KK and AS vs. YBR

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Keegan says: "I can't tell you who scored penalties, but I can tell you who missed them. "That is what is so cruel about the shootout. But you cannot practice penalties."

England skipper Alan Shearer shares the same opinion, telling the same program: "It's down to luck. Sometimes you are better off just spinning a coin."

But Newcastle boss Bobby Robson, who still bears the scars of England's shootout loss to Germany in the 1990 World Cup semifinals, has blasted such thoughts.

He said: "You have to practice. It's about your nerve, your mentality, kicking quality, making a decision and not changing it, keeping your head down and knocking the ball in."

His views are backed by German legend Franz Beckenbauer, who masterminded that victory in Italy. ..........

I disagree with the notion that you cannot practice penalties. In fact, I can't understand why they would say such a thing given the problem of past shootouts. Spot on YBR, you are a genius. An old genius but who cares?

Yes, you can go up there and close your eyes and hope for the best. It's just not smart and not very professional (IMO). Practice everything.

-- Anonymous, May 12, 2000

Answers

Agree with you, Pete. Not practicing penalties is insanity, imo! Have they learned nothing from past experience?

-- Anonymous, May 12, 2000

Certainly practicing can help your accuracy (cue Gav). However, that is only part of the task. Never having been in such a position (are you here yet Gav?), I can't even begin to imagine what it must feel like (oops, didn't mean to say that) when the pressure is on (stop it!).

Whether practicing at the Rivorside on a cold windy day can help cope with the pressure, I doubt very much. But having the confidence that every shot you have is going to hit the target, well away from the keeper's reach has to do the confidence a lot of good.

No - the Jormans aren't wrong. They practice and they win. We should learn from that.

-- Anonymous, May 12, 2000


KK Clarification
Apparently his words were taken out of contest in the press. Now there's a shock! ;-)

- from Sporting Life
Kevin Keegan has insisted that the England squad will be practising penalties in the build-up to the European Championships.

The England coach had sparked a debate over the whole issue of penalties - which have led to the national side's elimination from three major tournaments in the past 10 years - with an interview that he gave on the subject to a TV documentary.

But he was angered to find that four words - "you cannot practise penalties" - taken from his comments on the subject then formed the basis of an article which concluded that he would not be asking his players to hone their skills from the spot on the training-ground.

Keegan responded: "We will practise penalties - and I have said so publicly on countless occasions. My views on practising penalties are crystal clear.

"I have always said that we will practise penalties, however I have also said that it is impossible to recreate the conditions in which the players have to take them.

"You cannot simulate the atmosphere in the stadium and you never know which of your players are still (going to be) on the pitch and what condition they may be in."

It was that point which Keegan had been attempting to make in the ITV documentary and he therefore declared that the ensuing report in the Daily Mail was "total nonsense" as, in his view, his words had been taken completely out of context.

ITV released a transcript of Keegan's interview from the documentary 'A Spot of Bother', in which he talks about penalty shoot-outs. It reads: "I can't tell you who scored them , I'd have to look back at a tape.

"But I can tell you who missed them and that's what's so cruel about the penalty shoot-out.

"You cannot practise penalties. We had a situation at Liverpool once, where I missed a penalty at Burnley and Bill Shankly said 'well, that's it - we'll have a new penalty-taker on Monday, we'll have a competition'.

"I went back in it and got knocked out in about the second round. And the player who won it, when it came to taking a penalty about six weeks later, came to me and gave me the ball and said 'you know, I can't do it'."

England were first eliminated on penalties in the 1990 World Cup semi-final by Germany and then suffered the same fate at the hands of the same opponents at Euro 96.

At the last World Cup in France, they also lost a penalty shoot-out in the second round, this time to Argentina.

The then England coach, Glenn Hoddle, later wrote in his World Cup diary: "Of course, we put in a certain amount of practice. But you can never recreate on the training-ground the circumstances of a real shoot-out."

-- Anonymous, May 12, 2000


According to The Sporting Life this story is bollux. KK said "You cannot practice penalties" meaning you cannot reproduce the incredible tension under which they are taken. You can and England will, practice taking penalties. Big Al certainly practices them at Chester-le-St.

KK is apparently annoyed that his 4 words were blown up into such a spurious article.

-- Anonymous, May 12, 2000


True you cannot recreate pressure from a real game but that goes for all facets of training. KK should spend 1 day, at least a good part of that day, to find 6 penalty kickers. When Batty stepped up and missed his WC penalty he basically said he was the first (only?) to volunteer. That is not the best way to win a penalty shootout. The toughest or bravest don't mean shit when you have a world class keeper in front of you.

-- Anonymous, May 12, 2000


Ince should never have been allowed to take one. Anyone who saw him at Euro 96, sat on the centre circle with his back to goal, showing that he had absolutely no bottle. I think that if you have the confidence to take one, then that's half the battle

Last Friday, a few of my mates and I had a kick arbout and we had the obligatory penalty shoot-out at the end. Then on Sunday I played a match and we got a penalty. I was confident and scoresd. The first time I've ever scored a penalty, I'd missed the target on the previous 4. But I can also say that it was the first time I was sure I was going to score. Confidence is the key.

-- Anonymous, May 12, 2000


I played over here for years, granted the opposition was never even Sunday League quality, but I was our penalty taker for a few seasons.Involved in several shoot outs as well, including a cup final which we won and ywo semi's, one of which we lost. Not bragging but I only ever missed one. I was put off by one of my own team whining to take the kick. Always picked my spot BEFORE I even put the ball down. Never changed my mind. And yes I did practice, keepers left, six inches up and inside the post. Nice and crisp, not many goalies can get that far in time. Its a mind game, but I agree you have to practice. Luck has nothing to do with it and guessing doesn't cut it, ask any goalie. Pete

-- Anonymous, May 12, 2000

I aggree with KK, you can not recreate that pressure cooker atmosphere of a penalty shhot-out, but at least you can practise hitting the bliddy goal........unlike Waddle!

Many many years ago, when I used to play, we used to practise penalties by using two keepers, one protected the left and strangly the other protected the right. It didn't recreate that aforementioned atmosphere, but it did give you the ability to correctly place a penalty.

I can say, hand on heart, I never missed a penalty in any game, and I took several, and I also won a Football Pink penalty shoot-out competition on the pitch at SJP and was the only lad not to miss.

Alright it was against Gordon Marshall as he was getting quite old at the time and he wasn't as agile as he had been (he had been hadn't he!) but it was over 30 years ago and I was only 12/13 at the time and it was in front of a packed SJP at a Spurs game.

So no, you can't get the pressure cooker, but you can get the technique.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 2000


The toerags at the Daily Mail have defended their story this morning by saying that KK "shoud have considered his words more carefully".

The same, I should have thought,(with considerably more justification) could be said for the Daily Mail ...

KK has demanded an apology for the nonsense printed on this one and the FA has backed him. The Mail is a disgrace to Sport and to the country, putting about this kind of (malicious?) falsehood on the eve of Euro 2000. BTW I did NOT buy the damned thing but read it in the newsagent. Part of their strategy is to create this kind of furore and hope to increase sales to incensed punters wondering what to get angry about next.

Some of you may recall my letter to John Richardson of the Mail earlier this season when he wrote a real hatchet job on United and accused us of "throwing #125m" at the team. I completely destroyed his argument piece by piece. Needless to say, the spineless turd did not reply to my polite and well argued letter.

Reptiles? Beautiful and noble creatures in comparison to journalists...

-- Anonymous, May 13, 2000


Jonno, you will never make a journalist yourself with such a waste of words.

You wrote: >>>The Mail is a disgrace to Sport and to the country<<< however, the words "to sport and" were surpluss to requirements.

;0)

-- Anonymous, May 13, 2000



Casting my mind back about 30 yrs. Some little chubby posh kid wearing George Best side laced boots and a center parting winning a penalty shoot out.

I knew I recognized that face from somewhere.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 2000


*****Posh*****

I'm from bliddy High Heaton man......you divvint git posh in High Heaton.....in them days it was so bliddy rough even the Rotweillers went roond in two's man.

-- Anonymous, May 13, 2000


.....rest of it fits though!

-- Anonymous, May 13, 2000

....small (I was 5'1" when i was 15....mind you I was 6'1" at 16).....chubby (wellllllllll).....centre parting ( and long!) .....George Best signed boots but don't remember if they were side laced though.....might have been one and the same person!

Oh Happy days!

;0)

-- Anonymous, May 13, 2000


"Stylo Matchmakers" by chance ITK?

-- Anonymous, May 13, 2000


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