Steven Naismith doesn’t seem too bothered about Lawrence Shankland missing three penalties on the bounce and he’s still backing the striker to hit the next one.
Fair enough but if I was Shanks’ team-mate I would be ignoring the gaffer and dragging the ball off him the next time we won a spot-kick! Back in my day you didn’t get to miss three. If you missed one you were off them next time around. I’ve been there myself. I remember I missed one, scored the next and then missed again – and I ended up at the back of the queue again.
That’s how it worked and it will be interesting see what happens the next time Hearts get a penalty because I’ve never heard of anyone getting a fourth shot at it. There will be players desperate to get a turn. There are some guys who never want to hit penalties but I was always first with my hand up to be the main taker. The way I saw it, it was an easy way to guarantee five goals a season and as a midfielder, that was a head start towards double figures.
But it was still no fun when they didn’t go in. I was always in the habit of practising them anyway. I’d hit 10 to 15 every other day in training and more if I’d fluffed one.
There’s no doubt it can get in your head. It might depend on the player and if anyone can handle it, then it would be Shankland. But it is still not easy when you have missed few. It’s not like going on a bit of a goal drought in open play.
When that happens you know it might just take one going in off your backside to get back up and running. When it comes to spot-kicks though, the six inches between your ears are more important than the 12 yards to the goal.
A lot can happen in your head in those 30 seconds before you take one. You might have your mind made up where you are going. Then that doubt creeps in and all of a sudden your brains are scrambled. The two previous misses must have crossed Shankland’s mind the other night – after all he’s only human.
He is single-minded though as well as level-headed, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him step up again. The best penalty takers have a coolness about them. I remember Paul Sheerin at St Johnstone. I don’t think he missed any. Mark Roberts at Ayr United was the same. Those guys almost passed the ball into the net and it never seemed to faze them.
Shanks was the same when he notched 15 in a row – but all of a sudden the doubts are there and it might be taken out of his hands. What I would say is the recent penalty misses have got nothing to do with all this transfer speculation surrounding him.
It’s a little bit of luck and maybe a little dip in confidence from the spot. He is maybe even trying too hard. But the other stuff going on won’t bother him a single bit.
He’s in a good place right now. Hearts have made him a contract offer but he’s got time left on his deal and I don’t see him heading down to England right now. Rangers are the only ones I’d think he’d go to but, to be honest, I can’t see that happening right now either.
His all-round game won’t be affected by it all and the funny thing is, I was actually quite glad he didn’t get on the scoresheet against Dundee the other night. Hearts have been too reliant on him this season and to see three different goalscorers was a big plus on a brilliant night.
They were poor in the first half, a bit like in the Ross County game. But coming back to win in that style was superb. Sometimes teams have spells when they pull results out of the hat and you get the feeling they are surviving by the skin of their teeth and eventually it will catch up with them.
I don’t get that with this Hearts side. I see a team that can find ways to get results even when not at their best and there is another gear or two to come. The punters were not happy at half-time the other night but they should relax as their team is in decent shape.
And if they can keep the foot down in third and go deep in the Scottish Cup, it could end up a right good season for Naismith and my old club – no matter who is on penalties.
