How many of Alan Shearer’s 260 Prem Goals came from Pens and Dead Balls?...

Originally Posted by dodger

I don't subscribe to that opinion. If you have a player who scores 29 out of 30 pens he takes then he's amassive asset. Witness last weekend. He is given the extra chances, and scores from the, because he is skilled at it.

Then again, there are occasions when someone is given the job as a perk or a sweetener.

Now it goes without saying that you'd be mad to give it to a player as a sweetener if you thought he was far worse than anyone else.

But there are times when a perfectly good penalty taker and freekick taker never gets a look in because of ego and pecking order and general slapped-arsiness.

Players who I cannot imagine being a problem if not allowed to take the penalties and freekicks: Hargreaves, Giggs, Scholes, Rooney.

Players for whom the opposite sounds more likely: Beckham ? Ronaldo ? Thierry Henry ?

And its open to debate whether, say, Ronaldo or Beckham were the best penalty taker or freekick scorer. All you can say is that they took them and scored some...and missed some big ones too. Noone really keeps count of how many they need to take before they score or ratios or conversion rates.

Actually I'm suprised that noone is counting given the stats that get kept and how relatively easy it would be to track it with all the coverage in prozone land. They seem to keep good track of that sort of thing in rugby union, rugby league, cricket, basketball, american football.

The bloke who takes the free kicks for Sunderland or Portsmouth might have a better conversion rate than Beckham or Ronaldo but who would know ? He might be scoring one freekick in every four with dedicated practice but it might only add up to 3-4 goals per season.

Havent we already scored 4 freekicks already this season compared to 5 in total last year ? No theatrics. No posturing. Just knock em in the top corner, shake hands and jog back to the half way line.

Cantona = penalty king though. No question about that.

Originally Posted by Charlie Harper

Tad, next you'll be saying that the '08 European Cup should be struck off the list of trophies as it was won on penalties.

Too much Zubrowka, methinks.

There's a skill in taking a free-kick, a skill to taking a pen, just as it is to score from open play - often more so as the pressure associated with that is greater.

tbh ...im not a big fan of deciding matches ...and especially European Cup/World Cup finals on penalties


but thats a whole new thread

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although i do have an alternative

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Originally Posted by Charlie Harper

There's a skill in taking a free-kick, a skill to taking a pen, just as it is to score from open play - often more so as the pressure associated with that is greater.

Yes. And there are some great penalty takers. But that doesnt always mean that the best player is given the job or that they get you more goals than you would get from other penalty takers. It is still some free extra gifts to his total.

And to answer the original posters point, unless they are shared around, one players tallies are boosted artificially compared to his team-mates.

Originally Posted by Rossi the Red

I thought it was quite an interesting fact.

Oh well, can't please everyone.

Or anyone

22% of Shearers goals were penalties.
*
Means Andy Cole scored more Prem goals than Shearer from open play.
*
Andy Cole also only ever scored 1 penalty, the only one he ever took.

Originally Posted by zzalsar3

Cantona = penalty king though. No question about that.

I think the modern day penalty king has to be Bayern goalkeeper Hans Jorg Butt. He's scored 32 times and missed once!