Shoot-Out Keeper

[Renegade]

Last season, despite only using two of our three subs, ICT went into a penalty shootout with a goalkeeper who'd never saved a penalty for us, with one with a fairly decent penalty record sat on the bench.  Reguero was a great keeper for us, but when up against a spot-kick, he couldn't catch a cold. 

 

There can be no doubt that Dean Brill has been a great signing and has put in some great performances.  While he hasn't had to face many penalties so far, he is yet to save one.  Ryan Esson has yet to play a first team match this season, yet seems to have a knack with penalties.  Infact, ICT have won every shootout that Esson has been in goal for (wins against Stenhousemuir, Partick Thistle, Montrose and Arbroath).  Is this just a coincidence?  I don't think it is.  Penalty shootouts are not the lottery some people portray them to be.  He also has a pretty good record with penalties in open play as well.

 

Switching keepers is something that has been done in the past.  In the late-90s while manager of Leicester, Martin O'Neil took off Tim Flowers in the dying minutes and replaced him with the Australian keeper Zeljko Kalac.  This was done due to the fact that Kalac is 6"8 and would thus fill the goal more than Flowers would (in the end it didn't matter as Leicester ran down the other end in the dying seconds and scored the winner).  Seemingly in South America, it is common for teams to go into knock-out games with a 'match keeper' and a 'shootout keeper' on the bench.

 

Should the scenario be repeated on Sunday and the game goes to penalties and ICT have one more change to make, should we (assuming Brill plays!) use it to put Ryan Esson in goal?

Edited January 28, 2014 by Renegade

[+jagster]

i would stick with dean brill, i think he imposes himself o the goal line pretty well and would have as much belief in him as i would in ryan, think its more to do with the takersmyself, roberts looked defeated before he even took the penalty last year 

[Alex MacLeod]

The secret is not to be in a shoot-out situation

[bdu98196]

Goalkeepers more than any other player are confidence based in performance - we have an established number one who has kept us in many games this year so for me its a no brainer - sentiment doesnt matter.

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

The only shoot out that I am looking forward to is the celebratory Jäger Bomb line up in central Embra on a lazy Sunday afternoon, hopefully leading to a hazy Sunday evening. That would be brill.

[Guest]

Who would you have taking our penalties?

 

Shinnie

Doran

McKay

Ross

Roberts Foran

[IMMORTAL HOWDEN ENDER]

WE DONT NEED THEM

[Kingsmills]

If we are going to bring on a 'keeper with an unsurpassed record of saving spot kicks purely for the penalty shoot out then I suggest that we get Jimmy Calder registered pronto...

[KingBeastie]

I don't think the confidence argument someone mentioned in this case is too relevant.  I believe that experience plays a bigger part when it comes to shoot outs.  That's why, with no slight on Dean's abilities (I think he's great) I would make the sub if it went to penalties.  Ryan's been there before and done the job.

 

But, as has been said, let's hope it does not come to this.

[+DoofersDad]

I think there can be a lot of merit in replacing the keeper for the shoot out and I would have favoured that last year but not this.  Last year as I recall, Reguero got into the side as a result of an injury to Esson who had been playing well.  Requero had taken his chance well but looked unconvincing at penalties.  This year I don't think Esson was as sharp early season and nor do I think Brill has shown a weakness at penalties.  However, my main reason for favouring keeping Brill on the park is that by the time the game comes to that, one way or another I would have expected us to have used all our subs to have put fresh legs on the pitch to win the game.  Whatever the starting line up, there will be players just as good on the bench, so if we are not winning, we need to use them.

[Doofer]

Assuming it goes to penalties and assume all 3 subs have not been used, would I change keepers? No chance. If you did that you would have to win the shoot out otherwise you'd look like a right muppet.

[+bughtmaster]

Most of us were right lol

[Renegade]

Just as well they didn't take my advice!

[Kingsmills]

On reflection, maybe we should stick with Brill. Maybe he'll cope.....

[finmack]

He did!

[KingBeastie]

I don't think the confidence argument someone mentioned in this case is too relevant.  I believe that experience plays a bigger part when it comes to shoot outs.  That's why, with no slight on Dean's abilities (I think he's great) I would make the sub if it went to penalties.  Ryan's been there before and done the job.

 

But, as has been said, let's hope it does not come to this.

 

 

 

 

 

                   

[+DoofersDad]

Just as well we had already brought on 3 subs so that Yogi didn't have that difficult decision to make!