Rory Delap

Rory John Delap is an English born Irish footballer who plays for Barnsley on loan from Stoke City. He has played eleven times for the Republic of Ireland national football team. Delap started his career at Carlisle United and impressed enough to earn a move to Premiership side Derby County. Delap was signed by Derby County manager Jim Smith for £200,000 in February 1998, and went on to make 13 appearances during the remainder of the 1997–98 season. On 10 July 2001, Southampton signed Delap for a fee of £4 million. From Southampton, Delap was signed by Mick McCarthy for Sunderland in the 2005–06 season. Having become a marginal figure when Roy Keane took over as manager of Sunderland, Delap transferred to Stoke City on loan in October 2006. Delap signed a contract at Stoke in January 2007. He went on to become a vital member of the squad and his long throw-ins have helped Stoke to gain promotion to the Premier League and consolidate in the league. His impressive statistics speak for him. A midfielder by profile he is renowned for his long throw-in ability.