ONE of Rainer Bonhof's best memories in football was seeing a passionate Hampden Park on its feet and hear the Tartan Army.

Now, the former Scotland under-21 coach has lent his voice to the Scottish Premier League's decision to learn from the match-day experience in Germany.

Bonhof, who is now the vice-president of Borussia Moenchengladbach, believes the SPL would be going down the right road if it allowed fans to stand as they do at Bundesliga matches and says that "safe standing areas" have revolutionised the game in Germany. He says the cheaper ticket prices on offer for a place on the Bundesliga terraces is the reason it is the world's best-attended football league with an average of more than 42,000 per game –and that revenue helps clubs to fund corporate facilities.

Bonhof loves the fact that the current 'Gladbach side –who currently lie fourth in the Bundesliga table – are actually playing to bigger crowds than the legendary team of the 1970s which won five titles in seven years, in which he and Berti Vogts were among the star men.

The Borussia-Park opened in 2004, has a 54,047 capacity and is full for every home game. The south terrace is where 16,000 of 'Gladbach's most raucous fans gather, the type of standing area that inspired Neil Doncaster, the SPL chief executive, on his visit to Germany and which converts into temporary seating for international or European games.

Bonhof is convinced that it is not just Rangers and Celtic who would have the most to gain by adopting the Bundesliga's standing policy; he insists it would generate extra revenue for clubs such as Motherwell, whose fans have been vociferous in demanding the right to stand up at Fir Park.

"Scottish fans are very passionate and it was always a special atmosphere at in every international, especially the home leg in the Euro 2004 play-off against Netherlands when Scotland won," Bonhof recalled. "All of the fans were standing up for the whole game, and it was something I will never forget.

"Now in Germany, we have probably the best atmosphere of any league in the world. It is not just because it is best attended. The standing areas have made a contribution to the fan experience. All the clubs are obliged by the DFB [German Football Federation] to have standing sections. We then have to change it if we host international games.

"We have standing room for 16,000 on the south terrace and it is full long before every other part of the ground. We have over 40,000 members and we are sold out for almost every game and people travel to see us from all parts of Germany."