A saved penalty or missed one?
As a former Sunday league and five a side goalkeeper there is nothing to beat the feeling of saving a penalty; it's like scoring a goal at the other end. But there is nothing more annoying to then hear the outfield player missed it; he didn't as it was saved!
Robin Van Persie missed his penalty against Atletico Madrid as he hit the post; that is a missed penalty. At first it looked as though the goalkeeper saved it yet the commentator, without the aid of a replay, said the Dutchman missed it. So if he saved it or it hit the post it's the same thing?
The only answer is no! My point is that when a goalkeeper makes a save they are never given enough credit at all.
'They guessed the right way' is another one that's annoying. Just as a penalty taker practises, so do goalkeepers and they study previous footage of the opposition's penalty.
Of course an element of luck is involved but lady luck is always in football.
Miss!
A professional footballer should never miss from the spot; by that I mean the ball should always be aimed at goal. They are paid to play football therefore should be able to control the ball from twelve yards. Any footballer who can't aim the ball to the back of the net shouldn't be playing; it's a simple skill!
Should it hit the post or crossbar it's a miss; if it goes over or to either side without the keeper touching it, it's an awful miss.
If the ball is on target and it is saved it should be recorded as shot on target but saved.
In a Cup game when teams are even after a couple of hours of football the only way to decide the winner is penalties.
The pressure is firmly on the taker and not the keeper; they should have done the homework on all the players that step up against them.
I just don't think that goalkeepers are given enough credit when they save a spotkick; it seems to be easier to blame the penalty taker than praise the keeper.
You can't practice taking spotkicks in front of thousands of fans is an old excuse I hear; well nor can you practise trying to save them in front of a crowd.
A game may end three nil but a save, not a miss, by the winning team's keeper when the game is goalless will hardly get a mention; but the goalscorers will.
A goalscorer is just as vital as a good goalkeeper; they can both win the game or worse lose it.
It's a position on the field that you have to be slightly mad at to play in; all they ask is to acknowledge a save and not call it a miss.
Written by Paul Moore, a football fan.