Tony Pulis · Biography

Anthony Richard Pulis, born on 16 January 1958 in Pillgwenlly, Newport, won the first trophy of his career in 1982-83: the Hong Kong Senior Challenge Shield with Happy Valley. He played as a defender for almost two decades and, between 1992 and 2020, managed ten clubs in English football. He had two spells at Stoke City and also took charge of Crystal Palace, West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough.

A lower-league defender

Pulis began at Bristol Rovers, where he played from 1975 to 1981, making 85 league appearances and scoring three goals. In 1981 he moved to Hong Kong to join Happy Valley. He made 13 appearances there and won the Senior Challenge Shield. He returned to Bristol Rovers in 1982 for two more seasons. From 1984 to 1986 he made 77 league appearances for Newport County, his hometown club. In 1986 he signed for AFC Bournemouth and was part of the squad that won the Third Division title in 1986-87. After the 1989-90 season at Gillingham he went back to Bournemouth, where he retired as a player in 1992. In all, he made 326 league appearances and scored nine goals.

First steps in management

At Bournemouth he moved up from player-coach to manager in 1992, after Harry Redknapp left. The team finished 17th in both of his seasons in charge. In 1995 he took over at Gillingham, who won promotion as Third Division runners-up in 1995-96 while conceding a record low number of goals. He was named Third Division Manager of the Season that year. In 1999 Gillingham reached the Second Division play-off final at Wembley, where they led Manchester City 2-0 but lost on penalties. He left the club that year after a dispute with chairman Paul Scally. Two short spells followed. He was at Bristol City from July 1999 to January 2000, then joined Portsmouth in January 2000 with the team in the bottom three. He lifted them to mid-table and was dismissed in October of that year.

Stoke City: from survival to the Premier League

Pulis arrived at Stoke City in November 2002, with the club fighting relegation from the second tier. A 1-0 win over Reading on the final day of 2002-03, with Ade Akinbiyi scoring, kept them up. Stoke finished 11th in 2003-04. The board dismissed him on 28 June 2005, and he spent the 2005-06 season at Plymouth Argyle, who finished 14th in the Championship. In June 2006 he returned to Stoke. In 2007-08 the club won promotion to the Premier League as Championship runners-up, and in 2008-09 they stayed in the top flight.

An FA Cup final and Europe

In 2010-11 Stoke reached the 2011 FA Cup final at Wembley, which they lost 1-0 to Manchester City. The cup run earned them a place in the Europa League. In 2011-12 they reached the round of 32, where Valencia knocked them out 2-0 on aggregate. His teams relied on a solid defence, direct play and set pieces, with long throw-ins as a regular weapon. After a 13th-place finish in 2012-13, he left by mutual consent on 21 May 2013.

Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion

Crystal Palace appointed him in November 2013, and the team finished 11th in the 2013-14 Premier League. Pulis was Manager of the Month for April 2014 and was named Premier League Manager of the Season. He left in August 2014, before the next campaign began. In January 2015 he took charge of West Bromwich Albion. They finished 13th in 2014-15, and he won another Manager of the Month award in February 2015. West Brom finished 10th in 2016-17. During that season he was inducted into the League Managers Association Hall of Fame. He was sacked on 20 November 2017, with the team 17th in the table.

Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday

Middlesbrough hired him in December 2017. Boro finished fifth in the 2017-18 Championship and lost the play-off semi-final to Aston Villa. They came seventh in 2018-19, and Pulis left the club in May 2019. In November 2020 he became Sheffield Wednesday manager. Over 1,137 matches as a manager he recorded 410 wins, 338 draws and 389 defeats. His spell at Hillsborough lasted 45 days: after one win in ten league matches, Sheffield Wednesday dismissed him on 28 December 2020.