JT penalty

[Kez 2,727]

Can't say i was ever convinced that Anelka was gonna score.

He didn't look like he was confident enough.

& he didnt really look that gutted that he missed.

[misschief 24]

Anelka had 'miss' written all over his face. But its not the fact he missed that was such a big deal, but more his attitude afterwards that really pissed me off.

[warnie_666 1,081]

Given the opportunity in Moscow last week, Nicolas Anelka did not want to be a striker. Oh yes, he says he wanted to be a striker. Indeed, he gave wanting to be a striker as his reason for hiding when his club were looking for a finisher capable of bringing the European Cup to Stamford Bridge.

“I was asked to take one of the first five kicks and I said, ‘That is out of the question,’ ” Anelka explained. “I said, ‘I have come on as a right back and now you want me to take a penalty.’ At no point did I think I was going to come on. I was on the bench for 100 minutes and suddenly I am asked to play not even a minute after being sent to warm up.”

Sadly for the self-serving Anelka, Uefa keeps a pretty good note of player comings and goings. He was introduced in the 99th minute, the first half of extra time, in place of Joe Cole, after which Lubos Michel, the referee, played two minutes and two seconds of additional time. There then followed a 15-minute second-half period and four minutes and 43 seconds of added time, so in total Anelka had 27 minutes and 45 seconds on the pitch before the penalty shoot-out, quite enough to get warmed up. His right-back analogy is also baseless considering that Chelsea’s reserve in that position, Juliano Belletti, buried his penalty, despite being introduced at the last opportunity in second-half injury time and without previously touching the ball. A left back, Ashley Cole, scored, too, as did Owen Hargreaves, of Manchester United, who has occasionally been deployed in the full-back role. Anelka would have us believe that a striker forgets every instinct unless reminded daily.

[warnie_666 1,081]

This is just the beginning. I think we will see more of his shit in the coming season.

[Para6iT 2]

Penalties are worst, unfair.

[Fulham Broadway 16,392]

He' ll try and put it behind him -and doubtless there are sports psychiatrists available to the squad, that'll help.

I remember reading an interview with the golfer Doug Sanders who missed a 2 and a half feet putt to win the 1970 British Open(he eventually lost an 18 hole play off with Jack Nicklaus the following day)-when asked by the journalist whether he was always thinking about that putt he replied ...'hell no-I went 5 minutes last week when I didn't think about the putt!!