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Key information about Celtic Park

Celtic Park was opened in 1892 and has been the home of Celtic FC ever since then. The ground is located in the Parkhead area of Glasgow and is also one of the biggest football stadiums in Europe.

Its current maximum capacity stands at 60,832 and it has a pitch that measures 125m by 80m. The surface is covered with natural grass and has undersoil heating installed while there is no running track surrounding it.

The record attendance at Celtic Park was set on 1 January 1938 when 83,500 people watched the derby between Celtic and Glasgow Rangers.

A history of Celtic Park

Needless to say, Celtic Park has an incredibly rich history behind it. The original ground was built in 1888, shortly after the club was formed. Interestingly, the whole stadium was erected in about six months thanks to some voluntary work that helped speed the process up. But in 1892, they decided to move away into a different stadium following a dispute over rent.

Interestingly, their new safe haven would be located just around 200 yards away from the first one and would also be called Celtic Park. That one was officially opened on 13 August 1892 with the first game following seven days later, on 20 August, as Celtic hosted and beat Renton in a thrilling 4-3 contest.

Unsurprisingly, the stadium was a huge hit and the attendance was soaring. Celtic bought the site for £100,000 in 1897 and became its sole owners. And it was only upwards ever since. Well, for the most part. The original capacity with the initial terracing was around 40,000 and interestingly, at first, it had a running track along with a concrete cycling track installed. In 1894, Celtic also became the first team in Britain to install a press box.

Four years later, Celtic Park would also get a new grandstand which became the first-ever double-decker stand at a football ground, lifting the capacity to over 50,000. In 1904, however, a big fire destroyed the wooden Janefield Street Stand, which got replaced by a new covered terrace, called the Hayshed. But that was also not the end of their misfortune as some years down the line, in 1927, the new double-decker stand also burned down, and was ultimately replaced by a new Main Stand designed by Archibald Leitch in 1929.

Redevelopment slowed down in the following decades with some minor improvements here and there. In the late 1960s, however, the Rangers End received cover after the same was done for the Celtic End and the Hayshed, and shortly after that, the Main Stand was also improved, including a brand new roof. But the capacity had to be reduced to 60,000 for safety reasons following the disaster that happened at Ibrox.

The next installment of improvements would also have to wait until the 1994’s Fergus McCann take-over. This was the beginning of huge redevelopment projects and since both sides of the Jungle – the name the Hayshed terrace was given – had to be demolished, Celtic were forced to play their games at Hampden Park instead.

Celtic Park reopened in 1995 with a brand new North Stand and the final works on both ends of the ground were completed in August 1998. The improvements in the 1990s also saw all three stands that were not designed by Leitch being rebuilt to boost capacity over 60,000 once more, only this time, they would be all-seaters.

Tickets to watch Celtic FC at Celtic Park

All tickets to watch Celtic FC play at Celtic Park can be found on the club’s official website. The prices will vary depending on the event, age group of the buyer and the stand you choose to be seated in but an average adult ticket will cost you about £27 to £31.

Celtic FC also offer season tickets for their fans but naturally, there is a waiting list while an adult season ticket can be found from £510.

Related links

http://www.celticfc.net/mainindex – Official website of Celtic FC

Brighton manager Graham Potter has hinted that Viktor Gyokeres could be handed a rare appearance for the Seagulls in their midweek Carabao Cup clash against Portsmouth.

The Swedish striker has played just five times for Albion’s first team and is being targeted by Swansea for a potential loan move, although Potter plans to give the 22-year-old a chance to impress before making a decision on his future.

When discussing the prospect of Gyokeres featuring against Pompey on Thursday night, the manager said: “It’s a possibility because he has done well when he has been with us and played, and he has attributes that are really interesting.” [via Sussex Live]

Gyokeres has yet to feature in the Premier League for Brighton and was not in their matchday squad for last night’s defeat to Chelsea. He had a promising loan spell with St Pauli in the German second tier last season, though, with seven goals and four assists in 28 matches.

Potter went with Neal Maupay and Leandro Trossard, scorer of the equalising goal, as a two-man attacking partnership in their 1-3 defeat to the Blues as they began their league campaign, while Aaron Connolly was deployed from the bench. That highlights where the Swedish striker is in the pecking order and the challenge that he faces in trying to break into the Seagulls’ line-up.

However, his manager has hailed the 22-year-old as a “big, strong” centre-forward who “runs in behind” and “can finish as well”. When addressing the topic of his prospects at the Amex Stadium, Potter added: “We want to take a real look at him and his qualities before we make any decisions on his next step. He is one we are really interested in.” [via Sussex Live]

With Brighton facing Portsmouth just three days after their clash with Chelsea and less than 72 hours prior to their next Premier League outing at Newcastle, don’t be surprised to see a much-changed Albion line-up for the Carabao Cup clash against Pompey.

That Gyokeres has been earmarked to feature in that game reflects where he stands in the pecking order, but Connolly showed last season that Potter is not afraid to throw strikers in at the deep end and then stick with them over the course of the campaign.

If the Swede is in the starting line-up on Thursday, he will have a prime chance to show to his manager whether he is worth keeping at the Amex or better off being dispatched on another loan spell.

Brighton fans, do you want to see Gyokeres starting against Portsmouth? Can he break into the first team this season? Have your say by commenting below!

Former Sunderland player Kevin Phillips has claimed that Aiden McGeady is the best player in League and called on Celtic to sign the winger.

With the new League One season underway as the Black Cats drew with Bristol Rovers at the weekend, McGeady has been training with the club’s under-23 side and was left out of Phil Parkinson’s EFL squad.

The 92-cap Republic of Ireland international is back at the club following his loan spell with Charlton Athletic last term, returning to the Stadium of Light this summer with one-year remaining on his current deal.

The £653,000-valued winger’s future is now very much a talking point with McGeady revealing on The Go Radio Football Show on Go Radio (5pm, September 7, 2020), as transcribed by The Scottish Sun, that he would welcome a move to Celtic, where he began his professional career.

Phillips, who discusses various Sunderland talking points via Football Insider, has now given his thoughts on the winger’s future. He said:

“When Aiden McGeady is on top of his game he is by far the best player in the league.

“It is just whether he can be that influence on the pitch and off it. There has been talk of him perhaps digging a few people out in the dressing room and you do not want a bad egg in the dressing room.

“I am not sure if Celtic would take him back. I think Neil Lennon is looking at other options. For the player, to go back there would probably be a dream for him.”

During his time at Sunderland, McGeady has featured in 98 games, scoring 27 goals and supplying 13 assists in the process for his teammates.

Phillips’ comments may strike a chord with many Sunderland fans and you have to wonder just why Parkinson has such a problem with handing McGeady a chance in the first team.

A move away from Wearside does look likely, though, and it seems that the sooner the better for the ostracised winger.

Do you think McGeady should be given a chance to play for Sunderland this term? Let us know in the comments section below…

Many Aston Villa fans have reacted to a further transfer report linking Brentford’s Said Benrahma with a move to Villa Park.

Claret and Blue manager Dean Smith has made some improvements to his squad this summer which include the signing of Ollie Watkins from the Bees.

Raiding his former club with the view to improve his attacking setup, Smith is also said to be interested in sealing a deal to sign Benrahma, who largely impressed last term.

The 24-year-old Algerian was one of the most prolific attackers in English football in the 2019/20 season, contributing with 17 goals and nine assists in his 43 appearances.

Villa’s interest was recently discussed by a report which also claimed that Brentford were due to make a decision on the winger’s future, and that has now been followed up by a similar report which calls on Smith to make a move.

Reacting to the continuing transfer story, these Villa fans gave their opinions on the potential arrival of Benrahma…

Do you think Benrahma would be a good signing for Villa? Let us know in the comments section below…

Former Liverpool striker Danny Ings showcased just how much progress he has made in the last 12 months after bagging his first goal for his country last night.

The Southampton star man led the line for England in a friendly against Wales in only his third ever international appearance. Gareth Southgate opted to deploy Ings alongside in-form Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who also got himself on the scoresheet.

Since his move from Merseyside last year, Ings has hit an astonishing upward trajectory. His hard work and dominant presence for his new club has more than paid off after pulling on his Three Lions jersey twice this year following a five-year absence.

Ings resurrecting his career

After a difficult four years at Liverpool, Ings made the decision to ply his trade elsewhere. Southampton came knocking for his services last summer and paid a respectable £20million for him, certainly an amount Ralph Hasenhuttl will see as very well spent now. Indeed, the 28-year-old will also see the move as one of the best career decisions he has ever made.

Ings was hammered by injuries during his time on Merseyside, spending a total of 498 days out of action with knee problems. After tearing his ACL in 2015, the forward missed 85 senior matches for the Reds and had fallen drastically down the pecking order once he did return (via Transfermarkt). The arrival of Roberto Firmino and with Daniel Sturridge next in line meant Ings saw very little action during his final years at Liverpool.

But his switch to Southampton seems to have sparked a whole new era in Ings’ career. Last season he finished as Hasenhuttl’s top scorer with an impressive 22 goals in the Premier League. The Winchester-born ace finished with the same amount of goals as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, just one behind Golden Boot winner Jamie Vardy (via Premier League).

Ings vs Wales

His recent form has kickstarted the fire many thoughts Ings had lost after his ACL surgery. After opening up his international account with a stunning bicycle kick against Wales, it’s going to be very hard for Southgate to ignore him as a glaring option moving forward.

Ings’ return to the England squad wasn’t just about his goal either. He had a solid performance alongside strike partner Calvert-Lewin and played the full 90 minutes, something that was perhaps unexpected.

The 28-year-old had 100% shot accuracy and made a further key pass in addition to his goal scored. He also won three out of his eight duels attempted, which is a respectable number for a striker (via FotMob).

It can only be expected that Ings will continue his upward climb this season for both club and country. After his strong performance against Wales, he could be in contention to take part in the upcoming EUROs.

In other news, Neil Mellor has exclusively told FFC how Jurgen Klopp has changed Liverpool on the fifth anniversary of his arrival at Anfield…

It’s a great time to be a Leeds United fan with the Whites sitting pretty in the top half of the Premier League, but back in 2014 things were rather miserable for the Elland Road faithful.

The Whites were lumbering around the bottom half of the Championship accustomed watching drab football under uninspiring managers such as Brian McDermott and Neil Warnock, while it was rare to even get a glimpse of a talented player back then.

However, things could have been quite different for the club if they’d have completed one signing back in 2014.

Indeed, Leeds had an interest in current Manchester United star Harry Maguire back in 2014, but as we all know, they lost that race to Hull City who would sign him for just £2.5m.

Nobody needs reminding what Maguire has gone on to do since then. He’s become the most expensive defender in history and signed for one of the biggest clubs in the world, and while it is unlikely that Leeds would have been able to keep hold of him if they’d have signed him in 2014, they would have made one hell of a profit on him.

Hull made £14.5m by selling him to Leicester but just two years after that he was worth a mammoth £80m, and either of those fees would have been massive for Leeds, especially when they were in the Championship.

Perhaps that money would have allowed United to be promoted a season or two earlier if they had more cash to inject into the playing squad, or perhaps Maguire himself would have been able to lead United to promotion under Garry Monk in a season where they finished just one place outside of the playoff spots.

Signing Maguire back in 2014 would have undoubtedly changed the course of United’s history, whether that be landing them a massive profit that they then could have spent on the squad or adding to a squad that was nearly good enough.

Either way, missing out on a future £80m player for a cut-price fee must hurt in hindsight.

Glasgow Rangers ran riot over Hamilton Academical in a stunning 8-0 win at Ibrox to stay nine points clear of their arch-rivals Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon.

Rangers were three-nil up inside 19 minutes after goals from Scott Arfield, Kemar Roofe and Joe Aribo gave Steven Gerrard’s side a well-deserved lead, and Roofe and Aribo scored again before Brandon Barker came off the bench to finish off a fine team move. James Tavernier added a penalty and another strike to take his tally to 12 goals and 9 assists in 20 games in total this season so far.

Roofe, 27, joined the 54-time Scottish champions in the summer from Belgian side Anderlecht after bagging seven times in sixteen games for the Brussel club.

Regular readers of this column will be well aware that we think the Gers could be on to something with the former Leeds United striker. However, Roofe copped a fair amount of criticism from former players and pundits alike after his poor performance against Lech Poznan in the Europa League last month, and he was replaced by Alfredo Morelos in the starting line-up in recent weeks.

But the uncapped Jamaican bounced back in style by bagging a brace against Hamilton which will have sent Gerrard a timely reminder of his obvious quality after Morelos’ heroics in the European competition.

SofaScore gave the £4m-rated ace a score of 9 for his impressive performance – he won five out of ten duels in total, took three shots on target, one shot off target and had one shot blocked, whilst he completed 27 out of 34 passes at a pass accuracy rating of 79% and took 53 touches of the ball. By comparison, even Aribo only had two shots on target, as per SofaScore.

Roofe was recently described as a “world class” player by the Ibrox boss after his “moment of genius” against Standard Liege, whilst Barry Douglas insisted that his former teammate is a “real talent.”

He has now scored four goals and supplied one assist in seven games in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, whilst he is averaging 2.1 shots per game, via WhoScored.

Granted, Gerrard isn’t exactly short of striker options, as he can also call upon the services of Cedric Itten and Jermain Defoe. However, Roofe has once again reminded everyone that he cannot be written off so easily. Now he just needs to find this kind of form on a regular basis, which will be easier said than done when Rangers return from the international break.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must keep Ryan Kent at all costs after Leeds reports…

Wolves were by no means quiet during the summer transfer window, but perhaps they missed out on that one final signing.

A back-up striker was signed in Fabio Silva and that didn’t come cheap at a club-record £35m, whilst two players were brought in to replace Matt Doherty in Nelson Semedo and Ki-Jana Hoever.

Although, there were no attacking additions despite the surprise sale of Diogo Jota to Liverpool.

It means Nuno Santo only has three options for two positions – at least until January. Each of Pedro Neto, Daniel Podence and Adama Traore are vying for a place either side of Raul Jimenez.

An injury crisis could quickly cause problems, so perhaps the Portuguese ought to delve into the promising academy set-up, and he’d be more inclined to do so after the U23’s storming win at Aggborough on Monday afternoon.

The young Wolf Pack side demolished Fulham 3-0 in the Premier League 2 with fringe first-teamer Oskar Buur, Pascal Estrada and former Bayern Munich hot-shot Meritan Shabani getting on the scoresheet.

It was the German’s third goal contribution in six appearances in the competition this season, an impressive return on the back of a serious ACL injury which kept him out for much of last season.

Scoring goals from midfield is perhaps something that Nuno is lacking amongst the senior side right now – only one player has scored more than once, Raul Jimenez (four goals).

Perhaps the influence of Jota is sorely missed with both Podence and Neto only finding the net once. Their contribution in terms of creation cannot be refuted, but it’s the seven-goal influence from the now-Reds superstar that is evidently absent thus far.

He’s already bagged four goals in three starts for Jurgen Klopp.

This is where Shabani can come to the foray. In a similar way to Traore, Nuno can transform the 21-year-old into an inside-forward that can also play in attacking midfield. You could also compare that to Morgan Gibbs-White.

Wolves U23 head coach James Collins hailed the young talent after the win on Monday and said: “He’s an unbelievable kid. His work-rate, his effort, his willingness to improve is outstanding. He’s got great ability.

Shabani told Transfermarkt that the club blocked any potential loan exit this summer, so if that’s indeed the case, then it would be wise to incorporate him amongst the first-team, especially after Max Kilman and Rayan Ait-Nouri’s impact in recent weeks.

Evidently, faith can be put in their youth system right now.

AND in other news, Wolves have a ready-made Moutinho heir in promising “goal threat”…

Glasgow Rangers were reportedly ready to raid two Scottish Premiership rivals in the summer as Steven Gerrard bids to stop Celtic from winning an unprecedented 10th league title in a row.

According to a report from The Sun at the time, Gerrard had identified then-Livingston striker Lyndon Dykes and Aberdeen midfielder Lewis Ferguson as his top priorities in the transfer market. However, a move for either player failed to materialise, with the Ibrox boss focusing instead on signing Cedric Itten and Kemar Roofe on four-year-deals.

The in-demand striker wasn’t short of suitors in the summer, as the 25-year-old had scored 9 goals and supplied 8 assists in 25 games in the Scottish Premiership last season, amid interest from English Championship clubs Barnsley, Middlesbrough and Stoke City, with Barnsley having two bids rejected by Livi.

In the end, Dykes signed for Queens Park Rangers instead, after the Scottish Premiership side accepted a bid for the Australian-born forward in August, which is believed to be somewhere in the region of £1.98m.

Indeed, Ross Wilson decided to look elsewhere instead, with Daily Record columnist Fraser Wilson saying they weren’t willing to pay as much as QPR.

The Rs paid just shy of a £2m fee for the striker, which isn’t a crazy amount, especially when you consider the fact that Wilson paid more than that for Itten and Roofe.

Since then, the 6-cap Scotland international hasn’t stopped scoring for his new club and his country, as he has already scored three goals in nine appearances in the Championship so far this season. Even Jermain Defoe has only managed to score twice so far.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but if the Light Blues had bit the bullet, he could’ve been their starting striker for years to come if they had brought him to Ibrox and he was able to hit the ground running. His stats show that he would’ve been able to do this, given his impressive goal return for Livi, as he has shown that he can score goals on a regular basis at a decent level in a similar vein to Dado Prso.

Standing at 1,88m tall, Dykes is exactly the same height as the legendary Gers striker and surely would have been the perfect foil for Alfredo Morelos. The comparisons with Prso don’t stop there either, as the Croatian scored 26 times in 96 appearances for the Gers. By comparison, the Scotsman bagged 14 goals in 36 games in all competitions for Livi.

Anyone who watched Scotland’s historic shootout victory over Serbia will know he put in a tremendous shift, but he offers so much more than just that, as QPR manager Mark Warburton hailed him as a “fantastic” beast, whilst Gerrard once described him as a “dangerous” threat. These aren’t just your Average Joes, these are genuinely some of the best managers in the game who admire the former Livingston forward.

The Gers weren’t willing to part ways with a meagre fee for him in the summer, which now looks like a rather stupid decision several months later, as he has already been tipped as a Scotland legend in the making.

AND in other news, Gerrard could unearth the next Ryan Jack in Glasgow Rangers loanee Stephen Kelly…

It was something of a surprise when Leeds United man Robbie Gotts joined League One Lincoln City on loan ahead of this season but his impressive performances this season seem to suggest that the Yorkshire club made the right decision.

The 21-year-old joined the Imps on a season-long loan in October and has been a regular in Michael Appleton’s side since then, having made seven appearances in all competitions, featuring as both a right-back and a central midfielder.

When he joined the club, Appleton was full of praise for the youngster, telling the club’s website:

“He’s got bags of quality in possession of the ball and he’s got the energy and athleticism to get up and down the pitch too.”

Gotts’ performances have helped Lincoln make a superb start to the League One campaign, as they currently sit second in the table ahead of this weekend’s game away at Rochdale.

Bielsa has kept faith in young midfielder Jamie Shackleton at times this season, with the academy graduate having made three appearances in the Premier League this season, in which he has averaged a less than impressive 6.3 rating (per WhoScored).

Whilst Gotts is obviously playing a lower level, his performances have earned him the praise of Leeds fans on Twitter recently, so if he can continue as a regular in this Lincoln side, perhaps he could challenge Shackleton for his spot in Leeds’ first-team when he returns.

Marcelo Bielsa is well aware of the youngster, having praised his efforts after the made his debut in the Whites’ 1-0 defeat against Arsenal last season, so there seems no reason why he couldn’t establish himself as a regular in the Argentinian’s side in the future.

[freshpress-quiz id=“562145″]

Leeds fans will be hoping that Gotts continues to feature regularly for the Imps and helps them to promotion to the Championship, which would be a great experience for the 21-year-old.

And, in other news… Orta must prioritise handing a new contract to Bielsa favourite before it’s too late