Shhh...Caledonian Thistle playing at home

FOOTBALL pundit Chick Young has struck the right note with some Inverness Caley Thistle fans by calling for the genteel "lending library" atmosphere at home games to be replaced by rousing Highland voices.

Peter Murphy, the chairman of the club’s Supporters Trust, is backing the plea for the Scottish Premier League side to find new songs to heat up the atmosphere.

He believes the lack of atmosphere at home games is down to there not being any life-long fans of the club, which was formed in 1994. However, he admits having trouble putting his finger on why there is a problem generating new songs in the stands.

Mr Young launched an appeal for help — a move that has been endorsed by Caley Thistle manager Terry Butcher.

"I’m all for it," said Mr Murphy, conceding it can be frustrating to hear visiting teams make more noise at Tulloch Caledonian Stadium.

"There is no question we can improve the atmosphere in the main stand where I sit because it can be pretty quiet at times.

"It is still a young club and that has had an affect. There hasn’t been that many people who will have grown up with the club from childhood.

"I don’t know what the average age of a Caley Thistle supporter is but I’d imagine it is certainly 50-plus which makes it harder to expect that they’ll be singing and dancing around and that probably has something to do with it," continued Mr Murphy who felt Inverness fans were more vociferous at away grounds.

"It’s not because we don’t believe or not want our team to be successful," he added.

However, other fans have taken exception to Mr Young’s calls with some fans taking exception to his comments in an on-line blog on the BBC website.

"In Inverness the lending library atmosphere is so genteel you can hear the waves lapping on the shores of the firth," Mr Young wrote.

"The stadium needs to be transformed from an oasis of football calm to a rousing theatre of Highland voices singing a hymn in praise of Butcher’s boys."

Mr Butcher joked earlier this season how the Scottish Premier League club received complaints after some fans were too noisy during games, but welcomes the new appeal.

"I would like to see if this can be followed up and if a topical song could be personalised to suit Caley Thistle’s needs," Mr Butcher said.

"My own thoughts turn to an adaptation of England’s Three Lions song."

He has encouraged all suggestions to be sent to ICT’s executive chairman Kenny Cameron.

Meanwhile, Inverness defender Chris Hogg also backed the move, asking his followers on social networking website Twitter to come up with suggestions.

"It’s a great idea and would be good to make the stadium louder and more hostile for visiting teams," he wrote.

His favourite so far is an altered version of Baha Men’s ‘Who let the dogs out?’ to ‘Who let the Hogg out?’ when he returns from a serious injury next season.