Tony Pulis hopes to appoint Peter Reid as his assistant at Stoke City Football Club next week.

Reid, 53, is the current head coach of the Thailand national side, but Pulis hopes to call upon his experience and bring him to the Britannia Stadium in the coming days.

"Peter Reid was in the directors' box at Birmingham City and we are hoping to do a deal in the coming week to bring him in as my number two,” said Pulis. "He wants to come back to England.

“My current assistant, David Kemp, is going to South America to look after our scouting options down there. Peter is a typical Scouser - a very bubbly bloke who I have known for a long time.

“We need characters around the place with his experience. There is a minor issue about securing his release from his job with the Thailand FA but we don't believe that will present a problem for us."

Stoke picked up their fourth point of the season on Saturday afternoon, when they left St Andrews following a goalless draw at top-flight new-boys Birmingham.