Troy Deeney is in a unique position to declare which stadiums in English football have the best atmospheres.

In a professional career that spanned two decades and was spent playing in the top four divisions of English football, Deeney has played at all kinds of grounds.

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Deeney has enjoyed all sorts of atmospheres, but which were his favourites?Credit: talkSPORT

From some of the biggest venues in England to those where fans lean on a pitch-side fence, the 36-year-old truly experienced it all.

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But which stadiums had the best atmosphere of the lot?

Well, Deeney revealed all to talkSPORT.com as he picked his five favourites.

Before Deeney named his choices, he briefly explained why there was somewhat of a theme amongst the selections.

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"I'm a bit of a traditionalist," Deeney said.

"I like old school grounds."

The first stadium off the ranks was West Ham United's former home, Upton Park.

Deeney made two appearances at Upton Park, all of which came during his time at Watford.

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The first of those came in the 2011/12 season when the Hornets and West Ham were in the Championship.

Deeney started up top and played the full match as the two teams played out a 1-1 draw.

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West Ham farewelled Upton Park in 2016 as they moved to the much larger London StadiumCredit: Getty Images - Getty

He then made a 14-minute appearance off the bench during the 2015/16 Premier League season as Watford slipped to a 3-1 defeat.

Deeney also named-checked White Hart Lane, Tottenham's home of nearly 120 years, as another of his favourite atmospheres he experienced.

Same goes for the buzz at Newcastle's St James' Park, which Deeney labelled 'excellent'.

Wembley was another iconic English ground that scored a mention from the Hornets icon.

He graced the hallowed turf of the nation's most recognisable ground for a Championship play-off final in 2013 as well as the 2019 FA Cup, although both fixtures ended in heartbreak for Watford.

However, it was a club in the English Football League (EFL) that had a special place in Deeney's heart when it came to the best atmospheres.

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Spurs enjoyed many famous moments at the Lane before they moved into bigger surroundings in 2019Credit: Getty

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The Den has a fearsome reputation and Deeney loved the atmosphere it generatedCredit: Getty

"Weirdly, I loved playing at Millwall," Deeney said.

"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***."

All up, Deeney played 11 times at The Den and scored three goals.

From those 11 appearances, he lost only three times.

The Den is widely regarded as one of the most hostile venues in English football for their rivals, so it's no surprise the ground also made the cut for the most intimidating stadiums Deeney has played in.

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Although he relished playing at The Den, there was never a chance he would make the gritty stadium his permanent home.

"Because without being unfair to Millwall, I was better than that, wasn't I," Deeney said.

"I would've went there at the end [of my career] and that wouldn't have been good for me or them.

"I love fanbases where you know who and what they are.

Millwall's a community club, they're rough, they're horrible, they're at it but they look after their own.

"Probably because I'm from Birmingham, I can relate to that."

The community element regarding Millwall may be one of the luring factors behind rumours Saudi boxing kingpin Turki Alalshikh is in discussions regarding a potential takeover of the club.

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A trip away to Millwall represents a daunting prospect for any opponent at all levelsCredit: Getty

Millwall have since denied any conversations involving Alalshikh have taken place.

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But it hasn't stopped the rumour mill from going into overdrive, especially since the 43-year-old made a cryptic comment underneath a Millwall social media post on Thursday.

Reports of Alalshikh's supposed interest in Millwall comes after talkSPORT host Simon Jordan revealed the former was looking for a way into English football.


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