He's an imposing figure. 6'3, solid build, and a decent athlete for his size. But the 'hatchet-man' tag is warranted, and he epitomises Stoke's aura. It's understandable why Pulis and the supporters love him. His challenge on Ramsay, as disgusting as it was, could've been written-off as an unfortunate & isolated incident. But when you throw in the challenge on Adebayor, as a collective set, the distraught & sorry enforcer display (as genuine as it was, when Ramsay went down) just doesn't sit well. It's understandable, and human nature dictates, that Adebeyor executed a bit of pay-back.
Coming through United's academy system one would have to think that one stage there was a more rounded footballer inside. This relates to his time in United's reserves. I'd like to know if overly robust physical style was an ingrained part of his repertoire. Did Pulis really do his research, and forked out a couple of mill on this basis? Was this lad a carrier of this dangerous tag or reputation during his U19 and Reserves days? Or did Pulis purchase a physical package (and the attributes are impressive as a standalone or raw set), before subsequently being moulded into a 6ft 3 (and pretty athletic) wrecking machine ie. the ideal hatchet-man?
'United'. Nice.