Tony Pulis Leaves Stoke after Seven Years as Manager

 

The Welshman guided Stoke to the Premier League during his second spell at the helm and later led them to an FA Cup final and into Europe.
But the Potters were dragged into relegation trouble last season and Pulis drew criticism from some sections of the Britannia Stadium support over his side's style of play.
Chairman Peter Coates had refused to discuss the 55-year-old's future while the club struggled in 2013 but it is understood a decision to part ways was made during an end-of-season debrief on Tuesday.
Sky Bet swiftly installed former Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo as the favourite to succeed him, with ex-QPR manager Mark Hughes also a frontrunner.
Pulis first took the Potters job in 2002 and returned in 2006 after a stint at Plymouth Argyle, overseeing promotion to the top flight two years later.

Behind Arsene Wenger, he was the second-longest serving manager in the country following Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement and David Moyes's subsequent move to Old Trafford from Everton.
Within two years of taking over for his second spell in charge he won promotion to the Premier League, where they have never finished below 14th.
He also led them to their first FA Cup final against Manchester City in 2011, which they lost 1-0, and consequently into the Europa League.
However, a poor run in the second half of this season - during which the Potters won just three of their last 19 league matches and briefly raised relegation fears - saw them finish with their lowest Premier League points tally.
Also Pulis' style of football has often been criticised for being over-physical and relying too heavily on the 'long ball'.