Neville admits mistake

GrandOldTeam · May 15, 2008

At the time I criticised him for this, citing the same reasons he gave. Fair play to the lad though for admitting it;

http://www.evertonfc.com/news/archi...medium=rss_feed&utm_term=NEV'S PENALTY REGRET

Phil Neville has just one regret following Everton's superb season.
He wishes he had stepped up to take a penalty in the shootout against Fiorentina.
Neville, never one to shy from a challenge, believes it was his duty to volunteer - citing his European experience as a prime reason.
Reflecting on the season, Neville told evertonTV: "The game in Nurnberg stands out, as does the game against Fiorentina at home. But perhaps the biggest disappointment is that I didn’t get to take a penalty in the game against Fiorentina.
"I looks back now and I think that someone with my experience should have."

zero · May 15, 2008

Danny said:
At the time I criticised him for this, citing the same reasons he gave. Fair play to the lad though for admitting it;

http://www.evertonfc.com/news/archive/nev-s-penalty-regret.html?utm_source=rss_everton&utm_medium=rss_feed&utm_term=NEV'S%20PENALTY%20REGRET

I wonder how many other professionals would say the same after a great season.

Neville is a top class captain, I can't remember a more well spoken captain great ambassador for the game. It's a shame he doesn't have the skill to be a top class midfielder.

Neiler · May 15, 2008

At the time i was praying he didnt take one!

Chris · May 15, 2008

Still my favourite for a captain, unless Carsley wants it.

Seamus Colemole · May 15, 2008

If he wussed out and was too scared to take one then he deserves any criticism he gets.

But if he stepped back because he knew he wasn't good enough or confident in himself to put one away he done the right thing.

Captain or not it doesn't make you take a good penalty.

I think he made the right choice in not taking one, although it probably would of riffled in to the top corner if he had!

ToxtethBlue · May 15, 2008

I don't agree with that at all. Neville knows he can't take penatlies and he knows he isn't experienced at taking penalties. He did the right thing by letting the likes of Arteta, Jags and Yak take them.

Bruce Wayne · May 15, 2008

As a person he's a great captain for the club, just not sure about as a player.

GrandOldTeam · May 15, 2008

ToxtethBlue said:
I don't agree with that at all. Neville knows he can't take penatlies and he knows he isn't experienced at taking penalties. He did the right thing by letting the likes of Arteta, Jags and Yak take them.

Sorry mate, dont buy that at all.

A professional footballer, a captain... should be confident in their abilities to take a penalty.

Seamus Colemole · May 15, 2008

Danny said:
Sorry mate, dont buy that at all.

A professional footballer, a captain... should be confident in their abilities to take a penalty.

Should he be confident in his abilities to score 30 gaols a season or play in goal?

No, cause they are not his strong points. He has his strengths and weaknesses (and we all know what they are) and obviously penalty taking isn't a strength.

I'm sure if it went to sudden death he would of stepped up when it was his turn and done his best, but there were better candidates to take the first 5 penalties than him so he was right to let them do so.

Yeah i know as a professionla footballer at the highest level he should be able to score from 12 yards but some players are not good at that side of the game?

What would you of thought if Neville, Howard, Yobo, Johnson and Hibbert were our first 5 penalty takers that night?

He didn't bottle it, he knew he wasn't the best man for the job.

ToxtethBlue · May 15, 2008

Danny said:
Sorry mate, dont buy that at all.

A professional footballer, a captain... should be confident in their abilities to take a penalty.

Why should he take one if we have more capable penalty takers? I doesn't really matter if he is captain. The fact is he's more likely to miss than someone like Arteta, Yakubu, Jagielka, Johnson etc and that helps no one.

Does he have any experience of taking penalties? I highly doubt it and judging by his shooting during games after Hibbert he'd be my last pick to take one.

The best penalty takers take penalties. The ones who have experienced taking them on the big stage. Neville although being vastly experienced isn't in this area.

TX Bill · May 15, 2008

I'm glad he didn't take one.

Mainly because we'd be reading this on the Everton OS the very next day:

NEVILLE IN PENALTY WOE

Phil Neville vowed to made amends for his penalty miss last night against Fiorentina, one that would have put the Blues through to the next round of the UEFA Cup. Neville said as captain, he felt it was his duty to take one of the spot kicks even though four or five of his fellow players were imploring him not to.

"I felt that we really needed to have our captain step up and take one of the penalties and I didn't hesitate in volunteering. Unfortunately, my plant foot gave way a bit and I sent the ball into Row ZZ. I know the lads are disappointed but I can let them and the supporters know in no uncertain terms that I'll be working hard in training to improve my penalty taking abilities. This is in addition to my crossing, passing, and general allround play that I need to be working on as well."

Neville said that the players tried to shout him down when he volunteered but he was having none of it.

"I know that they said they didn't want me taking one but I took that as a vote of confidence. If your captain isn't big enough to step up in the big moment and ask to take one, then he probably shouldn't be captain."

Everton manager David Moyes played down the event and said that Neville will learn from this and become an even better player than he is now. Said Moyes:

"Phil is the epitomy of an Everton player and captain as well as former English National Team player. I fully expected him to ask to take one but I was a bit surprised that I wasn't as reluctant as I should have been to let him do it. I guess it was just a heat of the moment decision and one that I'll learn from as a manager. We'll certainly draw upon this experience going forward when in any future European competitions. Namely not to let Phil take anymore penalties for us unless it's tied 10 to 10 and he's the last man."

The players obviously were a bit subdued going through light training at their Finch Farm complex today but the mood wasn't one of despair.

Said Tim Cahill:

"Hey, that could happen to anyone, anyone who's English anyway. We all feel bad for Phil, we really do. We support him more today than we did yesterday. That's what Everton is all about."

A generous statement to be sure but perhaps the general feelings of the players were best described by Aiyegbeni Yakubu as he was getting into his car at the end of the session:

"What the [Poor language removed] was he thinking."

Sharpys top lip · May 15, 2008

TX Bill said:
I'm glad he didn't take one.

Mainly because we'd be reading this on the Everton OS the very next day:

NEVILLE IN PENALTY WOE

Phil Neville vowed to made amends for his penalty miss last night against Fiorentina, one that would have put the Blues through to the next round of the UEFA Cup. Neville said as captain, he felt it was his duty to take one of the spot kicks even though four or five of his fellow players were imploring him not to.

"I felt that we really needed to have our captain step up and take one of the penalties and I didn't hesitate in volunteering. Unfortunately, my plant foot gave way a bit and I sent the ball into Row ZZ. I know the lads are disappointed but I can let them and the supporters know in no uncertain terms that I'll be working hard in training to improve my penalty taking abilities. This is in addition to my crossing, passing, and general allround play that I need to be working on as well."

Neville said that the players tried to shout him down when he volunteered but he was having none of it.

"I know that they said they didn't want me taking one but I took that as a vote of confidence. If your captain isn't big enough to step up in the big moment and ask to take one, then he probably shouldn't be captain."

Everton manager David Moyes played down the event and said that Neville will learn from this and become an even better player than he is now. Said Moyes:

"Phil is the epitomy of an Everton player and captain as well as former English National Team player. I fully expected him to ask to take one but I was a bit surprised that I wasn't as reluctant as I should have been to let him do it. I guess it was just a heat of the moment decision and one that I'll learn from as a manager. We'll certainly draw upon this experience going forward when in any future European competitions. Namely not to let Phil take anymore penalties for us unless it's tied 10 to 10 and he's the last man."

The players obviously were a bit subdued going through light training at their Finch Farm complex today but the mood wasn't one of despair.

Said Tim Cahill:

"Hey, that could happen to anyone, anyone who's English anyway. We all feel bad for Phil, we really do. We support him more today than we did yesterday. That's what Everton is all about."

A generous statement to be sure but perhaps the general feelings of the players were best described by Aiyegbeni Yakubu as he was getting into his car at the end of the session:

"What the [Poor language removed] was he thinking."

TX that made me giggle mate..... (y)

ToxtethBlue · May 15, 2008

TX Bill said:
I'm glad he didn't take one.

Mainly because we'd be reading this on the Everton OS the very next day:

NEVILLE IN PENALTY WOE

Phil Neville vowed to made amends for his penalty miss last night against Fiorentina, one that would have put the Blues through to the next round of the UEFA Cup. Neville said as captain, he felt it was his duty to take one of the spot kicks even though four or five of his fellow players were imploring him not to.

"I felt that we really needed to have our captain step up and take one of the penalties and I didn't hesitate in volunteering. Unfortunately, my plant foot gave way a bit and I sent the ball into Row ZZ. I know the lads are disappointed but I can let them and the supporters know in no uncertain terms that I'll be working hard in training to improve my penalty taking abilities. This is in addition to my crossing, passing, and general allround play that I need to be working on as well."

Neville said that the players tried to shout him down when he volunteered but he was having none of it.

"I know that they said they didn't want me taking one but I took that as a vote of confidence. If your captain isn't big enough to step up in the big moment and ask to take one, then he probably shouldn't be captain."

Everton manager David Moyes played down the event and said that Neville will learn from this and become an even better player than he is now. Said Moyes:

"Phil is the epitomy of an Everton player and captain as well as former English National Team player. I fully expected him to ask to take one but I was a bit surprised that I wasn't as reluctant as I should have been to let him do it. I guess it was just a heat of the moment decision and one that I'll learn from as a manager. We'll certainly draw upon this experience going forward when in any future European competitions. Namely not to let Phil take anymore penalties for us unless it's tied 10 to 10 and he's the last man."

The players obviously were a bit subdued going through light training at their Finch Farm complex today but the mood wasn't one of despair.

Said Tim Cahill:

"Hey, that could happen to anyone, anyone who's English anyway. We all feel bad for Phil, we really do. We support him more today than we did yesterday. That's what Everton is all about."

A generous statement to be sure but perhaps the general feelings of the players were best described by Aiyegbeni Yakubu as he was getting into his car at the end of the session:

"What the [Poor language removed] was he thinking."

GrandOldTeam · May 15, 2008

ToxtethBlue said:
Why should he take one if we have more capable penalty takers? I doesn't really matter if he is captain. The fact is he's more likely to miss than someone like Arteta, Yakubu, Jagielka, Johnson etc and that helps no one.

Does he have any experience of taking penalties? I highly doubt it and judging by his shooting during games after Hibbert he'd be my last pick to take one.

The best penalty takers take penalties. The ones who have experienced taking them on the big stage. Neville although being vastly experienced isn't in this area.

I know what your saying but Neville had more experience 'on the big stage' in European nights than all the penalty takers put together. Penalty shootouts at that level are about holding your bottle, every professional football should be comfortable having a go at kicking a football from 12 yards. Especially ones with a pedigree of Phil Neville.

He bottled it, through his own admission. End of really.

coyney · May 15, 2008

In Nevs defense a few years ago Back of the echo took a pen and missed while the legend Dunc ducked taking one. I lost a lot of respect that night for Dunc it was crying out for him to step up and Bako was criticised but at least he showed the bottle to take it.