No Scotland no party

Thousands of fans arrive in Germany and kick off the good times as Clarke's men prepare to take on the hosts in tonight's historic opener

- RYAN CAROLL

MUNICH was a sea of tartan last night as 200,000 Scots prepared to roar Steve Clarke's lads to Euro glory.

Scotland face Germany in tonight's opening tie of the Euros and the Tartan Army have travelled in record numbers to back their heroes.

No one appeared to be saving their energy for the big match though - as masses of Scots dressed in kilts and national team colours made themselves heard.

Three Scots brothers were among thousands who rocked into Munich city centre for what may be the Tartan Army's biggest foreign party ever.

Scott, Stuart and Iain Lambie from Glasgow joined fellow supporters in the city's Marienplatz.

Scott, 27, a BAE worker from Glasgow, said: "We started on the beer on the bus into town.

The atmosphere in Munich is unbelievable." Brother Stuart, 29, who works in finance for Aggreko, added: "I have never seen so many Tartan Army the day before a game. This is going to be fun." Above them, on the Rathaus, the Saltire was flying proudly next to the Bavarian flag.

Partying Scots also brought Munich's "Wine Street" to a standstill.

A window opened on a tall building in Weinstrasse, a Saltire quickly emerging to the delight of fans. Some tried to kick a ball through the window, with each "missed shot" receiving a loud cheer.

One female Scotland fan had her picture taken with a local officer, as more of her colleagues monitored the behaviour from a distance.

Jordan Laird, from Rosyth in Fife, posed "taps aff" with a gentleman in traditional Bavarian dress.

The 43-year-old plumber said: "No Scotland, no party. The atmosphere in Munich is superb and can only get better" Colin Thomson, 54, travelled from Edinburgh with his brother Derek, 50, and the pair were in full voice.

Colin, who works in electronics, told the Record: "We arrived last night fairly late on, we had a good few beers on the way but once we arrived we got a really good reception.