[Archived] Penalty Takers

[speeeeeeedie]

Have we ever had any good penalty takers? Shearer scored a good few, but I even saw him miss. Whoever takes them has to have confidence in what they are doing. Pick a style and go with it.

Who are the best penalty takers ever? For Rovers I'd probably take Shearer - he always used to go top left. Other clubs? Ray Stewart was a left back for West Ham and he just pelted the thing, I don't know if he ever missed one but it looked good when he ran up. I also rate Le Tissier, Cantona, Van Basten, and Zidane. The first 3 used to wait for the keeper to go then put it the other way; very clever (Cantona missed one for Man U by completely sending the keeper the wrong way and hitting the opposite post). Zidane was just class and put it wherever the keeper couldn't get it.

[philipl]

Going back in time, David Mail was a truly reliable penalty taker. I don't think he ever missed one.

Shearer was awesome except when up against Grobelaar who saved every penalty Shearer ever took against him (Liverpool and Southampton).

We had one miserable season in the '80s when I remember we missed 10 penalties including a truly horrible effort at the Goldstone Ground which nearly ended in the road behind the open end. The huge former City keeper was in the net (cannot his name at the moment- was it Joe Corrigan?) and Garner slightly over-compensated to get the ball past him from the quagmire they'd had to measure up to repaint the penalty spot.

Edited October 24, 2006 by philipl

[den]

Mike Harrison scored 27 consecutive pens [i think] then missed one and didn't take another.

Apart from that, Bryan Douglas used to take them regularly, although I remember him missing one or two.

[speeeeeeedie]

I only have memories of Garner/Howard Gayle onward, neither of them were special so Shearer gets the nod. I remember one game when McAteer was being interviewed on the big screen and commenting that Cannonball Carsley was the best penalty taker he'd ever seen.

[FourLaneBlue]

Read recently that Robbie Savage a few seasons ago slotted home seven out of seven penalties for Birmingham one season. Took over from David Dunn apparently.

So, with a record like that, Robbie Savage it should be then!

[vyeo]

surprised dunny hasnt been mentioned yet. we might not have gotten many penalties but apart from old trafford, i dont remember dunny missing many... our next pen has to go to benni/roberts if they want it... if not let mgp blast the roof of the net off.

[Ray-Von]

The 89/90 season was a truly terrible one for penalties, culminating in David May's last minute "effort" against Leeds that cleared the Blackburn End Roof.

I would agree with Phillipl about David Mail - but he only ever took two as I can recall, both away at Stoke and Ipswich.

[pksrover]

Nonda was begging for a chance before each penalty, so it seems like Hughesy haven't decided who's the regular penalty taker...

I reckon McCarthy, Gamst or Savage. Maybe Bentley? don't think Reidy is a option since his penalties will probably go straight through the net, so there will be a security issue for the crowd behind the goal the FA have probably banned him from penalties:P

Pleasure: You claims that Gamst is the designated pen taker? How do you know that?

[bluebruce]

surprised dunny hasnt been mentioned yet. we might not have gotten many penalties but apart from old trafford, i dont remember dunny missing many...

This is probably because he doesn't play for us anymore.

Pleasure has his 'sources'. Otherwise known as the creative region of his brain.

[modes98]

MGP penalty taker? It isn't spectacular enough for him!

Roberts looked so confident, then they said he was having a short run up and thats always bad news.

The obvious name that sprung to mind for the 2nd one was bentley but i wouldn't guess he has taken many in his career. If not then get brad up there!

[1864roverite]

top penalty takers

Le Tissier

Shearer

Phil Neal - quality from the spot for Liverpool.

Ally McCoist for Rangers missed very few

for Rovers fans anyone remember Ken Beamish taking pens ?

[92er]

MGP penalty taker? It isn't spectacular enough for him!

Roberts looked so confident, then they said he was having a short run up and thats always bad news.

He shaped up to do a short run up but in the end he chose a longer run up.

[pksrover]

I just spoke to one of the norwegians who met Gamst outside Ewood after the bolton match and he told them that he was the penalty taker (as Pleasure posted) and would have taken it if he was still on the pitch

Edited October 24, 2006 by pks1984

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

My vote would be for Mike Harrison, he could side foot a ball harder than most players can blast it, I never saw him miss one but Den's got it wrong with 27 , more like about 10 on the bounce, Roy Vernon was another who gave the goalie no chance- hard and low into either corner. Dougie was great for sending the goalie the wrong way, I remember him scoring a last minute pen against Everton in the teeth of a snowstorm to win a cliff hanger 3-2. I also remember him missing one at Old Trafford ( we were 3-0 up at the time so It hardly mattered ! )

Shearer , Dunny , Dickov , Ken Knighton , Simon Barker all had their moments but there's no contest for the worst pen ever seen at Ewood- step forward John Coddington, anyone who was there that day against Crystal Palace will know the one ( double attempt actually ) I mean.

[thenodrog]

Dont rem many stopping Julian Dick's pens. Great technique he had......Run up, keep your head over the ball and twatt it as hard as you can! Goalers never ever save those they can only occasionally get hit by them. It really does work best imo.

Edited October 24, 2006 by thenodrog

[blue phil]

I remember one game when McAteer was being interviewed on the big screen and commenting that Cannonball Carsley was the best penalty taker he'd ever seen.

About the best I've seen , better than Shearer , but even Carsley missed one for us if I remember correctly . No silly side foots with Carsley .

[Fife Rover]

For me the best penalty taker I have seen for sheer technique and "unsaveability" was Tom Finney. He took penalties for North End and England and I cannot remember seeing him ever missing one.

He did not take a big run up, just a couple of steps, and then placed it with the utmost precision JUST inside one of the uprights at grass-top level. Never seemed to be more than a few inches inside the post, and with GK's being required to stay on their line and both heels on the ground until the ball was struck in those days, they had absolutely no chance of saving them. Tom would place the ball on the spot and never ever look up at the GK; he seemed to have his eye on the ball only. Then he would take a couple of steps backward and then step up and hit the ball with his head still down and kicking leg knee over the ball he would strike the ball with his instep and arrow it into the net. He was two footed and as he ran up you or the Keeper had no time to know which foot he would use, plus whichever foot he used he could still place it JUST inside the post at either side. Fantastic player.

Edited October 25, 2006 by Fife Rover

[pleasure]

Pleasure has his 'sources'. Otherwise known as the creative region of his brain.

nothing to do with my brain, you moron.

i saw him practising pens before the game at boro and then checked it out.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Looking at it from a different angle, is there anybody who remembers Ron Springett the ex England goalkeeper ? He did something I've never seen any other goalkeeper do, he deliberately stood to one side of the goals when facing a penalty. He would stand about a yard to the left of centre , leaving a very small gap on his weaker left side and a large gap on his strong right hand side, he would always dive to the right into the large gap. He saved more than his share of pens with this technique, I remember Fred Pickering accepting the challenge at Ewood one Good Friday and blasting a good penalty to his right but he got across and saved it, I never saw anybody have the balls to shoot for the narrow side.

[ihtd]

Should we get a penalty tonight against Chelsea, i want to see Gamst take it, if he scores it could do his self confidence wonders and we may get more out of him. Saying that if he were to blast it into the upper Blackburn end, well...keep sharp objects away from him.

Best penalty taker i think i have seen has to be Shearer, he went pretty much the same side everytime and scored about 90% of his penalties, if not more.

[den]

Should we get a penalty tonight against Chelsea, i want to see Gamst take it, if he scores it could do his self confidence wonders and we may get more out of him. Saying that if he were to blast it into the upper Blackburn end, well...keep sharp objects away from him.

Best penalty taker i think i have seen has to be Shearer, he went pretty much the same side everytime and scored about 90% of his penalties, if not more.

As far as confidence is concerned, you've got to be of strong character to survive in this league.

Shearer always going the same way? He went left/right/up/down.

[LeftWinger]

Le Tissier is the best penalty taker I've ever seen. Only ever missed one!

Scored 49 out of 50. Don't think any other regular penalty takers can boast a 98% record!

Edited October 25, 2006 by LeftWinger

[FourLaneBlue]

There was a West Ham player in the late eighties/early nineties (name escapes me) who had a great technique...took a long run-up then smashed it. It always went the same place but it was so well struck the keeper couldn't get near it. Not Julian Dicks, although he did seem to pick up on the method.

Best way to take them, none of this small run-up and then softly side-footing into the keeper's arms rubbish we saw twice on Sunday.

Edited October 25, 2006 by FourLaneBlue

[SFW]

Am i right in thinking that Cantona missed a penalty at Ewood (or rather, Flowers saved it)? My Dad says Cantona never missed whilst in England but I'm almost certain he missed when we lost 3-2 once?

[G Somerset Rover]

Am i right in thinking that Cantona missed a penalty at Ewood (or rather, Flowers saved it)? My Dad says Cantona never missed whilst in England but I'm almost certain he missed when we lost 3-2 once?

OPretty sure Flowers never got near to a Cantona pen-I could be wrong though?