Picture of Terry's infamous effort in 2008 - its a little known fact that Terry is a proud graduate of the "Woden Valley FC Finishing School"! All enquiries to former WVFC President Alan Hinde or current PL Co-ordinator Mike Swan. Primary pre-requisite is an ability to demonstrate that you are able to consistently miss the goal at close range (shots which clear the cross bar by a considerable hieght are particularly well regarded by the school staff).
And it looks like this when the ball is in the back of the net from a penalty shot. All three WVFC players (Lachie, Alex- the goalscorer and Simon) have been asked to attend the WV Finishing School Board of Studies before training today - Alex for failing to put the ball over the bar and the other two for looking like it was an acceptable outcome. Terry has gone ballistic on Twitter! They could loose their place, but Vice Chancellor Hind declared "so what we've got any number of suitable applicants" True!
This program is about "penalties" and "penalty shootouts". Seems to be a lot of them lately. Do they really influence the game as a whole? They sure influence individual matches.
It was Men's Premier League match last week, which ended in a score draw courtesy of two penalties, which started this subject rolling with some pretty interesting discussion about all aspects of penalties.
None more interesting than "did penalties really make a difference to the game"? It is hard to take the big picture view when its your team on the receiving end of the penalty award for a foul inside the penalty box. But there were other questions "are there patterns to how a player will take a penalty kick and a goalkeeper make a save, and does it change depending on who is in which position"?
But there he was - a member of the opposing team walking up to place the ball while our goalkeeper was moving around the goal line like a demented giraffe. There was no shortage of advice from the sideline, though how the referee would comply defied analysis and gravity. It didn't look good.
This discussion caused one wag, who by now was trying to show a renewed interest in the discussion that had come to a crashing stop with the award of the penalty, to remark "did we do any homework on this bloke that's taking the kick"? Much laughter followed as another stalwart declared - "we are flat out getting the water bottles filled and the nets up". Another said "he'll kick to the left" - we looked at him with some surprise and renewed respect, after all he sounded like he had given it some thought - "do you know him?", "no, but he's a lefty and they always go to the left", followed by another who pointed out that this player was "right footed you goose and they always kick to their left". So that cleared up, we watched and waited.
As it happens, our GK went to the right and got a foot to the ball, while the penalty taker had the cheek to kick straight down the centre, only to see it deflect into the back of the net. The penalty taker had the hide to claim victory. After all, our GK had nearly kept it out. But there is no near enough in penalty shots.
And that started the discussion off again - penalty shots and penalty shoot outs - can you prepare for them? The final whistle went, a draw the result and everyone tried to make everyone else feel good by saying that we had taken a point away from the game and not really lost. Didn't feel like that though! Who would be a goalkeeper?
As I drove home I recalled that excellent book "Why England Lose and Other Curious Phenomena Explained" by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski. There was a section in it on "penalties" and its a good one, so I would conclude the day with a pseudo academic wander through the mysteries of penalties. Better than thinking about those lost two points. The book did not disappoint - its all there! If only I had recalled all this information at the game. I'd have won the debate, but alas, not the game!
So that's what we are going to concentrate on this week - all things around penalties - with an extract from the book read by Colin Mace. Its just amazing. I think you will like this program. So sit back, cup of tea to hand or a restorative drink, close the door, put up the do not disturb sign up and listen carefully. There is always a chance you will miss the ball!
The full Manchester United v Chelsea Penalty Shootout for the 2008 Champions League trophy, referred to in this program can be viewed at http://youtu.be/8Ab584AaQs8
Looks a bit different when you know a little more about what went on behind the scenes.
A review of this book is as follows:
At last, football has its answer to Freakonomics, The Tipping Point and The Undercover Economist. "Why do England lose?" "Why do Newcastle United always buy the wrong players?" "How could Nottingham Forest go from winning the European Cup to the depths of League One?" "Penalties - what are they good for?" These are questions every football fan has asked. Why England Lose answers them. It brings the techniques of bestselling books such as Freakonomics and The Undercover Economist to bear on our national sport. Written with an economist's brain and a football writer's skill, it applies high-powered analytical tools to everyday football topics. Why England Lose isn't in the first place about money. It's about looking at data in new ways. It's about revealing counterintuitive truths about football. It explains all manner of things about the game which newspapers just can't see. It all adds up to a new way of looking at football, beyond cliches about "The Magic of the FA Cup", "England's Shock Defeat" and "Newcastle's New South American Star". No training in economics is needed to read Why England Lose. But the reader will come out of it with a better understanding not just of football, but of how economists think and what they know.
Publisher: HarperSport (6 Aug 2009)
ISBN-10: 0007301111
ISBN-13: 978-0007301119
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