Stoke boss Tony Pulis believes Matthew Etherington deserves rave reviews - but stopped short of urging Fabio Capello to hand him an England call. The winger joined from West Ham in January 2009 and admitted months later that he had accrued gambling debts of around £1.5million. But Etherington has been steered away from problems off the field and his performances have been telling, with Stoke seeing the one-time teenage sensation fulfil the potential he was always reckoned to have. The player's own family have been a major factor behind the upturn in fortunes but Pulis also believes Stoke's owners, headed by chairman Peter Coates, deserve credit for bringing the best out of the 29-year-old former Tottenham and Peterborough man. "He's been a quality player and very, very good for us," Pulis said. "He's got his life sorted out off the pitch and you've got to give the Coates family great, great credit for getting involved with that and as a football club giving him the help he needed. "I think Matty will always appreciate what this football club has done for him off the field. We've cleared everything out of the way so he can see clearly in respect of his life. Matty's a professional footballer and we've allowed him to concentrate on that which has born fruit for us as a team and as a football club. I think if Matty was playing now for, say, Tottenham or one of the top teams in the country then he would definitely get recognition."
Source: PA
Source: PA