According to The Sun on Sunday (print version, 17th November, page 67), Tony Pulis rejected the chance to replace Neil Warnock at Cardiff as he is holding out for either the Southampton or West Ham job.
Pulis has been out of work since Middlesbrough decided not to renew his contract back in the summer, following a disappointing campaign in which the Teesiders failed to finish in the top six of the Championship.
Before that, the 61-year-old was sacked from his post at West Brom in November 2017 following a run of ten games without a win – his stint with the Baggies was his last job in the Premier League.
It’s quite bold of Pulis to wait for top-flights jobs that are currently occupied, although both Southampton and West Ham aren’t in the best of shape.
The Saints are 19th and have conceded the most goals in the Premier League, whereas the Hammers are without a win in six league outings.
So, what do Football FanCast’s writers make of Pulis’ decision?
Billy Meyers
“Pulis must be delusional if he thinks he’s going to get either of these jobs. It is indicative of the former Crystal Palace and Stoke boss’ decline that he wasn’t a success in the Championship, even failing to guide one of the most expensively assembled squads in the second tier into the top six.
“Things aren’t going well at Southampton right now, although surely Gao Jisheng and the board wouldn’t turn to Pulis. His final days at West Brom served to suggest that he may no longer be the Premier League firefighter that he used to be, and after Claude Puel was dismissed partly for his bland footballing style, one can only imagine how unpopular Pulis-ball would be on the south coast.”
Kealan Hughes
“Desperate times call for desperate measures, and there are few managers who would be able to galvanise a squad in such a short amount of time in order to get the best out of them.
“There is still time for Hasenhuttl to turn things around but failing that, Pulis could be the answer. He has struggled recently at Middlesbrough and West Brom but his managerial abilities have always been suited to fighting relegation, and he would likely be able to show that once again.
“He has still never been relegated as a manager and the last survival job he pulled off was extraordinary, achieving a win ratio of 46% as he guided a Crystal Palace side that looked destined for relegation into mid-table.
“Pulis may have to change personnel at Saints if he was to come in but his man-management could get the best out of those at his disposal, as he has done at Stoke also – if he can improve a leaky defence then he’d have a great chance of keeping them up.”
Danny Lewis
“First of all, it seems pretty ludicrous that he would turn down a role in the hope of getting one that won’t definitely be vacated. In addition, Pulis would be a poor appointment for both Southampton and West Ham.
“Regarding the Saints, they have worked down the years to play football a certain way and produce players from their academy, so it is difficult to see how Pulis would continue that – ultimately he would be the wrong fit. You only need to look at Claude Puel’s tenure on the south coast to see that getting decent results isn’t enough for a Saints manager to be deemed a success now.”
Viji Jeevathayalan
“If Pulis is even contemplating taking the job at St Mary’s, Southampton must run a million miles away. The former Middlesbrough manager has forged a reputation as a veteran of the game, and someone who can bring some defensive resilience to sides, even guiding Stoke to the Europa League back in the 2011 campaign. And after the Saints’ humiliation at the hands of Leicester a few weeks ago, boy could they do with some of that.
“But, Pulis has shown no sign of really taking teams further forward than that. It is quite telling that his former chairman at Stoke, Peter Coates, once remarked the 61-year-old is inspired by the Italian “catenaccio” defensive system. After appointing progressive managers like Mauricio Pochettino and Hasenhuttl, it would be a major step backwards for the Saints to turn to a man who would suck the life out of the club attacking wise.
