Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has branded comments made by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger as "out of order", after the Gunners boss openly criticised defender Ryan Shawcross.

Pulis revealed that the club have now written letters of complaint to Arsenal and copies to the Premier League and the Football Association.

The row erupted after comments made by Wenger earlier this week, accusing the Stoke player of turning football into rugby.

Shawcross was involved in the tackle that broke Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey’s leg back in February, which left Wenger fuming and his latest attack comes after Stoke’s supposed rough tactics in last week's 2-1 defeat against Tottenham.

Wenger had said: "You cannot say it is football any more. It is more rugby on the goalkeepers than football.

"When you see the way Shawcross kicked Heurelho Gomes, how Robert Huth pushed Gomes in the goal, you cannot say that is football anymore."

Now Pulis has spoken for the first time about the comments made by the Arsenal boss.

"The club is desperately disappointed with the comments which Wenger has come out with, especially the comments about [Ryan] Shawcross. We think they are out of order and you don't expect it from a person of Wenger's esteem," Pulis said.

"The club will deal with it in the right and proper manner."

"He's entitled to his opinion. We've fought two world wars to be a free country. We've all got different opinions and we must let people say what they say. Whether you agree with it or disagree with it, that's a different matter.

"What he said about Ryan [Shawcross] was very, very poor and the football club will take that matter up."

With regards to Stoke's 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, Pulis bemoaned the Potters' luck but admits he was still proud of his players.

"Things are not going for us at the moment and you certainly need a bit of luck at places like this," he told the club's official website.

"If Glenn's [Whelan] shot had dropped in after hitting the bar and Matty's [Etherington] shot had not been cleared off the line, then who knows, the outcome could have been different.

"We haven't had the luck we deserved so far this season because I think we have played much better than the results show.

"But what happens at time and the table shows we are down there so we need to get off the mark sooner rather than later.

"I'm 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 this game."

The Stoke manager has also conceded want-away goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has been reprimanded following his comments to the press that expressed his desire to move to the Premier League champions.

"Asmir is a fantastic goalkeeper and a good lad, but he has had his heard turned by mindless people behind the scenes," Pulis added.

"We will do our utmost to keep him at this club because he is an outstanding talent. He has had his knuckles rapped and will learn from his mistakes."