Whitehead having to play holding role at Stoke

Stoke midfielder Dean Whitehead has been forced to curb his natural attacking instincts since joining the club from Sunderland.

The 27-year-old has been playing a holding role, recently alongside another defensive midfielder in Salif Diao, and that has frustrated some supporters keen to see the more attacking Glenn Whelan, Liam Lawrence and Tuncay in the side.

"A new club brings exciting new challenges, and getting used to a totally different style of play has been one that has taken me a bit of time," he told Loud and Proud, the club's official quarterly magazine.

"An important aspect of the success this club has achieved under Tony Pulis has been the great emphasis he has placed on maintaining the team's discipline and shape.

"That is especially so in the middle of the park where the gaffer impresses upon us the need to sit back and hold our ground, so it's a matter of getting used to how he works and how he likes to stop the opposition playing.

"Consequently, I have had to curb some of my natural instincts which has taken me a while, but then such a change does take time.

"I've been used to running all over the pitch and spotting opportunities to get forward into goalscoring positions, so I have had to learn to hold back a bit more.

"It's not easy when instinctively you've been accustomed to making those bursts forward for such a long time, and there are still occasions when I have to remember my first priority and slam the brakes on to ensure that I am not caught out of position."