IN HIS first weekend in office new SFA president George Peat wasted no time in making an impact, calling yesterday for a new anthem to replace Flower of Scotland, which he described as "a dirge" and "embarrassing".
"I think it's a total dirge and we need a new one," Peat told Radio Five Live. "A couple of years ago I met a member of the Tartan Army who was a songwriter and I challenged him to come up with a better version. I would love someone to do that now.
"Personally I would favour a more stirring anthem than the one we have now. When the song is sung at Hampden it is reasonable but when we go abroad it's embarrassing. It's played at about a third of the speed it should be and the fans end up four or five bars ahead."
Peat's proposal seemed yesterday to win the cautious backing of First Minister Alex Salmond. "I would be in favour of a referendum of the Tartan Army to let them decide," said Salmond.
Independent MSP Margo MacDonald, meanwhile, echoed some of Peat's criticisms of Flower of Scotland and suggested reverting to the previous anthem, Scotland the Brave. "Flower of Scotland can be sung in many ways, including by some people who aren't in total command of their senses," MacDonald told the BBC Politics Show. "I don't think we can get rid of it even if we tried."
But Peat's comments provoked an immediate and spirited defence of Flower of Scotland by members of the Tartan Army. Tam Ferry, spokesman for the Association of Tartan Army Clubs, claimed that his comments indicate that Peat is out of touch with the rank and file of the national team's support.
"I really don't know where he's coming from - I would say that 95 per cent of fans are in favour of keeping Flower of Scotland," said Ferry. "What would we replace it with? It wasn't so long ago we had God Save the Queen. When we had Scotland the Brave most fans didn't know the words - they would just end up singing 'nah-nah-nah-nah-nah'."
Ferry added that the current anthem can work well when led by a singer or singers. For the recent European Championship qualifier against Georgia and at last year's match against the Faroe Islands the song's composer, Ronnie Browne of The Corries, led the singing from the pitch. "That worked brilliantly," said Ferry, "and even with the Three Tenors, it still worked well.
"As a Scotland supporter I am not aware of any opposition to Flower of Scotland," continued Ferry. "The fans love it and it gets passion going, although the one thing I would say is that sometimes we struggle to synchronise the music and the words. The rugby guys always manage it brilliantly, so maybe we should get lessons from the rugby guys. But, until we get our own national anthem, I think we should stick with it."
Peat's view is supported, however, by one of Scotland's leading musicians, Alun Woodward. Woodward, of Glasgow record label Chemikal Underground, and formerly of The Delgados, said that a new football anthem was "entirely appropriate and long overdue". He added: "Flower of Scotland is about one country's relationship with another, but we have to stop looking at our big cousin and something that happened hundreds of years ago. Scotland the Brave is also ridiculous - it invokes a shortbread-tin image of a Scotland that never existed."
Woodward was the driving force behind Ballads of the Book, this year's acclaimed collaboration between Scotland's leading writers and musicians, and he suggested that a similar approach could be taken to a new football anthem. "Musicians thrive when they're challenged, and to write an anthemic, stirring and direct song - that is not out of reach. Perhaps Alasdair Gray could write the lyrics - and I would be happy to write the music," he said.
"I think it would be phenomenal and entirely appropriate to come up with a new anthem," continued Woodward. "Just as long as they don't get the guy from Runrig to do it."
The Anthem debate
FLOWER OF SCOTLAND
Written by the late Roy Williamson of The Corries, it commemorates the Scottish victory over England at Bannockburn. Particularly popular among rugby fans. SFA followed SRU's lead by playing it before games from 1997.
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN
The UK national anthem was played before Scotland games until the late 1970s and was nearly always met with a chorus of boos. The jeering convinced the SFA to think again.
SCOTLAND THE BRAVE
Introduced by the SFA after God Save The Queen was dropped but later replaced by Flower of Scotland. Is still the anthem of the Scottish Commonwealth Games team.
