Squarefootball's Miss of the Season: Torres, Kuyt, Sinclair or Van Persie - who gets your vote?
The 2011/12 season in the Premier League broke the record for the number of goals scored in one season, but it could have been even greater had the likes of Fernando Torres, Scott Sinclair and Dirk Kuyt had not missed glaring opportunities that even Mrs Redkanpp could have scored.
All this week we are celebrating the best and worst of the past 12 months and here we are going to have a good old laugh at those overpaid prima-donas who couldn't even score in a brothel. (Manchester United ace Wayne Rooney is not on this list for obvious reasons!)
I asked a straw poll of football fans for their views on who had committed the worst miss of the season. Here is their verdict.
Chelsea fan Joe Tyler has to concede it came from his very own £50m marksman Fernando Torres.
"After a quality first goal we all expected him to score after rounding the keeper. That set his confidence back."
West Ham fan and Squarefootball writer Mitch Waddon also goes for Torres against United.
"I’ve given Torres a lot of stick this year, so I want to put it on record that I’ve always wanted the Spaniard to do well and score goals. However, how he didn’t score at Old Trafford last autumn I will never know. He had rounded De Gea perfectly, yet somehow stuck the ball a good four yards wide of the post."
Leeds United fan Phil Bundy has plumped for that error too, as has Tottenham fan Mike Richards. "It has to be Torres's open goal miss against Manchester United at Old Trafford," says Mr Richards. "That was pure class." There's nothing like a bit of capital rivalry is there!
Fortunately for Torres he scored the all important goal against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final so I think he has more than made up for that error now. Particularly if they go on and beat Bayern on Saturday night.
Manchester City fans have seen some great football this season and will be celebrating their epic title win for weeks to come, but Callum Rothwell still had time to tell us that Dirk Kuyt deserves this award for his glaring miss against Aston Villa.
The ball is fired across the box from captain Steven Gerrard and the Dutchman is waiting at the back post, already thinking about his goal bonus. A side foot is all that's needed to score in front of the Kop. Instead he gets underneath the ball and squirms as he sees it rise into Row Z.
Meanwhile West Brom fan Andy Wakeman can't pick out any blunders in particular but sticks the boot into Liverpool's £35m man Andy Carroll, while Sunderland fan Tony Ratton believes Arsenal should have had third place wrapped up in their epic 3-3 draw with Norwich City had it not been for Robin Van Persie missing the ball from two yards out.
"I would expect a goal machine like RVP to put away such an easy chance."
To be fair to RVP, I wouldn't say he missed as so much that he was actually fouled. Arsenal should have been awarded a penalty. (Before the Norwich fans reply, yes you had a few penalty appeals waved away yourselves so it all evened itself in the 90 minutes.)
Meanwhile, Birmingham City fan and Squarefootball writer Steve Coulter believes Kenny Miller's miss for Cardiff against Liverpool in the Carling Cup Final could have saved Kenny Dalglish from the sack. Personally I think that is being a bit harsh on the former Celtic and Rangers striker, but he could have been a Cardiff legend if he had have just kept it down.
Swansea City's Scott Sinclair is not getting off the hook either. Although no-one nominated him, he had the chance to level against the then champions Manchester United. Unfortunately, he was obviously thinking of scoring with his lovely girlfriend Helen Flanagan, Rosie Webster from Coronation Street. And who could blame him!
Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos also deserves a mention following his horrendous spot-kick against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final.
I think Fernando Torres has this accolade in the bag. But who do you think deserves it? We would love to hear from you.
Related Articles:
Squarefootball's Manager of the Season: Has Pardew made it a hat-trick of awards?
Squarefootball's Player of the Season: Is Arsenal's RVP our man of the year?
Squarefootball's Goal of the Season: Cisse, Crouch, Van Persie - Who scored your top goal?
