TONY Pulis has made a heartfelt plea for Stoke fans to unite against what he sees as the outside world's growing antagonism towards the club.

He believes the Mike Dean affair is just the latest example of officials, managers, opposition fans and segments of the press taking pot shots at the club's reputation.

Pulis, pictured below, is already considering another complaint to referees' chiefs after Dean's controversial dismissal of Dean Whitehead on Saturday made it three reds in his last four Stoke fixtures.

"Everywhere you look," Pulis insists, "there's people who want to shoot us down.

"From the moment we lost our first Premier League game against Bolton, we were written off.

"But when you prove people wrong, it gets under their skins and they are just waiting for you to slip up so they can say 'told you so'.

"It wasn't in the script for us to be competitive. That's why you get people like Arsene Wenger moaning on at you – because we have made it difficult for them and we're not supposed to do that.

"As recent refereeing decisions have shown, we are not getting a fair crack of the whip and that can leave you thinking we are on our own.

"That's why I say we have to stick together in this and avoid any cracks in our support. The strength of this football club is not the team, but the club, and it's our supporters who make up that club."

Pulis is concerned about the effects of internal sniping after hearing and reading gripes about the form of striker Mama Sidibe.

"Yes, supporters have a right to criticise and I understand that," he added.

"Nobody has taken more flak than I have. It's part and parcel of the job for managers and players – we all understand that.

"But we have built up a tremendous togetherness over the past three-and-a-half years, and we must never let that weaken.

"That's why I find it frustrating when someone has a go at a player like Mama, even if it's only a small percentage of people.

"He has been a part of the growth of this football club and has always been there for us on the frontline.

"When you consider he came on a free transfer nearly five years ago and has come through the anguish of physical attacks out in Africa and a career-threatening injury last year, he has been remarkable for us.

"His form has taken a dip recently, but show me a player whose form has never had a dip. It's at times like that when players need support from all of us... for them and for the greater good of the football club."

He said the building process must continue, adding: "There's a feeling in the outside world that we are as united as any club in the country.

"We mustn't let anyone destroy that.

"We can build on what we've done so far for another three or four years to give us something people will talk about for generations."