Pulis is a legend: Shawcross

Stoke City captain Ryan Shawcross praised manager Tony Pulis after his side reached their first FA Cup final on Sunday.

Stoke thrashed Bolton Wanderers 5-0 at Wembley and qualified to meet Manchester City at the same stadium on May 14.

But it was Pulis who Shawcross singled out for special praise after the match.

“He’s been a legend for a long while,” Shawcross said.

“He’s done so much for the club to take us to where we were.”

“When I first joined we were struggling in the Championship and for him to take us all the way to the FA Cup final and hopefully a top 10 finish (in the Premier League) is massive.”

“He doesn’t get enough credit for it, he’s got very good man management and he’s a very good manager.”

Jermaine Pennant, who set up Stoke’s third goal for striker Kenwyne Jones after half an hour,

also praised the organisation of the Potters.

“It’s a massive day, it’s a massive victory,” Pennant said.

“It just shows how much the club is pushing forward and much people have invested in the club.”

“Everyone behind the scenes has worked hard to get here and people talk about our game play but to win 5-0 in the semi-final, you’ve got be doing something right and we can play football too.”

“We are not as bad as what people think.”

Pennant said he was looking forward already to the showdown with Manchester City on May 14.

“Yeah, it will be great. I’ve played in finals but never actually played in a FA Cup final so it is going to be a great moment for me as well,” he said.

“Like I say, it is the first time Stoke have been in the FA Cup final so it is going to be a great moment for all the players.”