Tony Pulis recalls the extraordinary call that changed his Stoke City future

Former Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has described how he was unexpectedly told he no longer had a job while driving to the club’s stadium for the first day of pre-season training.

Pulis had been in charge of the English club since 2002, but in the summer of 2005 his time at Stoke City came to an abrupt end.

He was making the journey from his home in Bournemouth to the Britannia Stadium, having set off for the start of preparations for the new season. After four hours on the road, and as he approached the turn for the stadium, Pulis received a phone call from chairman Gunnar Gislason.

The call informed him that he was no longer Stoke City’s manager.

Pulis is not currently managing a club.