Whilst acknowledging and applauding the team effort that saw England reach the final of the Euro Cup,

the repeated failure of penalty takers to capitalise on success deserves comment, not least when

considering the following backstory in the beautiful game here in England..

Seventy years ago, Charlie Mitten of Manchester United was famous for his ability to score these spot kicks.

And remember - the crowds at 1st Division matches (the old Premier League) were as large and raucous

as those at any "international" today.  Plus - matches were played with a laced-up leather ball far removed 

from today's synthetic "air bubble"..

A hat-trick scored against Aston Villa in 1950 emphasised his skill when the Villa keeper knew exactly where

he would place his kick yet could not save it.  Before his death in 2002, Mitten told the writer Richard

Adamson: :

"Looking at the number of penalty misses by the supposedly best players in the world, I often wonder how

often some of them practice what is, after all, the simplest kick in soccer - and the easiest."

Mitten's method was straightforward:  practice...practice and more practice.that enabled the kick to be taken

without thinking...confidence from mastery of a motor skill that bred success under pressure because it was

done as if "by reflex" - not needing any encouragement when stepping up to perform on the day.  Mitten

told Adamson that "any half-decent penalty taker should be able to beat the goalkeeper blindfolded.".  

His chosen spot for a shot that cannot be saved was the top corner of the net.

So, it begs the question:  are modern highly paid players putting in the hard graft and commitment to this 

skill that Mitten described and clearly possessed?  On recent and present evidence It seems not and the

results, when they really matter, sadly tend to prove it..

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