Everton-Stoke City Preview

Apr 29, 2010 - 4:06 PM CHRIS TUPLING STATS European Football Writer=

LONDON (SE) - Stoke manager Tony Pulis and his chairman Peter Coates have been conducting a hunt for moles as they prepare the visit of Everton to the Britannia Stadium.

Not the small, furry creatures that dig up lawns but the type who speak to national newspapers about dressing room feuds.

Someone, as yet unidentified, spilled the beans about an alleged bust-up between Abdoulaye Faye and Glenn Whelan after the 7-0 thrashing at Chelsea last week.

Furious Coates is aware how an unquenchable team spirit and collective desire to succeed have been two of the reasons why Stoke have been so difficult to beat.

First came the revelation of a set-to involving Pulis and striker James Beattie but the latest indiscretion has threatened to seriously undermine the famous Stoke unity.

Coates said: "We will find out one way or another who was responsible for spreading this stuff. I am not pretending there are not the occasional disagreements but it shows people care.

"But what goes on in the dressing-room should stay there and not be aired in public. It does nothing for the club, the players or the supporters.

"Once we find out who was the culprit we will punish them and take the appropriate action. Tony and I are very disappointed it has got this far, splashed all over the newspapers."

Stoke's problems were evident enough on the pitch as Chelsea inflicted on them their biggest Premier League defeat.

Pulis said: "People have said to me we had nothing to play for, but in my view we did. It was a huge game against a top side and we let ourselves down."

Asmir Begovic, the 3.25 million pounds goalkeeper signed from Portsmouth, is poised to make his full debut after coming on for injured Thomas Sorensen at Chelsea.

Sorensen damaged his elbow and will not play in the league again this season while he attempts to regain full fitness in time to represent Denmark at the World Cup.

Everton have two matches left to break into the top seven and ensure a place in next season's Europa League.

Manager David Moyes has only two matches left at his disposal and Everton must win them both to stand an outside chance of cracking the top seven.

Moyes said: "We have had a tremendous second half of the season but where we struggled with injuries over the first half we have been playing catch-up.

"We will keep battering away all the while it is possible to finish in the top seven. We have been in the Europa League over the last couple of years and we want to get back into it."

Moyes is already looking ahead to next season and his intended assault on the top four places in the Premier League.

Everton this week signed Deportivo Alves striker Joao Silva for 500,000 pounds and there will be others to follow over the summer.