The very long throw in...

...is it just me or do others miss those players that could fire the ball on top of the keeper from 40 yards out on the sideline. It may sound very old school, but if I managed a side, I'd have 1 or 2 players sit down and study the likes of Rory Delap and Dave Challinor and practise hurling that ball into the area from anywhere near the goal line. It was worth a few goals to their sides over the years...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8awv4bWDIw

limnam

Love them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl0y8Wcme1k

That's some throw by her!

You'd think, if clubs train a couple of players to whip in corners and frees, they should put as much time into training a couple in the art of the long throw. Maybe they do, it's just not as evident. And the long throw can cause a lot of confusion - defences are well drilled in corner strategy but a ball coming in like that would be less familiar.

fullstop

Always liked watching Delap throw them in. Lots of players can throw it (reasonably) long, but it was the fact he threw them so flat as well that made them a nightmare to defend.

Kermit.de.frog

fullstop wrote: »

Always liked watching Delap throw them in. Lots of players can throw it (reasonably) long, but it was the fact he threw them so flat as well that made them a nightmare to defend.

Every throw-in conceded by the opposition equivalent of a corner

patsman07

There's a book called 'The Numbers Game' by Chris Anderson, which opens with the author describing what motivated him to write the book (about football stats)
He was watching Stoke playing in the Premiership with an American friend who never watched soccer. Stoke got a throw in, Delap launched it into the box and Stoke scored. The author started laughing and his friend asked him what was he laughing at, he explained that it was an unusual way to get a goal. The friend then asked why don't other teams do the same when its obviously effective? Author replied that not every team has Rory Delap, so the friend asked why don't other teams coach someone to do what Delap did. Author replied that not every team likes to play that way and the friend thought it totally irrational that a team wouldn't do something so effective because of the style. Prompted the author to do some research into Rory Delap's effectiveness. 25% of goals from throw ins came from Stoke that season.

Interesting how someone without football knowledge can prompt interesting questions!

764dak

Scumbag technical players always want the ball thrown short to them even when two or three players surround them.

Omackeral

I don't "get" why throw-ins are even a part of the game. How did they come to be? You never use your hands at all so wondering how and why it's in the laws at all.

Also, Ryan Guy's flip throw is pretty cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1RvY0jYoQs

irish_goat

Is there much preventing a player learning how to do this? I assume a large part of it is just hitting the gym to build upper body strength?

irish_goat

Omackeral wrote: »

I don't "get" why throw-ins are even a part of the game. How did they come to be? You never use your hands at all so wondering how and why it's in the laws at all.

Defenders gain an advantage by deliberately kicking it out of play so I guess it evens that up a little.

patsman07

patsman07 wrote: »

Interesting how someone without football knowledge can prompt interesting questions!

Hey, feck you too...:)

irish_goat

irish_goat wrote: »

Is there much preventing a player learning how to do this? I assume a large part of it is just hitting the gym to build upper body strength?

I'd say it's more a timing thing, like that woman doing it on the clip above. Kinda like driving a golf ball, power is only one aspect, it's all about the technique really.

Harry Palmr

irish_goat wrote: »

Defenders gain an advantage by deliberately kicking it out of play so I guess it evens that up a little.

While that is true, and I have not got any research to back this up, but I'd say most throw ins come from touchline tackles/rebounds and misplaced pases/clearances rather than anything deliberate.

Harry Palmr

Harry Palmr wrote: »

While that is true, and I have not got any research to back this up, but I'd say most throw ins come from touchline tackles/rebounds and misplaced pases/clearances rather than anything deliberate.

There has to be some way of putting it back into play. Allowing kicks would see the game descend into every team having a Peter Crouch or 5 standing in the area.

Omackeral

Maybe a kick-in should be allowed but it has to be on the deck. Little short ones would encourage ball control. Anyone know why offsides are exempt from throw ins? Always found that an interesting nuance.

Harry Palmr

Certainly, my own solution to that is simple enough - the kick would only be allowed to go flat or back towards the kicking sides goal. But I'm not advocating the end of the throw in it should be said.

eagle eye

I don't remember the long throw in before Rory Delap so I wouldn't call it old school. There are plenty still at it right now too, maybe not so much in the Premier league but there is a lot of it in the Championship and on the continent.

pjohnson

I remember watching a match years ago involving Stoke where the ball was heading for a throw in and the defender actually kicked it out for the corner kick simply to avoid Delap delivering in that throw. That throw was far more dangerous than any deadball.

limnam

Some throw on this guy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7Ymkm2-iOc

whiskeyman

It's a brilliant addition to a teams tactics.
I played on a team with one lad who had a phenomenal throw... many times I could peal off a defender as they'd never think he could throw it into the box that far. They'd never learn either! As if the brain just registered 'a throw in' and not the person taking it.
Got many goals from those throw ins!

Morzadec

I always thought that Ireland under-utilised Delap when he was the long throw expert. He should have been guaranteed a spot on the bench for the throw alone. If you have 1 sub left , there's 5 minutes to go and you need a goal, how good an option is it to have someone like that on the bench?

We have been using it to good effect lately, even if we don't have someone of Delap's ability, Ward has a solid throw. It's great that MON has leveraged this in the team imo.

I hope we continue to use it because when the ball is in the air in the box anything can happen and it's a great leveler - also I feel like a lot of international players may not be used to facing this tactic.

Iceland have got great success from it lately too.

If Ireland do make it to the WC I hope we do as lot of work on it pre-tournament, get our full backs on both sides capable of throwing a decent distance.

An organised defence and a set piece threat can bring you a long way in a knockout tournament and a long throw threat will add to this

fullstop

pjohnson wrote: »

I remember watching a match years ago involving Stoke where the ball was heading for a throw in and the defender actually kicked it out for the corner kick simply to avoid Delap delivering in that throw. That throw was far more dangerous than any deadball.

Think that was Jens Lehmann. Ball was passed back to him and he was being closed down...looked like he was gonna kick it out for a throw and he just turned round and hoofed it out for a corner

Morzadec wrote: »

I always thought that Ireland under-utilised Delap when he was the long throw expert. He should have been guaranteed a spot on the bench for the throw alone. If you have 1 sub left , there's 5 minutes to go and you need a goal, how good an option is it to have someone like that on the bench?

We have been using it to good effect lately, even if we don't have someone of Delap's ability, Ward has a solid throw. It's great that MON has leveraged this in the team imo.

I always thought the same. At the time, we probably had a better midfield than now, but was Delap much worse than the likes of Lawrence and Pilkington?