STOKE-ON-TRENT (DF) -- On the back of recent criticism for their heavy-handed tactics in Wednesday's 1-0 loss at the Emirates Stadium, Tony Pulis has hit back at the media for portraying his players in an openly negative light, assuring them Stoke City is a football, not rugby, club.
Arsenal gave Stoke the run around during the first half of their Premier League encounter and were unlucky to go into the break ahead by only a solitary goal. Stoke turned up the heat immediately after the interval, with Arsenal manager branding their second half tactics as "thuggish" and "Welsh." Referee Peter Walton had his hands full as Stoke went about looking for anything but an equaliser.
"We don't play rugby," said an agitated Pulis after the game. "We're not anti-football as some have unfairly branded us. We don't play the game any differently than Arsenal, Manchester City, or Barcelona."
A recent comprehensive study of English league games conducted by Manchester Metropolitan University found that over the past season and a half, Stoke City games had, by far, the highest percentage of time spent with the ball off of the ground-- more than games for any other club in the Football League.
Alan Donovan-Woods, Assistant Professor of Sporting Statistics and Analysis at MMU, said the results were conclusive. "If there were a club in English football that played rugby, it would certainly be Stoke City. Most of their ball possession seems to be off the pitch, when it's in the hands of Rory Delap."
A Stoke City spokesman disagreed with the study, citing the club's depth of talent. "Technically, Glenn Whelan is world-class. He's a world-class player. We have at least a dozen players on our books who could walk into any passing side in the world."
Despite the pitch at the Brittania Stadium often looking like it's home to a rugby league side, Pulis maintains his side are proponents of the beautiful game. "Bring Barcelona to the Brittania in the dead of winter and we'll see who plays attractive, winning football."
