Flicker reckons we don't practice penalties...

I'm with Flicker on this. Scotland, Dagnall, O'Brien and Steele didn't miss their penalties because they hadn't had enough practise at kicking a ball 12 yards, any professional footballer can do that 99 times out of 100. They missed because of the pressure.

Snooker players don't practise potting the black that's over the pocket time and time again. A golfer doesn't practise 1 foot putts repetitively. Your Jess Ennis example is completely irrelevant, she practises to get fitter, stronger and quicker. Kicking the ball 12 yards doesn't do any of those.

Besides, how often does a penalty shoot out come round? Maybe once every few years. How often do darts players throw darts competitively? How often do golfers putt? How often to snooker players play shots? Thousands of times every year.

I'd much rather we spent our time working on defending set pieces, playing different formations, shooting from further than 12 yards or passing more than 12 yards. Every player in our squad can put the ball in the corner of the net 99 times out of 100, there's no need to practise that. There's plenty of other stuff we need to practise though.

 

Plenty of other examples - look at how many times Johnny Wilkinson practiced hitting penalties on the rugby pitch. He would spend hours a week hitting them from all over the pitch going through each step in turn. On the field you could nearly always guarantee that he would bag the points.

On the rare occasions we get a penalty we should have a whole bunch of players lining up who know they can hit the target and at least force the keeper into a save.

 

Luke certainly practices saving penalties, so somebody must be taking them?

 

I wonder if we made it to the final, would they practise pens in training then? Yes they would! You should practise anything! I agree about the pressure being on when infront off a crowd and it means something! But to not practise at all is daft. Not practising can do more bad than good! What's the worst that can happen from taking a few penalties after training? And after missing all them last night I think it would be a good idea that we did!

 

Probably Dagnall who's our first choice penalty taker. Look at the good that did him.

 

It just shows that Flitcroft isn't right in every thing he does.

People like Cantona and Beckham use to spend time after training putting the ball into an empty net. It's not just about pressure. It's about getting into the habit and developing the correct technique. If the player can't score without pressure he is likely to choke and make a mess of the real thing.

 

An opposition player only has to be 10 yards away from the ball on a set piece.

 

The skill is hitting the ball into one of the corners away from the keeper. For that you need to practice.
It's an added skill to decive the keeper which way you're hitting it. - That also needs practice.
Germany always practice penalties and they're more technically gifted than England who don't.
Who has the best record in the world at penalty shoot-outs - Germany. Who has the worst - England

I rest my case

 

Its actually a science..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroplasticity

 

"Your Jess Ennis example is completely irrelevant, she practises to get fitter, stronger and quicker. Kicking the ball 12 yards doesn't do any of those."

Just to pick one thing out of that mess, as I could go on for hours about it all...

There's no skill or technique in throwing the Javelin then, it's all about being fitter, stronger and quicker? No skill and technique in the two jumping events, it's all about physicality? No skill or technique in jumping over those hurdles? No skills to learn when putting the shot?

Of course there is and you know there is. Jess practices them all incessantly. Because if she didn't she'd be no good at it.

Taking a penalty requires skill and technique. We don't practice it and therefore we're no good at it.

 

England practise penalties all the time. Doesn't do them any good.

 

It's usually the second keeper or the goalkeeping coach. Or it always used to be when I was young and I watched training sessions.

You can tell Luke practices, because he's good at it.

 

For me one of the best we've gad in recent years was Paul Hayes and you can't tell me he did what he did without practicing.

 

All the England managers I've heard talk said that they don't bother because you can't re-create the pressure.
You're never going to be any good at anything if you don't practice it - whether it's penalty-taking, sniping or shagging.

 

It's kicking a ball into a goal from 12 yards out... if they have to spend hours practicing that at this stage of their career then there is something seriously wrong. I usee to take around 30 penalties a day when I was younger and training daily. I haven't taken on for some years but I'd still fancy myself to curl it delightfully into the mid/top corner like I spent my youth doing daily.

 

There clearly is something seriously wrong. We missed the goal with 4 penalties last night.

I'm not talking about spending hours every day practicing penalties. I'm not talking about practicing penalties at the expense of other skills. After lunch, instead of rushing off home, take 5 minutes to practice a few penalties. Maybe 5 minutes to practice a few corners and 5 minutes to practice a few free kicks. Just to keep your hand in, to keep sharp, to know that if you're ever called upon to take a penalty/free kick/corner you feel very comfortable doing it.

They're professional footballers. That's their career. That's how they earn their money. Is it too much to ask for them to take a few minutes every day to hone the skills they need for playing the game.

Or **** it, go and play golf. Who cares if we lose a cup game on penalties.

 

Before last night, when was the last time we missed a penalty?

 

But suggesting that she wouldn't practise because she can't recreate the pressure makes no sense. There is one technique that's required and that's what she practises.

Passing and shooting require exactly the same action as taking a penatly. They're practised every day. I don't see the need to practise kicking the ball into the corners of a goal from 12 yards when we practise drills that are much more demanding and useful all the time.

 

Scotland against Leicester, last one we had I think.

 

I agree, there is no excuse for Scotland and Dagnall's misses, and why did O'Grady take a penalty AFTER Steele, chicken much?