Few Half-Hearted Points After England's Exit

[hanuma]

You'll never see Germans miss penalties like our players did- I'm sure there is a reason and it is fucking ridiculous that after 40 years of failure we can't legitimately make a point of finding out...I never, ever, ever think we should have to suffer the failure of a penalty shootout loss in such absurd ways again.

Perhaps it would have helped if Gerrard and Carragher were told Ricardo was Petr Cech.

[MUMUFMUFCOK!]

Originally Posted by hanuma

Clearly Carragher was a good taker in training. Changed his mind though, meaning the seeds of doubt had been sewn.

Lets face it lads, our players are mentally inept.

Clearly Carragher was a good taker when the pressure wasn't on, but he didn't have the bottle when it came down to it. He was visibly nervous and wanted to hurry it so much he didn't even wait for the whistle first time round, and then fucked up the second one. That isn't a dig at him as I can't say I'd have done any better.

Gary Neville was next up for the fifth penalty. In a way I'm glad Ronaldo put his away because the poor sod Neville would have been in for terrible stick had he missed the crucial kick.

Makes me wonder where Terry and Ashley Cole were, seeing as they both scored at Euro 2004.

[hanuma]

The pressure was on the first time he took it...in his head at least. The pressure probably got to him more the second time round. A mental weakness throughout our whole psyche.

Cole and Terry probably were down the order from training.

[mr.watford]

We should send some of our players to play in Germany to learn to take penalties, it's worked with Hargreaves.

[hanuma]

Hargreaves seems to be an intelligent cultured person.....the rest of our squad are slack jawed yokels with one brain cell between them....terminally thick.

[russe||]

I reckon we shold start having shootouts at the end of friendlies if they finish level. Would be better practice than training.

[kyan]

Originally Posted by russe||

I reckon we shold start having shootouts at the end of friendlies if they finish level. Would be better practice than training.

whats the point, i doubt the players would take them seriously, look at crouch v jamaica and lampard v hungary(?)

[hanuma]

I think we should enforce a certain level of intelligence mixed with intensive mental training.

Clearly we're not naturally cut out as a race to handle such high pressure situations in sport, our general dysmal underachievement is testament to that. Preparation is key and in this instance that is intense conditioning, not a casual penalty shootout for laughs.

[Ben_W]

Terry Venables suggested a penalty shoot out at the end of every Premiership match with the whole thing being a seperate competition with prize money to add some sort of pressure. Obviously they wouldn't be taken very seriously and it's impossible to recreate the pressure of a World Cup knockout stage but it's an interesting suggestion. If they're going to make an effort to work on pens this seems the best way, albeit not particularly satisfactory.

[hanuma]

Shootouts for charity? No...that doesn't cut the mustard....serious psychological preparation....we're turning into a joke, a nation of chokers.

[Ben_W]

Not necessarily for charity, though it could be I suppose. I don't think there is a way to adequately prepare players for that situation.

[hanuma]

Clearly there is....hence the Germans success.

[MUMUFMUFCOK!]

If I win the lottery before Euro 2008 I am going to finance the elaborate kidnapping of every player's family and friends then suspend them above a pool of lion-shark crossbreeds and force the players to take penalties to save their lives. Scoring to win a match should be a piece of piss after that.

[hanuma]

I'll get the rope.

[MUMUFMUFCOK!]

:P seriously though...A more realistic solution would be, when practising in training, the taker is put off by his team-mates - shouting in his ear, throwing footballs at him, you get the idea.