Over the years some top-flight teams have spent big in their quest for success, only to fall flat on their face and be ultimately relegated. Pulis says Stoke have over-achieved and that for them to remain grounded they must stay level-headed where money is concerned. The club recently refused to meet the wage demands of West Ham striker Carlton Cole and Pulis insists the club will always put their long-term future first. "We have spoken as a board and management team, and it is very important we try to keep to a level," Pulis told The Sentinel. "We have overachieved enormously over four years and we know that. "What we don't want to do is chase and chase and then put ourselves in the position where, if it went wrong, the football club would be in a bad state financially. "That will not happen at Stoke City."
