Stoke City boss Tony Pulis insists there's positives to draw from this season's struggling campaign.

Pulis said the club could take plenty of positives out of the campaign and look forward to a future shaped by the club's academy system, which was granted Grade A status at the start of the year.

He said: "The great thing is the club has invested off the pitch as well as on the pitch to make sure that the future of the club is bright.

"You always need to win games to stay in the Premier League, but the academy over the next few years will produce the players we need to push this football club on."