LONG-THROW legend Rory Delap has revealed Gianfranco Zola apologised to him as “illegal” efforts to stop Stoke sent boss Tony Pulis “berserk”.
Delap reckons Burnley put advertising hoardings too near the pitch to curb his throw-ins – while Zola‘s West Ham also pushed the boundaries of the rules.
Rory Delap’s long throw-ins fears struck fear in even Prem giants during Stoke’s peak era under long-ball manager Tony PulisAction Images – Reuters
Legendary Stoke chief Pulis specialised in set-pieces that riled the oppositionPA:Press Association
Then-West ham boss Gianfranco Zola said sorry to Delap but said liming space by the touchlines to curb throw-ins was a club decision, not hisAction Images – Reuters
Stoke‘s set-piece tactics rattled major rivals after Pulis took them up to the Premier League in 2008.
And then-Arsenal chief Arsene Wenger was particularly riled.
But Delap believes it was the Clarets who crossed the line almost literally, with the Hammers likewise testing the limits by also moving ad boardings in.
The ex-Republic of Ireland midfielder, 46, told SportBible: “West Ham did it and Burnley did it.
“I think Burnley were the first team to do it but they put them too close to the pitch and the referee had to move them back about half a metre I think.
“You know, all I could remember was Tony Pulis going berserk in the changing rooms saying ‘They can’t do that it’s illegal’.”
But Delap says one such plan from the opposition backfired after one of the hoardings fell over.
He explains how he used “the little gap in the advertising board” to hurl the ball in for Tuncay to score.
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And of the Hammers, he added: “I think Zola was the manager at the time. And he came and apologised,
“He said: ‘Look, I’ve got nothing to do with this. It’s a club thing’ and really apologised. I didn’t realise he knew my name but that was, again, another bizarre incident.”
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