Delap's dedication enters book of records
Rory Delap took 19 long throws during Stoke City's goalless draw with Aston Villa on Saturday. This is one long throw every 4.7 minutes. Given that Delap takes on average between 20 and 30 seconds to wipe down, wind up and let go, this adds up to at least nine minutes spent watching a man do a long throw. It also represents up to half a kilometre of ball-throwing in one match by one man, surely some kind of record.
Delap is really good at long throws. It is a prodigious and legitimate weapon, one that forces teams to pick centre-halves who can defend properly (Richard Dunne and James Collins can be proud of their clean sheet). But still. Is it really much fun to watch for Stoke fans? Is the 17th long throw as thrilling as the second or third? Very few of us have had the chance to find out. Either way, it represents a feat of style-refinement that you have to admire, a remarkably determined – and anti-Martínez – definition of what the word "football" means.
(From this gallery):
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