The Huddle Breakdown

By The Huddle BreakdownSports Soccer Football

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Typical duration
56 min
per episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

The Huddle Breakdown episodes

October 23 Celtic vs Celta Vigo: The Data Behind Another Europa League Defeat | Huddle Breakdown Extra Time
Celtic fell to another Europa League defeat, losing to Celta Vigo at Celtic Park, and on this Huddle Breakdown Extra Time, Martin, James and Alan get into why the Hoops keep hammering teams in the Scottish Premiership and then get carved open in Europe. James reports from his first European night at Paradise. He also shares UEFA tracking data showing Callum McGregor has covered 37.4km in three Europa League games, the second most in the whole competition. Alan breaks down the structural issues behind Celtic giving up more shots than they take, a lopsided left side, and the “Engels-sized hole” on the right. He also says Oliver Sorensen is being set up to fail. The panel discusses board accountability, the roughly £300m in missed Champions League money, the SPFL TV rights tender, and the Conference League coefficient problem facing Scottish football. They finish by previewing Sunday’s lunchtime trip to Easter Road to face bottom-of-the-table Hibs under their new manager, after David Gray’s sacking.
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11 min
October 20 Celtic 7-1 Hearts | The Data Behind the Demolition + Celta Vigo Preview
Celtic thrash Hearts 7-1 at Celtic Park, and James and Alan dig into the data behind the Scottish Premiership demolition. Hearts had more possession and more shots but were blown away on xG. It’s a scoreline that echoes Germany 7-1 Brazil, and the packing numbers tell a similar story. We break down why Hearts’ bold possession game plan backfired, how Callum Osmand’s first professional start on the left wing set the tone, Benjamin Nygren’s movement, Kieran Tierney’s performance, and whether Celtic’s pace up front makes them a counter-attacking force in the Europa League. We also ask whether the 7-1 really fixed Celtic’s structural problems, use MLB payrolls and analytics staff to look at how smaller clubs close resource gaps, and preview Celtic vs Celta Vigo. The topics include xG, variance, set pieces, game state and what the result means for the season ahead. Want to support the channel? - https://huddlebreakdown.com Like this video and want more content like it? Subscribe to the channel below and hit the bell to get notified every time a new video goes live. Follow us on Twitter: @huddlebreakdown @Alan_Morrison67 @jucojames
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1 hr 1 min
October 18 Benfica 4-1 Celtic: Set Up to Fail? Tounekti, Høgh & Hearts Preview | Extra Time
Celtic were beaten 4-1 by Benfica in Lisbon in the Europa League, and on this Huddle Breakdown Extra Time, Martin, Alan and James break down why. Alan uses packing data to show that Benfica cut through Celtic’s front three 14 times in the first half alone, and asks why Martin O’Neill left Oliver Sørensen in a number 10 role that doesn’t suit him. The guys go through all four goals and Viljami Sinisalo’s goalkeeping. Alan’s data shows how much Sebastian Tounekti’s output drops in big games compared with Gianluca Prestianni, and the panel discusses Kasper Høgh’s struggles and whether Camilo Durán should now start through the middle. To finish, they preview Celtic v Hearts in the Scottish Premiership, covering Hearts’ set-piece threat, their new style of play and the luck that has gone their way so far. Plus details of our supporters’ meetup in Glasgow city centre on Monday 26 October.
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11 min
October 15 Ben Lyttleton: Martin O’Neill, Moneyball & Why Celtic Need a Sporting Director | The Huddle Breakdown Interview
Football author and executive Ben Lyttleton (Twelve Yards, Edge, Football School) joins Alan and James on The Huddle Breakdown Interview to talk about how data analytics is changing football and what that means for Celtic. Ben goes behind the scenes of the Netherlands’ penalty data before the 2010 World Cup final. He explains why your best penalty taker should go first or fourth, and why most Premier League transfers fail. He also makes the case for a sporting director as the “guardian of the culture.” Then the conversation turns to Martin O’Neill. Ben explains how the man-management strengths that won Celtic the Scottish Premiership title are now being held against him, and how a well-run club should handle a short-term slump. They also cover over-optimisation, the comeback of the dribbling winger, and why creativity may be the one thing AI can’t predict. Ben ends with why football is still a force for good.
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11 min
October 13 Is Shaun Maloney Really Running Celtic Now? | Motherwell Breakdown & Benfica Preview
Celtic produced their most dominant performance in weeks at Fir Park, and Alan and James break down the data from the Motherwell win. After Liam Scales talked about the player meetings, has Celtic’s game model shifted back towards Ange-ball? Is Shaun Maloney now effectively running the team under Martin O’Neill? The guys cover the expected goals (xG), the packing numbers behind Kieran Tierney’s huge game and Bauer’s man-of-the-match display. They also cover Jota’s emotional return after three years away and why a striker’s underlying numbers don’t match the doubters. Then they look at the Scottish Premiership weekend: Rangers’ flattering win over Kilmarnock, why Hearts are a real title threat, and the “two Frankensteins” in Glasgow. To finish, a Europa League preview of Benfica, and the hard truth about how far Scotland has fallen in Opta’s European league rankings. Want to support the channel? - https://huddlebreakdown.com Like this video and want more content like it? Subscribe to the channel below and hit the bell to get notified every time a new video goes live. Follow us on Twitter: @huddlebreakdown @Alan_Morrison67 @jucojames
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50 min
October 09 Celtic's £300m Left on the Table, Scotland Déjà Vu & Motherwell Preview
Is the Celtic board as successful as it claims? On this week’s Huddle Breakdown Extra Time, James benchmarks Celtic FC against Club Brugge, Sporting CP and PSV Eindhoven on revenue, matchday income, wages, player amortisation and player trading. His conclusion is that weak player trading and missed Champions League football have cost the club £300M or more under Dermot Desmond’s model, and that domestic trophies hide how far behind its European peers it has fallen. Alan explains why Scotland’s Nations League loss to Slovenia felt so familiar to Celtic fans. He also covers the knives coming out for the new manager, and why Ryan Christie, not Lewis Ferguson, should partner Billy Gilmour. Then he breaks down the Speedboat League variance data: Celtic are losing almost half a goal a game to poor finishing and to opposition goalkeepers having the best run of any SPFL side against them. Plus Falkirk’s upswing, Dundee’s “cockroach” luck, and a full Motherwell vs Celtic preview ahead of Sunday at Fir Park.

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Like this video and want more content like it? Subscribe to the channel below and hit the bell to get notified every time a new video goes live. Follow us on Twitter: @huddlebreakdown @Alan_Morrison67 @jucojames
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11 min
October 07 Tennis Ball Gate, the Celtic Statement & Why the League Table Lies | The Huddle Breakdown
James and Alan break down Tennis Ball Gate at St Andrews and the club's furious Saturday night statement. They ask whether the growing split between the Celtic board, Dermot Desmond and the support can be repaired, or whether escalation and personal targeting will only deepen it. The pair look at why domestic trophies and a healthy balance sheet can't justify Celtic's European record against similarly sized clubs, and what proper benchmarking, expected trophies and modern football governance would look like. James explains his "Anderlechtification" fear. In the second half, Alan relaunches the Speedboat League, his expected points table for the Scottish Premiership, along with the Banked League projection. They cover xG, luck, variance and randomness, why the league table lies, whether Hibs were right to sack David Gray, and how tight the Celtic vs Rangers title race really is after seven games. More data-driven Celtic analysis at huddlebreakdown.com.
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1 hr
October 03 Man City, Rangers 2012 & Celtic's Coherence Crisis | Subscriber Q&A
Is the Manchester City case Scottish football's Rangers 2012 all over again? In this Huddle Breakdown Extra Time, host Martin Murphy is joined by Alan and James to compare the Premier League's handling of Man City with the Lord Nimmo Smith Commission into Rangers. They also ask why the clubs' own fans were victims too, and look at the UAE geopolitics that could shape the outcome. Then it's into your subscriber questions on Celtic. Who's the signing of the season so far? Is Callum McGregor reaching a hinge point, and should he play deeper? Is Cameron Carter-Vickers still Celtic's most important defender? The data on why Celtic's pressing stats hide a real problem: possession down from 73% to 60%, more shots conceded, and set pieces now a net negative. Should Martin O'Neill stay? What would Alan and James do if they were Dermot Desmond for a day? And how do the Rangers investors ever get their money back? Data-driven Celtic analysis from The Huddle Breakdown. Read more at huddlebreakdown.com. Want to support the channel? - https://huddlebreakdown.com Like this video and want more content like it? Subscribe to the channel below and hit the bell to get notified every time a new video goes live. Follow us on Twitter: @huddlebreakdown @Alan_Morrison67 @jucojames
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11 min
September 30 Man City, Rangers & the Story Scottish Media Won't Touch | Celtic's Identity Crisis
As the Premier League's Man City case dominates headlines worldwide, Alan and James ask why the Scottish football media has stayed almost completely silent, and what the parallels with Rangers' 2012 liquidation, the EBT scandal and the obstruction of investigators reveal about football governance, power and accountability. The Huddle Breakdown then turns to Celtic. Alan has rewatched the games from his time away and comes back with a stark verdict on Martin O'Neill's management team drifting from Celtic's possession-based playing model. James brings StatsBomb pace-to-goal and xG-conceded data showing Celtic losing control. They also discuss Cameron Carter-Vickers' honest comments about confusion in the squad, revisit Stephen Welsh's Celtic legacy as he starts for Scotland and Swansea, and take hope from Scotland's cohesive display against Slovenia in the Nations League. Want to support the channel? - https://huddlebreakdown.com Like this video and want more content like it? Subscribe to the channel below and hit the bell to get notified every time a new video goes live. Follow us on Twitter: @huddlebreakdown @Alan_Morrison67 @jucojames
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50 min
September 25 Celtic's Systemic Collapse, a £4.8m Loss & the "Least Bad Option"
Alan is back(!) from Japan and straight into the wreckage of Celtic's three straight defeats, capped by a 1-0 derby loss to Rangers at Celtic Park. With James and Martin, he argues it was a systemic collapse, not a question of individual effort, and backs it with the numbers: Rangers won the ball back with 42% of their pressures, the highest figure in six-plus seasons of our data. We look at Martin O'Neill's tactics, why asking Celtic's centre-backs to hit 50-yard channel balls played straight into Derek McInnes's hands, the Callum McGregor question, and why Celtic are now playing a game of "least bad option." Then we go through Celtic's 2026 financial results: a £4.8m loss after tax, revenue down 22.7%, and why the £66.4m cash headline is really closer to £31m once you strip out season ticket money. We also cover the Champions League money left on the table, why Scotland pays a Saudi-level premium for players, how a new stand could realistically be funded, and the title race with Rangers and Hearts. Plus Poetry Corner.

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Like this video and want more content like it? Subscribe to the channel below and hit the bell to get notified every time a new video goes live.

Follow us on Twitter: @huddlebreakdown @Alan_Morrison67 @jucojames
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11 min

About The Huddle Breakdown

From the publisher's feed

The Huddle Breakdown is a podcast focusing on all things Celtic FC. This is not your regular fan-run podcast though, we combine analysis with statistics to provide a proper deep-dive into the…