Tony Pulis

Anthony Richard Pulis was born on January 16, 1958, in Newport, Wales. He embarked on his football career early, obtaining his FA coaching badge at 19 and his UEFA ‘A’ license at 21, making him one of the youngest professional players to achieve this qualification. Pulis’ playing career as a defender spanned 17 years, featuring stints with Bristol Rovers across two periods (1975-1981, 1982-1984), Happy Valley AA in Hong Kong (1981-1982), Newport County (1984-1986), AFC Bournemouth (1986-1989), and Gillingham (1989-1990) before a final spell with AFC Bournemouth (1990-1992). He made a total of 326 league appearances, scoring 9 goals.

Pulis transitioned into management at AFC Bournemouth in 1992, initially as a player/coach and then as manager. He spent two seasons maintaining Bournemouth’s position in the league before moving to Gillingham in 1995. At Gillingham, he transformed a struggling team, securing promotion to the First Division in his first season (1995-96) by finishing second in the Football League Third Division. This achievement was marked by setting a record for the fewest goals conceded in a 46-game Football League season, with 29 clean sheets. His tenure at Gillingham, which lasted until 1999, laid a foundation for the club’s future success, despite a controversial departure after missing out on promotion to the First Division in the 1999 play-off final. Subsequent brief spells at Bristol City and Portsmouth led him to Stoke City in 2002.

His managerial career at Stoke City was particularly impactful, spanning two separate periods (2002-2005 and 2006-2013). During his first spell, he guided Stoke away from relegation to the Second Division in the 2002-03 season. His second spell saw Stoke achieve promotion to the Premier League in the 2007-08 season, ending a 23-year absence from the top flight. Pulis further propelled Stoke City to their first FA Cup Final in 2011, ultimately qualifying for the UEFA Europa League, a significant milestone for the club. He continued to manage at the Premier League level with Crystal Palace (2013-2014), where he earned the Premier League Manager of the Season award for leading them to an 11th-place finish, and West Bromwich Albion (2015-2017), achieving a top-half finish. His later managerial roles included Middlesbrough (2017-2019) and Sheffield Wednesday (2020), before announcing his retirement from football management.