Stoke City boss focused on survival
Stoke City boss Tony Pulis says that he is refusing to get carried away with talk of European qualification, insisting that his main priority is to ensure that his side remains in the English Premier League for a fourth consecutive season.
Pulis saw his men claim a valuable point in their 1-1 draw with Manchester City at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday 27 November. City had gone ahead through England international defender Micah Richards in the 81st minute, but fought back to claim a point
as midfielder Matthew Etherington restored parity with a goal in the second minute of injury-time.
The draw allowed Stoke to move up into eighth place after an unbeaten run of four games, but Pulis refused to allow himself to talk about qualification for the UEFA Europa League, maintaining that keeping the club in the EPL took precedence before making
a push for European football.
He told the BBC: "I've always said that it was a three-year plan coming into the Premier League. If we maintain Premier League status for a third year, then we can really push on.
"This is the third year. It's a tough league and sometimes we do get too carried away with things and too down with things. Maintain Premier League status for a third year and this club will have put down rock solid foundations to really push on."
Stoke won promotion to the EPL when they finished second in the Football League Championship in the 2007-08 season to ensure top-flight football for the first time in 23 years. They finished in 12th place in their first EPL season and maintained their status
in the top-flight for a third season with an 11th place finish.
Stoke currently have 20 points after 15 games, and just one team ― West Ham United in 2003 ― have been relegated after winning more than 40 points since the top-flight season extended to 38 games.
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