Hi Ben, I've just come across your site and I see that you fancy yourself with a deep knowledge of penalties, so I have to ask if you have heard of the study out of UBC from 20 years ago that looked at all penalties taken from the 82 to the 98 world cups and found a staggering 82% of the kickers telegraphed exactly what direction they would kick, including straight down the middle. I am from Vancouver and have heard of this study ten years ago and have been watching every penalty I seen to confirm its findings and it is absolutely true, and have since found it online and read it myself. If David had known, he would have easily dove the right way on at least 7 of the penalties. I have been trying to message players on MOTD since they watch every game so they can also confirm the same tell and hopefully pass it on to Gareth and Jordan and Henderson so I can finally see England win something before I die. I didn't want to let De Gea know so he can't use it for Spain, and I've been a United fan since the 90's, but I'm hoping you have a connection to tell someone in the England camp so they can use it for the Euros. Please, please please take this seriously and message me back so I know you read this and I'll tell you the tell. It's so goddamn obvious it will make you wonder why you never noticed as happened with myself. Please, and thank you. Jody
Thanks Ben for a wonderfully detailed and generous response. You have answered my questions most satisfactorily.
If this was a video link, you would now see me blushing crimson, because I am now going to have the brass neck to ask you four further questions. Here they are... in no particular order of priority...
(A) Has anyone scored a rabona penalty?
(B) Recalling the Pires botched "pass to Henry" penalty in 2005, makes me wonder how many such penalties have been scored in top tier European football?
(C) Has anyone back-heeled a penalty at top level? I seem to recall someone did... perhaps in South America... but maybe I dreamt it.
(D) Am I right in thinking that there is no limit to the number of times a penalty can be re-taken? And if so, any idea what the highest number was, for a retaken penalty?
Apols Ben for the supernumerary postings. Put it down to the fact that I am (1) a duffer, and (2) substack blew my technophobic mind by asking for a "magic token" in my password...!! Golly... to an OAP like me, indoor plumbing and colour television are about as magical as it gets... and to still be in my comprehension. As for "magic tokens" .... well, I am decidedly in the dark on such stuff.
I have come belatedly to your wonderful "Twelve Yards", after hearing you on TalkSport today. Bravo! I salute you for your efforts, and I have three questions... and you have my apologies in advance if you have already answered them a myriad times. Here goes...
1. When you talk of penalties "saved", do you include in that total those that the keeper has ostensibly nothing to do with... like those those that trickle wide of the posts or are blazed over the bar? I ask that because the key word there is "ostensibly": if you do include such efforts as saved, it surely makes a keeper's "saved" stats highly questionable, in that he usually has nothing to do with the penalty not being scored. (Except of course with the recent Neymar miss you highlighted, where the keeper's psychology in showing him a gaping goal, proved to be instrumental in screwing up that Brazilian genius's mind momentarily. So that, although the ball goes wide, untouched by the goalie, it was clearly a save on the part of the keeper.)
2. A question re ungentlemanly conduct.
I recall an England B - or England Under 23 ? - game a few years ago, where Joe Hart repeatedly shouted "you're gonna miss" as the taker was spotting the ball. The referee showed him a yellow card. Is this apparently demented type of shouting, "kosher" behaviour? Does it help in the saving of penalties? Or is it counter-productive?
3. Now whilst I reckon you've been asked 1&2 countless times, this third question from me might be a first. And it is this... just as Bruno Fernandes perversely and most unusually gave Villarreal the gift of going first, I noted that the Villarreal captain winning the toss of ends, predictably chose the end where all Villarreal's fans were. My question re the latter is.. has there ever been a case where a captain chose to kick penalties into the goal at the opposition end? (Presumably following the maverick thinking that going into the lion's den, might concentrate the mind most wonderfully?)
Apologies Ben, for the first two questions being FAQs. Maybe you have a FAQ section, and I have missed it.
I have come belatedly to your wonderful "Twelve Yards", after hearing you on TalkSport today. Bravo! I salute you for your efforts, and I have three questions... and you have my apologies in advance if you have already answered them a myriad times. Here goes...
1. When you talk of penalties "saved", do you include in that total those that the keeper has ostensibly nothing to do with... like those those that trickle wide of the posts or are blazed over the bar? I ask that because the key word there is "ostensibly": if you do include such efforts as saved, it surely makes a keeper's "saved" stats highly questionable, in that he usually has nothing to do with the penalty not being scored. (Except of course with the recent Neymar miss you highlighted, where the keeper's psychology in showing him a gaping goal, proved to be instrumental in screwing up that Brazilian genius's mind momentarily. So that, although the ball goes wide, untouched by the goalie, it was clearly a save on the part of the keeper.)
2. A question re ungentlemanly conduct.
I recall an England B - or England Under 23 ? - game a few years ago, where Joe Hart repeatedly shouted "you're gonna miss" as the taker was spotting the ball. The referee showed him a yellow card. Is this apparently demented type of shouting, "kosher" behaviour? Does it help in the saving of penalties? Or is it counter-productive?
3. Now whilst I reckon you've been asked 1&2 countless times, this third question from me might be a first. And it is this... just as Bruno Fernandes perversely and most unusually gave Villarreal the gift of going first, I noted that the Villarreal captain winning the toss of ends, predictably chose the end where all Villarreal's fans were. My question re the latter is.. has there ever been a case where a captain chose to kick penalties into the goal at the opposition end? (Presumably following the maverick thinking that going into the lion's den, might concentrate the mind most wonderfully?)
Apologies Ben, for the first two questions being FAQs. Maybe you have a FAQ section, and I have missed it.
I have come belatedly to your wonderful "Twelve Yards", after hearing you on TalkSport today. Bravo! I salute you for your efforts, and I have three questions... and you have my apologies in advance if you have already answered them a myriad times. Here goes...
1. When you talk of penalties "saved", do you include in that total those that the keeper has ostensibly nothing to do with... like those those that trickle wide of the posts or are blazed over the bar? I ask that because the key word there is "ostensibly": if you do include such efforts as saved, it surely makes a keeper's "saved" stats highly questionable, in that he usually has nothing to do with the penalty not being scored. (Except of course with the recent Neymar miss you highlighted, where the keeper's psychology in showing him a gaping goal, proved to be instrumental in screwing up that Brazilian genius's mind momentarily. So that, although the ball goes wide, untouched by the goalie, it was clearly a save on the part of the keeper.)
2. A question re ungentlemanly conduct.
I recall an England B - or England Under 23 ? - game a few years ago, where Joe Hart repeatedly shouted "you're gonna miss" as the taker was spotting the ball. The referee showed him a yellow card. Is this apparently demented type of shouting, "kosher" behaviour? Does it help in the saving of penalties? Or is it counter-productive?
3. Now whilst I reckon you've been asked 1&2 countless times, this third question from me might be a first. And it is this... just as Bruno Fernandes perversely and most unusually gave Villarreal the gift of going first, I noted that the Villarreal captain winning the toss of ends, predictably chose the end where all Villarreal's fans were. My question re the latter is.. has there ever been a case where a captain chose to kick penalties into the goal at the opposition end? (Presumably following the maverick thinking that going into the lion's den, might concentrate the mind most wonderfully?)
Apologies Ben, for the first two questions being FAQs. Maybe you have a FAQ section, and I have missed it.
Hi Ben, I've just come across your site and I see that you fancy yourself with a deep knowledge of penalties, so I have to ask if you have heard of the study out of UBC from 20 years ago that looked at all penalties taken from the 82 to the 98 world cups and found a staggering 82% of the kickers telegraphed exactly what direction they would kick, including straight down the middle. I am from Vancouver and have heard of this study ten years ago and have been watching every penalty I seen to confirm its findings and it is absolutely true, and have since found it online and read it myself. If David had known, he would have easily dove the right way on at least 7 of the penalties. I have been trying to message players on MOTD since they watch every game so they can also confirm the same tell and hopefully pass it on to Gareth and Jordan and Henderson so I can finally see England win something before I die. I didn't want to let De Gea know so he can't use it for Spain, and I've been a United fan since the 90's, but I'm hoping you have a connection to tell someone in the England camp so they can use it for the Euros. Please, please please take this seriously and message me back so I know you read this and I'll tell you the tell. It's so goddamn obvious it will make you wonder why you never noticed as happened with myself. Please, and thank you. Jody
Thanks Ben for a wonderfully detailed and generous response. You have answered my questions most satisfactorily.
If this was a video link, you would now see me blushing crimson, because I am now going to have the brass neck to ask you four further questions. Here they are... in no particular order of priority...
(A) Has anyone scored a rabona penalty?
(B) Recalling the Pires botched "pass to Henry" penalty in 2005, makes me wonder how many such penalties have been scored in top tier European football?
(C) Has anyone back-heeled a penalty at top level? I seem to recall someone did... perhaps in South America... but maybe I dreamt it.
(D) Am I right in thinking that there is no limit to the number of times a penalty can be re-taken? And if so, any idea what the highest number was, for a retaken penalty?
Apols Ben for the supernumerary postings. Put it down to the fact that I am (1) a duffer, and (2) substack blew my technophobic mind by asking for a "magic token" in my password...!! Golly... to an OAP like me, indoor plumbing and colour television are about as magical as it gets... and to still be in my comprehension. As for "magic tokens" .... well, I am decidedly in the dark on such stuff.
Please trim my postings to one,
I have come belatedly to your wonderful "Twelve Yards", after hearing you on TalkSport today. Bravo! I salute you for your efforts, and I have three questions... and you have my apologies in advance if you have already answered them a myriad times. Here goes...
1. When you talk of penalties "saved", do you include in that total those that the keeper has ostensibly nothing to do with... like those those that trickle wide of the posts or are blazed over the bar? I ask that because the key word there is "ostensibly": if you do include such efforts as saved, it surely makes a keeper's "saved" stats highly questionable, in that he usually has nothing to do with the penalty not being scored. (Except of course with the recent Neymar miss you highlighted, where the keeper's psychology in showing him a gaping goal, proved to be instrumental in screwing up that Brazilian genius's mind momentarily. So that, although the ball goes wide, untouched by the goalie, it was clearly a save on the part of the keeper.)
2. A question re ungentlemanly conduct.
I recall an England B - or England Under 23 ? - game a few years ago, where Joe Hart repeatedly shouted "you're gonna miss" as the taker was spotting the ball. The referee showed him a yellow card. Is this apparently demented type of shouting, "kosher" behaviour? Does it help in the saving of penalties? Or is it counter-productive?
3. Now whilst I reckon you've been asked 1&2 countless times, this third question from me might be a first. And it is this... just as Bruno Fernandes perversely and most unusually gave Villarreal the gift of going first, I noted that the Villarreal captain winning the toss of ends, predictably chose the end where all Villarreal's fans were. My question re the latter is.. has there ever been a case where a captain chose to kick penalties into the goal at the opposition end? (Presumably following the maverick thinking that going into the lion's den, might concentrate the mind most wonderfully?)
Apologies Ben, for the first two questions being FAQs. Maybe you have a FAQ section, and I have missed it.
TTFN,
Dai Woosnam, Grimsby
daigress@hotmail.com
I have come belatedly to your wonderful "Twelve Yards", after hearing you on TalkSport today. Bravo! I salute you for your efforts, and I have three questions... and you have my apologies in advance if you have already answered them a myriad times. Here goes...
1. When you talk of penalties "saved", do you include in that total those that the keeper has ostensibly nothing to do with... like those those that trickle wide of the posts or are blazed over the bar? I ask that because the key word there is "ostensibly": if you do include such efforts as saved, it surely makes a keeper's "saved" stats highly questionable, in that he usually has nothing to do with the penalty not being scored. (Except of course with the recent Neymar miss you highlighted, where the keeper's psychology in showing him a gaping goal, proved to be instrumental in screwing up that Brazilian genius's mind momentarily. So that, although the ball goes wide, untouched by the goalie, it was clearly a save on the part of the keeper.)
2. A question re ungentlemanly conduct.
I recall an England B - or England Under 23 ? - game a few years ago, where Joe Hart repeatedly shouted "you're gonna miss" as the taker was spotting the ball. The referee showed him a yellow card. Is this apparently demented type of shouting, "kosher" behaviour? Does it help in the saving of penalties? Or is it counter-productive?
3. Now whilst I reckon you've been asked 1&2 countless times, this third question from me might be a first. And it is this... just as Bruno Fernandes perversely and most unusually gave Villarreal the gift of going first, I noted that the Villarreal captain winning the toss of ends, predictably chose the end where all Villarreal's fans were. My question re the latter is.. has there ever been a case where a captain chose to kick penalties into the goal at the opposition end? (Presumably following the maverick thinking that going into the lion's den, might concentrate the mind most wonderfully?)
Apologies Ben, for the first two questions being FAQs. Maybe you have a FAQ section, and I have missed it.
TTFN,
Dai Woosnam, Grimsby
daigress@hotmail.com
I have come belatedly to your wonderful "Twelve Yards", after hearing you on TalkSport today. Bravo! I salute you for your efforts, and I have three questions... and you have my apologies in advance if you have already answered them a myriad times. Here goes...
1. When you talk of penalties "saved", do you include in that total those that the keeper has ostensibly nothing to do with... like those those that trickle wide of the posts or are blazed over the bar? I ask that because the key word there is "ostensibly": if you do include such efforts as saved, it surely makes a keeper's "saved" stats highly questionable, in that he usually has nothing to do with the penalty not being scored. (Except of course with the recent Neymar miss you highlighted, where the keeper's psychology in showing him a gaping goal, proved to be instrumental in screwing up that Brazilian genius's mind momentarily. So that, although the ball goes wide, untouched by the goalie, it was clearly a save on the part of the keeper.)
2. A question re ungentlemanly conduct.
I recall an England B - or England Under 23 ? - game a few years ago, where Joe Hart repeatedly shouted "you're gonna miss" as the taker was spotting the ball. The referee showed him a yellow card. Is this apparently demented type of shouting, "kosher" behaviour? Does it help in the saving of penalties? Or is it counter-productive?
3. Now whilst I reckon you've been asked 1&2 countless times, this third question from me might be a first. And it is this... just as Bruno Fernandes perversely and most unusually gave Villarreal the gift of going first, I noted that the Villarreal captain winning the toss of ends, predictably chose the end where all Villarreal's fans were. My question re the latter is.. has there ever been a case where a captain chose to kick penalties into the goal at the opposition end? (Presumably following the maverick thinking that going into the lion's den, might concentrate the mind most wonderfully?)
Apologies Ben, for the first two questions being FAQs. Maybe you have a FAQ section, and I have missed it.
TTFN,
Dai Woosnam, Grimsby
daigress@hotmail.com