Stoke City did a great job of establishing themselves as a Premier League side. Once the unfashionable gate crashers of the party, they went on to become a staple of our top division.

Times change and their relegation ended a decade-long stay in the top flight, but it also helped to secure them as favourites for the Championship this time around. They kept a talented squad together and recruited well.

They might not have started as they hoped, but they're not far away from being a top six side. In Benik Afobe they've got plenty of goals, and their midfield is pouring with talent, from the recently-acquired Ryan Woods, to Joe Allen, a man with some real quality on the ball.

Is Allen, a Premier League quality player, making the grade one level below? FLW shines a spotlight on the Welshman.

28-year-old Allen is arguably in his prime now, the years where he has the experience to affect games and the athleticism to not fade away. He should be playing at the very top level, but he's currently nine games into a second-tier campaign.

Allen's game has never been about goals, he's a worker, one who breaks up play and creates chances. He's no slack when it comes to contributing though, one goal and an assist in his opening nine fixtures show he's willing to help out going forward.

His contribution comes from tackling and passing. He averages 3.9 tackles per game, a good stat when compared to other midfielders in the division. Chris Brunt for instance averages two tackles per game and the nearest player to him averages three per game. He's far and away the best in the division.

Allen gets 1.2 key passes per game in as well, but his distribution isn't all about the chance creating passes. His success rate is 82% - no player has more than 90% success rate - which goes to show his levels haven't dropped.

Stoke City might not be in the top six this season, but if they're not, it won't be down to a lack of trying on Joe Allen's part.