Written by Smithy on August 5th, 2009
The quote below is taken from a recent email from the SSC. It appears 3,000 people haven't yet claimed their point for the Netherlands away game out of 8,000 that requested tickets. This seems to be a very large figure and has led the SSC to drop the requirement for proving proof travel.
The SSC require proof that you actually travelled - a card boarding pass with your name, destination and date on it, a printed receipt from your hotel with your name on it, a letter from your hotel confirming you stayed there. With a large amount of people traveling with airlines that issue e-tickets it's easy to see why so many points have not been collected.
I spoke to the SSC today and explained I'd 2 Ryanair paper based boarding passes, 2 train tickets and 1 bus ticket. Unfortunately they were all unacceptable to the SSC. Ryanair pass could be forged, train tickets don't prove I actually travelled, and bus tickets don't have any names on them. In the end they suggested I send them a credit card statement or credit card receipt from the time of the game. They also said that if you had a stamp in your passport you could travel to Hampden and show it to them!
As you will know, we have recently announced that we will no longer be requiring members to supply proof of travel in order to claim their point for away matches. This decision was taken after it became clear that not only was this system difficult for members to comply with (only 5000 of 8000 people who had an official Netherlands away ticket supplied us with proof of travel), but also it was equally clear that the system penalised the majority in order to try and catch out the minority of members who engage in 'points harvesting.'
We fully understand that the whole issue of members buying tickets for away matches but not actually travelling to the game is something that angers the honest supporters who abide by the rules of the club. When we met with the Association of Tartan Army Clubs at the end of last week, we had a lengthy discussion about what can be done.
In recent years we have tried various ways of tackling the issue. We have tried forcing supporters to pick up their tickets in the country before the match and, of course, we have recently tried proof of travel. It is our strongly held view - and the view of the majority of members who contact us - that supporters want their ticket in their hands before they travel to matches. This means that the time in the foreign country is their own and fans are not inconvenienced by having to travel to an area and often stand in queues to pick up a ticket that they could have had weeks before.
However, even although we will no longer be requiring proof of travel, this does not mean that we have given up on the issue of 'points harvesting.' We still want to eradicate it, but we want to do it in such a way that does not inconvenience the majority of supporters too much.
So, from now on we will be starting a system of 'spot checks' for away games. What this means in practice is that a random section of supporters who have received an official ticket for an away fixture will be contacted and asked to pick up their ticket in the country before the match. We have already selected a large number of supporters who are travelling to Norway for a spot check and if you have been chosen we really appreciate your help in doing this.
We will also be making sure that we are much tougher on members who break the rules when it comes to points. There will be no '3 strikes and you are out' policy From now on, if you are caught points harvesting, your membership of the Scotland Supporters Club will be immediately terminated.
We know that it is a very small minority of supporters who choose to break the rules and we will not take action that we feel is prejudiced against the majority of members just to try and catch out the offenders. This is a huge club and represents what we rightly feel are the greatest football supporters in the world. When someone demonstrates by their actions that they do not deserve to be a member, we will have no hesitation in removing them.
Posted in: Netherlands
Written by Smithy on June 11th, 2009
39 New photo albums have been added to the Netherlands V Scotland photo albums section on TartanArmy.net.
Posted in: Netherlands, Photos
Written by Scott on April 2nd, 2009
This is a guest post from Scott, one of the thousands of Tartan Army footsoldiers in Amsterdam for the Netherlands V Scotland game.
Netherlands vs Scotland
28th March, 20h45
The talk was of as many as 15,000 Scotland fans invading Amsterdam and the Netherlands for this important tie for Scotland. Maybe not quite that number but the city was a sea of tartan and it is certain that the bars, sleazy windows, off-licences and coffee shops of the red light district must have seen their busiest weekend for quite some time!
The city was busy on the Friday night with more and more fans arriving on the Saturday from cities throughout the Netherlands and Belgium. There was a huge gathering of Scots and Dutch partying together in Dam Square before the match and then long into the night in many bars after the match.
For the match itself, the stadium was very busy inside and outside as was transport to and from it. Having had all day in the bars and squares partying, everyone was in pretty high spirits and it was all pretty loud and proud. However, everyone was getting along fine and enjoying themselves. The running battles with police and 30 fans being arrested after the match turned out to be Dutch fans fighting among themselves!
Getting into the stadium was a bit fraught. The automatic system to scan your ticket worked well for most but a few were confused. The issue arose however when getting into some of the sections. They were already full and it was difficult for fans to get in and up the stairs. There must have been some people in the wrong end or having entered with fake or blacklisted tickets. Some people took as long as 15 minutes after kick off to get into their sections – only to find their seats already filled.
That first half saw Scotland start reasonably strongly with a couple of chances. Then the difference in class started to show and Huntelaar 30 knocked in a free header about half way through the first half and Van Persie made it two in injury time of the first half. The second goal more or less killed it for Scotland – and the fans mood went a bit gloomier for the second half. When Dirk Kuyt scored a softish penalty, that sealed it for the Dutch.
During the match there were a few reasonable chances for Scotland, especially for Kenny Miller who took that step to far before trying to let loose. Most notably, Gary Caldwell had a goal disallowed when it was still two nil. That would have made a huge difference to the game and the potential outcome. The French ref has come under considerable criticism since for the various poor decisions.
It’s hard to see Netherlands not qualifying for South Africa as straight group winners. For Scotland, it’s a battle for second place. Any of the sides still in it could still win a play off. From Scotland’s point of view, Macedonia getting a sound thrashing from the Dutch on the 1st April would suit them very nicely. However, Iceland who play Scotland’s the same day are level on points so it is a big match. Norway trail the group but have a match in hand so are by no means out of the running either.
For George Burley, it remains a ‘hard hat’ time. The pressure from the press for improvement is growing with every match and this can never be a good thing! However, it must still be remembered that there is a different and less experienced set of players fit at the moment which is doing him Burley favours.
Posted in: Netherlands
Written by Smithy on March 25th, 2009
SPORT: Sportscene
On: BBC1
Date: Saturday 28th March 2009
Time: 22:20 to 23:10 (50 minutes long)
Holland v Scotland.
The Sportscene team present highlights of Scotland's World Cup qualifying tie against Holland.
(Stereo, Widescreen, Subtitles)
Excerpt taken from DigiGuide - the world's best TV guide available from http://www.getdigiguide.com/
Copyright (c) GipsyMedia Limited.
Posted in: Netherlands
Written by Smithy on March 20th, 2009
The SFA have annoinced that all tickets for the Netherlands V Scotland World Cup qualifier next week have now been posted and should arrive by tommorrow (Saturday 21st March).
120 Tickets were left over after the ballot, and these have been alocated out to unsuccessfull applicants.
Posted in: Netherlands
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