Pulis cool despite poor run

Stoke manager Tony Pulis admits confidence has taken a hit after four successive defeats but he is remaining calm about the situation. The Potters have not won for over a month after three losses in the Premier League and a Carling Cup exit to West Ham.Pulis insists his team are playing better football than at any other time since their return to the top flight in 2008 so expects fortunes to turn around."We've played very well this year for long periods. We sat down and analysed the Everton game (a 1-0 defeat last weekend) and we played very well," he said."We had the better opportunities - we played better there than we did last year and we drew last year."I've been through this and the players have been through this."The first 10 games some of the performances have been very good but results are paramount to what we are trying to achieve."Results are everything in terms of confidence. If you go on a bad run people lose a bit of belief."We've been playing well and deserved to get results in the games we have played but certain things have conspired against us - but you have to get on with it."If we win five games or lose five games you have to be level-headed and you have to take it on the chin, especially in the Premier League."You can't be fluctuating, getting too high or too low, not in this league because it will kill you."Those events Pulis refers to are poor refereeing decisions, which he estimates at five in their opening 10 league matches.The latest came at Goodison Park last week when Tuncay Sanli had what appeared to be a perfectly good goal disallowed."I don't want to say we are playing well all the time and then getting beat but circumstances have not gone our way," he added."I don't think they are excuses, they are facts. We have played 10 games and had five major decisions go against us - it is the worst run I have ever had."We haven't had the rub of the green and sometimes you need decisions to go for you."They have been game-changing decisions and it is disappointing because I don't think the decisions have been difficult ones to give."I don't think any referees go out with any pre-conceived ideas in what they are going to do or not going to do but we have been on the wrong end of it and I hope it changes sooner rather than later."But referees aren't at fault for the goals we have conceded so we have to learn that as well."There is no question we have conceded some poor goals, especially late on in games."

Source: Team_Talk