However, nobody could have predicted the impact this throw has made in the Premier League. For some reason defences in the Premier League have struggled more than those in the Championship and Rory now has seven assists to his name. The last-gasp winner against Aston Villa, both goals against Everton, the consolation at Portsmouth, the winner against Sunderland and both goals in this weekends magnificaent victory over Arsenal have all come from Delap's lethal hands.
The national media have now cottoned on to the effectiveness of the throw and are starting to dissect and analyse Delap and the reasons it is difficult to defend against. The flat trajectory, speed, accuracy, variation and distance have all been commented on by Shearer, Hanson, Thompson, etc. Ex-players such as Lee Dixon have started to try and develop defensive strategies to cope with the throw and every opponent is now going to be judged by how well they cope with them.
The side effect of this analysis is not only that opponents now have a "fear factor" prior to facing Stoke, but people are also missing the work done by the rest of the team, which has been magnificent recently. The national press are overlooking tremendous defensive displays by Abdoulaye Faye and co, some great midfield play, and the potent attacking threat of Ricardo Fuller and friends. This may ultimately be an advantage to Stoke, but it is putting a lot of pressure on the man at the centre of all this fuss.
Rory Delap is a quiet unassuming man who does not covet the limelight. On the field he is industrious and not showy, yet he is a skillful player and one who would still hold his place in the team even without the throw. When interviewed about the throw it is obvious that Delap wishes to deflect away from just that to other areas of his and Stoke's game, to spread the glory, and the focus away from himself.
It would be a shame if the focus on the throw in turn produced to much pressure on Rory's shoulders to deliver the goods, but for now the weapon remains lethal. And I for one hope the media are still talking about how effective it is come May.