The Huddle Breakdown

By The Huddle BreakdownSports Soccer Football

The Huddle Breakdown episodes

November 13 Celtic’s £100m Cash Myth BUSTED | Annual Report Deep Dive, Høgh’s Struggles & The Truth About Nygren
Celtic’s full annual report is out and the numbers tell a story the club won’t: £111m revenue, a staff cost jump to £81m that likely hides the true cost of Brendan Rodgers and Wilfried Nancy’s exits, and the truth behind the “£100m in the bank” claim — closer to £30-35m of genuinely free cash. We dig into Charlie Methven’s explosive Celtic Exchange interview on Dermot Desmond, board governance and why Celtic fans aren’t entitled for demanding basic competence. Then it’s the Speedboat League: why the SPFL table lies, Falkirk’s variance-fueled rise, and our data-driven title race projection. Plus a deep dive on Kasper Høgh’s worrying striker metrics vs Durán’s red-hot efficiency, the CIES index that rated Liam Scales among the world’s most important centre-backs, and brand-new tracking data that destroys the lazy narrative about Benjamin Nygren — 100th percentile high-speed running.

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11 min
November 11 Celtic vs Kilmarnock: A Tired Team, a Missed Penalty & Where Are the New Signings?
Celtic grind out three points at home to Kilmarnock, but have the Bhoys turned the corner? James and Alan breakdown a jaded Celtic performance after nine games in 28 days, Benjamin Nygren’s missed penalty, Kasper Hogh’s disallowed goal and his honest xG numbers, and ask why summer signings like Hassan and Sorensen can’t even make Martin O’Neill’s bench. Plus: a behind-the-curtain look at how data vendors decide what counts as a shot (and how single-game xG gets weaponized), why Falkirk sit third in the Scottish Premiership but bottom of Alan’s Speedboat League, Scott Bain’s heroics, Jim Goodwin’s stunning tactical reinvention at Dundee United, and the mess at Aberdeen after Stephen Robinson’s sacking.
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1 hr 12 min
November 07 Celtic Finally Win in Europe! Besiktas 3-2 Breakdown, Baur’s Problem & the Goalkeeper Mess
Celtic finally get off the mark in the Europa League with a chaotic 3-2 win over Besiktas, and on The Huddle Breakdown Extra Time, Martin, James and Alan break it all down. Was Martin O’Neill’s controversial lineup a planned rope-a-dope: stay compact in a 4-4-2 mid-block for an hour, then let Osman and Duran’s pace loose on a tired Besiktas? The guys use StatsBomb shot maps and heat maps to show why teams keep attacking Celtic’s right side. They look at how Mika Bauer’s left-sided game differs from Arne Engels’, and why James thinks it’s time to give Bauer the keys in place of Callum McGregor. They also ask what kind of midfielder Celtic really need in the January transfer window and whether the Johnstone-for-Sinisalo goalkeeper switch makes any sense, and they share their verdicts on Lotomba, Kieran Tierney, Carter-Vickers and Hugh. Alan’s Speedboat League (the xG table) shows Kilmarnock are better than bottom of the Scottish Premiership suggests, ahead of Sunday’s match at Celtic Park against Neil McCann’s side. Plus Poetry Corner and a first look at that pitch in Portugal. Hail Hail! 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
November 04 Why Celtic Lost at Falkirk (It Wasn’t Bad Luck) | Bain’s 10 Saves, O’Neill & Besiktas Preview
Falkirk 2-0 Celtic, and the xG debate has exploded. On this week’s Huddle Breakdown, James and Alan dig into the Celtic FC data to explain why the Hoops’ big xG total at the Falkirk Stadium doesn’t tell the real story. They cover game state, post-shot xG, and how John McGlynn’s Falkirk earned their two-goal lead before sitting deep to protect it, helped by 10 saves from man of the match Scott Bain. They also get into Celtic’s exposed right-hand side, the decision to bring Cameron Carter-Vickers back on the artificial pitch, Bauer’s heat map, the half-time switch to James Forrest, Kieran Tierney’s clearances, Falkirk’s long throws, and the Luke McCowan subs. Finally, they look ahead to Martin O’Neill’s Celtic hosting Besiktas in the Europa League. The visitors have just sacked their coach, they rank among Europe’s most intense pressing sides, and the one thing that matters for Celtic is to stop the bleeding. 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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56 min
October 31 Is Celtic’s Structure Exposing McGregor? Dundee United Review + Falkirk Preview
Celtic dropped points at home to Dundee United, and Callum McGregor and Cameron Carter-Vickers have both suggested the team isn’t organised enough. On this week’s Huddle Breakdown Extra Time, James and Alan use the data to test that claim. The opposition is getting about 15 shots a game against Celtic and more than double the touches in the Celtic box of the 2019/20 side. xG conceded has gone up from around 1.0 a game to 1.5. One stat suggests McGregor’s struggles are about the team’s structure rather than his age: he’s being taken out of the game by opposition passes twice as often as before. They also look at how Celtic’s front players and midfield pairings fit together (Duran and Hogh, McGregor and Bauer), including a 4-4-1-1 idea. They give credit to two young players: Dane Murray, who is on his first run of consecutive starts, and Colby Donovan, who has just signed a five-year deal and stands up well against Kieran Tierney at the same age. There’s a round-up of the SPFL after Hearts 2-2 Rangers, and the projections still have Celtic winning the Scottish Premiership by around six points. Finally, they preview Falkirk: John McGlynn’s high line and pressing, a run of good luck (four own goals in their favour) and bad set-piece defending that Celtic could take advantage of. 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
October 28 Celtic Win Ugly in Edinburgh – But Can Talent Keep Papering Over the Cracks? | Dundee United Preview
Celtic came from behind to bag 3 points against Hibs in 50–60mph Edinburgh winds. Alan and James get into whether there’s anything to learn from a game that chaotic, the Grant Hanley-up-front gamble, Martin O’Neill’s “best performance” comments, and why finishers like Duran and Nygren are so valuable when the ball drops. They look at Alistair Johnston’s latest hamstring setback and what it says about rest, recovery and soft-tissue injuries at Celtic. They also cover the young right side of the defence, with a new five-year deal for Donovan. Then the stats come out for a Dundee United preview. Jim Goodwin’s side are well-organised and press smartly. They shoot from range, are kings of the long throw and sit high in the Speedboat League, which raises the question: should Celtic go with an Osmand, Duran, Hassan front three? Scottish Premiership analysis, xG and data-led Celtic FC talk from The Huddle Breakdown.

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47 min
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

About The Huddle Breakdown

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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…