The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Podcast host and former Dundee player Simon Ferry reveals the part he – and Kieran Tierney - played in the revival of 1977 No 1 Yes Sir, I Can Boogie.
Yes Sir, I Can Boogie fever continues to sweep the nation in the wake of Scotland ’s Euro 2020 qualification and, in an incredible turn of events, Spanish duo Baccara are heading back into the official UK singles charts.
But just how did Steve Clarke’s heroes end up celebrating their stunning win in Serbia to the sound of a No1 from 1977?
Step forward Si Ferry, a Dundee boy and former Dark Blues midfielder turned Open Goal podcast host and Peter head player-coach.
In an instalment of his Keeping The Ball on The Ground show last November, Si and co-stars Kevin Kyle and Paul Slane dismissed talk of Aberdeen’s Andrew Con si dine representing his country.
The discussion prompted the presenter – who grew up in Menzieshill – to remind the duo about a hilarious music video made by the Dons defender on his 2015 stag do.
Regular renditions of the pop hit on all Open Goal platforms followed, as did a call-up for Considine who now has three caps to his name.
And as the boys of Belgrade rejoiced in their dramatic penalty shoot-out victory, squad DJ Kieran Tierney gave a nod to his podcast pals by playing the disco anthem.
Si, 32, said: “It’s been a bit mad. The amount of messages we’re getting from fans is incredible.
“There have been boys singing it in George Square and tagging us in their videos and people singing Yes Sir, I Can Boogie at parties and mentioning us.
“It’s amazing. What a buzz it was when the Scotland boys were singing it. I actually couldn’t believe it.”
Dressing room footage showed nearly all of Clarke’s squad – including Considine – chanting the track made famous by Maria Mendiola and Mayte Mateos.
Mendiola, 68, has since thanked the Pittodrie hero and his Scotland teammates for sending the song to No2 in the iTunes charts and No3 in The Official Big Top 40.
She is even willing to rerecord Yes Sir, I Can Boogie with the players, telling the BBC: “With this pandemic, I have been sitting at home and this has uplifted me in a way you cannot imagine.
“I will always thank the Scottish team and especially Andy Considine for making me so happy after 43 years.
“I saw all the articles and everyone was calling me. I was delighted. I thanked the Scotland team and spoke with Andy over Instagram. He had such nice words.”
However, some of the reports have overlooked Open Goal’s role in the hit’s revival.
Dad-of-two Si – whose shows have attracted millions of viewers since launching in May 2017 – said: “It’s all come up about whether or not it was us but KT does the music in the Scotland dressing room, he’s the DJ. He watches the show and has been on the show. It was his idea to stick it on and Slaney messaged him to say thanks.
“See ing b ig Andy Considine in the middle of it all was great and it’s now the team’s anthem.
“I’ve not spoken to Andy about it but his Aberdeen team-mate Lewis Ferguson posted the video and Lewis is going to ask him to come on the show.
“It’s great to see the feel- good factor around Scotland just now. Doing the podcasts, we never expected it would come to this with the song. The reaction we’ve had about it has been unbelievable.”
Copyright issues mean the Open Goal trio can’t record their own version of Yes Sir, I Can Boogie ahead o f nex t summer ’s tournament.
But they are huge fans of a spectac ular acoustic rendition by Edinburgh singer Brooke Combe which has attracted over a million views on Twitter.
Former Celtic youngster Si said: “Brooke’s coming on the podcast this week to sing it and that might be something we could get going.
“If we can get behind or do something with her version for the Euros it’d be amazing.”
Open Goal made its Edinburgh Fringe debut in the summer of 2019 and the boys were supposed to entertain 13,000 fans at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow before Covid-19 saw it postponed.
It’s currently pencilled in for January 29 but former Swindon star Si expects an end-of-season event instead.
He said: “I don’t really worry too much because I’d been working Royal Mail nightshifts before I did this.
“We have a good time and it’s a great laugh, I’m just enjoying it while I can.
“The Hydro will still go ahead but it’ll be at the end of the season. I’d been on a downer about it being put back but fingers crossed it’ll go ahead in May.”
From the interviews with ex-players and managers to the humour on the Keep The Ball on The Ground and Right in The Coupon shows, Si admits the podcast phenomenon’s success can be traced back to his upbringing in Dundee.
He said: “My best pals are six pals I’ve had since I was four or five and the way we speak about football is exactly how we speak about it on the podcast.
“We slag each other all the time. These guys are the first to tell us if a guest has been s***e or a podcast has been s***e.
“It keeps your feet on the ground.
“It’s not hard work doing it though, we’re just going on and having a laugh. We don’t take ourselves too seriously.
“We have opinions and usually they’re a lot of rubbish! It’s just people sitting with their mates.
“I was nearly rolling about with Andy Halliday last week over Scott McTominay!”
Unsurprisingly, the Open Goal team have already made plans to be at Wembley on June 18 as Scotland take on England in Group D.
Si added: “It’s all kicking off. We’re taking the Boogie
Bus to London!”