Monday 20 April 2009

Elano's penalties

Yesterday's successful conversion was his ninth penalty for City, from nine attempts.

In chronological order: Bolton, Birmingham, Sunderland, Villa, Brighton, Villa, Aalborg, Hamburg, West Brom.

I can't remember a better penalty taker since I've been supporting City (I started in the Horton era).

Was even anyone from the glory days as good as Ela? I heard that Francis Lee had a good success rate, but I can't really comment.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Let's not forget about how accurate his free kicks are too! Doesn't always score but 9 times out of 10 he will hit the target!

jackblue said...

I'm 64 and remember back to when Ken Barnes used to take them in the 50's lol. Francis Lee used to hit them so hard that even if the 'keeper got in the way it would just take him into the net with it. Very rarely missed and although I never actually saw him miss one, I'm not an anarak so couldnt swear to it.

Wigan Blue said...

Can't remember his missing one either Jack. But I also can't remember a keeper saving a penalty in the sixties or seventies either. Unless they skyed it, a penalty was a goal. Maybe to do with the weight of the ball compared to the puff-balls today hey?

Anonymous said...

i always thought Mark Ward was the best i've seen for us (in off the post) and keith curle the worst (2 feet in, 2 feet up - a la Cardiff?)

satis said...

Elano is the best taker of penalties I've seen at City. He reminds me of Matt Le Tissier in the way he takes a good run up and hits it hard into the corners. Nothing fancy like.

Le Tissier scored, I think, all but one of his 49 penalties.