Pulis keeps upbeat
BLACKBURN 0
STOKE CITY 0
Sunday November 29 2009
Stoke manager Tony Pulis intends to take James Beattie out of the firing line for a spell so he can get him back to full fitness. The striker came off the bench for Mamady Sidibe in the second half only to fluff his lines in front of goal, as did Dean Whitehead.
"We have kept it quiet but Beattie has been playing with injuries to his ankle and his knee," Pulis said. "Now we have Mamady back we can give Beattie a bit of a break and get him fit. He has been playing because we have been a little bit short. As for Dean, he has probably had his best game for us and missed two glorious chances."
Centre-back Ryan Shawcross suffered a groin strain in the game. Overall Pulis was delighted with their progress.
"We are better this year than last. To have 20 points from 14 games is first class for us," he said.
"We've had only 18 months in the Premier League and you get built up. People get carried away with things but we need three years in the Premier League for a proper foundation to push the club forward. The good thing at the moment is the amount of points we are gathering away from home."
- Ken Gaunt
Sunday Independent
