Paying the penalty at Newcastle United

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The Mag

·6 October 2024

Paying the penalty at Newcastle United

I have thought for a few years now that top clubs should have more than one recognised penalty taker.

That when awarded, spot-kicks should be shared amongst certain players that are confident and capable enough to step up and take on the responsibility.

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Until Alexander Isak fluffed his lines against Burnley at Turf Moor last season, Newcastle United hadn’t missed a penalty in the Premier League since 2021.

Anthony Gordon is now the latest to fail from the spot in the EPL after his effort was saved at Goodison Park. There is no doubt that these two players were the designated penalty takers beforehand.

With the regular absences of our previous penalty king Callum Wilson, Isak had been burying penalties with aplomb before his only ever miss.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but I wonder if it was a good idea for Anthony Gordon to be on penalty duties against his former club Everton. His emotions were always going to be running high.

I have noticed that at Arsenal they have recently decided to adopt a ‘horses for courses’ system, penalty kicks have been shared by the likes of Saka, Odegaard and Havertz.

I know that anyone can occasionally miss from 12 yards, but in the modern era where there are cameras at every ground and every fine detail is analysed afterwards, most top goalkeepers probably find their homework comparatively easy.

Jordan Pickford would have known that after Anthony Gordon’s superb penalty against Manchester City a week earlier (that received so much scrutiny and attention both before and after), Flash may probably try and put his penalty into the opposite corner this time.

Indeed, Pickford unhesitatingly went down to his left before the ball was struck. With Gordon having already decided where he was going to drill the ball, this made for a relatively comfortable save.

In Wilson, Isak, Gordon and Fabian Schar, we have four capable and proven penalty takers. I’ve no doubt either that the likes of Lewis Hall, Tino Livramento and even Sandro Tonali would also fancy their chances in a one-off scenario.

So when it comes to penalties, I would like to see United mixing it up a bit more ‘Arsenal style’ from now on.

I have compiled a small list of the five best ‘regular’ penalty takers I have seen in the last 50 years or so, starting with one of our own.

Two of these players were right-backs.

All five of these blokes hardly ever missed in their entire careers.

Tommy Craig (Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle United).

Phil Neal(Liverpool)

Ray Stewart(West Ham United)

Gary McAllister(Leicester City, Leeds United, Coventry City, Liverpool)

Matt Le Tissier(Southampton)

Of course there were others with ice in their veins from 12 yards. The likes of Alan Shearer, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Danny Murphy and James Milner all have excellent penalty records.

More recently, Harry Kane and Ivan Toney have both shown that they too are specialists in the art.

However, as Newcastle United move forward into what we hope will be a prosperous new era, just for the time being I would like us to ‘mix it up’ when we get the chance of a free shot at goal.

Everton 0 Newcastle 0 – Saturday 5 October 5.30pm

Goals:

Newcastle United:

Everton:

Possession was Newcastle 67% Everton 33%

Total shots were Newcastle 14 Everton 8

Shots on target were Newcastle 3 Everton 2

Corners were Newcastle 10 Everton 0

Touches in the box Newcastle 42 Everton 12

Newcastle United team v Everton:

Pope, Trippier (Livramento 71), Schar, Burn, Hall, Joelinton, Bruno, Tonali (Longstaff 71), Barnes (Almiron 62), Gordon, Jacob Murphy (Willock 69)

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