Stoke City are 12th in the table. Are you happy with the way the season's going?

We have been doing okay recently. We beat Tottenham last month. That win gave us a lot of self-belief.

One week later we came crashing back down to earth when we lost to Man City. We knew we had to put it right.

After that we went on to beat Sunderland and played a fantastic game of football.

We also played really well against Arsenal and came close to beating them. At the weekend we were disappointed because we thought we could have done more against Wigan and pushed for the win. A point away from home is still very good though.

We've got some big games coming up: Man United this weekend and then West Brom and Hull at home. Hopefully we can keep our run going.

Arsene Wenger said after the Arsenal match that Stoke had set out to deliberately to injure his players. What did you say?

I don't think that's the case at all. Unfortunately there may have been a few mistimed tackles and a few lads took knocks.

It was a physical game but there's no way we would set out with the intention of hurting other players. It was probably a case of frustration on Wenger's part.

Sometimes physical football is interpreted as dirty but they are two different things. We will carry on playing as we have been doing.

Do you feel Stoke have adapted to the pace of the top flight?

It can take a little while to click to the pace of the Premiership. It was like that when I was at Sheffield United.

It was difficult at first. We struggled to adjust but we got better and our results got better too.

We have started to win games rather than getting a draw every week. If you do that you start to see the fruits of your labour and you shoot up the table. It is tight though and you can't get complacent. If you lose a couple you can plummet right down again.

What's the biggest difference between life in the Championship and the Premier League?

I don't know if it's more mental or physical.

Physically you have to make sure you are solid and well-organised. You've got to adjust your game to how the other team plays.

Mentally you've got to realise you are there on merit and that you can compete. You can't be overawed by it because you deserve your place. It's all about approaching each game the right way.

What's it like to play at Old Trafford?

It's difficult because there is a lot of pressure on the visiting team and you don't see a lot of the ball.

It is one of those places where you have just got to go and relax, enjoy and play to the best of your abilities.

When you get promoted these are the grounds you want to play at, so that's what we will be doing.

Would it be fair to say we haven't seen the best of Man United so far this season?

They haven't found their best form yet. The fact Hull put three goals past them at Old Trafford bodes well. Let's hope they don't click against us.

You were born in Manchester, you played for United as a youngster and you support Man City. Does this game have even more significance for you?

Not really. I was only at United as a young lad. I didn't actually play for the first team and none of the lads I played with are there now, so it's different in that respect. Playing Man United is a big game for everybody. I just hope we can take something from the game. -- Icons.