TONY PULIS stressed that the interests of the team are his only concern in making tactical changes . . . after he made a double substitution in the early stages of the second half of Stoke City's goalless draw with Aston Villa.

The decision to replace Tuncay drew a reaction from the player and indeed the crowd when he was replaced by Ricardo Fuller shortly after the break as Pulis opted to inject fresh legs into the clash with Martin O'Neill's side.

City's manager felt the change had the desired effect as his side looked stronger in the last half hour and created the better chances.

"It's what is right for the team that matters most, and I felt we needed to change things round a bit after half time," said Pulis.

"We've had a very, very busy period with three games in the past week, and the first two were tough ones away from home, so it has been a particularly difficult time for us. I just felt Mama Sidibe and Tuncay looked a little bit tired.

"It's not about individuals and it makes no difference to me what name they are, it's the best interests of the team that count."

He added: "I thought we looked the stronger team in the last 30 minutes. We pushed forward more and looked more of a threat.

"Ricardo Fuller and David Kitson certainly gave us more to play off and that brought Matty Etherington into the game more."

Villa boss O'Neill felt that a draw was a fair result in the end as his side maintained their unbeaten Premier League run in 2010.

"There weren't many clearcut chances, so a draw was probably a fair result in the end," he said after the goalless draw.

"It's a tough place to come. Knowing what to expect and coping with it are two different things, but I thought we handled it well."