Fortress Parkhead

Miscellaneous

Details

Ref: Celtic’s home record in Europe, and domestically
aka: Fortress Parkhead, Fortress Celtic Park, Fortress Paradise

Background

Celtic Park is our home as much as it is the playing ground for the Celtic first team. This has given us an affection that has tied us to the ground in an almost irrational way. Matches played at Celtic are important, and with the support behind the team, it has been at its best a formidable place for other teams to play.

This cliché is often a borrowed term often used by teams to recognise their stellar home records.

One of the most recognised has been that of the England Rugby side which has seen their home side defeat just about everyone at their ground, and similar for fellow sides like New Zealand. The Scotland national rugby side on the other hand is mostly woeful at home as abroad despite their delusions to be otherwise.

For Celtic the term sprung up in the 2000’s following the very lopsided record that Celtic amassed in European football. Domestically we’ve been at the top so no equivalent term means much. In the Champions League we amassed possibly the most incredible record despite an astonishingly poor away record.

At Celtic Park in Europe from Aug 2001-Feb 2008, Celtic’s record at home was:

31 matches, 23 wins, 7 draws, 1 loss. 54 goals scored, 16 goals conceded, 19 clean sheets

Notably, the single home match which Celtic lost in the 31 matches was 1-3 to Barcelona (Sep 2004), when ex-Celt Henrik Larsson amongst the scorers for the Spaniards. Bittersweet moment for the fans.

Despite the admirable term, it’s actually been quite a common feat in the Champions League. Many teams play ultra defensive away and try hardest at home, and with away supporters limited in numbers and shunted into far off corners, away grounds aren’t very welcoming places. So home advantage is key, and as has been repeatedly said, there is nowhere greater than Celtic for atmosphere. Many other grounds and supports are far more hostile and intimidating, but Celtic Park in full throe is something to behold and works like as if a twelfth man. That has been the key to its success.

It has hit its lows (such as in the second season under Ronny Deila), but it is there to be rebuilt. With the increasing gap between the major players in Europe and the smaller leagues, the record became more difficult to maintain and defend, and if anything, there have since the heyday of the Celtic Park Fortress in Europe been some dire defeats at home, including against lesser sides (e.g. v Cluj in 2019).

As a indicator of how far the ‘Fortress Parkhead’ mentality has fallen, Celtic hit an unwanted Champions League group stage record in 2022 with seven straight home defeats in the group stage, halted only next by a 1-1 draw with Shakhtar Donestk that same year.

The decline needs to be reversed.

Celtic Park is Paradise, and the Celtic Support should aim to support and defend it as best as only the Celtic Support can, and the players should help to maintain the fort as best they can do also.

Quotes

“It’s at Celtic Park, our castle. We need to be kings of that castle. That is what we are aiming for, to get Celtic Park to be the hardest place to come to.
“This game is important in terms of what we can show as a team and to make the atmosphere better.
“It’s about quality, about when we get good enough. I remember at the start of last season when the teams didn’t fear coming to Celtic Park, that it was nothing.
“We changed that last season and now we have to bring that out in Europe.
“We did play at Murrayfield last year and it is better at home — but I won’t use that as an excuse.”
(Ronny Deila 2015)