Please, Not Penalties Again!!!

I enjoy Wimbledon, I love the Golf Majors, the Rugby World Cup is brilliant and the Olympics is very special, but nothing gets my juices flowing quite like the World Cup does.
 
As usual, we work ourselves into a frenzy of expectation about our chances and as usual, we really should be there or thereabouts with the talent at our disposal. As usual, we get an injury hit our chances before we even start, with our Captain being ruled out and as usual, I have a horrible feeling our fate may lay in a penalty shoot-out at some point in the next few weeks.
 
In fact so paranoid am I about that last prospect, that I’ve taken the time out to study the squad for potential penalty-takers. It doesn’t make for great reading. Why is it so many quality English players fail to give us any confidence from a spot kick? They seem so much better shooting instinctively than under the pressure of the more deliberate penalty process. Compare this with the German players who approach it with a kind of military precision. There has to be something in the national psyche that makes the difference in this mentality.
 
Our No. 1 penalty-taker currently is Frank Lampard. He always appears to scuff his shots to me and has missed his last two penalties.
 
Of our forwards, Jermain Defoe misses more than he scores from the spot, and Heskey is famous for how few goals he scores, which considering that is supposed to be his job, is more that a little disconcerting. So far I only have Rooney confidently on my shortlist. Crouch also gets in on the basis his bizarre frame will confuse the keeper.
 
From Midfield, Lennon and Wright-Phillips are too small to inspire confidence, Barry currently only has one good foot, Carrick is too laid back. That leaves Gerrard and Joe Cole as takers.
 
Defenders shouldn’t be allowed to take penalties anyway, especially Terry who used to until his miss cost Chelsea a Champions League win. I might go with Glen Johnson though.
 
And that’s my lot. From a squad of 23, I’ve only managed to have any confidence in 3 players and 2 others that make up the numbers. With the likelihood they would all be on the pitch at the right time being slim, I just can’t see us winning a penalty contest. That means, in my view, from the knockout stages we can’t even afford to draw a game, we have to win them. Can we really do that four times?
 
For the record I can’t see beyond Spain as eventual winners. To me they have comfortably the best first 11 as well as the best back up squad by some distance. I see Holland as dangers and for a dark horse, keep an eye on Switzerland. Ultimately though,A Spain V England final where we catch them on an off day would do just fine.
 
Come on England!!! Oh and if you’ve not got your World Cup 2010 Wall Chart yet, click on our eMagazine on the top right corner of our website, and you’ll be able to download a copy from Bushey’s or Watford’s May edition.