Pulis Deserves Praise, Not Criticism

They say a week is a long time in football. The news to begin this one has been dominated by Arsenal, who exited the FA Cup at the hands of Stoke City on Sunday. Fewer than seven days previously we were revelling in the Gunners’ recent success as they comfortably dismantled Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium, before showing great spirit to overturn a two goal deficit to win 4-2 against the same opposition three days later. The aftermath of this fourth round tie has largely focused on Arsenal’s poor performance, Sol Campbell’s return and manager Arsene Wenger’s team selection. Stoke City have scarcely been mentioned. Virtually everywhere, the emphasis has been placed on Arsenal’s defeat rather than Stoke City’s victory.

While this may seem grossly unfair, Tony Pulis, the Potters’ manager, will be used to it. Rarely do his side get the credit they deserve and any recognition of their marvellous achievements is often hampered with derogatory comments about their style of play. Arsene Wenger has cast aspersions on them in the past, accusing their players of cowardice after a 2-1 defeat  last season, but this is an easy way out. Other managers of the Big Four™ often voice their disapproval when supposedly inferior teams ‘park the bus’ and show no attacking intent in games against them, but this is one thing Stoke cannot be accused of. The two draws against Liverpool must not be overlooked as a huge factor in Rafa Benitez’s side’s failure to win the title last season, and Stoke were the better team in their recent defeat of Arsenal, as well as in the win against the North Londoners last term. Modest, recently-promoted teams do not have infinite finance, which makes it increasingly challenging to compete with the better sides in the division. Wenger should see it as a compliment: no team in the division can better his side’s panache, so they are forced to employ other tactics in order to try and win the game. Stoke’s refusal to roll over in such games is commendable and, despite being thumped last season 5-0 and 4-1 by Manchester United and Arsenal respectively, their effort cannot be questioned.

As fans of Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn Rovers will know, once you are stuck with a certain tag, it is difficult to shake it off. Accusations of dirtiness aimed at Stoke are announced only after a team is the recipient of a defeat against them; like Sir Alex Ferguson’s infamous attack on Alan Wiley, this is a means in which a manager can deflect attention away from his side’s performance. Pulis’ outfit finished twelfth last season which, considering it was their first ever appearance in the Premier League, is a tremendous accomplishment. Perhaps the scale of their success can be measured by the dismissal of the possibility of relegation this year: at the start of the season, the vast majority expected Stoke to survive with ease despite second season collapses from Reading, West Bromwich Albion and Wigan Athletic (although they were not relegated, they failed to emulate the top half finish they enjoyed in their debut Premiership appearance) in the past.

The facts cannot be ignored. Stoke City finished the 2008/09 Premier League season at the top of the disciplinary table, accumulating seventy-four yellow cards and five reds throughout the campaign. This, however, is by no means a shocking amount. Middlesbrough and Blackburn both received more points in the previous season, whilst the 100 point barrier (points are awarded for each yellow and red card) has previously been broken – Stoke’s total of 89 is not an aberrational figure. Rory Delap’s throw-in is an undeniably important weapon, so much so that Pulis himself cited an injury to the midfielder as key to his side’s defeat against Chelsea in September 2008. Regardless, to say that Stoke’s only source of goals is from Delap’s astonishing ability to throw a football such a distance and at such a pace is ignorant. Delap’s throw assisted City goals in only seven of their thirty-eight games last season. Whilst this figure is comparatively large, it is ridiculous to say that without Delap, Stoke are incapable of scoring goals.

‘It’s just like watching Brazil’ is a chant that could not be sung by Stoke fans unless it was supplemented with a huge dose of irony. Although dirtiness is a strong accusation, there is no doubting that Pulis’ style of football is not for the purist: Stoke’s primary tactic in their promotion winning season involved hoofing the ball up to Mamady Sidibe. The additions of Matthew Etherington and Sanli Tuncay have strengthened the argument that Stoke City’s long ball label is misleading, but they are still some way off qualifying as ‘art’, as Wenger himself likes to visualise the game. However, this is more than tolerable considering Stoke’s recent rise; the suggestion of the club holding their own in the Premier League would have been met with ridicule in the days of Chris Kamara, Brian Little and Icelandic consortiums. Unlike their Spanish counterparts, English fans do not go to football matches to be entertained – they go to feed their addiction. Stephen Foster’s excellent And She Laughed No More does not merely detail Stoke’s Premiership campaign, it pinpoints the key behind supporters’ feelings. If you are successful at football, your fans do not care how you play it. Notice how criticisms of Arsenal’s beautiful football have emerged in these five years without a trophy – style is, ultimately, irrelevant.

In his first spell at the club, Pulis was begrudgingly considered a success after steering Stoke away from relegation to League One, saving them with a 1-0 victory over Reading on the final day of the season. On the back of a mid-table finish in the 2004-05 season, the Welshman’s disagreement with the club’s owners led to his sacking. Johan Boskamp replaced him, bringing with him flair, pretty football and a bubbly personality. Despite no progress being made, Pulis was not missed as fans decided they favoured being a mid-table team that was worth watching. Nonetheless, Pulis was reappointed when Peter Coates bought the club in June 2006, a decision which was met with frustration and despondency from the Stoke faithful. In his book, Foster admits his transformation from rejection of Pulis to acceptance. His views have clearly disseminated around the Britannia as Pulis’ name is now sung by the fans with real gusto. How times change. If a week is a long time in football, four years must seem like a millennium.

Moses Must Be Wary About Throwing It All Away

It was hopeful more than anything. Lee Hills lofted the ball from the halfway line towards the general direction of the box; seconds later it was nestling in the Plymouth Argyle goal. Victor Moses, having impeccably chested the ball down, turned his marker and fired a shot past the Argyle goalkeeper, Romain Larrieu.

The Crystal Palace forward has been labelled as a teenage sensation from many quarters recently (why is sensation the only noun used to describe a promising footballer? It is almost as overused as the term ‘wily Scot’ to describe excelling managers from north of the border), and he has lived up to the hype in recent weeks. Six goals in his previous eight games has exhibited his talent to the watching world, Real Madrid scouts and all. Neil Warnock has predicated that Moses’ vastly improved form of late is down to his development of ‘the ugly aspects of the game’. Critics of Warnock would suggest that ‘ugly’ is indeed the word most synonymous with Warnock’s general footballing philosophy, but no-one can argue with the terrific job the Yorkshire man is doing at Palace: they are just one point off the play-offs despite being crippled by financial difficulties and possessing a tiny and depleted squad.

Warnock and chairman Simon Jordan are both resigned to losing Moses and, unless the club is bought, his departure this month is imperative. Warnock’s constant insistence that Moses will depart soon is possibly the most telling sign that the Eagles’ finances are in peril. Jordan has been looking to sell the club for well over a year now, his decision coming after Palace received only £700,000 from a tribunal after youngster John Bostock joined Tottenham Hotspur at the age of sixteen. Jordan has fought ferociously to keep hold of his top assets in the past and there is no way he would allow Warnock to blatantly promote the club’s biggest talent if the need to sell him was not exigent.

Moses’ decision making is just one of the many elements of his game that has improved this season. The Nigerian born forward, like lots of young players, often made the wrong decision when faced with more than one option, but improvement in this area is noticeable. At such a young age, this progress is impressive, but it is now off the field where his decision making will be tested. With four clubs who have won the European Cup (Liverpool, Barcelona, Nottingham Forest and the previously mentioned Madrid) among those vying for his signature, Moses should be advised to take great care when selecting his next club. Bostock has since admitted he regrets leaving Palace for Spurs, and fellow academy products Tom Soares and Ben Watson are both back in the Championship after failing to benefit from moves to Premier League clubs. Wayne Routledge is another example. On the back of an admittedly successful season in the Premiership, Routledge showed total disregard for the club that had nurtured and developed his talent by jumping ship to Tottenham at the first opportunity. Short of joining fierce rivals Brighton & Hove Albion, Moses will not be the recipient of the abhorrent abuse that Routledge regularly endures when returning to SE25, but care must be taken nonetheless.

Routledge’s career has been extremely disappointing since making the move across London. Five appearances for Spurs led to a transfer to Aston Villa, where he played just twice. Sandwiched between these two were comparatively successful loan spells at Portsmouth and Fulham, but there remains a huge sense of loss lingering over the winger, a feeling that could so easily have been avoided had he stayed, like Andrew Johnson, just another season at Palace before seeking pastures new.

Despite all the talent and promise shown thus far, Moses is undeniably inferior to Routledge in one way. He has yet to play in the Premier League. Only the most ardent of Palace fans would reject claims that Routledge performed well in that 2004/05 season – perhaps the animosity displayed towards him stems from disappointment at his decision to leave the Eagles in what, retrospectively speaking, was a counterproductive move. It would be ridiculous to hold this lack of Premier League experience against Moses: it is not his fault that he has broken through at a time where his team mates are, in the main, not as talented as the ones Routledge once shared the Selhurst Park pitch with. Furthermore, despite his excellent performances recently, Moses was inconsistent last season and was at times kept out of the side by the more industrious Sean Scannell. Although it can be accepted that he is far from the finished article, Moses must not lose focus whilst doing all he can to avoid his promising career fizzling out before it has begun.

Ideally, Moses would go to an established Premiership team where he would play regular football while continuing to develop under the guidance of an experienced manager and a talented coaching staff. Fulham is a club that has been mentioned by many Palace fans as a plausible transfer, not only for the reasons stated above, but also for the fact that he would remain in the capital. Moses’ parents were tragically murdered when he was just eleven, and, upon moving to England, it is reported that he was so traumatised he did not speak for two years. Stability is vital for the youngster, and a move to Spain or even the north of England may jeopardise his performances on the pitch. Regardless of brilliant displays lately, Crystal Palace is a world apart from Barcelona and Moses is not yet of sufficient quality to merit a move to the Catalan giants. Clubs may be persuaded by his potential, but the England under-19 international is a long way from challenging Lionel Messi for a place in Barcelona’s starting line up. Moses must also be cautious about being swayed by financial offers: his choice should primarily be football-related. Somewhat unfairly, the decision the nineteen year old makes now may just shape the rest of his career. It must be more than hopeful.