Former Scotland international Charlie Nicholas is adamant that Tony Pulis deserves more respect from the Stoke City fans for the job he did at the club.

The 55-year-old left the Britannia Stadium by mutual consent on Tuesday having spent seven years in charge of the Potters.

Pulis received some abuse from his own fans towards the end of the season, which Nicholas feels was totally uncalled for.

"I was doing the Stoke vs. Aston Villa match for Soccer Saturday three or four weeks ago, when Villa beat them 3-1, and he got a heck of an amount of abuse from his supporters because he was leaving Charlie Adam and Michael Owen on the bench," Nicholas told Sky Sports News.

"Myself, Jeff Stelling and the rest of the Soccer Saturday boys were speaking after the game and we felt he wasn't being respected for the success he'd brought there.

"To be a regular in the Premier League, to be in Europe, to have brought people like Peter Crouch and other big reputation players there... yes, he had spent a few bob to bring them there and his style wasn't everyone's cup of tea, but it was a formula he had success with. So this isn't a surprise, I think he came to a conclusion he'd had enough."

Pulis got Stoke back into the English top flight after a 23-year absence as well as reaching the FA Cup final in 2011.