The Huddle Breakdown

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

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. 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

Celtic's 1-0 defeat to Rangers at Parkhead was, by the numbers, the worst home Old Firm performance of the Wyscout era: an xG difference of -1.91, just three shots to Rangers' 14, and a long-ball rate roughly triple Celtic's historical norm. James is joined again by Rhiann (DataBhoys) to rewatch and dissect the debacle, including the confusing team selection and shifting formations, Callum McGregor's 14 possession losses, and why "the players didn't try" is the wrong conclusion. They then zoom out to the bigger picture: the "Frankenstein" clash between Celtic's legacy possession game model and Martin O'Neill's more direct approach, season-to-date data on xG conceded, possession, build-up turnovers and clearances that suggest one of the weakest Celtic sides in recent memory, the club's lack of strategy at executive level, and what Celtic's preliminary financial results really say about the club's cash position.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

Celtic’s 3-1 home defeat to Ferencváros capped a miserable week, and on this episode of The Huddle Breakdown Extra Time, Martin Murphy is joined by James and Heath to work out how much of it can possibly be fixed before Sunday’s Glasgow Derby. The panel goes deep into the tactical wreckage: a press with no triggers and no cohesion in the front line, a rest defence so open that every turnover turns into a jailbreak, Callum McGregor dropping into a 3-2-5 build-up that strands Bauer and Sorensen as a makeshift two, and a game model James calls “Frankenstein” — half Ange, half Rodgers, functioning as neither. There’s a look at Ross Grant’s set-piece work and Celtic’s front-post obsession, a close read of how Derek McInnes set Rangers up at Ibrox and what he might try at Parkhead, genuine praise for James Forrest’s performance, and a blunt assessment of the squad depth problem that shows up around the 70th minute. Plus: why Rangers have a Frankenstein of their own after Dan Purdy’s exit, where Celtic can actually hurt them, and what a bad result on Sunday means with Rangers two points behind and a brutal six-week run of fixtures ahead.

Celtic were humbled 3-0 by Rangers at Ibrox, and The Huddle Breakdown goes beyond the hot takes to explain why. With Alan away in Tokyo, James is joined by data analyst Rhian (RhiCam on Substack, @databhoys on X) for a tactical and data-driven breakdown of the Old Firm derby. They cover Derek McInnes' man-marking plan, James Penrice's dual role, the Hassan and goalkeeper selection calls, Celtic's disjointed press, and Callum McGregor dropping between the centre-backs. The bigger question is whether Celtic's possession game model is now outdated, since opponents like Rangers, LASK and Club Brugge have worked out how to neutralise it. They also preview Thursday's Europa League match against Ferencváros, with PPDA pressing numbers, the inverted full-backs, key players to watch and how Martin O'Neill should line up to take three points.Want to support the channel? - https://huddlebreakdown.comLike 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

Martin, James, and returning guest Heath break down Celtic's 1-0 win away at St Johnstone — a game that delivered three points but raised plenty of questions, from a flat first half and an experimental 3-2-5 to Mika Bauer's match-winner and Sam Johnstone's debut in goal. James shares striking benchmarking data on Hassan, Celtic's brilliant but baffling winger — 99th percentile for dribbles and crosses, near-zero for defensive work — and asks whether the pieces up front actually fit together. Then it's the big one: a full Glasgow Derby preview ahead of the League Cup tie at Ibrox, with a data-driven look at Derek McInnes's Rangers, their shift toward direct football, Celtic's alarming open-play xG conceded, and the selection debate over Duran, Hogh, and Hassan. Plus League Cup history, lineup predictions, and a wee bit of poetry corner.Want to support the channel? - https://huddlebreakdown.comLike 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

James is joined by special guest co-host Quinny (filling in for Alan, currently sampling sushi in Japan) to break down Celtic's 2-1 win away at St Mirren and what it tells us about this evolving Celtic side. They dig into Hassan's "gravitational pull" on the wing and whether his end product will catch up to his athleticism, Liam Scales' surprisingly dynamic left back role, and how the new-look midfield is adding verticality to Celtic's game model. Then they zoom out for a whip-around of the Scottish Premiership's tactical revolution — why half the league's managers are changing philosophy, why teams are getting punished for pressing, and why Scottish football is suddenly box office viewing — before previewing Wednesday's trip to St Johnstone. Data-driven Celtic FC analysis, every week on The Huddle Breakdown.Want to support the channel? - https://huddlebreakdown.comLike 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

With Alan away in the Far East, Martin and James welcome Celtic analytics community scout Heath Tempe to break down a huge week for Celtic FC. The panel reviews the win over Aberdeen — Yang's electric man-of-the-match display, Duran's ridiculous finishing form, and why Hassan's crossing is driving everyone mad — before diving into Celtic's transfer deadline signings: PSV wonderkid Yoel Van den Berg, Feyenoord loan fullback Jordan Latombe, Sorensen, teenage Chelsea striker Mukko, and ex-England goalkeeper Sam Johnstone. Plus a data-driven look at the Europa League squad and a full tactical preview of Saturday's top-of-the-table clash away to a rebuilt St Mirren. Celtic news, transfer analysis, and Scottish Premiership stats — every week on The Huddle Breakdown.Want to support the channel? - https://huddlebreakdown.comLike 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