Tony Pulis heads back to the Britannia Stadium this weekend for his 1000th game in management. As Pulis hits this remarkable milestone, it only seems fitting to reflect on his time in management.
Trouble-shooter
Over the years, Pulis has gained a well-earnt reputation for turning football clubs around. At Gillingham, he took over a struggling Third Division side – both on and off the field – and brought promotion in his first season. Only a late Manchester City comeback and a devastating penalty shoot-out defeat denied his Gills side promotion to the First Division.
Since then, Pulis has reaffirmed his incredible knack for saving football clubs. He has done repair and rescue jobs at Plymouth, Crystal Palace and West Brom.
The Stoke years
However, it is was his time at Stoke that he will be remembered for. In his first stint at the club, he kept the Potters up on the final day of the season with an away win at Reading. Three wins in his final four games demonstrated his incredible survival instincts.
His second spell at Stoke would be his most successful period as a manager. He massively overachieved to reach the Premier League and then built a sustainable mid-table team. On top of that, he reached an FA Cup Final – which brought European football to the Britannia. His achievements at Stoke were simply outstanding.
Boardroom feuds
Pulis has always had his critics. When he was sacked by Gillingham he sued Chairman Paul Scally for wrongful dismissal. Their bitter feud was eventually settled out of court. In 2012, Pulis’ Stoke drew Gillingham away in the FA Cup and, clearly, all was not forgiven. Scally banned Pulis from every part of the stadium except the away dressing room and the touchline.
This was not the only occasion Pulis had friction with an owner. In 2005, he was sacked by Stoke’s Icelandic owners for failing to exploit the foreign transfer market.
Similarly, this summer West Brom chairman John Williams released a post-deadline day statement suggesting that Pulis was behind the breakdown of transfers deals including one to bring Malaga midfielder Ignacio Camacho to the club.
Most costly to Pulis was his fall-out with Palace Chairman Steve Parish. Pulis left the club days before the start of the 2014/15 season citing a lack of support in the transfer market. However, Palace sued Pulis and ordered him to repay his £2million bonus for keeping Palace up.
Pulis-ball
Throughout his career, Pulis has come under criticism for his style of football. At Stoke he built a big physical side that many branded unfashionable or ‘anti-football’. Pulis ensured he had an abundance of height, power and work-rate in his teams. He also exploited set pieces – most famously the Rory Delap long throw-ins which unsettled many opposing teams. 
On occasions, the physicality that Pulis encouraged from his teams brought intense scrutinty. In 2010, Ryan Shawcross’ tackle on Aaron Ramsey left the Arsenal midfielder with a broken leg. It was an injury that shocked football and led some to question whether Pulis’ teams went too far. Certainly, Arsenal fans never forgave Pulis and Shawcross for that tackle. Last season, Pulis had similar allegations when Craig Garnder’s tackle left Liverpool defender Dejan Lovern with a bloody leg.
Unforgettably, Pulis had an infamous bust up with Stoke forward James Beattie in 2010. Ryan Shawcross suggested on twitter that rumours a naked Pulis confronted and headbutted Beattie in the showers had some truth. 
Durable
During Pulis’ 1,000 games in management, football has changed unimaginably but the cap wearing Welshman has largely stayed trust to himself. He should expect a fitting reception on his landmark return to Stoke this weekend but, above all else, Pulis will only care about the result. That is what he lives for and that is why he is still doing it at the top level.
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