This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Comment’ series, this content strand is where the author of the article issues their personal opinion on the topic at hand…

Following their disastrous start to the season in the Championship, Stoke City finally decided to part company with manager Nathan Jones last week.

In the end, few could question the club's decision to sack Jones. The board had given him more than enough time to turn things around but he failed to get the best out of the players on a consistent basis.

However, by removing Jones, the club have now put themselves under enormous pressure to appoint a new manager as soon as possible and it's absolutely vital that they get the decision right.

If they don't, it's very difficult to see them avoiding relegation from the Championship this season and as much as Stoke fans might not want to hear it, Tony Pulis is the perfect man for the job.

I'm sure there are quite a few supporters out there who will not want Pulis in charge of the club for a third time, but that doesn't change the fact that he's exactly what they need right now.

Stoke are bottom of the Championship table at the moment, six points from safety. The players are so low on confidence at the moment and it's obvious that the club need to appoint someone with proven experience at this level - and they don't come more experienced than Pulis.

He's never been relegated as a manager and he's proven in the past that he knows exactly what it takes to achieve success in this division.

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What makes Stoke's poor start to the season even more puzzling is the fact that they've got some very talented players in their squad and Pulis should be able to get the best out of them and help the team get their season back on track.

He might have a reputation for having a defensive style of football, but Stoke have conceded 27 league goals already this season and it's going to be very difficult for them to stay in the Championship if they keep on leaking goals.

Pulis is an old-school manager and if he were to take charge of the club, he'd be able to sort the defence out and make sure the players start getting the basics right.

So, even if it may seem a backwards step it's hard to deny that he's exactly what Stoke need to ensure they avoid a disastrous drop to the third tier.