[Seanus]

It's also all about avoiding the pack mentality. I'd be comfortable travelling with a Scottish flag to footie matches abroad. We have a great rep for making friends abroad. However, we have domestic hooligans who represent us badly abroad and I wouldn't like to be lumped in with them. Aberdeen FC, my local team, are bad for that.

The flag is, at best, symbolic but it just wheels out inaccurate stereotypes and prejudices. We live in a world where you are often guilty by association (Americans travel with Canadian flags on their rucksacks as it's safer).

Pride is felt within and shouldn't be rubbed in the face of others. I keep my flag in my flat and it goes nowhere.