Pulis urges Wilkinson to keep head

25 September 2010 13:02
Stoke boss Tony Pulis has told Andy Wilkinson he must learn to "play with his head" following a "rash challenge" on Mousa Dembele in midweek.[LNB] Wilkinson was booked for a mistimed tackle on Dembele in stoppage time of Stoke's Carling Cup win over Fulham on Tuesday night.[LNB]Cottagers boss Mark Hughes afterwards described the challenge as "absolutely ridiculous" and Stoke assistant Dave Kemp concured it was "unnecessary".[LNB]Pulis has now revealed his displeasure with Wilkinson over the tackle, but he is annoyed the post-match talk has surrounded the incident rather than the Potters' polished performance.[LNB]"I think the tackle was a little bit reckless," said Pulis. "It was a rash challenge but he's a young lad and desperate to show what he can do. But he's got to control that aggression.[LNB]"He plays with his heart and he's got the heart of a lion.[LNB]"He's not a bad lad and doesn't have any malice in him, but he has to play with his head sometimes because he didn't need to do it.[LNB]"Andy's got to learn and I'm sure he will. He's an intelligent lad and if he looks at it now he will say he shouldn't have done it.[LNB]"The disappointing thing is that we played so well and nobody talked about our performance, just about one incident."[LNB]Meanwhile Pulis has responded for the first time to Arsene Wenger's recent attack on Stoke in which he wrongly accused Ryan Shawcross of kicking Tottenham goalkeeper Huerelho Gomes.[LNB]"Arsene does what's best for Arsenal, and rightly so," Pulis added in the Stoke Sentinel. "Anybody who thinks any different is living on another planet. We all do the same.[LNB]"I don't care what other people say about my players or Stoke City, the only people I care about is our supporters and the chairman, Peter Coates."

Source: Team_Talk