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Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has revealed that he prefers to listen to the opinions of fans when he has an interest in buying a particular player.
Pulis indicates that fans of a team tend to know more about the individual talents of a certain player than a scout as they have seen them play in the flesh potentially for a number of seasons.
Meanwhile, football fans can even give information on the star's social life.
He said: "I'll go and buy a ticket among the home fans, or with the travelling supporters, and just sit there and ask questions. I'll go, 'The number 16, he looks a good player'. And then I'll instantly get all the feedback you could ask for.
"They'll say, 'Yeah, but his left foot isn't all it should be and he's rubbish in the air'. Or if he's always hanging round the clubs in the city and out late drinking they'll know that too."
However, despite shunning the director's box for a spot in with the fans, Pulis added that it is still important that he reaches his own conclusions rather than listen solely to the opinions of the supporters.
Among the gems that Pulis bought last season on his way to helping Stoke City secure English Premier League survival were Abdoulaye Faye from Newcastle United and former Aston Villa goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen.
Written by Craig Kemp
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21 October 2010
21 October 2010
21 October 2010
20 October 2010
20 October 2010
