Tony Pulis Manager of Portsmouth Football Club

Tony Pulis Manager of Portsmouth Football Club January 2000–October 2000

In January 2000, Tony Pulis left Bristol City to become manager of Portsmouth.

Pulis took Portsmouth from the bottom three to mid-table but lasted only 10 months in the job before being sacked and being replaced by Steve Claridge in October 2000

The club only survived on the last day of the 2000–01 season when they won their final game and Huddersfield Town lost theirs, keeping Portsmouth up at their expense.

Managerial Record

From To Games W D L Win %

13 January 2000 12 October 2000 35 11 10 14 31.43

Tony Pulis (born 16 January 1958) is a Welsh football manager. He is currently managing Stoke City

Pulis began his managerial career at Bournemouth, where he spent two seasons (1992/93 & 1993/94).

He then moved to Gillingham, whom he managed for a further four seasons, turning a team that had struggled at the very bottom of the Football League into a promotion winning one in his first season, and laying the foundations for the club's eventual elevation to the First Division for the first time in their history. After the 1999 Play-Off Final, which saw the Gills defeated by Manchester City, he was controversially sacked by the club amidst claims of gross misconduct. He later brought an unsuccessful court case against Gills chairman Paul Scally.

Pulis was appointed manager of Bristol City for the 2000/01 season, but in January left to become manager of Portsmouth. Unfortunately he was not a success at Fratton Park, lasting only 10 months in the job.

He was then out of work for two years, before the resignation of Stoke's manager Steve Cotterill early into the 2002/03 season led to Pulis being given the job that November, where he remained until parting company with the club on 28 June 2005.

His son Anthony Pulis joined his father at Stoke City during the 2004/2005 season.

After taking over as manager at Championship side Plymouth Argyle, Pulis managed to turn around a floundering team, to one that with the right investment could challenge for a top half/play off place next season. The turn-around coincided with the loan of West Ham United central defender Elliot Ward. Plymouth Argyle ended the season 14th in the Championship table.

In May 2006 he was the subject of an approach from former club Stoke, who had recently parted company with manager Johan Boskamp, following Peter Coates' takeover of the club. Plymouth reportedly turned down this approach [link]. However, on June 14th 2006 it was announced that Pulis would indeed be returning as manager of Stoke City[link].

External links

[Tony Pulis managerial statistics] at soccerbase.com

Pulis plea of relegation threat to avoid driving ban

Wednesday March 21, 2012

Pulis was clocked doing 96mph in his BMW in a 60mph zone on the M42 after seeing his men thrashed 5-0 at Bolton, an offence that saw him exceed 12 points on his licence - and should therefore have earned him an automatic ban.

But according to a report in The Sun, his solicitor Mike Stephenson successfully argued to magistrates that Pulis would be so badly affected by losing his licence that it would put the club in danger of relegation - a punishment which would affect a huge number of people, businesses who have sunk £60 million into the club and several charities that Pulis supports up and down the country.

"They would suffer if they were relegated as a result - and the children who he would not be able to assist and the people of Stoke could suffer if Mr Pulis lost his licence," Stephenson told Leamington Spa Magistrates' Court.

Stoke are currently 14th in the table, 12 points clear of the relegation places with 10 matches left of the season.

Pulis, who is estimated to earn £1m a year, also claimed he could not use a chauffeur in case his driver discovered and then leaked secret details of transfers.

The Stoke boss was fined £2,500 but allowed to carry on driving despite now having 15 points on his licence.