Given and penalties

[Stuttgart88]

He saved one against Zola in a friendly on TV one time & I think he saved one from Van Nistelrooy once. But that's about all I can remember.

The worry is that he never even seems to get close. He signals his intentions & dives too early IMO.

[tricky_colour]

Well in the FA cup final 9 out of 10 penalties were converted
and these are 'top' premiership keepers so I think the onus is probably
more on the penalty takers taking good penalties.

It seems to be the ones that are 'blasted' (Scholes's) that are saved (the keepers move early, so the extra pace is of no real advantage if the keeper
goes the right way, however the ones which are placed rarely seem to
get saved.)

Stuart Pearce's blast in the the World Cup finals is an example which
springs to mind.

So I would say a short run up and a placed shot is the best oprion, pace is
nullified by keepers going early.

[tricky_colour]

He saved one against Zola in a friendly on TV one time & I think he saved one from Van Nistelrooy once. But that's about all I can remember.

The worry is that he never even seems to get close. He signals his intentions & dives too early IMO.

I think the problem is keepers look better if they go early and make
a spectular save, if they wait for one chipped down the midde they
will get no credit for it.
Comments such as "My grandma could have saved that!!" would be the order of the day.

[ColinR]

I think the problem is keepers look better if they go early and make
a spectular save, if they wait for one chipped down the midde they
will get no credit for it.
Comments such as "My grandma could have saved that!!" would be the order of the day.

as a keeper, i pretty much would never stay central (but move as late as possible, but still slightly before the bal is hit), unless the taker took a straight run at the ball. normally the run up would come up for either side. mormally i would go by which footed a player was - and guess that a player who doesn't normally take a penalty will not shout across his body i.e. a right footer will shoot to is right, and left footer to his left.

from about 12 or 1 shout outs i've been in, only once have i let in all five. regul;ar penalty takers, i have a bit more difficulty trying to read, but sure if you even guess right, a good penalty with power to the corner should always be scored.

[jimbob117]

Well in the FA cup final 9 out of 10 penalties were converted
and these are 'top' premiership keepers so I think the onus is probably
more on the penalty takers taking good penalties.

Woudnt call either of them 'top' keepers. would be suprised if either get a game next year, hopefully given will be at one of them(or my preference liverpool)

[tricky_colour]

as a keeper, i pretty much would never stay central (but move as late as possible, but still slightly before the bal is hit), unless the taker took a straight run at the ball. normally the run up would come up for either side. mormally i would go by which footed a player was - and guess that a player who doesn't normally take a penalty will not shout across his body i.e. a right footer will shoot to is right, and left footer to his left.

from about 12 or 1 shout outs i've been in, only once have i let in all five. regul;ar penalty takers, i have a bit more difficulty trying to read, but sure if you even guess right, a good penalty with power to the corner should always be scored.

I remember when I played in goal for five a side,I was saving virtually
everything, all I did was look where they were looking and went that
way just before they shot. The only one which I didn't save was when the
player didn't look up, he just kept his head down and blasted it.
One of their players commented that they didn't think they were ever
going to score past me!! It's pretty automatic that you look where you
are going to put the ball.

[cullenswood]

I remember when I played in goal for five a side,I was saving virtually
everything, all I did was look where they were looking and went that
way just before they shot. The only one which I didn't save was when the
player didn't look up, he just kept his head down and blasted it.
One of their players commented that they didn't think they were ever
going to score past me!! It's pretty automatic that you look where you
are going to put the ball.

When I used to take penalties, I used to nearly make sure the keeper saw me glancing up to the left and always put it to the right! Keepers never saved one!

[tricky_colour]

When I used to take penalties, I used to nearly make sure the keeper saw me glancing up to the left and always put it to the right! Keepers never saved one!

I think I would have spotted that old ruse

Mine weren't penalties though just normal shots (we were not very good!!)

However I think you have to look in the right direction at some point,
such is hand eye (foot eye) coordination.

[eirebhoy]

I remember when I played in goal for five a side,I was saving virtually
everything, all I did was look where they were looking and went that
way just before they shot. The only one which I didn't save was when the
player didn't look up, he just kept his head down and blasted it.
One of their players commented that they didn't think they were ever
going to score past me!! It's pretty automatic that you look where you
are going to put the ball.

I actually won a shootout competition in one of those tiny goals. I looked one side and shot the other. A few of us scored in the first round. the next round I looked one way and shot in the same corner I was looking and the keeper thought I was trying to fool him again and went the other way.

Arsenal clearly spent a lot of time practising peno's. Every one of the penalties were high.

[2Olegend]

I think you have to mix it up a bit though, and make your mind up well in advance and stick to
your decision.

I think shay's would save more if he made up his mind which way to go and then .... at the last instant ..... change it and go the other way

[Seano]

I think Shays problem with penalties is something that has stopped him being a world class keeper and thats his height. At 6 ' he is not as intimidating and doesn't have the reach of the really great keepers . Sure he's agile , but I always think its easier for striker to pick a spot in the goal that he can't get to than the really top class keepers, i thinking particularly of the Iserali equaliser, Klose's header for Germany in the world cup, Luc Neilis V Belguim at landsdowne a few years back. I still think he's a greater keeper with good reflexes for anything relatively near him, but its unfortunate for him and us that he's not 6'4.

[OwlsFan]

I think shay's would save more if he made up his mind which way to go and then .... at the last instant ..... change it and go the other way

Funny, I thought that myself. I think his problem is he sets off too early. Oh that peno from Mendieta still hurts - that bobble over his leg.

[onenilgameover]

I really think practising peno's is a must...Benitez was on there the other day talkin bout the same ol mantra that its all about what happens on the day and who feels they are right to take one. I think this is utter tripe...Pratice is the only way to overcome nerves and bad spot kicking. I gaurantee if you where to set Kevin Kilbane, Dave Connolly, Matt Holland and feckin Ian Harte a task to complete 100 penalty kicks in the two days before the a match were it was seriously possible that it would be decided by penalties that they would have taken better penalties. (Well Maybe not Kilbane) This has all been gone through before but it seems lessons are not learned. I think shay needs some serious work in the Penalty department too....

[Eirambler]

I really think practising peno's is a must...Benitez was on there the other day talkin bout the same ol mantra that its all about what happens on the day and who feels they are right to take one. I think this is utter tripe...Pratice is the only way to overcome nerves and bad spot kicking. I gaurantee if you where to set Kevin Kilbane, Dave Connolly, Matt Holland and feckin Ian Harte a task to complete 100 penalty kicks in the two days before the a match were it was seriously possible that it would be decided by penalties that they would have taken better penalties. (Well Maybe not Kilbane) This has all been gone through before but it seems lessons are not learned. I think shay needs some serious work in the Penalty department too....

I reckon in terms of taking them no matter how many times you practice in a training ground it wont matter because its completely different when theres 50000 fans watching you.

Apparently Kilbane had been taking money off Quinn (in his penalty kicks competition) right through the World Cup but he still took a brutal penalty in the shootout against Spain.

Its different for goalies though, the best penalty savers all have tactics and approaches which they have developed over time to stop them

Watching the shootout the last day you always fancied Lehmann to save any penalty that wasnt very well struck, I've never thought that watching Shay

[tricky_colour]

Have to disagree about practising not mattering, it does, Wenger had Arsenal
practising and look how that payed off, all good penalties, short run ups
and placed.

The missed penalty, long run up and blasted is in my opinon the least likely
to succeed. I can recall several of those types missed, it's a hit and hope
penalty. It's going to be less accurate due to the power and probably
easier for the keeper to read.

I mean if practising doesn't matter why do players have training sessions? It's
pointless!! It will be different with 50,000 fans watching!!

[jimbob117]

Have to disagree about practising not mattering, it does, Wenger had Arsenal
practising and look how that payed off, all good penalties, short run ups
and placed.

Id have to disagree with ya. Its easy putting a peno in the back of the net in training, just like its easy to try fancy flicks and passing, but when there is so much pressure on ya its a whole different story. i remember i used to score penos in training for fun, but missed one in a shoot out as i lost my cool. its more how ya deal with the pressure situation i think more so than how many you have practised.

[2Olegend]

:- that bobble over his leg.

mendieta couldn't believe his luck. I agree he went too early

[Stuttgart88]

Watching the shootout the last day you always fancied Lehmann to save any penalty that wasnt very well struck, I've never thought that watching Shay

Me neither.

With regard to practice, of course practicing matters. But you have to practice properly, including walking from the centre circle & placing the ball etc. I know it sounds daft but you have to practice it all properly. Of course it's different under pressure but at the very worst, it can't do any harm can it?

[jimbob117]

Me neither.

With regard to practice, of course practicing matters. But you have to practice properly, including walking from the centre circle & placing the ball etc. I know it sounds daft but you have to practice it all properly. Of course it's different under pressure but at the very worst, it can't do any harm can it?

Course it cant do any harm, and has to be done but i think its how they handle the pressure more so than how much they practice

[tricky_colour]

Course it cant do any harm, and has to be done but i think its how they handle the pressure more so than how much they practice

The very fact that you have practised will help with the pressure, there can't
be nothing worse than standing in front of 50,000 people thinking "I wish I could have a couple of practise shots, or is my success rate better to the
left or right etc...." Then you take a long run up and blast is straight at the keeper!!


I suppose there is no point in rehearsing, corners, freekicks or set peices either? In fact with bother using a ball in training at all as it will be different
in front of 50,000.