Pulis bemoans away form

Pulis: Form target

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Stoke boss Tony Pulis has told his players they must improve away from home if they are to avoid relegation.

Registering no wins in 15 games on the road, the Potters have slumped to third-bottom of the Premier League table.

Defeat to Everton at the weekend was a further blow for Pulis' side, with only a handful of fixtures to come.

The Potters boss admits that - with crunch ties against fellow strugglers Middlesbrough, West Brom and Blackburn all fast approaching - his side must improve if they are to maintain their top-flight status.

Learning curve

"We have got to win games and come away from home and be competitive," he told the Sentinel when reflecting on a poor first-half performance against Everton.

"I don't want to be here saying ifs, buts or maybes.

"You can't wait and see what Everton have got before you start rolling your sleeves up and start throwing punches.

"We've got to learn from this. When we are throwing punches and are up at 'em, we are a handful.

"But we had 11 players on the pitch in the first half who weren't up to scratch, so we had a few words at half-time.

"Every game is vital," he added. We need players to rock and roll from the very first whistle."

Risk

Pulis insisted he will not rush Ricardo Fuller and Matthew Etherington back into action, despite the Potters' troubled position.

"Ric is still feeling his shoulder," he said. "I spoke to him in the week and asked if he was ready for 90 minutes, but he's still a bit concerned.

"We're trying to get him and Matty in the team because they are important players for us, but we might lose them if we rush them."