Is Rory Delap a Premier League legend?!...

kidbob

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Haha yeah it has often seemed like it.

Thankfully McCarthy was sensible enough to realise the talent of Duff though (he was routinely terrorising right-backs in the Premier League), and he did very well at that 2002 World Cup sandwiched in-between 2 excellent seasons for Blackburn (I remember them fondly) in the Premier League.
Duff was an incredibly good player. Second best player of that Irish era (and it was a good one) for me behind Roy Keane but ahead of Robbie Keane. I remember some United fans talking about him as a Giggs replacement, who was going through a rough patch, and Duff at his best wouldn't have looked out of place at all.
 

GuybrushThreepwood

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Duff was an incredibly good player. Second best player of that Irish era (and it was a good one) for me behind Roy Keane but ahead of Robbie Keane. I remember some United fans talking about him as a Giggs replacement, who was going through a rough patch, and Duff at his best wouldn't have looked out of place at all.
Yes he was excellent and such as exciting talent, plus he regularly played well for us against the bigger clubs, i.e. United, Arsenal and Liverpool, as well.

Had Abramovich not bought Chelsea, I think we would have kept him for at least another season, and that he would have ended up at either United or Liverpool eventually.
 

James Peril

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Did Stoke ever play Rory Delap and Charlie Adam in the same side? I mean... it would be impossible to not concede from set-pieces and throw-ins.
 

Red Star One

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Without any irony he's some legend of the league for me and a truly emblematic player, even my ignorant Italian flatmate who cares little about Premier League knows about those throw-ins and that in England they can be as dangerous as penalties. Never forgotten.
 

gormless

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Thought the throw ins were a nice little side story. He’s definitely part of Premier League history in a way.
My favourite memory of his throw ins was the hill at Old Trafford meaning he was completely neutered, and the cheers ringing out when he kept having to throw it short.
 

Davs

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I wouldn't say he's a legend as such, but the long throws did become something of a trademark.
 

GuybrushThreepwood

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At one stage didn't it look like Stoke had a successor to Delap in the long thrown-in department in Ryan Shotton? I think Hughes didn't rate him when he replaced Pulis as manager, and quickly loaned him out and eventually sold him.
 

Redcy

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Delap was a mid lower tier premier league player. Pre Stoke he played most of his career in the premier league played 200+ games over 8 years with injuries. This idea he was only a pl player due to his throw in, and he was a lower championship otherwise is cobblers
 

RashyForPM

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Weird bump but I just came across a story of his 2008-09 season on SportBible. That was my first season as a football fan, and I remember as a very young guy thinking to myself ‘what the actual **** is this, and who is this no name from Stoke who is creating goals with his hands every other game’ :lol: He absolutely owned the footballing-purists-but-losers that were Wenger’s post-invincibles Arse team.

Because of that, and the facts that everyone knows him and he’s the only man who made throw-ins more of a threat than corners for his team, imo he is certainly a PL legend.
 

lsd

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Vaguely remember him being one of Ireland's more skillful players during his time in the Irish set up.
 

tenpoless

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Delap (in my language) means "wiped" in English and he always wiped the ball before every throws in. That's why I will never forget him. A legend in my eyes.
 

Sandikan

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A cult hero for the likes of Stoke yes.
Legend? Not even in his own house.
 

WeePat

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Early on in a game between Stoke and Hull City, the goalie chose to concede a corner over knocking the ball out for a throw-in.

Rory Delap is a legend and I'll fight anyone who disagrees
I remember that. He was briefly in a panic too, as he had to stop himself from intinctively putting it out for a throw when he remembered Delap was on the pitch.
 

Andersonson

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United and Chelsea were the only one's who could deal against it effectively. Arsenal just went to pieces there.

Delap was a mid level Championship player as a footballer but managed to forge a career in the Prem due to his long throws so fair play.
He wasnt a mid championship footballer at all. He was quite decent rb in the prem. Hence why he got 14(!!) seasons there
 

Cloud7

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Legend is a strong word, but he's definitely a cult hero. His long throws are one of the more unique memories of PL football.
 

Emperor

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Those were the days when beating stoke on Wednesday night was true sign of Champions.
 

GuybrushThreepwood

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I remember watching the highlights of Stoke's first win during their debut Premier League season against O'Neill's Villa. Delap's long throw-ins wreaked absolute havoc and caused huge problems for Villa throughout the entire game, and ultimately led to Stoke's winning goal in injury-time. Ricardo Fuller (a player that I was a big fan of since his days at Preston) scored a superb goal in that same game.

Then in Stoke's next home game, another very good team Moyes's Everton struggled to deal with those throw-ins as well, and were very relieved to win the game in the end.
 

Pow

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People are getting twisted over the word “legend.” Just the mere fact we’re talking about him 10 years after his prime is amazing. No one remembers John Pantsil who played RB for Fulham during the same time, and they actually went to Europe.
I have no doubt in 10 more years time we still will. His throw ins were so unique. Hes a premier league cult legend.
There has never been a situation at least i can recall prior when teams were actively conceding corners instead of throws in fear of it. He and pulis really were the cornerstone for the whole rainy day a stoke thing that has become a saying in football thats even reached the bundesliga and Thomas muller who referenced it in an interview not long ago. Pulis side full of giants defensive that flooded the box when delap had a throw.
 

criticalanalysis

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People are getting twisted over the word “legend.” Just the mere fact we’re talking about him 10 years after his prime is amazing. No one remembers John Pantsil who played RB for Fulham during the same time, and they actually went to Europe.
His post game antics were legendary though.
 

Zlatattack

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I know this is tongue in cheek but I genuinely couldn't pick Rory Delap out of a lineup. Even his face in the video still is forgettable.

Also 3:20 is the most Stoke goal :lol:
What's funny is that the very next one shows them being absolutely terrible with the ball at thier feet.
 

Champ

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Wasn't quite the bump i was expecting....(see what I did there?))