After months of bare brickwork, steel and fan frustration, Celtic Park’s banners are finally going back up.
The large-scale wraps that once decorated the stadium were taken down earlier this year after being damaged during a storm, with supporters left puzzled as to why they weren’t replaced sooner.
Storm Eowyn tore through Glasgow back at the end of January, damaging the banners that were up.
Ten months on, the club has begun installing a fresh new design around the ground, with work already well underway.
The first section to go up is at the South East corner of the stadium, featuring a tribute to the Lisbon Lions, the legendary side who lifted the European Cup in 1967 after a remarkable quintuple-winning season. Early images show that the new banners celebrate that historic triumph while adding a modern touch to Celtic Park’s look.
Credit: @Celticcurio
While the works are still ongoing, fans have a little longer to wait before seeing the full display in person.
The Hoops are next in action at home on Saturday, November 22, when they travel to St Mirren in a rare 8pm kick-off.
Celtic will be looking to mark the occasion with a strong performance. A win would see them close the gap on league leaders Hearts to four points, with the Tynecastle side travelling to Aberdeen the following day.
After the trip to Paisley and a tough Europa League clash against Feyenoord, Celtic will finally make the return to Parkhead to face third-placed Hibernian.
That fixture will give supporters their first proper glimpse of the new-look exterior, which is expected to wrap around multiple sections of the ground once complete.
The match against Feyenoord could be a weird one for Celtic.
It could be played in front of a reduced crowd, with the Dutch champions facing a partial stadium closure after another UEFA rap.
Feyenoord fans landed their club in hot water this week after letting off fireworks and unfurling a giant banner reading “Welcome to our lunatic asylum” during their match against Panathinaikos.
The pyrotechnic display was enough to trigger UEFA’s disciplinary action, as the Rotterdam outfit were already on a suspended sentence for similar behaviour during a Champions League tie with Bayern Munich earlier this year.
If UEFA enforces the punishment, it could mean up to 10,000 seats lie empty when Celtic come calling, significantly reducing the typically fierce atmosphere inside the 51,000-capacity De Kuip.
