Hibs vs Celtic | Where do we need to strengthen? | Idah vs Miovski

[@county8815]

The Huddle is by far the best Celtic podcast , it’s superb 🇮🇪☘️👍

[@DavidByrne85]

And like scottish fitbaw - second is nowhere 🏆

[@marknugent9851]

Agreed!

[@marknugent9851]

@@DavidByrne85 Usually I'm not that big a fan of talking heads but as I see my lifetime piling up and as I dodge psycho killers, it's been a wild wild life, but Parkhead... this must be the place :P

[@pasteboard5269]

Indeed!

[@Mantis_Toboggan_MD.]

To Alan's point around 56:30 I posted this comment on another channel but it goes to exactly what Alan was saying: Well the Adam Idah saga is finally over and it has exposed several flaws in our approach to recruitment. We have paid well over the odds for Idah. £8.5 million (potentially rising to £9.5M + a 15% sell on) is absolutely ridiculous for a player who was a back up striker at Norwich and is viewed as a back up striker to Kyogo by most Celtic fans. I'm not saying Idah wont do a good job for us BTW, he's already demonstrated he's a half decent player, I'm just saying that there are dozens of strikers out there who would also do a decent job for nowhere near what we're shelling out on Idah. And that is the real crux of the matter. Adam Idah isn't really the issue. The issue is that our "scouting" is basically anyone the manager has heard of. Now that is ok if the manager has worked in Asia and knows first hand of several players who could play in our first team and are available for relatively cheap fees & wages. BUT it becomes a problem when the manager has only ever managed in England and we're now shopping in a market where Norwich City can ask you (with a straight face!) for £11 million for their 3rd choice striker. Adam Idah himself may work out great for us, maybe he'll kick on under Brendan and have 2-3 fantastic seasons and we'll be batting away offers in the £25-£30million range two summers from now...... But long term, this strategy (buying from EPL clubs or clubs on the periphery of the EPL) is not likely to be successful. There's probably some 19yo wonderkid out there (who is already just as good if not better than Idah) with a much higher ceiling than Idah, who we could get for half the price. He's probably playing in Norway or Poland or Serbia etc.... but you need a top tier scouting team in order to identify these guys and we don't have that. We tried it last year when we let the former CEO's son have a go at it and we signed players from Poland, Norway, Cyprus, Korea, Australia.... and the results were erm... "Not good" shall we say. BUT this was the correct approach for a club like Celtic it's just that you still need competent people in charge of scouting those leagues and we seem to have now shelved that idea because of one bad appointment based on nepotism. So here we are! The club seem to have left us with two options Option 1. A half arsed scattergun approach to scouting , that anyone with a copy of 'Football Manager' could perform. Option 2. Brendan Rodgers' rolodex of overpriced EPL journeymen & loaning promising kids looking for 1st team games That's it. There is no 3rd option apparently.

[@marknugent9851]

Nailed it.

[@seamusmckenna-y2h]

Did you listen to BRs press conferance on Idah? He is very happy with Idah, he wanted him and the board got him. The price is neither here nor there and I think BR knows more about a players value and potential than any fan or commentator on this show, even though i appreciate their alternative oppinions and viewpoint. HH 💚🍀🇮🇪

[@johnoneill2084]

Thanks guys. Guest hosts bit like Celtics recruitment. Depending on Alan’s connections😂Just glad you are carrying on as you provide a completely different analysis.

[@brizman11]

martin should be signed up...don't leave it late like the celtic board! Great show guys👍

[@stephenirvine6042]

Love the show . Well done, Martin

[@harrytsavlidis1535]

Thanks guys thoroughly enjoyable episode

[@tedtrainor9230]

Thank you guys I enjoyed the show very much TedT Alberta

[@cathaljosephquinn]

This format is working very well... but let's give it the ten episode smell test just like our statisticians do for every new signing!

[@johnlittle3507]

Love to come here to get my optimistic bubble burst with cold hard stats and data 😂. Brilliant podcast . Well done Martin also 👏.

[@frankbrennan1619]

''Context is everything'' as dear old Alan is very fond of saying & of course, he's completely correct & particularly in the context of when you both pursue & practice a ''context is everything'' philosophy & mode of thought, it ONLY ever means, thank goodness, that we get a far more rounded & dare I say, more all encompassing view of all things Celtic Football Club & the good stuff is ALWAYS easy to talk about, the not so good or indeed the woeful, not so easy in terms of doing it in the context of an adult & grown up conversation, rather than the very easy, slovenly, & lazy inane mantra of ''give Brendan the money, it's just sitting there in the bank doing nothing, Sack The Board'' mentality of nearly all other Celtic podcasts.....

[@emceaboom]

Really like Martin's contribution. Matched the Alan/James tone very well 😊

[@crumdub12]

Fantastic lads, Thanks Martin for being a wonderful compere , and looking forward to seeing you back on soon

[@tonycassidy4112]

great show lads thanks very much hope you are well 🙂👍

[@markkelly7896]

Love this pod. ChatGPT levels of knowledge and analysis along with your own thoughts. Glad you guys are back 🍀🍀🍀

[@martinbrown159]

Great show and discussion guys, and Martin done a great job as guest presenter 👏🏻

[@noahmckee4569]

Brilliant lads and fair play Martin! Love a bit of spread sheet shaggers HH🍀🇵🇸

[@kevingallagher9576]

When did Michael Stone become a Tim !? 😂😂 Great pod as always Bhoys 👍🏻🍀

[@IrishStoriesie]

Loved the show 😂

[@tinamac2380]

Absolutely top quality. That was a really great pod. In terms of priorities, if we replace Scales and Taylor with quality players, I think that would transform the whole team. A really solid back line would unburden Maeda and McGregor and, allow them to focus more on what’s in front of them and opposed to what’s going on behind them. We’re not going to sort everything out this summer, but they’re the two issues for me at this point.

[@seamusmckenna-y2h]

Well done Martin👏👏👏 Great combination. The data nerds and the Bhoy at Paradise😀 Really interesting and thx. Hail Hail 💚🍀🇮🇪

[@raymondoregan8267]

Brilliant as always

[@PETERMAXWELL7]

Great show guys

[@Mantis_Toboggan_MD.]

The one big positive from signing Idah, is that we pretty much know how he'll adapt to Celtic & the SPFL. That is something you basically never know with any signing. Even if we had the best scouts (we don't!) and the best data analysts (we don't!) One of the things they cannot quantify is - Will the player settle here? Will he get homesick? Will his family get homesick? etc.... Idah has already had 4-5 months at Celtic so we can tick off that box in terms of "will he settle?" So the question then becomes - "How much of a premium do we place on that?" If we have two players of equal quality in the £4-£6million range. Player 'A' is unknown in terms of "will he settle?" we just don't know. Maybe he will/Maybe he wont. Player 'B' absolutely will settle. So obviously you'd take player 'B' BUT how much extra would you be willing to pay for him? I think Celtic have paid about £3-£4 million over the odds for Idah here but are we paying the "known quantity" tax and are we happy to do so?

[@bhoy67cfc97]

Excellent again HAIL HAIL Lads 🍀💚🍀

[@DarkAtFour]

So only need to ascertain who the oompaloompa is…. Excellent analysis as per thanks

[@martywalsh680]

First time I’ve heard him but Martin was fantastic today.

[@johnpotter4555]

I know a lot of the fan base are complaining about slow progress in the area of transfers. I feel that the increased scrutiny of the Financial Fare Play rules is playong a role in slowing down the transfer process across the football world. Clubs literally cannot afford to pay outrageous fees for players. I think this will be norm going forward.

[@frankbrennan1619]

Don't you consider paying a huge big whopping NINE AND A HALF MILLION POUNDS with the add on, for little Norwich City's THIRD choice striker that NOBODY ELSE wanted, '' an outrageous fee?''

[@alanmorrison5981]

The market in the usually inflated EPL is very circumspect John. And that is the market our DoF / head of Recruitment / Head Coach is shopping!

[@frankbrennan1619]

@@alanmorrison5981 You just might have guessed that I'm COMPLETELY horrified at us paying DOUBLE the market value for little Norwich City's THIRD choice striker that NOBODY ELSE wanted, coupled together with a COMPLETE sense of foreboding that Idah will ONLY ever be a quintessentially disastrous signing for us on EVERY level & how else could it be when right from the get - go, we most horrifically & most stupidly, paid DOUBLE the market value for him, so are you able to give me ANYTHING even just slightly positive about Idah's signing that just maybe & it's a HUGE maybe, start to address my total negativity about Idah & the huge big whopping FIVE YEAR deal we've given him?

[@alanmorrison5981]

@@frankbrennan1619 We've done the loan to buy thing and know what the lad is about. He was Rodgers main target. I'd rather this than another Balde, Bayo, Ajeti, Klimala, Scepovic and on and on and on........ Same as i'm ok with Bernardo over another Kouassi, Soro, Kwon, etc etc etc

[@frankbrennan1619]

@@alanmorrison5981 Oh dear Alan, is that it & that's completely NOT any criticism of you & what you've given me, but instead ONLY criticism of myself & I most stupidly setting you up to fail in asking you to even begin to try do the impossible & justifying us paying DOUBLE the market value for little Norwich City's THIRD choice striker that quite literally NOBODY ELSE wanted & paying DOUBLE the market value for someone who, if I remember correctly from one of your previous podcasts, had the same or more less the same, performance figures as Oh had for goodness sake but we are where we are & now COMPLETELY no hiding place for Rodgers and Idah in the coming weeks & months.....

[@boombash6774]

Martin was great!

[@Fionnbarra]

Hatate wants out so let him off,it’s clear as day with him,let holm in and give him a chance,from what I’ve seen of him he has something,keep up the good work gents,great stuff 🍀👌

[@seamusmckenna-y2h]

The teams performance this year, is lightyears better than the start of last. It is the CL we want major improvement this year. This current first team with BR and playing the way they r, could have qualified from that CL group last year. An additional cb and lb with a class cm if matt goes and we will be beating higher ranked teams. HH 💚🍀🇮🇪

[@seamusmckenna-y2h]

And regarding Lb, Anderson had an impressive preseason and Scales played some great games in CL aka Lazio. BR could ask CCV to carry the ball out if he wanted to. What r the stats CCV to Scales regarding passing? This is a tactical decision by BR that Scales is the outball for the midfielders.

[@grace_and_peace1550]

Scales is not the answer. We need CCV quality

[@marknugent9851]

I forgot Laura a was a temp last time, I about fell off my chair! :P As a recently type 2 diabetes guy, about 6 weeks shy of a year, please do 'monitor your sugar (and carbs) intake' folks. I am VERY tired of the 'we have tons of cash' narrative, the 'it disnae matter if we pay over the odds' nonsense, I'm glad we have a first XI player in at striker, I even like Idah, but if we could have spent the same and gotten a better player or the same or better terms I'd be annoyed at the obsession about getting Idah in particular taking that off of us. In the markets we play in we NEED to maximize for value, with about £4m for winning a 38 game league we can't spend £8mil on 2 center-backs that don't bother the stating XI on match-day. £70m spare after a couple of seasons with UCL money in a world where that money is far from guaranteed is NOT spare it is necessary for survival. Look, I don't want it to be that way but we don't live in the world I want or I'd be keeping warm in bed right now with Karlie Kloss and dreaming about our inevitable UCL trophy retention this season and if, at 46, I will get off the bench in the final. You think they will get the hint if we all buy cheap copies of the Brad Pitt film Moneyball from charity shops and Musicmagpie and send them to The board c/o Parkhead? Any hoop is a good one but so far on the temp host gig side, my vote so far is for Laura. Get us a left back of quality and if there is cash to spare the wings need depth, I'd like a 3rd striker as Kyogo's recurring shoulder injury makes it precarious, a Wanyama-type sitter would be ace and CCV standard partner for CCV (my priority of my non-priorities) would make it an excellent window assuming we lose no one of consequence... good luck with that last part. Ah, Matt, we barely knew ye, good luck. You deserve it! HH

[@frankbrennan1619]

I would venture that in our now very soon upon us EIGHT Champions League games, we NEED not one, but two, out & out the very best quality defensive midfielders that we can afford at our level, to protect our back four & bhoy oh bhoy, how they NEED protecting, particularly in our now four stand alone away fixtures at the very highest level in Europe & we ALL know our already most horrific & most atrocious away record in Europe established over the last few decades, but the facts are we'll have none, cut price Bernardo or whoever else currently on our books completely don't count, we're talking playing at the very highest level in Europe & so fasten those seatbelts very tight for the very bumpiest of rides......

[@marknugent9851]

@@frankbrennan1619 I wouldn't even count Bernardo as a defensive mid TBH, he's an odd mix of a 6 and a 10. I like him, to risk sounding like I'm saying being too rounded out as a midfielder is bad, domestically he is better than OK but he could do with specialising a bit on defense or attack. I think we need 3 quality options for every position because of the nature of human biology but I think that's asking too much for both man management and our budget... be nice though. Thanks for the feedback Frank

[@frankbrennan1619]

@@marknugent9851 Cut price Bernardo is as near as ANYTHING to completely NOT a quality out & out defensive midfielder that I talk about & therein lies the problem, as Rodgers for near certainty, will play him in that role in some way when it comes to our now very fast approaching EIGHT Champions League games & that's ONLY inviting near disaster playing at the very highest level in Europe & particularly in the context of what are now quintessentially EIGHT stand alone fixtures & we ALL know our most horrific away record in Europe & yet ALL we hear is sign yet another centre back & of course a left back, but NOTHING about, as i say, our desperate NEED for out & out quality defensive midfielder(s).

[@DonnyBhoy]

I’ve said this before Kuhn touches in the box shouldn’t be celebrated he often has 2 or 3 after he shoulda got a shot off. Doesn’t shoot until he’s in line with peno spot

[@liamyoung2174]

i think the longstanding problems with the scouting system are now really coming to the fore. Celtic have too much money in the bank and can't really spend it until they get about 6 - 8 players off the books. Last summers transfer window in particular is proving to be a bit of a disaster with most players signed not being good enough and being on longterm contacts. I hope i am wrong but it is difficult to see players such as Holm, Lagerbielke, Nabrocky, Kwon, and Yang making any real contribution. This is in top of Mikey Johnston, Stephen Welsh, and Kobyashi which makes it difficult to go out and sign even more players unfortunately.

[@frankbrennan1619]

Absolutely correct with your assertion that we just NEED to permanently get rid of 6-8 players & for me, Lagerbielke, Yang, Kwon, Nawrocki, Johnston, Kobayashi are the Top Six & that means ONLY getting rid of permanently, end of, no out on loan, nothing, just get them oot the door for good & even if we have to pay them off & cut our losses & of course, that ONLY means more money completely wasted, but we just have to start clearing the decks as a matter of urgency & Last Chance Saloon for Holm in the coming months & which I know is more than slightly comical in the context of dear old, due a testimonial next season (!!!!!) Sicknote Mikey Johnston, having been in more Last Chance Saloons than Billy The Kid....

[@jamesmcmullan1306]

Idah was a player Brendan wanted in January. He got him and he delivered the goods. The lad is a boyhood Celtic fan, already made a name for himself at Celtic and will do very well in the future. Rodgers isn't running recruitment, but he wanted both Adam & Paulo back at the club. He was backed by DD and the asking price was paid. I'd have more faith in BR assessment of a player, than anyone else currently involved in recruitment at the club. Yes, we need a LB and left CB. When the window closes, I have every faith we will have those players in and a replacement for MOR, should he leave. I'm not sure he will.

[@frankbrennan1619]

Ah but Rodgers really is ''running recruitment'' & ABSOLUTELY the signing of little Norwich City's THIRD choice striker that NOBODY else wanted for a most horrific & most stupid fee & the customary far too long FIVE YEAR deal, is ALL down to Rodgers & the signing of cut price Bernardo too & the latter just might make some sense at the cut price of £3.5 million or so in recognition of the fact that he's your quintessentially squad player & who sadly like nearly all the rest of them, will miserably fail to deliver at the very highest level in Europe & similarly with Idah & there was Miovski right under Brenda's nose scoring TWENTY FIVE goals in a pitiful & woeful Aberdeen side & not a whiff of interest on Rodgers part & why was that????

[@browns88sb]

Do you have a hire to buy deal 4 Martin 🤔

[@seamusmckenna-y2h]

Did you listen to BRs press conferance on Idah? He is very happy with Idah, he wanted him and the board got him. The price is neither here nor there and I think BR knows more about a players value and potential than any fan or commentator on this show, even though i appreciate their alternative opinions and viewpoint. HH 💚🍀🇮🇪

[@frankbrennan1619]

Oh my goodness me, if it REALLY is a case of '' the price is neither here nor there'' we would have sold O'Riley weeks ago for £15 million......

[@mart6788]

If teams appoint managers with no real managerial experience then they will fail, apart from NL who had a massive financial lead on the rest I don’t remember any who have succeeded, even Hearts are underachieving.

[@johnsteel9781]

At 9.5 M clearly Alan we didn`t get the negotiations right up front. Does he replace Kyogo as first choice - dont think so, We play two up front - again doubtful. So did we pay this money for him to come on in the 60th minute?

[@frankbrennan1619]

And even worse if I heard dear old Alan correctly, we actually ''negotiated'' the fee DOWN to the most ridiculous NINE AND A HALF MILLION POUNDS with the add on, as the money men at little Norwich City were looking for MORE than this, for goodness sake, but still a COMPLETE ''delinquent shambles'' as dear old Alan would say, to have paid the sum we have paid & we ended up paying this ridiculous fee for little Norwich City's THIRD choice striker that NOBODY ELSE wanted, because the money men at little Norwich City knew we just didn't have it in us, to completely walk away & never ever to return to the ''negotiations'' the second they started talking about wanting DOUBLE the £4 million - £5million maximum he's actually worth.

[@Trilobite-r1u]

Idah is a wonderful change the game striker. Miovski would fit better, but remember that Kyogo is our number 1. Kyogo sometimes gets absolutely no service in games (this would be the same as for Miovski). I'm happy with Idah (don't care about the price) it's something different - and that's a good thing. No risk - the shirt fits Idah it might have been too big for Miovski. HH

[@rossevans2261]

If Kyogo isn't profiting from the service he's getting, we should get someone in who can be more effective with that service. Kyogo wasn't good enough last year and Idah improved the team around him when he played, so I hope that Rodgers plays what works

[@frankbrennan1619]

Most sadly there is a COMPLETE ''risk'' with Idah as there is with EVERY permanent signing & as our current multiple deadwood on the payroll should have already comprehensively proved to you & in Idah's specific case, he has now been catapulted from little Norwich City's THIRD choice striker that NOBODY ELSE wanted, to a NINE AND A HALF MILLION POUNDS signing with ''expectation levels'' now ONLY stratospheric in scale, in that he will NOW be expected to score 25-30 goals domestically & 4-5 in our Champions League games & if he does, not a problem, ''expectation levels'' & even those of the stratospheric variety, al fully complied with, but if he achieves far less goals as I've outlined & which is far more likely, what then?

[@Trilobite-r1u]

@@rossevans2261 I think for ~£6m we should go and buy Miovski too. 😉

[@rossevans2261]

@@Trilobite-r1u That would be nice 😁

[@theunderwatercabbagesalesman]

Delinquent shambles....i like it 😂

[@frankbrennan1619]

Dear old Alan's own version of Malcolm Tucker's polite ''omnishambles'' when compared with Tucker's, if I remember correctly, more robust version of '' a complete omnifu.....g shambles''

[@anthonybeattie4222]

Where’s Laura

[@seamusmckenna-y2h]

BR didnt want Miovski in his team. He knew about the player and he scored against us. Maybe there is a non analytics factor. The guy wouldnt fit into the team. miovski did very little 2. half of last season. Idah was magnificent against Kilmarnock when we won the league. You r way off mark regarding Idah. BR has told you this

[@jamesmcmullan1306]

I'm really missing Enda as an anchor for the show. I think exploring the idea of guest hosts is fine, but rather only Alan and James. The rest is a distraction. IMO, suggested hosts from other blogs aren't the way to go. If it was, I'd be watching those blogs too. I don't for a reason. Harsh? Maybe.

[@frankbrennan1619]

I get what you mean & it just might also be a very simplistic case of that the ''guest'' host has now been placed on the right hand side of our screens, rather than bang in the middle of the two old farts & so disrupting the look & the balance of the last two vlogs & for me too, the continued practice of ''guest'' hosts is just NOT the way of the future for The Huddle Breakdown & particularly in the context of the fact that there is a very limited number in the Celtic podcast gene pool with the sufficient heft & gravitas to even hold their own, never mind leaving the other two in their wake & so in the here & now, I would sign up Laura Bradburn on a loan period until the end of December with an option to buy permanently in January 2025.....

[@greg4629]

fucking hell enda's aged poorly

[@Trilobite-r1u]

I think Scales is better than Starfelt, and was only £500,000 - think he gets bashed by our fans a bit too much for his passing. Largebielke and Nawrocki cost £8 combined and Scales is better than both. Sclaes could just be like CCV (rarely pass forward and just pass to Scales???) The lad has obviously worked on his game and no one can say he hasn't improved. I agree that we do need 3 1st team centrebacks - but they will be £6m+

[@frankbrennan1619]

I too would have Scales COMPLETELY ahead of Lagerbielke & Nawrocki every single day of the week & most sadly, there was another EIGHT MILLION POUNDS poured completely down the drain signing these two & compounded by so erroneously giving them huge, big, whopping FIVE YEAR deals that they're near perfectly happy to just sit on whilst sucking the life out of the place as they meander aimlessly about Lennoxtown, but I certainly would have Starfelt before Scales, as his central defensive partnership with CCV was far superior to that of the current model of an, admittedly, less invincible CCV when compared with Starfelt's time at Celtic Park & o I fear the very worst of the worst in our now fast approaching EIGHT CL games.

[@Sk.6789]

If you think Scales is better than Starfelt you know heehaw about football. One moved to top 3 league in the world, if the other was to leave he’d be going to Aberdeen as that’s his level.

[@Trilobite-r1u]

@@Sk.6789 is this the same Karl Starfelt that was the whipping boy of the Celtic fans while at the club? Yes he has moved to Spain, but to Celta Vigo. A Spanish club that has never won a title or cup and hardly plays in Europe. Now please don't make out that Starfelt was some Maldini of the defensive world because he certainly is not. I said he's better than Starfelt but we're not setting the bar that high. Scales has many faults just like Starfelt, but he wants to be at the club. Can we and do we need to buy better? of course we do. It's just a shame we spunked so much money on 2 duds last summer which Rodgers rates below Scales. I trust a very good seasoned manager's beliefs way more than my own and also why more than someone posting on KZbin.

[@patrickreachcoll3617]

Still love the pod but “Guest host” is an oxymoron. Sort it out Enda ffs lol

[@frankbrennan1619]

Talking of Wee Enda & obviously I hope he's safe & well in his continued participation in the Witness Protection Programme Down Under, it would be fascinating of a kind, to know what he thought of us spending a huge big whopping NINE AND A HALF MILLION POUNDS on little Norwich City's THIRD choice striker that NOBODY ELSE wanted & I say that in the context of him, if I remember correctly, being near completely underwhelmed by us getting Idah in on that six month loan period last season & how he just wasn't ANYTHING like of the ''quality'' we NEEDED based on his performances hitherto & so just maybe Wee Enda can smuggle a wee letter out to The Huddle Breakdown giving us his thoughts....???