Stoke City manager Tony Pulis insists the club's main priority is continuing to retain their Premier League status.
Potters boss reaffirms that top flight football is the priority
Stoke City manager Tony Pulis insists the club's main priority is continuing to retain their Premier League status.
The Potters have not looked back since their first season of Premier League football in 2008 having reached last year's FA Cup final.
Stoke have continued to grow under Pulis' stewardship, however, he does not want fans getting carried away with their steady progress.
A number of big names have been sucked into the Championship in recent seasons and Pulis knows avoiding that fate is paramount to their future.
Careful
"I think we have to be a little bit careful," said the Welshman. "The expectation levels go through the roof.
"We've had a fantastic run of success. It's been an upward curve now for nearly five years, and that's very unusual at any football club that you keep bettering what you've done year after year.
"I think the great thing about the football club is the supporters have enjoyed it so much but they remember what it's like in the Championship. They understand that our priority is to stay in the Premier League - that will always be the case.
"Yes, we're looking to push on but there are some fantastic clubs and fantastic teams that we have to compete against.
"Managing expectations at football clubs now is almost as difficult as managing the players on the pitch but you learn and you have to get on with it."
