Defending Corners Cheat Sheet

Defending corners. It evokes my auto-responses when a lady asks of me my likes and dislikes. In the style of a glossy mag quizzing a celeb for ever-so-amazing insight into their personality. Right.

You should never concede a goal from a corner kick. so it is doubly galling when you do. And I hate driving behind lorries. People that are all take and no give. Country music. And smokers.

So it was with much interest that I read about how European Champions (that still doesn’t make sense, does it?) Chelsea prepared for their (losing) World Club Cup final in Yokohama just gone.

Two hundred grand a week and you need a sheet of paper with mugshots to tell you your job. Crazy?

At least they got this reminder.

What do most salesreps do before a big call?

Wing it.

On the (excessively rare) occasion that you may take the time for a pre-call run-through, what documentation results? Precious little in my experience.

Imagine if there was a simple few diagrams and pics on a small piece of paper. Handily close by in your daily document wallet or laptop bag.

Reminding you of the key questions to ask. The vital contacts to flag up. The possible biggest elements of the (urgent problem or) desired solution. All the possible options of what you can suggest is done next that have worked so well elsewhere.

In the Chelski case above, whilst the idea can be applauded, its execution seems a touch first-run.

Surely the pics should be of the opposing players (with names underneath), rather than the defenders, who could also be identified simply by their shirt number (as the whole squad will know those).

And the instructions (relating to the short corner watch and instant move up after a clearance) could be bigger and bolder.

Still, it does its job for starters. Shame it didn’t help with the goal they let in. Three defenders all ran to their goal line after a shot was semi-charged down and left a solitary striker to head home from six yards.