‘People think it was all set plays and throw-ins at Stoke. It wasn’t. Tony Pulis recruited a team of characters who were tough and hard to beat, but we could play’ Rory Delap on the Potters’ other side under Pulis

Stoke City's Rory Delap prepares to launch his long throw in a game against Hull City.

Never has a Premier League team had more cliches thrown their way than Tony Pulis’ vintage Stoke City of the late 2000s and early 2010s.

Whether it’s questioning Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo’s ability to perform on a cold, rainy night in the Potteries, or being written off as a team of agricultural bruisers and set-piece behemoths, Stoke fans of that era heard it all.