Our Approach to Penalties

[SteveRoyal]

We've seen Long, Howard and Sigurdsson take one each.
How do we know these are the only methods they have of taking them?

[JoeyJoeJoeJnrShabadoo]

FMD there are a lot of expert penalty takers on here, why hasn't BMcD been told of your prowess?

[Sun Tzu]

FMD there are a lot of expert penalty takers on here, why hasn't BMcD been told of your prowess?

Because we're not professional footballers ?

But I'd suggest taking pens is actually one of the few things that you can be quite good at as a skill on it's own without being any great shakes at the rest of the game. Not that I'm a penalty taker myself....

[Hoop Blah]

I must admit that I was never comfortable with Coppell's approach of just letting the players fight it out on the pitch. I think it should be a case of knowing who are the two or three players in line to take a penalty and that they stick to that unless the one at the top of the pecking order isn't available or doesn't fancy it for some reason.

I think McDermott has sorted this to a certain extent and Sigurdsson appears to be our appointed man. That’s great, but you have to expect him to miss now and again.

In an ideal world I think the most effective penalty is placed high towards a corner with a fair amount of pace but I also prefer players to know what they're going to do and concentrate on that instead of what the keeper does. That does require the greatest degree of accuracy though. You also need to have a variation on how you take your penalty to make sure the keeper still has to guess a bit but every player is more comfortable taking penalties in a slightly different way. As long as that's getting something in the region of an 80% success rate I think you're doing ok.

[Terminal Boardom]

As a goalkeeper, I had a very good record at saving penalties. The run up does make it easier to judge where the player will place the ball. The landing foot position is also a good way of being able to make a judgement. The easier ones to save are those that are between 2 and 3 feet off the ground. A very comfortable height for any goalkeeper to save.

Have a look at the Germans who are the best when it comes to penalties. The secret for any penalty taker is to hit the side netting. If hit with a fair amount of pace, very few goalkeepers will be able to legally save it. Keep it either very low or aim for the top corners which introduces its own element of risk. Chris Waddle, Stuart Pearce anyone?

Spanking them straight down the middle is also viable as more often than not, the keeper moves one way or the other. Or their is the Dwight Yorke method which results in chipping the keeper. Great if it comes off but you look a right cock if the keeper stands still and saves it!

[Tony Le Mesmer]

I took about 7 or 8 at park level and scored them all.

Simple technique, all low to the keepers left. Most keepers at that level are weaker to their left. if he went early i could adjust to low to his right. Its much easie to adjust that way if you are right footed.

With the current rules allowing the keeper to move early, im not surprised more pro players wait for them to move. With cameras at every game these days you can get sussed easily. i dont think its a bad idea to rotate the pen taker if you have more than 1 who wants to take it.

[Kingsley Junior]

Not too sure why it has been referenced in posts that he went down the middle or that the keeper got close. The keeper dived to his left and Long hit it to the right side of the goal, not quite the corner but not the middle.

If you hit it well enough, it doesn't matter if the keeper knows which way you are going. Ruud van Nistelrooy hit nearly every penalty exactly the same way, the keeper knew it was coming but couldn't keep it out as it was too well struck. Obviously if your style is about trying to send him the wrong way then stroking it in the other corner then you might come unstuck. In summary, hit it hard right in the corners!

Note: I have never taken a penalty in a match so am not talking from experience in any way, shape or form... I do agree though about park-level keepers finding it harder to dive to the left... I always thought it was just me!

[rhroyal]

I'd like to think that any professional footballer, from the midfield up at least, should be able to hit the top corner from 12 yards. Just practice over and over on the training ground. It doesn't matter if the keeper can read you, stick it in the top corner and he's not getting it.

[dan19]

JUST SMASH 'EM

That is NOT The HOBNOB FC approach RZR

[Sun Tzu]

I'd like to think that any professional footballer, from the midfield up at least, should be able to hit the top corner from 12 yards. Just practice over and over on the training ground. It doesn't matter if the keeper can read you, stick it in the top corner and he's not getting it.

Why midfield ? There is no reason why all 11 shouldn't be in consideration and some of the best penalty takers of all time have been full backs (Carlos Alberto, Pearce...)

There are lots of things you would expect any professional footballer to be able to do - pass the ball to a team mate, take a throw on properly. Much like any professional cricketer should be able to catch the ball, or bowl it in the right place, or hit a straight ball. The nature of sport means it just doesn;t work like that.

[handbags_harris]

JUST SMASH 'EM

Preferably to one side.

I disagree.

How many penalties smashed down the middle at height have you ever seen saved? Bet you can't find more than a few.

I have had one saved which I smashed high and slightly to the 'keeper's right of middle. It was the 90th minute as well. We lost 1-0.

[ScottishRoyal]

Surely Gylfi's technique is designed to do exactly what you are wanting.

He waits for the keeper to make a move then puts it the other way. Keepers will almost always favour one direction or the other and if you can spot them shifting their weight one way it is very hard for them to then change direction.

As to who takes the pens, I think the current way of whoever fancies it is the best in the absence of any one sure fire taker.

No, Sigurdsson's method is not what I'm wanting. I prefer to see a hard shot to either side, preferably high. Sigurdsson's method depends on the goalie moving early: but if he doesn't, then the goalie can pick which way he's going to shoot, and the shot will have less momentum and decisiveness than with a fast run up. I now expect goalies to take this approach to Sigurdsson until he changes his method.

Basically if any penalty, hard or soft, it put in the corner the 'keeper needs to go a fraction early to stop it, with slower penalties it is all about the placement. If the 'keeper goes early the taker can puts it the other way. If the keeper waits then the taker can pick either corner and the keeper can't get down quick enough to stop it because he hasn't decided soon enough. And because where the ball is struck is dependant upon the actions (or inaction ) of the 'keeper himself, he can't really prepare before the event.

Sig's method always worked for Yakubu who has one of the best coversion rates you're ever likely to see.

[Cookie]

I am unhappy with our approach to penalties.

Relax, were doing OK, honestly.

[facaldaqui]

Surely Gylfi's technique is designed to do exactly what you are wanting.

He waits for the keeper to make a move then puts it the other way. Keepers will almost always favour one direction or the other and if you can spot them shifting their weight one way it is very hard for them to then change direction.

As to who takes the pens, I think the current way of whoever fancies it is the best in the absence of any one sure fire taker.

No, Sigurdsson's method is not what I'm wanting. I prefer to see a hard shot to either side, preferably high. Sigurdsson's method depends on the goalie moving early: but if he doesn't, then the goalie can pick which way he's going to shoot, and the shot will have less momentum and decisiveness than with a fast run up. I now expect goalies to take this approach to Sigurdsson until he changes his method.

Basically if any penalty, hard or soft, it put in the corner the 'keeper needs to go a fraction early to stop it, with slower penalties it is all about the placement. If the 'keeper goes early the taker can puts it the other way. If the keeper waits then the taker can pick either corner and the keeper can't get down quick enough to stop it because he hasn't decided soon enough. And because where the ball is struck is dependant upon the actions (or inaction ) of the 'keeper himself, he can't really prepare before the event.

Sig's method always worked for Yakubu who has one of the best coversion rates you're ever likely to see.

The trouble is that if the goalie waits, the taker has to shoot with very little momentum, and the shot will not have as much power as from a fast run up. Goalkeepers can save goals in these circumstances, as with Cech's save from Ronaldo in the Champions' League final. The main problem for the striker, if the keeper calls his bluff, is the moment of indecision he suffers while choosing which way to shoot. This can result in a feeble shot, as with Sigurdsson's miss against Sheffield United.

[facaldaqui]

I am unhappy with our approach to penalties.

Relax, were doing OK, honestly.

The trouble is that one win or point could decide relegation. We got relegated from the prem on goal difference, and we missed promotion last year by one win. We also got promoted from division one by a point. Going back, we lost in the play-off final v Bolton after missing a penalty. We've missed two out of our last three pens in the league, with three different penalty takers. So I can't agree we are "doing OK" at penalties.

[Sun Tzu]

The trouble is that if the goalie waits, the taker has to shoot with very little momentum, and the shot will not have as much power as from a fast run up. Goalkeepers can save goals in these circumstances, as with Cech's save from Ronaldo in the Champions' League final. The main problem for the striker, though, is the moment of indecision he suffers while choosing which way to shoot. This can result in a feeble shot, as with Sigurdsson's against Sheffield United.

Whereas of course your preferred approach is guaranteed to produce a goal every time (see endless players taking long run ups and blasting the ball over the bar !

There is no perfect way of taking a pen, players are successful using different approaches. Stuart Pearce blasted his shots and even if the keeper got to them they still e nded up in the back of the net, other people try that approach and fail.

Not sure why you think there is any indecision in Gyllfi's approach. He makes a decision, he just makes it on factors other than those you are thinking of.

[facaldaqui]

There is no perfect way of taking a pen, players are successful using different approaches.

Fair enough. Anyway, this is how I take them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5grZKmS ... L&index=20

[handbags_harris]

Stuart Pearce blasted his shots and even if the keeper got to them they still ended up in the back of the net...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2hACQ7D ... re=related

1 minute 50 mate

[Big Foot]

Hit them hard and high. That is the only way to take a penalty. We haven't had a ruthless penalty taker since the days of Trevor Morley who was excellent at taking them.

Dave Kitson

[handbags_harris]

Hit them hard and high. That is the only way to take a penalty. We haven't had a ruthless penalty taker since the days of Trevor Morley who was excellent at taking them.

Dave Kitson

I always considered his penalties saveable. Hit hard and to one side low down, always saveable, and he missed two penalties for us that way. Hit hard and high, like Morley used to do, no 'keeper would save them. Morley missed only one penalty for us, and that was when he tried to place it in the corner. Steve Francis, however, palmed the ball back out to him and "Nudger" headed it back into the net. Every other Trevor Morley penalty was in to the top corners. That is a ruthless penalty taker, a man who is confident enough to strike the ball into an area the 'keeper is never going to reach every time he takes one.