da lvbet： Tony Pulis has been a Premier League figure since he won promotion with Stoke City in 2008. After achieving great success with the Potters he moved on to Crystal Palace in 2013 before joining his current club, West Bromwich Albion, in 2015. His teams are renowned for their defensive organisation, incredible work rate and ability to frustrate their opposition.
da leao： Unfortunately for the 58-year-old, his sides are also known for a distinct lack of goals and his tactics are often branded ‘boring’ and as ‘hoof ball’ by fans.
Despite the negativity, his West Brom squad have settled under him and it’s paid dividends so far this season, as the Baggies sit comfortably in 10th place, with a positive goal difference, just two points behind ‘title-chasing’ Chelsea.
They have won two, drawn two and lost two and have every reason to be happy with the start they’ve made especially when considering their slightly underwhelming summer transfer activity.
And yet, Pulis is second favourite with Sky Bet to be the next Premier League manager to lose his job.
Why?
There’s a stigma attached to the kind of football that Tony Pulis coaches. He wants his teams well organised, well drilled, exceptionally fit and hungry, but these features tend to negate individual quality – his teams set up to suffocate rather than create.
So, rather than the open football we’ve seen this season from the likes of Liverpool who are coached by Jurgen Klopp, Pulis tends to prioritise the clean sheet above all else.
This was no more prevalent than in his days at Selhurst Park with Crystal Palace.
Of the 13 home games Pulis managed, Palace kept six clean sheets, as well as adding another four on their travels. They recouped 24 points from a possible 39 from matches at Selhurst Park under Pulis, making it a place to fear playing at.
He was the only manager of Crystal Palace from November 2013 until the end of the season and helped the Eagles from the bottom of the League to an 11th placed finish.
When he took over in November, Palace had three points from 10 matches, so to achieve safety really was a remarkable feat and he thoroughly deserved his Manager of the Year award.
Palace’s remarkable recovery can’t be put down to luck either, as Pulis has achieved similar success at his current club, too.
Languishing in 16th place in December 2015, one point above the dreaded relegation zone, Pulis took over the reins at West Brom and guided the Baggies to a safe 13th finish, ending the campaign nine points clear of the bottom three.
He followed this up by leading them to safety once again as the Baggies finished 14th in the 2015/16 season before starting this season steadily, too.
So, why can’t Pulis catch a break?
Despite all the good statistics from the Premier League tables, the clean sheet leaderboards and the kilometres covered standings, Pulis is a man under pressure.
After seven successful years at Stoke, they hit a juncture where they simply could progress no further under his stewardship.
Club chairman Peter Coates recognised that Pulis had served the club superbly well, but the FA Cup Final appearance and Europa League tie with Valencia were the pinnacles.
That, in some ways, is quite a damning statement.
Yes, Pulis set the ball rolling at Stoke and kept it rolling, too, but, Coates saw a way for an even better future and since his departure, Stoke have not finished in the bottom half of the table, whereas, under Pulis, they never finished in the top half.
This is not to belittle the good work he did at Stoke, because he certainly laid the foundations and gave them their platform to succeed, but there came a time when it appeared they had achieved their goal under him.
Unfortunately for the Welshman, it appears that the same wall has been hit at West Brom.
Pulis has been at The Hawthorns for a much lesser amount of time then he was at Stoke, but fans are already agitated about the poor quality of football they’re paying to watch.
Last season, the Baggies failed to muster a shot on target in seven separate matches, which became a new Premier League record.
To make matters worse, only relegated Aston Villa scored fewer goals than West Brom despite the fact that the Baggies finished 14th, and until their very recent 4-2 victory over West Ham, all of their previous 11 victories were won by a one-goal margin – eight of which were 1-0.
This doesn’t exactly paint West Brom as a swashbuckling, exciting team to watch.
Pulis, though, is staunch in his defence of his side’s defensive abilities and believes they suffered a lot of misfortune going forward, too. More importantly, though, Pulis wants to focus on how staying up really is the BIG achievement for West Brom no matter how they manage it.
He has a point, too. For some clubs, staying up this season will be a huge achievement, but eventually, there is always a need for progress and that’s where things turn sour for Pulis.
As fans get greedy and drunk with the idea of wasted potential they clamour for better than 12th place finishes and a mean defence.
At the end of the day, the spectators are the paying customers and they are entitled to want entertainment and goals. Unfortunately, Tony Pulis may never be the man to deliver that.