Tony Pulis has revealed he was completely unaware of Rory Delay’s throw-in capabilities when he signed him for Stoke City.
Former midfielder Delap earned himself a place in Premier League folklore thanks to his iconic long throws. The unique skill proved to be a highly effective tactic for the Potters, who benefitted from it between 2006 and 2013.
During his 208 appearances in that time, Delap assisted five goals directly from a throw-in, and they helped net a further 24 strikes, according to Stats Perform. But it was only by chance that Pulis discovered his ace in the hole.
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When asked if he had prior knowledge about it during an appearance on the Undr The Cosh podcast, the now retired veteran manager replied: “No, didn’t have a clue.
“We had a competition going early pre-season on one of the pitches at the training ground just to see who could through it furthest, and Kempy’s [assistant manager Dave Kemp] gone ‘have you seen Rory throw the ball?’.
“I went ‘nah’. He’s gone ‘come and have a look at this’. And he’s thrown it to almost the other side of the pitch. But not only throwing it, it was so flat.
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(Image: The FA via Getty Images)
“I can remember pulling Rory and saying ‘what are you doing mate?! How long have you had that?’. And he’s gone ‘oh, I was javelin champion when I was 14 years of age in Carlisle’, and I’m thinking ‘oh you never said a word’.”
Having started out his career at hometown club Carlisle United, Delap earned himself a move to the Prem with Derby County. He went on to also play for Southampton and Sunderland in the top flight, but his throw-in powers weren’t unearthed until he joined Stoke in 2006, who soon made good use of his unique ability to cause havoc in opposition defences.
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