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Boss hails Potters' mental attitude
Stoke City, 12:59, February 24, 2011
Boss Tony Pulis has urged Stoke to use their performance at Arsenal in midweek as a springboard for success in the coming months.
Stoke suffered their fifth successive league defeat on Wednesday night as Sebastien Squillaci's early goal was enough to settle the encounter but Pulis was far from downhearted at the final result.
The Potters manager felt his players were unlucky not to earn a point in the end as Arsenal moved to within a point of leaders Manchester United and believes the performance will stand them in good stead for matches coming up in the next few weeks.
Stoke entertain West Brom on Monday before travelling to West Ham next weekend ahead of an FA Cup quarter-final clash against the Hammers and Pulis said: "The next three games are so big and our fans have to raise the roof like they have in the past.
"It's disappointing we haven't got anything out of the game and that's the first time we can say that coming here. It was a very, very good team performance.
"In the first ten minutes we looked like rabbits in headlights. We looked over-awed as Arsenal could have been out of sight.
"It's more a mental thing coming to Arsenal and the players have to believe they are part of this league, whether they're playing Manchester United and Arsenal, or the Wolves and West Broms.
"It is an intimidating stadium and crowd, but they've got to learn to handle that if we are going to push on.
"But I think they've done that eventually because we got better and better. When they put up five minutes at the end, Arsene Wenger's reaction showed that."
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Yup MENTAL sums it up really.....