Corners are rubbish

[Patrick Thistle]

A while ago someone posted on here how corners are one of the big disappointments of football. I've now seen evidence on Twitter to back this up

Corner effectiveness outlined by @JacobsBen & @TifoFootball_. 1) Only 1 in 100 leads directly to a goal with 40% not clearing first man. 2) In-swinging & short corners have most impact. 3) Delivery of corners is crucial & time must be devoted to this art. https://t.co/AOA9rojcWY

There's a video too. Link to tweet: https://twitter.com/kevnicholson1/st...347490304?s=19

I find it hard to believe short corners are more effective but that might be because I watch Shrewsbury most of the time and if there's a way to fuck it up then they will find it.

[elguapo4]

As someone who scored two of the five goals that I got in my entire adult career from corners, I have to disagree.

[DCI Harry Batt]

Short corners are shit. On toast.

[jwdd27]

I think it was my original moan about the unnecessary excitement a corner generates, when to my mind it's more likely to lead to a breakaway goal for the other team than a goal for your team.
Not clearing the first man should be a bookable offence, kicking the ball 20 yards in the air is not hard.
Shooting is a good tactic, ot at least swinging it to the back post so your big lads can knock the keeper or defenders around a bit.

[jwdd27]

Direct free kicks are pretty shit too

[Furtho]

I've seen a hat-trick made up entirely of corners (i.e. the same player scoring direct from a corner three times in a single game). After the player concerned scored the third goal he was substituted and at the next corner awarded to his team, whoever took it managed to hit the bar.

[elguapo4]

Not clearing the first man should be a bookable offence,

[elguapo4]

+1 should be in an automatic substation but everyone still does it.

[Sporting]

Floated corners are no good. Ideally they need to be driven in. Thus making it more difficult to clear the first defender.

[Amor de Cosmos]

A while ago someone posted on here how corners are one of the big disappointments of football. I've now seen evidence on Twitter to back this up

Corner effectiveness outlined by @JacobsBen & @TifoFootball_. 1) Only 1 in 100 leads directly to a goal with 40% not clearing first man.

How many lead indirectly to a goal though?

That is, how often does the attacking team maintain possession from a corner, and get a) a good chance on goal, or b) actually score?

[Satchmo Distel]

World Cup openers are a false example really because you can get a team of corner specialists against one that's never had to learn how to defend against a European side. Also England did make set-pieces their many goal strategy.

All goals from corners must be defensive errors, but there's a view that all goals are errors.

OTOH how do you stop Puyol in the 2010 SF, for example? Brick shithouse force of nature tornado.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

Whether or not the stats are correct, you'd still think there would be a lot to gain from having someone on the team well drilled in taking corners (and also taking free kicks and throw ins) - always thought at Carlisle's level for example it would go a long way, but for years our corner takers have dismal. Almost like they got the short straw to be the corner taker.

[Wouter D]

Direct free kicks are pretty shit too

Given Nigeria's exit from AFCON tonight, this post didn't age well.

[danielmak]

I'm good with corners, although I agree with jwd that corners seem to elicit more excitement among the crowd than is merited. Plus corners give analysts during broadcasts an opportunity to complain about zone defenses. Plus, Liverpool beat Barcelona in the CL because of a smart corner. For me, the throw-in is the play that needs to be banished: https://www.onetouchfootball.com/for...tics-throw-ins

[Nesta]

As I say on that throw in thread, we haven't talked nearly enough about the Iranian injury time aborted somersault throw-in routine from the world cup. Maybe it will take a few decades for the implications to fully sink in.

[Sits]

A corner is sure to succeed if you hold both arms straight upwards before you take it.

[Favourite Worst Nightmare]

I recall Spurs having a useful routine where Darren Anderton played it to the edge of the penalty area where Sheringham would shoot at goal on the half volley.

They definitely used this tactic successfully against Wimbledon once because I was at the match, and I have a feeling that they scored from it on at least one other occasion. I also remember them trying it for England once and nearly scoring (possibly during Euro 96).

[HORN]

Newport have a long throw specialist. "It's as good as a corner" claims manager Mike Flynn. This thread seems to bear that statement out, because long throws a la Newport are a load of cobblers.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

I recall Spurs having a useful routine where Darren Anderton played it to the edge of the penalty area where Sheringham would shoot at goal on the half volley.

They definitely used this tactic successfully against Wimbledon once because I was at the match, and I have a feeling that they scored from it on at least one other occasion. I also remember them trying it for England once and nearly scoring (possibly during Euro 96).

Beckham and sheringham were always giving that move a go. It worked a few times too.

Perhaps the main reason that so few corners result in goals is because teams spend so long preparing on defending against them. Even teams that have no coherent plan for defending as a unit are generally fairly well coached when it comes to defending set pieces.

[Janik]

Probably because it's easier to do, as a corner is much more regimented than open play. There are significantly fewer decisions and options available to the defenders.

[San Bernardhinault]

Isn't the reason that few corners result in goals the same reason that few open play moves result in goals - there just aren't *that* many goals scored in football?

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Probably because it's easier to do, as a corner is much more regimented than open play. There are significantly fewer decisions and options available to the defenders.

That and it's about the upper limit of coaching that a lot of managers can deal with. I think you can assume that it's the level of defending that is the problem because when they fiddled with what defenders could do at corners, england got to a world cup semi final. despite only scoring three goals from open play.

[ingoldale]

I think it was my original moan about the unnecessary excitement a corner generates, when to my mind it's more likely to lead to a breakaway goal for the other team than a goal for your team.
Not clearing the first man should be a bookable offence, kicking the ball 20 yards in the air is not hard.
Shooting is a good tactic, ot at least swinging it to the back post so your big lads can knock the keeper or defenders around a bit.

If you only kick it 20 yards into the air you probably won't beat the first man... It would barely make the six yard box on most pitches.

[Greenlander]

Other things that are rubbish about corners is defending them with all of your outfield players in the penalty area. At least two of our recent managers, Paul Sturrock and Derek Adams, never left even one player on the half way line for a potentail break away.

In Sturrock's favour though he got Graham Coughlan to score eleven goals in one season and though I don't have the stats I reckon almost, if not, all of them were headers from corners.

[Jah Womble]

Corners are only 'rubbish' if teams don't try anything different with them. Which is most of the time.

The 'Anderton/Sheringham'-routine* recalled above proves that a bit of variety can turn this humble dead-ball into something potentially devastating. Why there aren't more recognised variations to the set-piece has long been a mystery to yours truly.

*Yes, it was recently used in the Women's World Cup.