It does appear that Tony Pulis will be the next Sheffield Wednesday manager.
When Garry Monk was sacked, there were hopes that someone like Paul Cook or Eddie Howe would be the next in the Hillsborough hot seat. But no, it’s the Welshman famous for long-ball football who looks most likely to be following in the footsteps of Ron Atkinson and Carlos Carvalhal.
In an era which has seen tika-taka and gegenpressing dominate the tactical landscape, Pulis has been very old fashioned. He favours long ball and making the most out of set pieces. Yes, like many merchants of the old school he insists he’d have a team playing like Barcelona if he had the players they had, but we can only judge from what we’ve seen. Pulisball is not pretty and it isn’t going to win many fans from outside of the team.
But it has been effective. Pulis gained his infamy and fortune after an incredible spell with Stoke City. Before Pulis’ second spell at the club, it seemed like their best times would remain in a history book alongside hazy memories of Stanley Matthews. But Pulis brought them back by playing some of the most horrid, unlikable football you’d ever see. Stoke became a mainstay of the Premier League for many years and no one liked going to the Britannia Stadium. Arsene Wenger became notable for how much he hated Stoke and the way he played which always sounded a bit bitter because his very pretty side usually lost to the rugby thugs of Stoke.
Eventually, Pulis did leave Stoke as the club wanted to evolve and grow past the image it earned for itself. They did alright for a while but eventually, the spirit of that side was lost and they were relegated from the Premier League.
It’s also worth mentioning Pulis’ reign at Middlesbrough. Coincidentally, he replaced Monk and was able to guide them to the play-offs where they lost to the eventually promoted Aston Villa. The following season they looked set for another spot in the top six until a poor run of results saw them crash out at the end of the season.
The fans at Middlesbrough were not happy with Pulis though. They didn’t really enjoy the football on offer and wanted something better in line with their tradition. Therefore, Pulis’s contract was not renewed and they got club legend Jonathan Woodgate to replace him. This did not go well as they came close to relegation until Woodgate was sacked and replaced by Warnock. That must give some credit to the job Pulis was doing.
Apart from a miserable spell at West Brom which helped with their eventual return to being a yo-yo side, Pulis has been effective where he has been which should give Wednesday fans some hope. They have had a string of managers who have failed in their aims and having someone who has reliably hit his targets is going to be an improvement on Monk.
Wednesday have done well picking the unfashionable option before as well. When Alan Irvine was given the boot back in 2011, it appeared that the choice was John Sheridan or Gary Megson. Sheridan was doing very well with Chesterfield at the time and they were playing some nice football on the way to promotion from League 2. Megson was coming off the back of a spell with Bolton Wanderers and was known for his defensive style of football. Wednesday sprung for Megson and he rebuilt the squad and got it ready for promotion, though Dave Jones was the one that achieved it in the end. No one would argue that was a bad appointment though.
However, Pulis is not the one who will deliver the long term vision Wednesday fans want. In the end, the Owls want someone who is going to get the team playing good football on the way to promotion. They are being jealous of Brentford basically. Pulis won’t do that and to be honest, I don’t think he’ll even suggest that is the sort of thing he’d be attempting.
But with his track record, he’ll likely save Wednesday from relegation this season. And at the moment, that will do.
