You could fill McDiarmid Park four times over with the amount of people who have watched St Johnstone’s “Marmite” promotional video for today’s clash with Hamilton Accies.
The Perth club’s lip-sync version of Eiffel 65’s Blue has gone viral this week.
Saints players, staff, mascots and fans miming their way through the cheesy Euro-pop hit has been viewed nearly 50,000 times and has divided Scottish football (not to mention the McDiarmid Park dressing room).
Front and centre of the #PaintItBlue marketing production is game-for-a-laugh pop star/midfielder Chris Millar.
Team-mates past and present, and opponents, haven’t been slow in letting Millar know what they think of his efforts, but if they help boost the attendance for a game that could see Saints join Hearts in fourth place in the Premiership then taking the Mickey out of Midgey will have been worthwhile.
Yo listen up — St Johnstone’s #PaintItBlue promo video is in a league of its own
“It’s a bit like Marmite I suppose,” he said. “You love it or hate it. But the reaction has been amazing.
“I didn’t really want to do it but I got collared by Ross (Cunningham) who said all the kids had done their bit to promote the Accies game and he guilted me into it.
“It was fun when we got started and Blair Alston came up with the idea of a bit of dancing.
“Ross has done a great job and it has gone viral, even popping up on American sports channels. No one thought it was going to trigger this sort of reaction. It’s been great exposure for the football club.
“It’s done the job of promoting the games coming up and it’s a bit of fun at a time when the news is so serious.
“It’s good to see the boys here not taking themselves too seriously, apart from Tam Scobbie. He could have cracked a smile!
“Look, football is a game and you’re supposed to enjoy it. It’s aimed at the kids and my youngest daughter was buzzing with it, laughing and taking the Mickey out of me.
“The Accies game is usually one of the lower gates we have at McDiarmid and the film has been tied in with visits to local schools. Hopefully it will put a few hundred more on the attendance.”
Millar added: “We are taking pelters and not just in the dressing room. I’ve had texts from all over. Guys like Jody Morris, Frazer Wright, Gary Harkins and Scott McLaughlin have all had their say, even boys I haven’t spoken to in ages.
“I’ve had some people saying it’s cringe-worthy but you just brush that off. Maybe they should lighten up. The vast majority think it’s been great.
“The gaffer has to sign off on this sort of thing so he must have thought it was ok.
“And credit has to go to Ross and Megan at the club for hijacking some of the lads.”
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If there is to be a follow-up, Millar knows which player should be getting the tap on the shoulder.
“A few of the boys are saying Fozzie (Richard Foster) should be having a word with his girlfriend Amy McDonald to get us in her next video,” he said. “That has to be the next step surely.”
Saints have returned from the January break in good form – beating Stenhousemuir comfortably in the Scottish Cup and then giving league leaders Celtic a run for their money in midweek.
Millar appreciates that the fixture list has presented an opportunity to make a significant move up the table.
“Hearts are playing Celtic on Sunday so if we win we go level on points with them,” he said. “That’s a big incentive for us.
“The way Celtic are playing with a club record at stake you’d expect them to win that one.
“We have Hamilton and Partick before playing Celtic again. These are important games. We won’t underestimate Accies but we are at home and we should be looking to take three points.
“Our mentality is to look at the team ahead of us and try to rein them in.
“We were disappointed not to take something from Parkhead. Celtic had their chances but we hit the woodwork and had a good penalty shout.
“It was disappointing to lose a goal from a set piece but there were plenty positives to take from it. The boys put in a brilliant shift and probably deserved a point.”
Foster returns from suspension, while Michael Coulson is still injured.