Stoke vs Fulham preview - Pulis boosted by Sorensen news

Posted Tuesday, December 28, 2010 by PA

Stoke boss Tony Pulis is relishing his goalkeeping conundrum after the return to full fitness of Thomas Sorensen for the tail-end of the festive programme.

Sorensen sat on the bench for the Boxing Day trip to Ewood Park where another clean sheet by Asmir Begovic further cemented the Bosnian's claim to the jersey.

But Pulis has urged Sorensen to keep pushing for a return to the first team and says he will get his chance if and when his former understudy's form begins to dip.

Pulis said: "Thomas is disappointed he is not in the team but he lost his place because of injury and Asmir has come in and looked very good.

"Thomas will have to be patient and then if Asmir either drops form or gets injured it is up to Thomas to get into the team and play as well as he can. You want that competition."

Pulis' men headed home on a high after their fine performance at Ewood Park, with Begovic rarely troubled and goals from Robert Huth and Marc Wilson securing an easy win.

The only slight negative for Pulis was Matthew Etherington's substitution after 75 minutes with an apparent ankle knock which will require a fitness test ahead of the clash with Fulham.

Despite the pressure building on Cottagers boss Mark Hughes after his side's dismal Boxing Day defeat to West Ham, Pulis expects a tough test at the Britannia Stadium.

Pulis said: "We had a good result against Fulham in the League Cup but that will mean nothing because this is a totally different game and they are fighting for league points.

"They will come and give us a real run for their money. They are, along with Everton, the team that has under-achieved most in the first half of the season.

"They will be looking for a stronger second half of the season and looking at the players they have, it would not be a surprise to see that happen.

"Every game in the Premier League is a tight game, especially for the likes of us, and we will respect Fulham just like we respect every team."

Mark Bowen insists Fulham supporters had been too quick to hurl abuse at Hughes during their side's damaging defeat to West Ham.

Hughes was subjected to chants of `you don't know what you're doing' and `Hughes out' after the Cottagers threw away the lead in the 3-1 home defeat to the Hammers.

The result sucked Fulham into the drop zone, level on points with their previously rock-bottom opponents, and piled the pressure on Hughes less than six months into his reign.

Asked if fans were too quick to turn on their manager, assistant boss Bowen said: "I'm bound to say yes because I'm at the sharp end of the stick."

Hughes admitted supporters were within their rights to call for his head and Bowen added on talkSPORT: "I'm sure Mark fully accepts it. He's used to it, he's got broad shoulders.

"You take stick as a player, when you play poorly, from fans because they pay the wages and they're entitled to their opinion.

"It's the same with managers and coaches.

"You're always happy to take the pats on the back when you're winning and things are going well."

The chants of `you don't know what you're doing' began when Hughes withdrew Dickson Etuhu and fans favourite Clint Dempsey early in the second half with Fulham 2-1 down.

Bowen said: "When we walked in at half-time, Clint Dempsey had got a dead leg. He came in at half-time, he iced it through the whole of half-time and he wasn't right.

"We looked in the first 10 minutes of the second half and he was holding it a bit and he wasn't moving well on it."

Fulham have badly missed star striker Bobby Zamora, who will not be available until February.

Bowen pointed out the club also struggled when the England international was injured last season, saying: "Bobby Zamora missed 12 games last year for Fulham and, in those 12 games, Fulham won two."

Moussa Dembele is unlikely to be fit.

The striker, who returned to training last week following five weeks out with an ankle injury, missed the Hammers loss after failing a fitness test and is not set to return before Saturday's trip to Tottenham.