A while ago, some pundits and commentators were complaining about penalty shootouts in soccer / football, saying that they're a lottery and favor defensive teams. But I myself like them, as I think taking a penalty and saving a penalty involves skill. You need some luck, of course, but you also need skill. And let's face it, if you're a professional footballer and you can't kick the ball through a space larger than a barn door from twelve yards away, you probably deserved to be eliminated anyway. ;)

There's also lots of tension and expectation involved, which I think makes them exciting. But what do you think?

Penalty shootouts don't cause teams to play defensive, as they could always score a lucky goal anyway. Penalties just create a nice tense end to a game where the two teams must have played about the same to draw in the rest of the game.

Penalty shootouts cause a higher heart attack rate among fans with people with high blood presure

i used to love em, but since '98 and '00 i started to fear them....at least on the international level. I myself am never afraid to take one.

Originally posted by willemvanoranje
i used to love em, but since '98 and '00 i started to fear them....at least on the international level. I myself am never afraid to take one.

Yeah, and don't forget 1996 (Euro and Champions' League) and 1992. For a dutchman, penalties must be hard to digest indeed. :lol:
I have no problems with penalties either, and like to watch them.

well, back in '96 I just blamed Seedorf, and in '92 I wasn't all that bout football. The first big tournament I really knew about was WC '94 (two offside goals by Brazil against us :mad:)

I'm just gettign anxious hearing about penalties. Penalties must be on of the most unsettling things to watch, let alone try and take one, especially at the biggest level. Although saying that i think they are completly neccessary for the game as they do create that excitement. And anyhow how else are you meant to seperate two teams who can't win in normal time? Keep playing extra time until someone scores? If anything should be gotten rid of though it should be golden goal... :D

word, the golden goal is really the most stupid rule change of the past decade...

Last penalty shootout my five a side team took part in we lost
5-0. The comptetion rules were that all players in the team had to take one. At least both sides had a 100% record.

Originally posted by willemvanoranje
i used to love em, but since '98 and '00 i started to fear them....at least on the international level.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

If you like I'll send you through e-mail the mpeg (only 800kb) of the wonderful penalty kicked by Totti :)

Originally posted by Rhye

If you like I'll send you through e-mail the mpeg (only 800kb) of the wonderful penalty kicked by Totti :)

Don't talk too much yourself, because suddenly I seem to remember about 1990, 1994 and 1998. :p

Yes, yes I know
But that match was soooo fun!!

It was a continuous heart-ache: the ball seemed always to enter in but never did.
And Holland players failed 2 penalties during the match.

And then on penalties, they fail again and again! I think it is a record!!
Totti crowned the victory with that making fun of Van der Sar uhahaha

Ah, yes, an Italian telling a Dutchman about penalties....
Strange. The Dutch suck at taking penalties, I'll grant you that, but Italians aren't all that at it either as I seem to remember Roberto Baggio's penalty flying over the crossbar in the '94 WC final against Brazil. Penalties may have cost the Dutch a few advancwements in international tournaments, they've cost Italians the World Cup...;)

well...i might say it cost us the euro cup back in 2000. And in '98 against Brazil it cost us a WC final, in which we probably would have lost, but still.... Anyway, we play football in a much nicer way than Italians and I just know we were better, so...

Originally posted by Darkness
Ah, yes, an Italian telling a Dutchman about penalties....
Strange. The Dutch suck at taking penalties, I'll grant you that, but Italians aren't all that at it either as I seem to remember Roberto Baggio's penalty flying over the crossbar in the '94 WC final against Brazil. Penalties may have cost the Dutch a few advancwements in international tournaments, they've cost Italians the World Cup...;)

I totally agree with my Feyenoord-friend here ;) The thing I want to add is that I hope no Dutch team ever has to take a shootout anymore, ever! If you can be certain about one thing, then it must be that you can count on a Dutch team losing via a shootout! :vomit:

I hate shootouts!

I love penalty shootouts unless they are against Germany.

Extra time is one of my favourite things... Penalties tend to be quite unlucky.

You all seem to go off the topic I introduced. Sure Italy isn't good at penalties, nor played well in the last four years.
But Dutchmen had their right punishment, after having missed 2 penalties during the match

italy probably won't receive punishment for playing catenaccio....ah well, Ajax did show Roma...:D

Originally posted by willemvanoranje
italy probably won't receive punishment for playing catenaccio....ah well, Ajax did show Roma...:D Well, such a victory doesn't give me much satisfaction. It feels like stolen points.... :satan:

ajax won 2-1, or do you mean a catenaccio victory (damn Internazionale.....:mad: )? Or do you mean Fabio Capello saying he wasn't impressed :lol: ajax dominated all day

Originally posted by willemvanoranje
ajax won 2-1, or do you mean a catenaccio victory (damn Internazionale.....:mad:)? Or do you mean Fabio Capello saying he wasn't impressed :lol: ajax dominated all day

No, I meant the 1-1 draw in Valancia (not a victory of course, but felt like one)...

Roma: stupid Capello had to say something, he probably was still annoyed with Ajax at that moment! :lol: )

:lol: yeah, and he'll get something to think about in the rematch as well.

I wonder why Capello still bets on Zebina.
He is a disaster: he caused many losts in the regular season last year, including the elimination from the Champions League (On 1-0 vs Galatasaray he gave the ball as a present to the forward. So 1-1 and the obbligation of victory at Liverpool, which didn't happen)

that's what I like about Koeman. Winter is a great name with reputation and experience, but he just ain't good enough, so now Koeman told him to retire :goodjob: Other trainers didn't let him play either btw.