Gritty point puts Pulis in a pickle

MANAGEMENT throws up no end of conundrums, but some are more welcome than others.

Sam Allardyce, for instance, finds himself uneasily weighing up when to return to work at Blackburn after treatment for a heart complaint. Tony Pulis, meanwhile, reluctantly finds himself dealing with continuing gossip that his Stoke side could be heading for Europe after only one defeat in seven games.

“Our aim is to stay in the Premier League for the next three years. That will give us the opportunity to push on,” he said after this dire encounter.