25 Jun 2015 01:16:15
Anybody else worried by ings statement saying that he picked a double digit number in purpose because he's too worried about the pressure?
I hope he's good but players that shirk responsibility and avoid pressure aren't usually the ones that perform when you need it
25 Jun 2015 02:17:39
I think what he said/meant is that he wanted to earn the right to wear number 7/8.
25 Jun 2015 02:47:04
I agree with Robboz. I read it as him wanting to prove himself to the fans before wearing the iconic low numbers. Basically, he has to earn the right to wear it rather than him being scared of the pressure if the shirts
25 Jun 2015 04:47:51
the lad understands there is pressure on him to score goals. he understands that he has been signed for goals. so he has the first part right. now he has to train well and perform and I am sure he will.
{Ed001's Note - it just sounds like the same lad who found there was too much pressure on him at Burnley, so stopped being the penalty taker. He worries me.}
25 Jun 2015 06:51:09
whoa ed001 now that is really worrying if put that way.
{Ed002's Note - I think I would step back a little bit here and give him a chance. He has a good reputation and if you look at the sides who were interested this is not a kid who is not well thought of. I think there is a very good chance of this working out well.}
25 Jun 2015 07:35:32
Hopefully he will grow into a ruthless goalscorer with us.
25 Jun 2015 07:38:22
I personally think the whole penalty piece is unfair on him.
I know ed01 won't be swayed and seems to have a zero tolerance but this was a lad who was playing his first season in the prem and at 21/22 years old. That is a lot pressure and I think I'm a roundabout way it actually takes more courage to admit you need help. If he was feeling the pressure then better to let someone else take up the mantle
{Ed001's Note - why won't I be swayed? I would be if someone could offer me a genuine reason to believe otherwise, but this argument has been used a number of times and just isn't true. It does not take more courage to ask for someone else to take the pen. That makes absolutely no sense. It takes more courage to admit you need help, yes, but he wasn't admitting he needed help, or he would have asked for a sports psychologist to work with him to ensure he didn't miss. What he was doing was admitting he no longer had the bottle to step up. That is fine, if you are not then moving to a club that requires every man in the team to step up and show bottle. If he was drifting down to the lower leagues away from the spotlight, then fine, no worries, but he is going to be the centre of the spotlight while playing for us. He has already admitted once he didn't have the bottle for that, if you aren't worried by that, well then I am surprised. I hope I am wrong, and he goes on to be a great player for us, technically and physically he has the attributes, but clearly the mental ones are a worry.}
25 Jun 2015 07:46:23
Reminds me of Shame Long
{Ed001's Note - I don't see any comparison with Shane Long. Apart from both being quick and working hard. Ings at least can score goals regularly, Long has never been a consistent goalscorer.}
25 Jun 2015 08:52:33
Got to be given a fair crack of the whip.
IIRC Owen stopped taking penalties for a while because he missed one.
We've got plenty of decent penalty takers anyway.
25 Jun 2015 09:56:04
Long scores goals for a spell of about 10 or 12 games a season and then he would get three goals in the next 20 games.
He should be starting for Ireland though.
@Ron, the issue is nothing to do with Ings taking our penalties. If he wanted to and tried to insist he was the penalty taker then that would show that he had confidence in his penalty taking abilities (Balotelli). If he wanted to and it was decided Milner or Henderson were better then fair enough but the issue here is he didn't want the responsibility.
25 Jun 2015 10:06:40
Ed I don't see it as a problem simply for the fact he doesn't have to take penalties here. I understand the issue you're pointing out but for me that only becomes an issue if you do point it out. if Liverpool get a peno first day of the season and Henderson or Milner or whoever stands up and sticks the ball in the top corner we can just celebrate that goal or question why ings didn't take the penalty. Look at sturridge his record with penalties for us has to be appalling but if he gets 15 goals with no penalties still a top return.
Main point is he was still scoring goals at Burnley and is hopefully still maturing. And if bacca or someone comes in and takes the number 9 then ings will certainly be pushed to earn games as well as any shirt number so as I've said I think it was and is a no brainer as there is very little risk (low enough fee and wages and good sell on value) compared to a lot more potential!
{Ed001's Note - so you don't think it is a problem that a player admits to being unable to handle pressure when he is about to join a club where the pressure is much higher? Hell he even avoided a low number to try and lessen pressure! That has to be a major worry. I really hope he succeeds, but a person scared to accept pressure and responsibility is unlikely to step up when the team needs them, as that would involve pressure.}
25 Jun 2015 10:26:57
Considering the number/calibre of clubs that were interested in him, and from what I've seen of him, I believe he would be a good signing.
To me, he's still young and can still be groomed.I wouldn't judge him much on his refusal to stop taking penalties.
Eto'o did it and cost Cameroon an appearance in the World Cup; Bebeto did it and cost Deportivo the title; Bergkamp stopped taking penalties after he missed against Man. U and he has a statue now.
What he needs is support from his teammates, coaches, and fans.
{Ed001's Note - I hope so, but he is nothing like the quality of any of those players, so to use them as a comparison is laughable. They didn't stop taking them because their bottle went, they stopped taking them because they were not scoring them, it is not even comparable in that respect either. I really hope he goes on to be a great with Liverpool, but he needs to step up, not hide in the shadows, those that hide in the shadows avoiding pressure fail at big clubs.}
25 Jun 2015 11:11:37
I think the fact that they were that experienced and had that much quality should count against them. Ings isn't as experienced as them and doesn't have that quality.
Bebeto was Deportivo's second designated penalty taker, and he had taken penalties all season long. Eto'o had taken lots of penalties for Cameroon too. They didn't stop because they weren't scoring. Only Bergkamp stopped because he missed.
To me, they stopped because they couldn't handle the pressure again. Even Wenger compared Ozil missing a penalty against Bayern to Bergkamp missing, and commented that he won't be surprised if Ozil doesn't recover like Bergkamp didn't, which made him stop taking penalties.
I quite understand your opinion about taking responsibilities, I just won't judge Ings on them yet based on his refusal to take penalties. I hope he would end up being a fantastic signing for us.
25 Jun 2015 11:36:06
Just finished reading Jimmy Case's book ed001.
He missed a peno in a non-league football final for South Liverpool in 1972, and never took another in his playing career again.
He wasn't exactly a shrinking violet either.
{Ed001's Note - Ings never missed a penalty though, as I keep pointing out. He decided to stop taking them just in case he did. Hardly the same thing.}
25 Jun 2015 11:54:34
Unless we somehow sign yet another striker, Ings is going to have to be our number one at the start of next season. He will be under pressure no matter what number he wears.