WHY PULIS IS DRESSED TO THE EIGHTS

IN his tailored designer suit and gleaming shoes, Pep Guardiola looked every inch the top coach as he stood, model-like, on the edge of his technical area. A couple of yards away Tony Pulis looked the antithesis of Guardiola, dressed in his trademark trainers, tracksuit and baseball cap. Pulis was dressed so casually that he would not have looked out of place among the away fans. But while Guardiola won handsdown in the sartorial stakes, Pulis can take greater satisfaction from West Brom’s season than the Spaniard can from Manchester City’s. Pulis is the Premier League’s Marmite manager. But love him or loathe him, you cannot ignore the job he has done. Whereas City have under-achieved under Guardiola, despite splashing out nearly £150million, Pulis has the best pound-for-points ratio in the Premier League. OK, West Brom, without injured defensive cornerstone Gareth Mcauley (below), had no answer to City’s free-flowing attack to stretch their winless run to eight games. And yes, mentally, the players were wearing flip-flops rather than boots. But they were safe weeks ago and that’s their main objective every season. Even those Baggies fans who called for Pulis’s head at the start of the season must acknowledge his success, even if only grudgingly. Despite this defeat, the Welshman can still equal West Brom’s best-ever Premier League finish of eighth. If he does so, he will also finish as the highest-placed British coach in the Premier League. Pulis is heading to China at the end of the season to discuss summer spending with the club’s owner Guochuan Lai. Mr Lai would be advised to back him – and throw in a new contract while he’s at it – because Pulis has earned it. Yes, hats – and baseball caps – off to Pulis.