Tony Pulis – We’ll Meet Again

I had a quick chat with Tony Pulis the other night after the Stoke boss had seen his side beat Bristol Rovers in a pre-season friendly and he was as nice a fella as I remembered from our last meeting – about 17 years ago!

Tony had taken his Bournemouth side to Cheltenham Town for an FA Cup tie very early on in his managerial career and come away with a 1-1 draw against the then non-league outfit. Standing in the bar after the game he asked my opinion of the game and – chuffed that any professional should give a f*ck what I thought – I merely told him that it was a job well done and his chairman would probably be delighted with the readies a replay would bring in. He smiled and nodded in agreement.

Given Bournemouth’s decline since, the chairman at that time obviously didn’t invest the money wisely, although Tony Pulis’s reputation has grown over the years and if he keeps Stoke up this season he will have done another amazing job.

See you again in 2027 Tony!