Penalties and Goalies

[BladeFisher]

I've never quited fathomed out why 'keepers in the modern game just dive one way in the hope they'd save it.

As an ex-goalie I didn't mind penalty kicks, I had quite a good stop record, but the one thing I wouldn't do is guess which way the bloke was going to hit it. Why, because if the situation happened in open play would I guess he was going to put the ball to my left or right or whatever? No. I'd watch the ball, legs the shaping up and move accordingly. What's the difference?

On top of that a number of penalties are right down the middle so if you dive, you're diving out the way!

With a decent spot kick you won't save it anyway, so why give the taker an added advantage?

 

[pommpey]

Spot on, Fisher.

I have played some games in goal in the past both at school and in the Navy and when faced with a penalty, my philosophy is that as soon as you move, you're committed. Give the kicker a chance and his change of mind will be quicker than yours. Stand still, in the centre of your goal and then watch the run up, judge the instant his boot sweeps up to the ball and make your decision a split second it leaves. As a keeper, I know that anything a yard inside the posts is unstoppable, especially if it is hit properly. Which is why, when you consider you have 192 square yards to hit, 70% of this is reachable by the keeper.

As a keeper, I also have a decent hit rate taking them as well. I used to practice on my own with a hockey goal turned backwards inside the main goal, and hit the empty areas. You soon get your eye and range and can hit the ball with confidence that if struck correctly, the keeper won't even get close.

pommpey

 

[Deleted member 875]

I've played in the pegs a few times when i was younger and always enjoyed it, although i never fancied doing it all the time.

I was always good on penalties, because i've always been tall and got a decent reach. Whenever i used to face a penalty, i would always shape up to dive to the right, then stick my right foot in the turf, and use it to push myself to the left with all my strength. Did it once when i was 14, and worked ever since. By the time i used to change direction, the penalty taker was always generally comitted.

Never been able to take a penalty though, i'm shocking at them.

 

[Highbury_Blade]

Spot on, Fisher.

As a keeper, I know that anything a yard inside the posts is unstoppable, especially if it is hit properly.

I don't think that's true at all. Consider this penalty save from Cech against Noble. About a foot inside the post, good penalty and Cech still got to it.

in this movie at 2:35

 

[jt64]

I've never quited fathomed out why 'keepers in the modern game just dive one way in the hope they'd save it.

they've probably just number crunched it. if they save a shot on target half the time if they dive early (and obviously not at all if they go the wrong way), but only save it 20% of the time if they wait and react, they're better off gambling (although it's not actually really gambling if they do some research on the striker's tendencies, and just dive to the right if they're right footed and vice versa otherwise).

the one thing I've never figured out is why so few players hit them in the top half, where they have a much better success rate than going low. i guess it's having added fear of failure if they waddle/simmo the kick, one more thing to go wrong

 

[Revolution]

I play in nets in an 11 a side league and I am in the "always dive one way" school for the following reasons:

1. In my experience, almost everyone in amateur football aims low (presumably for the reason jt64 cites above), and unlike, say, the Premier League, virtually nobody aims for the middle of the goal.

2. I am much better at diving one particular way than the other, and I am tall enough to be able to cover a lot of that side of the goal.

Using these methods I am saving one in three over the last 4 or 5 seasons. I read somewhere that 80% are scored in professional games, so that's not bad.

The only reason I would ever dive the other way is if I knew that someone had a favoured side, and that info is hard to come by outside the professional game.

 

[Crouchy]

2. I am much better at diving one particular way than the other, and I am tall enough to be able to cover a lot of that side of the goal.

Some of you will remember Paul Cooper of Ipswich Town who had a reputation as a penalty saver. When he retired he said that his technique was governed by the fact that he was much better going one way rather than the other - so he used to stand ever so slightly off-centre in order to subliminally encourage the penalty taker to go to his good side. If the penalty was good - ie high or just inside the post then he wouldn't get it, but if the penalty was low and not far enough towards the post then he had a good chance of getting it.

 

[judge]

Paddy Kenny

used to dive early on free kicks and shots in open Play , in the premier league players obviously did their homework on him and made him look a right fool

 

[Revolution]

Some of you will remember Paul Cooper of Ipswich Town who had a reputation as a penalty saver. When he retired he said that his technique was governed by the fact that he was much better going one way rather than the other - so he used to stand ever so slightly off-centre in order to subliminally encourage the penalty taker to go to his good side. If the penalty was good - ie high or just inside the post then he wouldn't get it, but if the penalty was low and not far enough towards the post then he had a good chance of getting it.

Yes, Cooper was a tremendous penalty saver. In one season in the early 1980's he saved 8 out of 10 awarded against them, which I think is the most anyone has saved in a season.

 

[Highbury_Blade]

Some of you will remember Paul Cooper of Ipswich Town who had a reputation as a penalty saver. When he retired he said that his technique was governed by the fact that he was much better going one way rather than the other - so he used to stand ever so slightly off-centre in order to subliminally encourage the penalty taker to go to his good side. If the penalty was good - ie high or just inside the post then he wouldn't get it, but if the penalty was low and not far enough towards the post then he had a good chance of getting it.

With every game being recorded, he wouldn't get away with that these days.

It's pretty much what Matt Murray did to Brownie in 2003.

 

[Crouchy]

With every game being recorded, he wouldn't get away with that these days.

It's pretty much what Matt Murray did to Brownie in 2003.

No, he'd be analysed to death and everyone would know that he went to one side 80% of the time or whatever it was.

Likewise the keepers know which way the penalty taker likes to go. I guess that you should just practice a lot and, if you've got the balls, top corner it every time.

Although I'm not having a go at Simmo and he's definitely not to blame, there is still no real excuse for missing the target altogether - you've got to make the keeper do some work.

 

[Darren]

No, he'd be analysed to death and everyone would know that he went to one side 80% of the time or whatever it was.

Likewise the keepers know which way the penalty taker likes to go. I guess that you should just practice a lot and, if you've got the balls, top corner it every time.

Although I'm not having a go at Simmo and he's definitely not to blame, there is still no real excuse for missing the target altogether - you've got to make the keeper do some work.

It seems to me that, for someone who had never taken a pen before (I assume), Simmo did all the things that only a very experienced taker should do as they take some technical skill:

1. keep your back to the goalie until the last second;
2. Take a short run up;
3. aim for the top corner.

I would think that people like Simmo should keep it simple: nice long run up and struck with power towards the bottom corner - there is a chance that might be saved if the keepr goes the right way, but 8 times out of 10 it will go in

 

[Balham]

Simonsen did everything you'd expect from a player massively panicking in an alien situation - in front of 20,000 Huddersfield fans all booing/whistling/rattling those irritating things they had. He rushed it and just tried to power it in but natural keeper reactions took over - hence him skying it. It would have been a great goal kick.

 

[marky200484]

I would think that people like Simmo should keep it simple: nice long run up and struck with power towards the bottom corner - there is a chance that might be saved if the keepr goes the right way, but 8 times out of 10 it will go in

I'd have been happier if he'd kept it low and only aimed halfway between the middle and one of the corners and that had been saved. Sure it gives the keeper a 50/50 chance if he guesses but, as someone said above, if it's not on target then your chances are zero.

Anyway, not that I'm criticising him, we wouldn't have made it that far without him throughout the game and a couple of penalty saves.

 

[oldblade]

No, he'd be analysed to death and everyone would know that he went to one side 80% of the time or whatever it was.

Likewise the keepers know which way the penalty taker likes to go. I guess that you should just practice a lot and, if you've got the balls, top corner it every time.

Although I'm not having a go at Simmo and he's definitely not to blame, there is still no real excuse for missing the target altogether - you've got to make the keeper do some work.

Don Givens was on target. Didn't help much though!