Fa Barclaycard Premiership News Update

Fa Barclaycard Premiership News
( 05 November 2008 )

English Premiership football News

Pulis hits back at Wenger claims
Stoke boss Tony Pulis said Arsène Wenger is "trying to rewrite history" after the Arsenal boss accused his team of using too aggressive tactics.

Wenger Sentenced Ryan Shawcross and Rory Delap after Emmanuel Adebayor and Theo Walcott have been injured in Stoke 2-1 victory at the Britannia Stadium.

Pulis told the club website: "On Saturday, Mr. Wenger has admitted that Stoke deserve to win The Game.

"He tried to rewrite history, his comments certainly made me smile."

Both Adebayor and Walcott was stretchered Thursday during Saturday after meeting the challenges of Shawcross and Delap respectively.

Adebayor was subsequently ruled out for three weeks in the injury suffered in Saturday's contest.

Champions League At a press conference Tuesday, questioned Wenger: "Do you think Delap tried to play the ball when he tackled Walcott? Or that Shawcross tried to play the ball when he tackled Adebayor off the pitch? "

But Pulis jumped to the defense of his players.

"Rory is as honest and committed as they come," said Pulis.

"He would never leave voluntarily to another professional injured, remember not so long ago Rory was sitting on a hospital bed with a double fracture."

On Adebayor, Pulis added: "I remember Emmanuel Adebayor was booked for a chest-high challenge on Ryan Shawcross." Pulis Wenger also recalled that Robin van Persie was dismissed for striking Stoke goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen.

"There is only one network card, Saturday and the last time I watched The Game was not a player from Stoke who received it," said Pulis.

The former Gillingham boss concluded his statement by saying: "I have great respect for Mr Wenger and Arsenal Football Club.

"But you can fool some people all the time, and all the people some of the time, but you can not fool all the people all the time."

Midfielder Delap has also protested his own innocence on the incident which caused Walcott England international to leave the field with his arm in a sling.

He told BBC Radio Stoke: "It was a struggle against fatigue. I was trying to get the ball but I was too fast for me.

"I wish him all the best and I will try to see it."
by bbcnews.