Stoke's European adventure shows how far they have come

Tony Pulis has defied the critics to lead Stoke into Europe

The Europa League is often demeaned as a meaningless competition, but for Tony Pulis and Stoke City it is the culmination of years of hard work.

There are still snobbish elements of the English game which look down on Stoke and their style of play, but surely it is time for universal appreciation for the remarkable job Pulis has done.

This is his second spell in charge at the Britannia Stadium and he could never have imagined he would achieve what he has.

To get a so-called unfashionable club like Stoke promoted, stabilised in the Premier League, into the final of the FA Cup and therefore into Europe is among the finest achievements in English football's recent history.

The first competitive game of Pulis' second spell with the Potters was a 1-0 Championship defeat at Southend in August 2006, played in front of less than 9,000 spectators. He will tonight lead them out against Dynamo Kiev in the group stage of the Europa League, while they will also face Besiktas and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

That is a situation which would have been unimaginable just a short time ago yet perfectionist Pulis will not settle for a brief taste of life in Europe. He will want to progress further and regularly compete in European competition.

After all he has achieved in the last five years, who would bet against him doing that?

It seems Stoke were always something of a sleeping giant with the passion of their fans, and Pulis has unlocked their potential alongside supportive chairman Peter Coates.

Local chairman Coates has played a massive part in Stoke's success story

The Britannia Stadium is now widely recognised as one of English football's best fortresses, with teams like Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City among the regular victims of the Potteries roar.

Yet some people still like to stick the knife in.

More like a rugby team, some will say. Rely too heavily on throw-ins, say others.

While it is true Rory Delap's long throws are still important to them, they are nowhere near as vital as some people like to make out. The side is still packed with strength, but (whisper it), there is an element of flair to Stoke's play these days.

Wingers Jermaine Pennant and Matthew Etherington are perhaps the best examples of this, always willing to run at defenders and excite fans.

And if you're looking for terrace wit, look no further than the Britannia Stadium.

After Arsene Wenger moaned Stoke used 'rugby tactics' after one of his Arsenal side's annual defeats there, Stoke fans sang rugby chant 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' and 'One-nil to the rugby team' when their side scored. Other oft-heard chants at the Britannia are 'We only score from a throw-in' after a goal from open play and 'We'll play how we want'.

Stoke's fans are regarded by many as the loudest in England

Stoke have been patronised so often in their three years in the Premier League that it is almost as though their fans don't care what others think of them anymore. As long as they can appreciate the job of Tony Pulis and his team, that is all that really matters.

The rumoured pursuit of Manchester City's Adam Johnson on transfer deadline day shows how far Stoke have come and although the move didn't materialise, it shows the ambition Pulis has to take his club up yet another level.

His signings this summer are another sign of his ambition.

Defenders Jonathan Woodgate and Matthew Upson are relatively risk-free signings as they came without a transfer fee, and although both are prone to injuries, if Pulis was to keep both fit he would have two of the country's best defenders on his hands. Both are full England internationals and experienced in the Premier League, so they could turn out to be two of the buys of the season.

When you add them to the excellent defenders Stoke already have in Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth, teams are going to find it even harder to break the Potters down this season.

Chairman Coates always backs Pulis in the transfer market and did so again with big-money moves for Peter Crouch, Wilson Palacios and Cameron Jerome.

Crouch is something of a coup for Stoke as he is a hugely successful international striker with England and should fit perfectly into their style of play. The £10million transfer fee is another indicator of the club's ambition and trust in Pulis.

Crouch's decision to join Stoke shows how far they have come

Palacios may be the pick of the signings, though. For a rumoured fee of £6million, Stoke have signed a player regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League just a matter of one or two years ago.

Jerome will further bolster Pulis' striking options, which also include Kenwyne Jones, Jonathan Walters, Crouch and Ricardo Fuller, meaning Stoke's goals tally should be impressive this term.

They beat Liverpool last week - although the victory may have been slightly fortuitous - and if they can continue to improve this season, there's no reason they can't finish in seventh and perhaps even battle the top six.

Pulis has beaten the odds continually and revels in proving people wrong, so he will see this as the season to truly shut the critics up.

He has never led his side to a top-half finish in the Premier League so that must be a prominent target, as well as progressing from the extremely tricky-looking Europa League group.

Stoke have never been in a serious Premier League relegation battle and it shows how far they have progressed that they are no longer even mentioned as possible candidates for the drop.

Their Europa League campaign will be a new challenge for them but Pulis and his team will be relishing it and confident of ruffling a few feathers.

It is time for the criticism of them to stop. Stoke are one of English football's biggest success stories and should be receiving nothing but praise.