The Republic of Ireland international bamboozled opponents with his long throws that provided plenty of goals for a solid Stoke side
'The Barclays'. While the Premier League was technically sponsored by the aforementioned bank between 2001-16, the period which is so wistfully looked back upon by fans of a certain vintage is the first decade of the 2000s.
After its initial emergence in 1992, the English top-flight enjoyed a secondary boom in popularity following the turn of the millennium, as overseas television deals and a secondary influx of foreign stars gave the league a truly global appeal. It played host to a number of the games modern icons, too, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Thierry Henry and Didier Drogba among those who lit up the Premier League on a weekly basis.
When fans refer to 'The Barclays', though, it is not those household names they are referring to. Instead it is the players who were largely in the background when it came to being headline-grabbing, but were seen as key cogs in the Premier League machine by die-hard fans, while still able to produce moments of magic on occasion.
These players have come to be known as the 'Barclaysmen', but what made them so beloved, and what became of them once their Barclays life was over? Here at GOAL, we will endeavour to find out with our latest series, 'Ultimate Barclaysmen'.
Perhaps the very embodiment of the Barclays generation is Rory Delap. In an era that saw Pep Guardiola and Barcelona's brand of tiki-taka show the world that technique, finesse and intelligence beats brute force and strength in football, Tony Pulis' Stoke City emerged to prove that a nasty streak still goes a long way. The Potters were big, bold and fairly brutal at times, earning a reputation as the anti-Barcelona to the point that the phrase "Could Lionel Messi do it on a wet and windy Wednesday night at Stoke?" became the sport's own 'Unstoppable force meets immovable object' paradox.
The Britannia Stadium club had a special element that allowed them to cause problems for even their most dangerous opponents – Delap's freakish long throws. Pulis' side made incredible use of the former javelin protege's throwing ability to confound defenders and goalkeepers and allow their burly forwards to capitalise. It left fans in awe, opponents flabbergasted and managers scrambling to find a way to stop it.
Delap's rare ability had an incredible impact on his team, as well as his opponents, and the league has seen nothing like him since.
Getty Images SportWhere he came from
Delap had been a bit of a journeyman before he catapulted himself to global fame by developing the niche ability to turn a throw-in into a deadly situation.
The west Midlands native's career started at Carlisle, where he was part of a promising generation of young players, and was still just a teenager when he was eased into the first-team. Delap blossomed as his side fought for the Third Division title and they earned promotion to the third-tier of English football in 1995, only to come back down the following season. Still a youngster, Delap stayed to help fire Carlisle back up the league as they came in third and just three points behind Wigan and Fulham.
He didn't hang around long beyond that, though, lasting just a few appearances before he made a tremendous leap in February 1998, joining Premier League team Derby County at the age of 21. Delap was quickly thrust into the Rams' starting XI, slotting in midfield beside Lee Carsley. They beat Everton on his top-flight debut, but Delap in particular stood out for then-Ireland manager Mick McCarthy.
"I remember an incident when Rory got involved with Duncan Ferguson," says McCarthy. "It was an ordeal for a young lad making his debut in the big time, but Rory didn't back off. And that impressed me. I'd always admired his skills and his ability to adapt to different jobs. But now I knew for sure that he had an unmistakable physical presence on the pitch as well."
Delap blossomed rapidly at Pride Park. After quickly establishing himself in the first-team, he went on to play an important role with goals and assists against the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal, among others. Derby, however, ended up in a battle against relegation and Delap opted to make a move. After over three years and 111 appearances, he left Derby to join Southampton in the summer of 2001, becoming the club's record signing at £4 million.
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Delap was an excellent servant at St Mary's, going on to make over 150 appearances over a four-year spell that included a stunning overhead-kick winner against Tottenham to end a two-year goal drought. He could not stop Southampton's unfortunate descent to the Championship in 2005, however, and joined Sunderland midway through the next season. The Black Cats were also in decline, though, and he was relegated for a second year in a row.
Seemingly desperate to keep wearing red and white stripes, Delap joined fellow Championship side Stoke on loan, only to see his season cut short in October when he suffered a broken leg against Sunderland in just his second game. Nevertheless, the Potters signed him on a permanent deal and while they missed out on promotion that term, Delap was a first-team regular the following season as they finished second and returned to the Premier League.
It was in the 2008-09 campaign that the mania around Delap's rare ability began. Stoke twice went ahead against Aston Villa in their second league game of the season, only for the visitors to pull level each time. Just as a point each seemed inevitable as the game ticked into the 94th minute, the hosts got a throw-in inside Villa's half. With a long run-up, Delap launched it into the box for Mamady Sidibe to head in.
"It was a problem all day but we thought we had resolved it," Villa boss Martin O'Neill said. "Whether it was a bit of luck or whatever, the ball ended up in our net. It's a part of the game and you have to cope with it and up to that point I thought we did pretty well."
Two weeks later, he terrorised Everton with two long throws that resulted in goals as they came back from two down, only to lose 3-2. Of their first seven goals in the top-flight, three had been handmade by Delap.
After he scored the winner against Tottenham, the human slingshot came back to haunt his former side in a 1-0 victory and three days later Arsene Wenger's Arsenal became victims as Tony Pulis' men won 2-1.
In one particularly iconic moment against Hull City, goalkeeper Boaz Myhill panicked under pressure with the ball at his feet and smacked it out for a corner to avoid the threat of a Delap throw.
Stoke chalked up another late win against Middlesbrough thanks to his incredible trick as he ended the campaign with five direct assists from throws. Normal service resumed in the first game of the 2009-10 season as he launched one off a Burnley defender's head to set up an own goal.
He was the secret weapon in Stoke's run to the FA Cup quarter-finals in 2009-10, too, providing throw-in assists as they beat York and Arsenal before rescuing a draw against Manchester City.
"Hopefully… we'll finally know how to deal with Delap's long throw," City goalkeeper Shay Given said before the replay, but they simply couldn't contain the threat as Stoke won 3-1. They made it to the final the following campaign with him setting up two goals along the way from the touchline, but this time City nullified the threat and won at Wembley.
Getty Images Sport'I've never seen anything like this'
Why were Delap's throw-ins so deadly? The midfielder was a promising javelin athlete before he turned to football and Delap discovered his ability could be useful during a youth game while at Carlisle. Allowing him to turn a regular throw-in into something more like a corner, but from an even more advantageous angle, he employed the long throw throughout his career. By the time he got to the Premier League as part of a tall, tough Stoke side, he had almost perfected it.
"It's more accurate than a corner and it's so tough to deal with," he explained. "A defender or attacker is more likely to flick it on than anything else. You have to use your natural assets. I used the throw-in in the Championship last season and the manager made clear that not a lot was going to change this season. It's not much different to what I've done at other clubs but it's getting more attention because we've got more height in the team and had more success with it. If it's done right, there is no way of defending it."
The simple but deadly gimmick generated plenty of discussion in the media, with many pundits praising Delap's effectiveness.
"He throws it very flat and it is very difficult for defenders to pick the ball up but I think the media has helped by giving it so much publicity," Pulis said after Stoke beat Arsenal thanks to two of his missiles. “I think people are frightened to death about it."
"Like a human sling," said David Moyes, while Lee Dixon wrote in a column in 2008: "I have never seen anyone with a throw-in like Delap's. Most long throws tend to be a bit loopy, whereas Delap's are fired in like a free-kick – but even more dangerous… It is unbelievable how he does it – his throws come in flat like an arrow."
Then-Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger complained about the trick, saying: "It is like kicking the ball. It is a little bit of an unfair advantage. He is using a strength that is usually not a strength in football."
"I have never seen anything like this in my life," said former Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari.
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Getty Images SportMoving on
Stoke's near-success in the FA Cup brought them into European football for the first time since 1974 as they reached the second round of the Europa League before being knocked out by Valencia.
Delap's playing time declined that season, though, as he entered his late 30s and it was his last full campaign for Stoke as he was loaned to Championship side Barnsley. He barely featured there, however, and at the age of 37 ended up in League Two with Burton Albion before retiring in December 2013.
It was the end of a unique career, as Delap was known around the world for his freakish throwing ability.
Having scored a decent amount of goals himself, though, he was more than a one trick pony, according to Pulis.
"He has been a bedrock of the success of Stoke City," he said, later stating: "You do not play over 500 league games, 400 of them in the top flight, to be just the person to pick the ball up and throw it in the box."