Robbie Earle believes that Tony Pulis would be able to keep Stoke City in the Championship as he is linked with a third spell in charge of the Potters.

Reports emerged earlier in the week suggesting the Staffordshire outfit will turn to the ex-Middlesbrough chief, who is currently without a job.

Given the huge success he brought to the club in the past, some fans would welcome Pulis' return given the dire situation the team are in right now. However, others say a new approach would be needed and there are concerns about the style of play.

But, Earle, who was a youth player at Stoke before going on to be a favourite at Port Vale, wrote for Stoke-On-Trent Live that if it's about staying in the second-tier then Pulis is the man to replace the under-fire Nathan Jones.

"Stoke were in the Premier League in Tony Pulis' last spell - at the moment they are at the foot of the Championship so winning football has to be more important than attractive football.

"Right now, unless something changes then the club is heading into League One. If Pulis did return for a third spell I'm pretty sure he would start with the back four, get them keeping clean sheets and then work from there."

Jones' men are currently bottom of the table, without a win in ten games and six points from safety ahead of a weekend trip to leaders Swansea.

The verdict

I think most observers would agree with Earle here, if Pulis did come back to Stoke then most would feel they would stay up. It may not be pretty but it would be effective.

However, there are clear concerns to his potential appointment and it's up to the board to weigh it up.

It seems a matter of time before Jones is sacked and it will be interesting to see what road Stoke go down but there's no doubt that they are in a relegation battle after their awful start.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.

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