Tony Pulis targets 'selfish' players in Stoke squad

Tony Pulis guided Stoke City to 11th position in the Premier League

Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has accused some of the players within his squad of having a selfish attitude and putting themselves ahead of the club.

Pulis has spoken out following reports of dressing room fall-outs and dissent within the squad throughout the season.

He told BBC Radio Stoke and 5 live: "They actually think we're doing them a favour by paying them their wages.

"You get this 'me, me, me' situation and it can kill the dressing room. There's been a few around the place."

The Stoke boss continued: "Whether they dropped off in their training because they lost heart and thought they wouldn't get in the team, or whether it was a selfish thing I don't know.

"Being in the Premier League and being part of what is almost like Hollywood at times, they get carried away with the publicity and everything that surrounds it.

"It's difficult to control that situation, especially with certain individuals.

"We'll be working very hard to get one or two of the players out and we'll be working very hard to bring one or two fresh ones in, but as I've said before, we have to make sure they're the right players."

Stoke's second season in the Premier League has been a largely positive and successful one, improving their final position from 12th to 11th, becoming only the second team to better their points tally in their second top-flight season since the inception of the Premier League, and reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Cup for the first time since 1972.

But Pulis was involved in a dressing room incident with striker James Beattie following a defeat by Arsenal in December, and was also criticised by Dave Kitson in a recent interview with a Sunday newspaper.

When asked about the two players directly, Pulis said: "I thought Beattie was one of the main reasons we stayed up in the first year, he was exceptional, but he hasn't had a good season in my opinion.

"Kitson was our record signing, and I don't think we've got what we thought we were going to get, to be perfectly honest."

Pulis said it has been a much tougher season for him, as he tried to emulate the Potters' success from their first campaign in the top flight for 23 years.

"When you're in the first year, everybody goes against you and makes you rank underdogs," added Pulis. "It's easy because you're always trying to prove people wrong.

"It's fresh for the supporters and people around the ground, everyone is on a high and everything you achieve is a bonus.

"The second year is different because you've done that trick before and people get a little bit complacent."