"They are horrible" - Troy Deeney drops claim on Millwall FC's atmosphere at The Den | OneFootball

Millwall's home is known for being a tough place to go to for oppositions.

The Den, home of Millwall, has been named as the ground with the best atmosphere in English football by former striker Troy Deeney.

Bermondsey's premier football club has a reputation that precedes it. It's a tough old place that is hated by the cute and soft but loved by those who are up for a bit of a scrap.

It's a tough place for teams to go is The Den.

Last season, the three promoted sides - Leeds United, Burnley and Sunderland - got just one point between them from their visits to the notorious ground. They weren't far off the top six in the Championship for overall home form, picking up 40 points from 23 games.

The hard-nosed attitude of the players and the raucous environment created by the crowd contribute massively to this impressive record. According to Deeney, no other team in the country can top what The Den offers when it comes to atmosphere.

Troy Deeney: The Den has the best atmosphere

Speaking to talkSPORT, the ex-Watford and Birmingham City striker revealed this stadium preference, stating that these old-school grounds are what does it for him.

"I'm a bit of a traditionalist," said Deeney. "Weirdly, I loved playing at Millwall. It's a bit of me, isn't it? It's a bit intense. They're going to give you s***, you give them s***."

Across his career, the number nine netted three times in 11 appearances at The Den and won on as many occasions. Even though he had plenty of success in his outings at the ground, Deeney never gave any thought to moving to the Championship club during his playing days.

"Why? "Because without being unfair to Millwall, I was better than that, wasn't I? I would've went there at the end [of my career] and that wouldn't have been good for me or them."

He continued: "I love fanbases where you know who and what they are. Millwall is a community club. They are rough, they are horrible, they're at it but they look after their own. Probably because I'm from Birmingham, I can relate to that."

Troy Deeney's The Den claim is very high praise

Deeney's career saw him play right across the country and its footballing tiers, from the top of the Premier League all the way to the bottom of the EFL. He's faced Liverpool at Anfield, Manchester United at Old Trafford, West Ham United in their days at Upton Park. That's an extremely strong list of stadiums, and yet The Den comes out on top for him.

It's quite flattery to have it at the top of that pile, but it also doesn't come as much of a shock either. In a modern era full of bowl-shaped homes, The Den has retained its classic 20th century feel better than any other venue in this country's footballing scene.