Peter Crouch reveals Stoke long throws made Heurelho Gomes CRY in past game against Tottenham
Rory Delap's catapult-like throw-ins caused the then-Spurs keeper so much distress he burst into tears
PETER CROUCH says Stoke's infamous long throw tactics reduced then-Spurs keeper Heurelho Gomes to tears.
Rory Delap's catapult-like throw-ins proved even more of a threat for the Potters than corner kicks.
And, according to Crouch, the barrage of raining footballs into the Tottenham keeper's box had him bawling like a baby.
Speaking on his That Peter Crouch Podcast, the 37-year-old said: "I watched people panic and give away corners instead of throw-ins due to the sheer panic and confusion that it caused.
“I remember Heurelho Gomes believe it or not, we were launching in these missiles, there was myself, loads of people coming, piling into the box.
"I actually remember Gomes taking the knee and throwing the ball out and a tear in his eye.
“He just couldn’t handle this aerial bombardment that was going on. He was in a state of turmoil.
"Genuinely he was very upset. He was very upset, physically distressed by the amount of aerial bombardment coming in."
Crouch played alongside Gomes at Spurs between 2009 and 2011.
Amazingly, in 2008, the Brazilian stopper had already turned on the waterworks against Stoke - much to the confusion of everyone in the stadium.
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Footage of the game a decade ago shows Spurs defender Jonathan Woodgate consoling a distraught Gomes - now at Watford - after referee Lee Mason signals to the bench for help.
In that same match he knocked team-mate Vedran Corluka UNCONSCIOUS with a flying knee to the head when coming for the ball.
Gomes revealed in 2010 that his tears stemmed from a painful hip problem.
He told : "In that game I was on painkilling injections.
"That week I injured my hip going for a 50-50 ball in training. It was raining and I ended up colliding with Alan Hutton. I went to the dressing room on a stretcher. Two days later I had to play Stoke. I was crying with pain. And people on TV were making fun of me.
"Nobody outside the club knew what I was going through. I cried when I got home from that game, I cried because I tried to give my best for the team. But the media kept chasing me, saying that I hurt one of my own team.
"For three months after that I trained only once a week, usually the day before the game.
"I had to practise parrying shots not being able to fall on my right side. Sometimes a striker would come into a scoring position and I would just close the right corner and give him the left one.
"I was having painkilling injections before every game. At that time I couldn't even stop to think about it, I needed to show the club my commitment."