I have a book called The Complete Book of the World Cup. Writer is Cris Freddi.
For the 1990 Semi, he writes:
"Just a thought here. Dave Beasant was in the squad. Much taller than Shilton and a well-known shot-stopper. Two years earlier his penalty save in the Final had won Wimbledon the FA Cup. Imagine the criticism if Robson had sent him on in the last minute of extra time and England had still lost the shoot-out. Yes, but maybe it was the kind of imaginative thinking England needed. Instead, Shilton went the right way for every kick but couldn't reach them"
Louis read that, maybe?
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Think hes come across as a bit of cock on anything Ive seen him on.
I'm surprised this kind of tactic isn't used more often - not least because of the element of surprise on the takers, who study the keepers too these days.
The Germans had practised their penalties quite hard in training....we had not.
I had more of a problem with the way he behaved when he got on and maybe that was what he is better at. I have no doubt the striker would have been booked if they'd delayed the kick, wandering up to the goal line to give Krul verbals, etc.
Obviously he would get a red card, but the other team no longer has it's first choice keeper available and subs are not allowed during a shoot out, thus handing the advantage to the offenders team.
All the subs have been used, so would an outfield player have had to go in goal? I mention this because of two bits of behaviour by Krul. First his mind games with the penalty taker - getting right in their faces - could have been interpreted as unsporting behaviour and he could have been booked. Second his bouncing the crossbar about prior to a kick being taken. I admit this was years ago but my old man, who was a ref, told me that intentionally reducing the size of the goal was a bookable offence. Clearly hanging off the cross bar does precisely that and so, I guess, should not be allowed.
It worked, but it was hardly risky. If CR had one, it would be easy to get out of.
I thought the sportsmanship and dignity of the Costa Ricans when they lined up to shake the Dutch team's hands was a credit to them.
So hardly the Complete Book of the World Cup is it? Pretty poor research and proof reading.
The other one for me is why don't teams put a player on the line for free-kicks? I think Kiely only let one free-kick in during our premiership years and that is when Henry rifled it over the player on the line's head at the Valley. On a Junior Reds Q&A at the Valley a few years back, I asked my son to ask Chrissy why we don't do this. I was expecting an answer that suggests that statistics show it is better not to have a player on the line. But the answer was, that he left decisions like that to his keepers. Which suggests that statistics are not used to determine what is the most effective option, which doesn't surprise me with football. Not a dig at Chrissy btw.
Charles Hughes may be partly to blame. He is always much derided for his use of statistics to advocate the long bal game - but I think he was visonary. The reason he got the wrong result from his analysis was because he used British players who were not that skillful on the ball. So th eresult was right in the sense that if a team can't string 5 consecuticve passes together, it should try to get from A to B in less!
But we shouldn't be afraid of statistics, we just need to get the sample right. And Charlton's premier years under Curbishley provide excellent defending free-kick data to analyse. Just wish football managers would be a little more imaginative. I think we are missing a trick.
The media have, for me, gone well over the top, crowning Louis van Gaal as some kind tactical genius as a result of the substitution. In truth, he just got lucky. Krul is hardly a specialist on saving penalties - unlike, for example, Pepe Reina. There was also the former Ipswich goalie, Paul Cooper, who saved a lot of penalties, including 8 out of 10 in 1979/80.
As for Shilton in 1990, he was 40 and creaking a bit by then and I think Bobby Robson said that he had toyed with the idea of bringing Beasant on. That said, the German penalties were so good that I doubt that any keeper would have got anywhere near them.