Tweet
Stoke boss Tony Pulis heaped praise on Ricardo Fuller after the striker celebrated his new deal with a hat-trick in a 3-1 win over West Brom.
The Jamaica international ended transfer speculation last week when he signed a contract to keep him at the Britannia Stadium until 2011.
Pulis was not surprised to see Fuller provide the main difference as Stoke soaked up strong Albion pressure and hit them on the break.
He said: "Ric's just signed a new three-year deal and it's great business for him and for us. He likes it here and everyone likes him.
"He's the icing on the cake for us and when he plays like that he takes a lot of stopping. If he can find space in behind people, he can destroy them.
"I thought it was a smashing game. West Brom have the best squad of players in the league and I'm confident they will get automatic promotion.
"We don't have their resources and strength in-depth, but we match them because of our commitment, determination and togetherness.
"The transfer window is now massive for us and we do need to add that extra bit of quality to give us a real chance."
Fuller needed less than five minutes to open his account after sprinting clear of the Albion offside trap.
Mamady Sidibe flipped on a John Eustace pass and Fuller was away in a flash to strike a low shot inside Dean Kiely's right-hand post.
Albion did boss the lion's share of possession but Roman Bednar's 24th minute shot, which flew too high, was the best they could muster in the first half.
In contrast, Stoke's more occasional raids packed far more potency and it was no surprise when they added a second seven minutes before the interval.
Fuller earned a right-wing free-kick when he was flattened by Bostjan Cesar and the City striker picked himself up to smash in a shot from Liam Lawrence's far-post delivery.
Albion sent on Kevin Phillips and Ishmael Miller at the start of the second half which they dominated territorially.
But Fuller landed the killer blow in a 67th minute breakaway - and what a goal it was.
There appeared little danger when he picked the ball up on the left flank, but Fuller mesmerised the hapless Cesar, cut inside Pele and rolled an expert finish beyond Kiely.
The visitors continued to pile forward with wave after wave of attacks and they did pull a goal back when Bednar headed in from six yards 18 minutes from time.
Albion boss Tony Mowbray said: "We played some good football and we will always try to play the game the right way.
"But sometimes you have to give the opposition credit and Stoke did what they are good at.
"I didn't think we worked the Stoke keeper enough in the first half and two of the goals we conceded were sloppy from our point of view.
"We can't do anything about the result now and we just look forward to the next game."
The Jamaica international ended transfer speculation last week when he signed a contract to keep him at the Britannia Stadium until 2011.
Pulis was not surprised to see Fuller provide the main difference as Stoke soaked up strong Albion pressure and hit them on the break.
He said: "Ric's just signed a new three-year deal and it's great business for him and for us. He likes it here and everyone likes him.
"He's the icing on the cake for us and when he plays like that he takes a lot of stopping. If he can find space in behind people, he can destroy them.
"I thought it was a smashing game. West Brom have the best squad of players in the league and I'm confident they will get automatic promotion.
"We don't have their resources and strength in-depth, but we match them because of our commitment, determination and togetherness.
"The transfer window is now massive for us and we do need to add that extra bit of quality to give us a real chance."
Fuller needed less than five minutes to open his account after sprinting clear of the Albion offside trap.
Mamady Sidibe flipped on a John Eustace pass and Fuller was away in a flash to strike a low shot inside Dean Kiely's right-hand post.
Albion did boss the lion's share of possession but Roman Bednar's 24th minute shot, which flew too high, was the best they could muster in the first half.
In contrast, Stoke's more occasional raids packed far more potency and it was no surprise when they added a second seven minutes before the interval.
Fuller earned a right-wing free-kick when he was flattened by Bostjan Cesar and the City striker picked himself up to smash in a shot from Liam Lawrence's far-post delivery.
Albion sent on Kevin Phillips and Ishmael Miller at the start of the second half which they dominated territorially.
But Fuller landed the killer blow in a 67th minute breakaway - and what a goal it was.
There appeared little danger when he picked the ball up on the left flank, but Fuller mesmerised the hapless Cesar, cut inside Pele and rolled an expert finish beyond Kiely.
The visitors continued to pile forward with wave after wave of attacks and they did pull a goal back when Bednar headed in from six yards 18 minutes from time.
Albion boss Tony Mowbray said: "We played some good football and we will always try to play the game the right way.
"But sometimes you have to give the opposition credit and Stoke did what they are good at.
"I didn't think we worked the Stoke keeper enough in the first half and two of the goals we conceded were sloppy from our point of view.
"We can't do anything about the result now and we just look forward to the next game."
Comment