Tony Pulis said that he could not get his side to play the Swansea way after they beat the Swans 2-0 at the Britannia Stadium

Tony Pulis said that he could not get his side to play the Swansea way after they beat the Swans 2-0 at the Britannia Stadium

"I have to say first of all that the way Swansea play is a credit to Brendan (Rodgers) and his coaching staff," said the Stoke manager. "They are very, very hard to play against because they keep the ball everywhere. They are patient — they go backwards and they go sideways. I am not sure our crowd would let us play like that — they like it up and at 'em here.

"But Swansea do very well on the ball and they are very good on the eye.

"We had to make sure we worked our socks off and I thought the effort from our lads was first class," Pulis added.

"We could have sat off and waited for them to come. They are very patient with the ball and they frustrate teams who end up losing their discipline, so we had to make sure that didn't happen.

"It's very important for us to get the points on the board as quickly as we can," he added.

"It's a tough league. As soon as you take your foot off the pedal and think you have a right to be in it, you will be in trouble.

"If that's how you are thinking, it's the time to pack it in and get out."

Photo: Action Images

Middlesbrough Polls