Stoke midfielder Liam Lawrence has hailed Tony Pulis as the best manager he has worked with ahead of his side's Championship clash with QPR.Pulis was handed the manager of the month award for February after he steered the Potters to five wins from six games and to the top of the table.

Stoke suffered a 2-0 defeat in their last match at Preston and missed the chance to steal a march on their promotion rivals.

But Lawrence, 26, is confident Pulis will help his side provide a positive response at Loftus Road and get their bid to win promotion to the Premier League back on track.

"Tony has done a fantastic job this season, he has brought in some outstanding players," Lawrence told the Potters' official website.

"He is very level-headed, he gets on with all of the players and he knows how to get the best out of his lads.

"He is the best manager I have ever worked with, by quite a long way."

Lawrence has played a large part in Stoke's good recent form and has scored 13 goals from midfield this season, but he insisted the team is the focus despite the plaudits.

"Of course it is good to hear about being named as one of the best players this season, but that counts for nothing unless we get promoted," he added.

"We need to keep our concentration now because we are in a great position in the league.

"That is what we are all aiming for, and that is what we are determined to achieve."

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