Premier League preview No14: Stoke City

Guardian writers' prediction 10th (This is not necessarily Paul Doyle's prediction, but the average of our writers' tips)

Last season's position 13th

Odds against winning title 3,000-1

Roy Keane, Ian Holloway, Steve Coppell, Tony Mowbray and Phil Brown: a few of the managers who in recent seasons have brought teams up from the Championship, won plaudits for the way their sides have played and, in some cases, been tipped for even greater things. But where are they now, eh? Eh? Not where Tony Pulis and Stoke are, that's for sure.

Pulis's masterplan has worked so far, and even featured a bonus FA Cup final and European campaign. The man is a hero. And now comes the next phase of his plan. Possibly.

Ever since promotion the Welshman has been insisting that Stoke's aim was to spend three years "consolidating" in the Premier League and then add a new dimension to their play. At the dawn of season four, then, surely Pulis is scouring the world for the sort of players that Stoke do not already have – a central midfield schemer, perhaps, or full-backs who can carry the ball forward and abet the fine creative efforts of Jermaine Pennant and Matt Etherington? Maybe, but so far the only player Pulis has managed to bring in is a centre-back who hasn't played a full season in years – Jonathan Woodgate replacing the departed Abdoulaye Faye. He has also made bids for Carlton Cole and Cameron Jerome. None of which suggests Stoke are about to wow us with a dazzling makeover.

You could understand it if Pulis opted for another season of consolidation rather than evolution. Not least because he has never seemed comfortable with the idea of deploying free spirits "between the lines" – even when he did sign such players, he could never truly bring himself to trust in Tuncay or Eidur Gudjohnsen. Secondly, and far more forgivably, the shallowness of Stoke's squad was exposed by injuries towards the end of last season and a European run would put additional strain on it, so Pulis would be wise to ensure he has the resources to continue applying the formula that has brought him such success in recent years before trying to diversify. If he is to sign flair players this summer, the priority could be given to securing back-up for Pennant and Etherington, who are severely missed when absent.

Still, there is a sense that Stoke are in a race against time, that sooner or later (though not necessarily this season) either they will figure out a way to evolve or the rest of the Premier League will figure out a way of subduing their uncomplicated menace. Or to put it another way: either Pulis will work out how to win away or other teams will overcome their dread of the Britannia.

Only Bolton amassed fewer points away from home last season and no one scored fewer away goals than Stoke, who hit just 15 in 19 matches (a tally matched by Newcastle). The likes of Glenn Whelan, Rory Delap and Dean Whitehead are sturdy scurriers but lack the wit to regularly prise open defences, and Andy Wilkinson and (the currently injured) Danny Higginbotham, though solid defenders and threats from set-pieces, add little by way of overlap or unpredictability going forward.

If Stoke can't get their wingers into the game when they have possession (which is less often than any other top-flight team), if other teams stand up to their set-pieces and if Kenwyne Jones or Jonathan Walters have off-days in front of goal, Stoke tend not to score. That may seem like a lot of 'ifs' but Stoke failed to find the net in more than a third of their Premier League games last season. No team had a worse record.

Of course, the solidity of Stoke's defence, where Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth form an excellent duo and are aided by a splendid goalkeeper, Asmir Begovic, and the unrelenting dynamism of their team-mates, means that even if Stoke don't score they do not necessarily lose. Indeed, when they do score it is often thanks to their centre-backs' set-piece prowess: Huth and Shawcross contributed 11 goals in all contributions last season and so long as certain other teams remain unable to either organise themselves as well as Stoke or compete as courageously, their tally should remain high.

Stoke could still do with more goals from central midfield. Jones and Walters are more than mere battering rams – with the strong running (of Walters, in particular) they continually drag defenders out of position and create space but this is not exploited often enough by Whelan, Whitehead or Delap: someone such as Craig Gardner, Stephen Ireland or Joey Barton would probably get double figures for Stoke without even requiring Pulis to tear himself away from his style of choice.

As things stand, Stoke look too limited to finish in the top-half but, barring injuries, too strong to become embroiled in a relegation fight.