To be fair to joke, ahem, I mean Stoke ;) putrid Pulis has admitted that they are not flush with high quality players, therefore they have to play a certain style of football. But he also stated that if they continue to stay in Prem midtable areas season on season that they will build their name, their prestige will rise and they are sound financially and thus will begin to turn the tide the other way and become a better team with better players. Maybe even Pulis understands that it won't be him in charge when the time comes that they c an change the way they play, maybe a Zola or somebody would suit then.
West Brom under Mowbray showed that playing nice football with lesser ability players does not keep you in the Prem, Stoke have shown that doing it in a less attractive manner does. And they aren't awful all the time, are they! (?)