TONY PULIS believes that Stoke City's tough start of the season has been made that much harder by the bad luck they have suffered in all three defeats so far.
City's manager was left bemoaning two moments of misfortune in their 2-0 defeat at champions Chelsea, but was proud of the performance from his players.
Pulis pointed to a Glenn Whelan shot that crashed against the bar and a Matthew Etherington effort which was cleared off the line when City were still in the game.
"Things are not going for us at the moment and you certainly need a bit of luck at places like this," said the Potters boss in referring to Kenwyne Jones' injury in the opening game and the 'goal' that wasn't given in last weekend's defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
"If Glenn's shot had dropped in after hitting the bar and Matty's shot had not been cleared off the line, then who knows, the outcome could have been different.
"We haven't had the luck we have deserved so far this season because I think we have played much better than the results show. But that happens at times and the table shows we are down there so we need to get off the mark sooner rather than later."
He added: "I am proud of the lads because they worked their socks off today. Chelsea were the better side and they showed that they are a top, top side. But we had our moments and on another day, we might have got something out of the game."
Pulis recalled goalkeeper Asmir Begovic to his squad for the game at Stamford Bridge and reaffirmed the Club's determination to keep him at the Britannia Stadium.
Begovic did not feature in the Carling Cup tie against Shrewsbury Town because he said he was not in the right frame of mind to play and there has been a considerable amount of speculation about interest from Chelsea and other Premier League clubs.
But Pulis stated: "Asmir is a fantastic goalkeeper and a good lad, but he has had his head turned by mindless people behind the scenes.
"We will do our utmost to keep him at this Football Club because he is an outstanding talent. He has had his knuckles rapped and will learn from his mistakes."
