Celtic Park has developed a reputation over the years for being a cauldron of noise.
Ferenc Puskas has hailed the atmosphere and has been joined alongside other household names such as Lionel Messi, Gianluigi Buffon and Samuel Eto’o.
It is a dream for many to walk out and hear the noise of 60,000 Hoops fans roaring them on to success.
However, one thing was clear in the win against Utrecht, and that was that the atmosphere was as bad as it has been for some time.
The way I would improve the atmosphere at Celtic Park is…
Hearing a pin drop in Celtic Park
Last night should have been the sort of game where you couldn’t hear yourself think.
Qualification was on the line and Celtic needed the 12th man to get them over the line.
Instead, it seemed close to silent, to the point where you could even hear the players bellowing instructions to each other without them having to shout at full volume.
People will point to the continued absence of the Green Brigade as one of the reasons. That is fair enough as they do set the tone for the rest of the ground.
But those inside the stadium haven’t got anything stopping them from also joining in.
Martin O’Neill can only do so much to help
Poor results and a disconnect towards the Celtic board are also playing a part in the downturn in atmosphere, but Martin O’Neill is doing everything he can to change that.
Since returning for a second time this season, the Hoops are yet to lose a game and the 73-year-old has won more points than any other Celtic manager this season.
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Fans do chant for him, and for the board to go but, aside from that, there is nothing.
O’Neill can only do so much by delivering positive results and keeping the title race alive. Now it’s our turn to repay the trust by singing our hearts out in the stands.
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