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WHY DELILAH (a Stoke City webzine)
Beattie: Secret of my penalty success
by Martin Spinks
21-10-09
Le God le golfer and his adoring fans
[Ed.~ Matt Le Tissier - called Le God by Saints fans - is considered by many to be the greatest penalty-taker ever. He converted from the spot 48 times from 49 attempts in top-flight football, with his sole miss coming against Nottingham Forest, after a save from keeper Mark Crossley. Unsurprisingly, the Forest keeper ranks the save he made to deny Le God from 12 yards as the proudest of his career. "It didn't knock my confidence for the one after that," insisted Le God. "I converted 27 in a row afterwards, and never thought I was going to miss one of them."]
STOKE striker James Beattie has revealed the secret of his deadly success from the penalty spot... Southampton legend Matthew Le Tissier.
Beattie reckons he has missed just one spot kick in 36 attempts as a professional after adding another to his collection at the start of Saturday’s win over West Ham.
And his brace at the weekend now leaves him within nine goals of the magic 100 mark as a Premier League striker.
Beattie's penalty routine sees him walk away from the ball, his head down, before turning sharply and running in to shoot without looking at the keeper.
"The person who introduced me to the idea of getting a routine and sticking to it was Matt when we were at Southampton," said Beattie.
"So I sat down and came up with one. I just pretend I'm in the back garden taking one with my son James in goal.
"Don't worry, I don't hit the ball quite so hard against him.
"You also shut everything out and don't look at the keeper.
"I did miss a penalty for Everton once. Mind you, I scored off the rebound. I just hope I haven't put the kiss of death on my penalties now after talking about it."
Saturday's penalty was his 16th in the top flight, leaving him joint 10th on the all-time list alongside Robbie Fowler, but 35 short of Alan Shearer's record.
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Beattie's double against West Ham belatedly opened his account for the season after being laid low by injuries and consequent fitness problems.
"It was nice to get off the mark, but I wouldn't say it had been a weight on my shoulders," said the 31-year-old striker.
"I always thought that once I got fit and got a run in the side, then the goals would come. It was just a question of when."
And he insists his kicking of an advertising hoarding after his second goal was not the release of pent up frustration at the long wait for those first goals.
"No, it wasn't frustration, it was just happiness," he added. "Anyway, the advertisers have been on the phone to thank me for the free publicity. Luckily it was Carlsberg, so I'm expecting a lorry full of beer.
"It was a tough game. I was virtually up against two-and-a-half players because they had two deep-lying midfielders and Mark Noble floating everywhere.
"The pace was right up there with the fastest I've played in, but that's when we are at our best, when it's a fast game.
"And we were doing the right things at the right times, closing them down as a team, rather than in ones and twos."
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Beattie and Killer
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Beattie's goal target for the campaign is 15, and that will see him comfortably past a century of Premier League goals for Blackburn, Southampton, Everton and, thanks to nine so far, Stoke.
"The target used to be 20 in a season when I was younger, but the standard is higher these days so it's more difficult. You're looking more for 15 nowadays, and I definitely want to get that 100 mark this year.
"I've read different figures as to how many I've got, but my dad says I was on 82 when I came to Stoke, and that's good enough for me."
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