Discussion
Why is it, highly paid professionals can't take a corner?
Time and time again the ball never gets above waist height and gets cleared by the first defender.
Back in my day, as a hotshot 40 goals a season striker in the Ashford Sunday League Div 4, even at that level, failing to deliver the ball on to the heads of one of the lumps who had made the 100 yard round trip upfield from centre back, would result in said hefty defenders spending the entire trip back down field chuntering away at the offender.
Not from me, of course, I played on the deck, leaving the aerial fisticuffs to other, less skilful, players.
Indeed, often, I would ghost towards the near post and either deftly flick one of these low flying corners into the net or trap it stone dead, turn on a sixpence and smash it in.
I just feel sorry for the poor saps who trundle forward in the forlorn hope that a chap, paid to play football, with a free kick, would,9 times out of 10, succeed in clearing the defender on the near post.
Or is it just me?
Time and time again the ball never gets above waist height and gets cleared by the first defender.
Back in my day, as a hotshot 40 goals a season striker in the Ashford Sunday League Div 4, even at that level, failing to deliver the ball on to the heads of one of the lumps who had made the 100 yard round trip upfield from centre back, would result in said hefty defenders spending the entire trip back down field chuntering away at the offender.
Not from me, of course, I played on the deck, leaving the aerial fisticuffs to other, less skilful, players.
Indeed, often, I would ghost towards the near post and either deftly flick one of these low flying corners into the net or trap it stone dead, turn on a sixpence and smash it in.
I just feel sorry for the poor saps who trundle forward in the forlorn hope that a chap, paid to play football, with a free kick, would,9 times out of 10, succeed in clearing the defender on the near post.
Or is it just me?
And, why is it that said highly paid professionals have lost the ability to place the ball within the quadrant before failing to deliver it to head of said lumbering centreback?
Also seems odd to me that every player has the ability to spot the merest of touches off an opponent so as to claim a throw, yet fails to see within 20 yards as to where the ball actually crossed the line to go out of play?
Also seems odd to me that every player has the ability to spot the merest of touches off an opponent so as to claim a throw, yet fails to see within 20 yards as to where the ball actually crossed the line to go out of play?
Hammer67 said:
Why is it, highly paid professionals can't take a corner?
Drives me absolutely spare. I always count the corner success at Chelsea, a point for a decent corner, half a point for a mediocre one and nothing for hitting the first defender, over sometimes curling the f
king thing out of play before it comes back in. On average we get about 8 - 10 corners a game, but rarely get more than 4 or 5 points.And this from a side containing supposedly world class players. Utterly dreadful.
Hammer67 said:
Why is it, highly paid professionals can't take a corner?
Time and time again the ball never gets above waist height and gets cleared by the first defender.
Back in my day, as a hotshot 40 goals a season striker in the Ashford Sunday League Div 4, even at that level, failing to deliver the ball on to the heads of one of the lumps who had made the 100 yard round trip upfield from centre back, would result in said hefty defenders spending the entire trip back down field chuntering away at the offender.
Not from me, of course, I played on the deck, leaving the aerial fisticuffs to other, less skillful, players.
Indeed, often, I would ghost towards the near post and either deftly flick one of these low flying corners into the net or trap it stone dead, turn on a sixpence and smash it in.
I just feel sorry for the poor saps who trundle forward in the forlorn hope that a chap, paid to play football, with a free kick, would,9 times out of 10, succeed in clearing the defender on the near post.
Or is it just me?
"leaving the aerial fisticuffs to other, less skillful, players." I too played in the same leagues and scored many headers both as a defender and a ctre forward - I feel I should know you. Time and time again the ball never gets above waist height and gets cleared by the first defender.
Back in my day, as a hotshot 40 goals a season striker in the Ashford Sunday League Div 4, even at that level, failing to deliver the ball on to the heads of one of the lumps who had made the 100 yard round trip upfield from centre back, would result in said hefty defenders spending the entire trip back down field chuntering away at the offender.
Not from me, of course, I played on the deck, leaving the aerial fisticuffs to other, less skillful, players.
Indeed, often, I would ghost towards the near post and either deftly flick one of these low flying corners into the net or trap it stone dead, turn on a sixpence and smash it in.
I just feel sorry for the poor saps who trundle forward in the forlorn hope that a chap, paid to play football, with a free kick, would,9 times out of 10, succeed in clearing the defender on the near post.
Or is it just me?
eta especially as a Hammers fan born & bred
Because the general way of delivering a corner in Sunday league - to 'float it in' is very easy to do with a high level of success.
Sadly, Premier League goalkeepers can eat that sort of corner for breakfast.
What is required in the PL - a 'bit of whip' - a much faster, lower, more precise delivery, is much much harder to do, and the most common failure mode is a rather unimpressive, low, visibly rubbish corner.
The point is that 3 out of 4 good whipped corners and one duffer is a better plan than 10 out of 10 floaters.
Sadly, Premier League goalkeepers can eat that sort of corner for breakfast.
What is required in the PL - a 'bit of whip' - a much faster, lower, more precise delivery, is much much harder to do, and the most common failure mode is a rather unimpressive, low, visibly rubbish corner.
The point is that 3 out of 4 good whipped corners and one duffer is a better plan than 10 out of 10 floaters.
alfie2244 said:
mickk said:
alfie2244 said:
especially as a Hammers fan born & bred
What a terrible start for you, I admire your guts and determination to get on with life though.
He dearly wants to be a Hammer but just hasn't quite got the minerals. Which is a shame.
SpeckledJim said:
Because the general way of delivering a corner in Sunday league - to 'float it in' is very easy to do with a high level of success.
Sadly, Premier League goalkeepers can eat that sort of corner for breakfast.
What is required in the PL - a 'bit of whip' - a much faster, lower, more precise delivery, is much much harder to do, and the most common failure mode is a rather unimpressive, low, visibly rubbish corner.
The point is that 3 out of 4 good whipped corners and one duffer is a better plan than 10 out of 10 floaters.
nonsense. there is a flicker of truth in this, as the referees tend to be hotter in the PL meaning the GK is less likely to get knocked off course when coming out to gather but nevertheless aiming a ball at shoulder height into a bunch of blokes is unlikely to result in a goal.Sadly, Premier League goalkeepers can eat that sort of corner for breakfast.
What is required in the PL - a 'bit of whip' - a much faster, lower, more precise delivery, is much much harder to do, and the most common failure mode is a rather unimpressive, low, visibly rubbish corner.
The point is that 3 out of 4 good whipped corners and one duffer is a better plan than 10 out of 10 floaters.
much better floating one just beyond the penalty spot, or even going very deep for a knock back.
but completely agree with the OP, back in my day such feeble deliveries would get berated by the centre half who'd trotted up in the vain hope of getting his name in the back of the paper...
dave123456 said:
SpeckledJim said:
Because the general way of delivering a corner in Sunday league - to 'float it in' is very easy to do with a high level of success.
Sadly, Premier League goalkeepers can eat that sort of corner for breakfast.
What is required in the PL - a 'bit of whip' - a much faster, lower, more precise delivery, is much much harder to do, and the most common failure mode is a rather unimpressive, low, visibly rubbish corner.
The point is that 3 out of 4 good whipped corners and one duffer is a better plan than 10 out of 10 floaters.
nonsense. there is a flicker of truth in this, as the referees tend to be hotter in the PL meaning the GK is less likely to get knocked off course when coming out to gather but nevertheless aiming a ball at shoulder height into a bunch of blokes is unlikely to result in a goal.Sadly, Premier League goalkeepers can eat that sort of corner for breakfast.
What is required in the PL - a 'bit of whip' - a much faster, lower, more precise delivery, is much much harder to do, and the most common failure mode is a rather unimpressive, low, visibly rubbish corner.
The point is that 3 out of 4 good whipped corners and one duffer is a better plan than 10 out of 10 floaters.
much better floating one just beyond the penalty spot, or even going very deep for a knock back.
but completely agree with the OP, back in my day such feeble deliveries would get berated by the centre half who'd trotted up in the vain hope of getting his name in the back of the paper...
Floated corners in the premier league get caught or cleared. That's why the corner taker hits them harder, with 'dip'. To make them harder to defend.
A floated corner with a hang-time of 3-4 seconds gives the keeper and defenders plenty of time to cover the ground to get under it. A faster corner doesn't give the keeper time to get to it.
The downside is that's a much harder delivery to pull-off.
Edited by SpeckledJim on Sunday 21st February 19:03
What I love/hate about corners is how the corner taker often holds an arm aloft just before steeping up to kick the ball. What is that all about? Is it a signal to anyone in particular (and therefire not very secret), or a general, more pointless signal? Or maybe it's just a habit, or checking the wind, or ensuring that the sleeve is in a comfortable position. Endless possibilities.
More often than not I think the arm in the air is a message of 'go'.
You see all the jostling and shuffling in the box - that's not random, but an organised effort to lose markers and be free when the ball arrives.
The ball is delivered too quickly for that to be possible in the time after it is kicked, so the arm in the air is the 3 second warning to initiate the corner manoeuvres.
You see all the jostling and shuffling in the box - that's not random, but an organised effort to lose markers and be free when the ball arrives.
The ball is delivered too quickly for that to be possible in the time after it is kicked, so the arm in the air is the 3 second warning to initiate the corner manoeuvres.
Always amazes me as a fan how nuts the crowd goes when their team "wins" a corner. The conversion rate is significantly lower than play orginating from a throw-in in the final third. Don't know whether that rate is a new phenomenon due crap corner taking and modern tactics or 'twas always that way. Must remember to ask Big Sam next time I see him.
Adam B said:
its a signal:
left hand up - I am going to hit the chest of the first defender and create a counter-attack
right hand up - I am going to welly one right over the box which will go out for a throw, or create a counter-attack
(for LFC, other teams may have other combinations)
Empirically speaking, I think you are right...left hand up - I am going to hit the chest of the first defender and create a counter-attack
right hand up - I am going to welly one right over the box which will go out for a throw, or create a counter-attack
(for LFC, other teams may have other combinations)
SpeckledJim said:
More often than not I think the arm in the air is a message of 'go'.
You see all the jostling and shuffling in the box - that's not random, but an organised effort to lose markers and be free when the ball arrives.
The ball is delivered too quickly for that to be possible in the time after it is kicked, so the arm in the air is the 3 second warning to initiate the corner manoeuvres.
...but I suspect this is the case.You see all the jostling and shuffling in the box - that's not random, but an organised effort to lose markers and be free when the ball arrives.
The ball is delivered too quickly for that to be possible in the time after it is kicked, so the arm in the air is the 3 second warning to initiate the corner manoeuvres.
But strangely, I've seen people do it in 5 and 6 a side matches
SpeckledJim said:
Because the general way of delivering a corner in Sunday league - to 'float it in' is very easy to do with a high level of success.
Sadly, Premier League goalkeepers can eat that sort of corner for breakfast.
What is required in the PL - a 'bit of whip' - a much faster, lower, more precise delivery, is much much harder to do, and the most common failure mode is a rather unimpressive, low, visibly rubbish corner.
The point is that 3 out of 4 good whipped corners and one duffer is a better plan than 10 out of 10 floaters.
Bingo.Sadly, Premier League goalkeepers can eat that sort of corner for breakfast.
What is required in the PL - a 'bit of whip' - a much faster, lower, more precise delivery, is much much harder to do, and the most common failure mode is a rather unimpressive, low, visibly rubbish corner.
The point is that 3 out of 4 good whipped corners and one duffer is a better plan than 10 out of 10 floaters.
In lower league football the floater is a sufficient corner. In a top flight game any defender or keeper worth his salt gobbles these up and everyone would moan equally as if it had hit the first man or gone over everyone's heads. It's the exact same for a free kick.
I find it amazing to believe that people can't understand this concept? Do you honestly think a player such as Mesut Ozil can't just loft a ball 20 metres into the area? I imagine anyone who doesn't understand this has never played at a remotely good standard in their life, or even attended a professional match!
chrisb92 said:
Bingo.
In lower league football the floater is a sufficient corner. In a top flight game any defender or keeper worth his salt gobbles these up and everyone would moan equally as if it had hit the first man or gone over everyone's heads. It's the exact same for a free kick.
I find it amazing to believe that people can't understand this concept? Do you honestly think a player such as Mesut Ozil can't just loft a ball 20 metres into the area? I imagine anyone who doesn't understand this has never played at a remotely good standard in their life, or even attended a professional match!
I don't know, I've lost count of the number of free-kicks that I have seen Christian Eriksen ping into the top corner; over the wall, around the wall and any distance. He still however seems incapable of beating the first man from a corner. Either this is because it's specific tactic whereby someone is supposed to get a flick-on at the front the post and therefore it's the attackers who are doing their job. Or it's simply a case that the pitches are all different sizes so it's hard to practise & perfect your range. The thing is though, he can't even do it at WHL...In lower league football the floater is a sufficient corner. In a top flight game any defender or keeper worth his salt gobbles these up and everyone would moan equally as if it had hit the first man or gone over everyone's heads. It's the exact same for a free kick.
I find it amazing to believe that people can't understand this concept? Do you honestly think a player such as Mesut Ozil can't just loft a ball 20 metres into the area? I imagine anyone who doesn't understand this has never played at a remotely good standard in their life, or even attended a professional match!
TEKNOPUG said:
I don't know, I've lost count of the number of free-kicks that I have seen Christian Eriksen ping into the top corner; over the wall, around the wall and any distance. He still however seems incapable of beating the first man from a corner. Either this is because it's specific tactic whereby someone is supposed to get a flick-on at the front the post and therefore it's the attackers who are doing their job. Or it's simply a case that the pitches are all different sizes so it's hard to practise & perfect your range. The thing is though, he can't even do it at WHL...
Not every single freekick he takes nestles top bins though! I do agree corner taking could be improved, but I think people are going a bit OTT comparing it to a sunday league floater!chrisb92 said:
Not every single freekick he takes nestles top bins though! I do agree corner taking could be improved, but I think people are going a bit OTT comparing it to a sunday league floater!
True, some are saved by the keeper. But I'd wager that he gets more on target than he does with corners. Baffling.Adam B said:
its a signal:
left hand up - I am going to hit the chest of the first defender and create a counter-attack
right hand up - I am going to welly one right over the box which will go out for a throw, or create a counter-attack
both hands up - I am going to curl it out of play before it comes back in.left hand up - I am going to hit the chest of the first defender and create a counter-attack
right hand up - I am going to welly one right over the box which will go out for a throw, or create a counter-attack
Gassing Station | Football | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff