HE'S destroyed many a team with his long throws.

Arsenal became his latest victims on Saturday.

And soon after watching long-throw specialist Rory Delap mastermind the 2-1 win over the Gunners, Stoke manager Tony Pulis thanked the media for helping create a stir over the midfielder's lethal delivery.

The Irish midfielder put the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Adebayor in the shade with an all-action display, but his ability to cause mayhem in the penalty area with his long, flat throws - which set up Ricardo Fuller and Seyi Olofinjana - will again dominate the headlines.

And for Pulis, that is no bad thing.

He has been keen in the past to deflect attention away from Delap's trademark, but now he admits the comments the set-piece is receiving could be working in the Potters' favour.

'It causes so many problems,' said Pulis.

'I think it's because they're so flat. They're not lofted into the air, he throws it pretty flat and it's very difficult for defenders to pick up the flight.

'I think the media has helped as well, though. With the publicity that has surrounded the long throw, people are worried to death before he even throws it.

'Although they are aware of it we have scored a lot of goals from it. We do look dangerous, even today, from it and it's very, very difficult to stop it.'

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, already furious at his side for throwing away their two-goal lead in the dying seconds of the north London derby against Tottenham last week, admitted his side were vulnerable to Delap's throws.

The Frenchman revealed that plenty of thought had gone in to defending against it but conceded that the neutral fan would have been happy to see their attempts falter.

Punished

'Yes we had a plan, of course,' he said. 'We worked on it a lot. But those kind of goals - straight into the box with 20 people there - it is not our greatest strength to deal with that.

'We were punished but very unlucky as well. But traditional people who love the traditional English game with a lot of fight and a lot of commitment, will have been happy because they got what they like.

'At the end of the day, Stoke deserved to win the game.'

Our analyst Tohari Paijan felt Arsenal could not counter Stoke's deadly weapon.

He said: 'Arsenal were unprepared for Delap's throws, even though they knew that it was one of Stoke's strengths up front.

'His throws go a distance of about 30 metres, and it takes a lot of upper body strength, especially in the shoulders and arms, to be able to throw that far.'

'He reminds me of Ivan Campo during his Bolton days, as well as the late Ian Hutchinson for Chelsea in the 1970s,' he added.

Delap's long throws have also resulted in three other goals against Everton, Aston Villa and Sunderland this season.