It’s one thing for a stadium to be a fortress, it’s another thing entirely for it to be a constant cauldron of hate.While fans across the globe buzz over away fixtures, there are some grounds that supporters – and players – dread visiting. While stadiums are most notably loud and intense during fierce derby matches and crunch clashes, there are some that can be downright scary.Former Watford skipper Troy Deeney told talkSPORT that Birmingham’s St Andrew’s boasted an intimidation unlike any other ground he played in.And now talkSPORT’s legendary broadcaster Adrian Durham has weighed in on the debate having experienced fixtures worldwide.He’s already ranked the greatest stadiums across the 92 professional clubs in England, as well as the top five rivalries, and now he’s named his top five hostile atmospheres.What’s the criteria for a hostile stadium?Having his say on what makes a ground so intimidating, Durham said on the talkSPORT Daily Podcast: “I think in terms of stadiums where you will get a hostile atmosphere, sometimes it’s because of the game itself which is being played there.“But actually, you know deep down, when you’re going to a certain ground, that you could be set for an interesting afternoon or evening.”He added: “We’re diving into the heart of European football, not necessarily the goals, the tactics, the noise, the chaos.“The pure unapologetic hostility of the continent’s most intimidating stadiums.”Durham continued: “We’re talking about flares going off, pyros, flags covering entire stands, the tifos that are made, and some of them are quite nasty.“Thousands of ultras making life hell for the away team from the first whistle to the very last.Galatasaray’s Rams Park is often considered to be the most intimidating stadium, but does it make Durham’s list?Getty“The places where even the best players can crumble and where the home fans turn football into something primal.”With that in mind, let’s take a look at what stadiums have made Durham’s top five list…5. Red Star Belgrade – Rajko Mitic Stadium“I’ve only just been there for the England game – [5-0 win against Serbia in September 2025].“But you’ve got Partizan Stadium just over the road – it’s all ripe for hostility.“That tunnel as well, everything about it was just… you could see how that is regarded as one of the most hostile stadiums across the world.“So having been there, because I’ve read so much about it, I thought I’d already been there, but I hadn’t.Red Star’s stadium is known for its intense atmosphereGettyRajko Mitic Stadium hosts both club and international football, with it being Serbia’s national groundGetty“When I got there, it suddenly clicked, ‘I’ve never been here before’, but I know this place because of everything you’ve read about it.“And you can picture what’s gone on there in the past.”4. Napoli – Stadio Diego Armando Maradona“I think it’s partly to do with the city as well and just how unique it is, and I found it really attractive as a city.“And some people might find that difficult because it’s quite grubby. But I loved it.“And I felt like I could actually live there very comfortably, it was my kind of place, plus, you’ve got all the history close by that’s going on here.“And it’s such a special place to be, but when it comes to the stadium, when I walked up to the stadium for the first time, I actually thought I got the wrong place.Napoli fans are some of the most intense in Europe, with supporters known for their loud atmosphereGetty“I thought it was derelict because it was so shoddy, it was so dirty, the litter around there was phenomenal.“And then I just realised, ‘No, this is the right place, and actually, this is how it’s meant to be.’“This is what this place is and it just felt very, very special to me.“But hostility, absolutely, 100 per cent is there with that stadium in Naples.”3. West Ham – Upton Park“I’m going to go for one that can’t be experienced anymore and that’s Upton Park – West Ham.“The last game, and it just puts into perspective how sad it is that they moved to the London Stadium, which is so soulless, the last game there was against Manchester United.West Ham plied their trade at Upton Park from 1904 to 2016Getty“They won 3-2, and I actually, for work purposes, I was there for the build-up, I had to leave the ground when it kicked off and go back in a little bit later.“When I left the ground, between Upton Park and the tube station, it was like it was post-apocalyptic, I’ve never seen anything quite like it, It was mind-blowing, really.“There was no police presence, there was literally nobody there, but it was dark, and there was broken glass everywhere.“There was all sorts of rubbish on the floor, and it just looked like there had been a bomb. It was just incredible.”Recalling one particular incident which left him shaken, Durham remarked: “The other thing about West Ham and how hostile it is, I can remember back in the early 1990s, I was at college in London.“And a friend of mine was a Man City fan, and I said to him, ‘Look, I can get you tickets to West Ham-Man City [September 1991], let’s go on Saturday afternoon.’West Ham plied their trade at Upton Park from 1904 to 2016Getty“I actually went to West Ham on the Thursday – this is pre-internet, of course – I went to West Ham on the Thursday, went to the ticket office, and said, ‘I want to come to the game on Saturday. Can I get into the away end?’“They said, ‘Oh, yeah, it’ll be fine. Just turn up on the day, ‘so, of course, naively I left, went back on the Saturday with my mate, saying, ‘That’ll be fine.’“We get there, we can’t get in, it’s ticket only, but we could get into the home end, so we paid our money, went into the West Ham end, and sure enough, it’s 1-1 last minute.“City get a penalty, Steve Redmond steps up to take it, completely misses his kick from the spot, scuffs it, keeper [Ludek Miklosko] already dived the wrong way.“It trickles into the net, and Man City win 2-1, at which point, a guy next to us that we didn’t know, suddenly starts leaping about, reveals himself as a City fan.“The West Ham fans go crazy, and he just puts his hands up and says, ‘Right, it’s a fair cop,’ expects to be beaten up, but he just goes to leave, and they let him leave the stadium.“And I just turned to my mate and said, ‘Just say nothing, play it cool.’ I felt very intimidated at that moment in time. It was fantastic.“So I very much miss Upton Park and the Chicken Run [stand], that was a hostile stadium, no question about it, and they’ve not been able to replicate it, I think.”Durham has declared how Redmond’s penalty outed a City fan in the home end – instantly making him nervous for his friend2. Burnley – Turf Moor“I really love going to Turf Moor, people talk about the view from the top of the stand, and that’s brilliant.“But the first time I ever went there, I was at Uni in Hull, and I used to go to Peterborough games that were up north, and nobody wanted to come with me, obviously, so I was going on my own.“And I’d get set up on a Saturday morning, get the train across from Hull, and this particular time I went to Burnley.“And my MO [modus operandi], again, no internet in those days, my MO was just get there, go into a pub, ask for directions to the ground. Incredibly naive.“I got to Burnley, and I went into a pub and said, ‘Could you tell me where the ground is?’“And the barman just looked at another fella who was at the bar, that fella looked at me, looked back at the barman, sort of nodded, and I thought, ‘Oh, my God, what have I got myself into here?’“And the barman said to me, ‘He’ll look after you,’ and I thought, ‘Well, what does that mean?,’ so this guy, he was a big fella as well.“He was very friendly, and he said, ‘I’ll take you there, I’m going to the ground, I’ll take you there.’Turf Moor provided one of the most scary matchday moments for DurhamGetty“On the way to the ground, he took me into this pub, and on the walls of the pub were framed newspaper cuttings of hooliganism – bad hooliganism involving Burnley fans down the years.“And he sat me in the corner, bought me a drink, which was lovely, and sat me with two old-timer former hooligans who regaled me with all these stories.“And I thought to myself, this could end one of two ways, this could just be a lovely experience, or I am going to get it kicked out of me, and they’re going to lead me down an alleyway.“I was 19, I thought, ‘I’ve just got to accept my punishment here for being so naive and stupid.’“But it was a great day, and that fella, he left, and I think he was off to have a ruck with somebody.“But he came over to me and shook hands and said, ‘These two will look after you,’ and I said, ‘Well, thanks,’ but I was obviously still a little bit cautious at that stage.“They took me directly to the away end, told me where to go afterwards to meet them, and they’d buy me a drink.“We got a late equaliser, it finished 1-1, so I was OK with that, and again, the naive stupidity of me, I go into the bar where they told me to go afterwards, and I was really happy because we got a late equaliser, and I expressed that happiness in front of the Burnley fans.Burnley have played at Turf Moor since 1883getty“What an idiot! So it was an intimidating experience to be surrounded by all this evidence of hooliganism.“What became obvious to me was a hooligan taking me to meet his friends, who were obviously former hooligans.“But actually, I will say this, the Burnley fans that day may have had a dubious past, but they treated me very, very well.“So I’ve had a lot of… It was hostile, but I had a very positive experience. I feel very lucky.“I think they recognised just how naive I was and thought, ‘We can’t take advantage of this poor little boy from the Fens who knows no better. This would be like bullying a small child. You can’t possibly do it.’“So that naive look, and I looked very young in those days, it worked for me.”1. Millwall – Old Den“With my number one, it’s going to be another one that you can’t go to.“It’s the Old Den – Millwall.“Reason is because I went there once and I was in the away end with Posh fans and it was a midweek [game].“It was a Tuesday night and I’ve never been so delighted to lose 4-0.“So happy to lose that game, it was intimidation and then some, no doubt about it.”The Old Den boasted intimidation like no other…Getty