"Bubbling mate"; Joe Hart's superb response to Celtic Park derby atmosphere

By David Walton

March 29, 2022

Joe Hart couldn’t hide his love for the Celtic Park atmosphere as he labelled February’s Glasgow derby win as “nuts”.

Hart has been a revelation of a signing for the Hoops this season. A £1m buy from Tottenham Hotspur [Sky Sports], he’s proven himself to be a hugely impressive upgrade on Vasilis Barkas and Scott Bain respectively.

Hart is part of a Celtic defence that has only shipped 18 goals in 31 league matches. However, despite it being a game in which he had nothing to do, the 3-0 win over Rangers at Parkhead certainly stands out for him.

He’s been talking up the derby atmosphere that’s blown him away at Celtic as he spoke to the In The Stiffs podcast:

“Bubbling mate. We have not had an away crowd in, yet. At Ibrox it was just them and at Celtic Park recently it was just us.

“The one at Celtic Park recently was one of the best things I have ever been involved in. It was a night game. No Old Firms are night games. They are 12pm Sunday. Minimal carnage. But because of Covid and the winter break being moved forward they had to fit it in on a Wednesday night.

“It just happened to work that were two points behind them going into the game. It is tight at the moment. They are strong, we are strong. The game was nuts.”

Celtic Park atmosphere did to Joe Hart what it does to many

This is hardly a surprise for Celtic supporters. Some of the greatest names in football have been left amazed by what a packed Parkhead has to offer. Kaka, for example, stated it was one of the greatest atmospheres he had ever experienced in football.

Parkhead just does that to you. Even for opposition players and neutrals. It gives off an aura and atmosphere that is unmatched anywhere in football. It’s difficult to pinpoint why that is, but given the praise our famous old stadium has had in the past, this is clearly an opinion well held amongst the biggest names in football.

As for that 3-0 mauling of Rangers, that was special. With no Rangers fans in attendance, Celtic were able to flood the entire stadium in green-and-white. Our foes couldn’t cope with it. They crumbled. The truth is that the Celtic support more than played their role on that evening.

You can’t underestimate the value Hart’s opinion holds either. This is a player who has experienced the top stadiums in world football. He’s sampled trips to the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid – the list is endless. Yet even he still ranks Celtic Park as one of the best atmospheres he’s ever been involved in.

It shows how much potential this club has to shine on the big stage again. If we can get things right under Ange and get ourselves back in the UCL, Parkhead will show its magic once more on the European stage.

All the more reason then for us to secure the title and bag that crucial Champions League spot.

In other news, Johan Mjallby the latest to be left stunned by Ange’s Celtic work