarke, fans were already looking forward to the next World Cup. Student Rowan Stevenson, 19, thoughtfully offered to ease brother Rory's reintegration with Scotland by taking him and pal Callum Hand a tray of Tennent's Lager and Irn Bru as soon as their flight back touched down in Glasgow from New York. Rowan said: "The boys had been complaining about the beer in America so I thought I'd give them a nice Scottish welcome. They've had the time of their lives but I thought they might need a bit of help to re-integrate themselves."
Graduates Reflect on the Trip
Rory and Callum, both 21, have just graduated from Edinburgh University with finance and economics degrees. Rory said: "This trip has been unbelievable, just one long party to be honest, but it has been an incredible experience. We did moan a bit about the beer out there so it was nice of Rowan to think of us like that." The three-week trip cost the boys a pretty penny but they had saved cash and believe every penny was well spent. Rory added: "Who knows how long it will be before we get a chance to do this again. I'd love to think we'll be back sooner rather than later. We'd have loved to have been out for longer but the performances on the field weren't the best. I feel a bit sad that Steve Clarke has resigned but he did well to get us there and we should be grateful for that." Callum said: "This was a bit of a blow-out but we decided to treat it as one big graduation party. It was all money well spent, great times and great memories. I feel a bit disappointed to be losing Steve Clarke but I think he may have been planning to go if the results went the way they did."
Cultural Ambassadors in Boston
Elliot Corbett, 28, and brother Matthew, 29, went to Boston with pal Cameron Munro, 23, for a 17-day World Cup party. The trio, from Helensburgh, took on the role of cultural ambassadors and spent half their time getting photos taken with adoring locals. After flying into Glasgow, accountant Elliot said: "We could hardly move without Boston people asking for photos and asking all about our story. Everyone out there has a tale about being 10% Scottish or 80% Scottish or whatever. They all see a connection between themselves and the Scots who came to their city for this marathon party. There was such a fascination and it was really special to be part of it because the Tartan Army behaved so well and gave back the same kind of friendship. There will be thousands of Americans heading to Scotland for vacations on the back of this, so it's going to end up being a pretty important cultural exchange."
Celebrity Treatment and Work Return
Matthew, also an accountant, said he could hardly move without getting mobbed for photos. He said: "It was like being celebrities. There were people stopping us in the middle of the road and sometimes there would be people queuing after the first guys." Both brothers were due back at work on Tuesday, but pal Cameron, an engineer, had a few days extra to recover from the excess. He said: "I think I'm eating into next year's holiday entitlement but it has been worth it. The World Cup didn't go the way we hoped with the results, but, on the ground, it really did feel like an amazing experience. Roll on the next one." Between the three pals, one was happy to see Steve Clarke make way for a new manager, one was disappointed to be losing him, and the other wasn't sure.
Graduation Blessing in Disguise
Cormac Treacy, 20, from Dalgety Bay, Fife, was gutted to be flying home early from the World Cup. But after arriving at Edinburgh Airport, he revealed he will be back in the nick of time to graduate for his architecture degree. Cormac had a blast over 19 days with his parents and brother, taking in the games in fan zones. He said: "We did the Haiti match in the Anchor in Boston, which was great, then fan zones for the other two. Something pretty special happened in Boston, in the way the local people connected with the Tartan Army, and I think it was pretty special to be part of that. I was gutted to get knocked out but if I'd stayed on for another week I'd have missed my graduation. So maybe that's a bit of a blessing. The whole trip was great but you can't deny that Scotland could have played better. I guess we're all looking to see what comes next but the memories from this trip are pretty unbeatable."
Veteran Fan Reflects on 1998 Comparison
Building firm land director Iain Allison, 52, a member of Airdrie's West End Bar Tartan Army, ventured Stateside for the crunch game against Brazil in Miami with daughters Keira, 22, and Katie, 21. Iain said: "The Tartan Army turned up big time but, sadly, the team didn't. It was a long wait since I was in France in 1998 and it was a joy to be back involved in World Cup finals. But I wish we'd given it more of a go and been less defensive. The atmosphere in Miami brought back all the memories of 1998, as the two teams have special fans. I think it's right that Steve Clarke is stepping aside, as there's a lot of rebuilding to come."
