Lawrence did. Whelan was an unused substitute.
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Lawrence did. Whelan was an unused substitute.
No only have Stoke got too huge strikers, both central midfielders were giants too. Lawrence hardly got a kick of the ball, very poor. Delap was more involved in general play as well as about 20 long throw-ins. These were very effective if extremely hard on the eyes.
[quote=drummerboy;1021060]Interesting idea. However the fact that he never played left back before may be a slight drawback.
Think you will find that he played full back quite a lot of the time when at Derby and Southampton albeit at right back. He is used to playing full back, and used to playing on the left so it would not be such a traumatic adjustment. He has certainly much more experience playing at the back than Kilbane.
By the same logic then there's no point in putting corners across in the air, Stoke attack those throws as if it's a corner if they're chasing a game, centre halfs up the lot. I know you're being slightly tounge in cheek but the size of the forwards doesn't really matter that much in those situations....
Delap, I admit, did play at right full for a while in the past. However he is not a naturally left sided player and it would be too much to expect him to play there, given the small amoutn of experience he has of playing right full.
I am not sure that centre halves would come up for throw ins like they do for corners but the point is you do need to have physical forwards to be effective for that sort of game. If we had a Cascarino and/or a Quinn playing up front, Delap's inclusion might be worthwhile for the throw ins alone but not with Keane and Doyle as the target me.
Problem is, it doesn't look like football, it's desperate stuff.
It's not pretty but I suppose when clubs come up, you can't really knock them initially for playing to their strengths. They have to do what they have to do to survive.
I watched the Stoke game yesterday and have to say I was delighted to see them lose. They play the most utterly horrible football I have seen in ages.
Delap is such a brutally average player. I honestly cant see what he could bring to the Irish side other than the long throw. I don't know why Pulis has him on the left wing, presumably because he is quite big and takes up a lot of space, gets in the way, etc. He offerers absolutely nothing going forward
For some reason i've always been a Delap fan and on yesterday's performence i'd put him in the squad.
Those long throws would come in handy especially against the Italians and the really crap countries with the goalies who are afraid of catching the ball.
Im not a fan of Stokes tactics, but their two goals came from throw ins and goals win games. sometimes when your chasing a game does it really matter how you score so long as you do.
good point, catching the ball under pressure wouldnt be a lot of continental keepers strong point
I'd say he mite come in handy to have in the squad at the end of the camgaign, after watching his impact against everton
Picture this; last game of the qualifiers at home to Montenegro, scores at 1-1, but we need 3 points to qualify. Delap comes on and with his long throw's we end up getting the winner to put us through. :confused:
Such long throws give a team a great advantage it make a set piece of of virtually every throw-in in the oppositions half.