How do we shape up for penalties?

[facaldaqui]

If it goes to penalties, I'm a bit nervous. I usually like Coppell for his unorthodoxy, but I fear he's from the "it's all a lottery", "who's up for it, then?" school of thought. I haven't forgotten the embarrassing sight of Long and Hunt fighting for the ball to take a penalty. Am I right in thinking that at this club whoever earns a penalty can take it if they want?

I hope that this week Reading are not only practising penalties, but are being trained to take them (no funny runups or slow ones down the middle), and that the records of the opposing goalies and penalty takers are being analysed and memorised. I also hope that Coppell establishes a cast iron penalty-taking order. I might be hoping for the moon, though.

[Royal Lady]

I doubt it will come down to penalties tbf. Though, we might be lucky and get one during the game.

[facaldaqui]

Well, if we win, there's the final as well.

[Millsy]

Good thread.

A very important point.

If anything, it's much more likely to come down to penalties than us beating them by 2 goals.

I hope to God they're practising like crazy.

I suspect it'll be difficult to lay down a strict order as I don't think anyone ever has a clue what the lineup is going to start or finish up as!

[a royal called morty]

I do hope they practise them, it really can't hurt them to. For the keeper as much as anyone, because we're going to need the opposition to miss at least one aswell as us scoring them all. And USA hasn't got the best record at saving penalties.

The league 2 playoff earlier went to penalties, and shrewsbury practised them before the game, scored all the ones they took. It really is worth doing in training.

[Ian Royal]

I am reasonably confident, that if it goes to penalties, we will score at least 1.

Kitson should score
Long should score
Of course that relies on them both being on the field at the end.
Mooney would be a decent bet for a taker, I think he took them at Cork. Doubt he'll play though.

I can't think of anyone else who is a better than "might be ok" at them though.

Oh, SHunt, assuming he gets on the pitch.

[SLAMMED]

I've just realised! My dream, or should i say nightmare, of Bikey stepping up to take the penalty to send us up and ballooning it over the Wembley roof, is no longer a possibility. Happy days

[Chaney]

if memory serves me right I can only recall one pen shoot out defeat for us (at Stoke) I think we won all the others, FFS dont let Lita take one though

[Terminal Boardom]

if memory serves me right I can only recall one pen shoot out defeat for us (at Stoke) I think we won all the others, FFS dont let Lita take one though

Walsall in the cup a few years back

[Terminal Boardom]

What I would like to see is 5 pens taken in the same manner that Alexander takes them for the dingles.

[The Cube]

In first team fixtures, Reading's record in penalty shoot-outs is P7 W4 L3 F24 A25

The full details:
http://www.btinternet.com/~rfc1871/news/features/penalty.htm

[Rex]

It's all well looking at penalty stats for Reading but what about Burnley.

Lets not forget that even Chelsea were put to the sword by Burnley in the Carling Cup winning 5-4 on pens. Graham Alexander, Alan Mahon, Chris Eagles and Kevin McDonald converted for Burnley.

It just goes to show the lottery of penalties. I wouldn't hold out too much hope if it got to that situation.

[Tony Le Mesmer]

Penalties are not a lottery.

Marcus is surely the worst Penalty stopper the club has ever had.

Meanwhile, Graham Alexander is on 28 and counting.

We will not win on penalties.

[CMRoyal]

Penalties are not a lottery.

Marcus is surely the worst Penalty stopper the club has ever had.

Meanwhile, Graham Alexander is on 28 and counting.

We will not win on penalties.

Fortunately Alexander is only allowed to take one of their pens. For the average penalty taker, it's down to bottle which is why I wouldn't be too confident at the moment. Goalkeepers are usually only heroes in shoot-outs by chance - it's all down to the players' courage really.

[Y21_Royal]

It all comes down to bottle and to be brutally honest, its not something that our players have had much of in the last few months.

You'd hope your forwards would score but given our record with penalties in normal time, I'm not holding out much hope.

I would be amazed if we aren't practising and the fact that Burnley have had one shoot out already this season should mean that some analysis is done. Having said that, I wonder whether its better for Marcus to just go out with a clear head as opposed to too much info about various takers.