As the Premier League season came to a dramatic close, with four teams’ futures in the top flight uncertain on the last day, one manager who must have had a smug smile on his face was Stoke City’s Tony Pulis.

Despite being in the bottom half all season, Pulis’s side managed to put together an impressive run which saw them guarantee their safety with a few games remaining and allowed them to enjoy a comfortable end of the season knowing there was another year of Premier League football to look forward to.

The achievements of Pulis must make him one of the frontrunners for Manager of the Season as he guided the Potters to 12th place in the league during their first ever Premier League campaign.

As they came up from the Championship, many fans and pundits predicted a difficult season for them - and, along with Hull City, they were almost condemned to relegation before a ball had even been kicked.

However, the role of underdogs seemed to inspire Stoke and they demonstrated throughout the 38 games that they were in the top league for a reason and were not going to give up this privilege easily.

When you look at the squad Pulis has had to work with, it is fair to say that the majority of players were punching above their weight by playing in the Premier League.

However, the manager has used this to his advantage and developed a style of play to suit the characteristics and abilities of his troops.

With a lot of six-footers in his team, Pulis allowed his players to adopt a physical style of football which instantly showed the opposition they were in for a battle. The way the team play is not pretty to watch - but it has proven to be effective.

Many pundits believed at the start of the season that if any of the three promoted clubs were to survive, then it would surely be West Brom because the way they played their football was more suited to the Premier League and often attractive to watch.

However, the Baggies have been bowled over once again this year as they, unlike Stoke, don’t have enough physical presence. While the football they play is often great to watch, I’m pretty sure that Stoke will have a happier set of fans and won't mind seeing scrappy, messy football again next season as long as it in the top league.

Much has been said of the Rory Delap throw being a key reason as to Stoke surviving and although it is a great weapon to possess, there is a lot more to the team than this.

Despite having a team of physical and no-nonsense type players, Pulis also has a few talented individuals who would get into almost every bottom-half side in the Premier League.

Liam Lawrence, Abdoulaye Faye and Ricardo Fuller are the three that spring to mind, while it is also worth noting that Pulis’ work in the January transfer window led to the team picking up some important results.

Whilst some managers spent heavy in January, Pulis didn’t have a lot of money to work with but his shrewd captures of Matthew Etherington from West Ham and James Beattie from Sheffield Untied paid dividends. In particular, Beattie shone over the second half of the season, scoring some important goals in the process.

Another key factor in Pulis’ success has got to be the team spirit he has injected at the Britannia Stadium. All season, the players have seemed very united, even at difficult times such as when Fuller slapped his captain, Andy Griffin, during the game against West Ham in December.

This team spirit seems to have carried Stoke over the line - and Pulis made sure that heads didn’t drop at any point.

While the team has done superb, a lot of credit must also be placed on the fans who have helped turn the Britannia Stadium into a fortress. Whilst the Potters havnt performed well on the road, at home they have been immense, winning 10 of their 19 matches. This home form has been the basis of Stoke surviving and teams will be aware next season that simply travelling to the Britannia Stadium does not guarantee three points.

With the help of the teams’ fans and the commitment of his players, Tony Pulis has ensured that top flight football will be played in Stoke next season. Despite not being the most high profile manager in the league, Pulis has quietly done his job and will be aiming for progress next season.