PROMOTION? IT COULD BE MAGIC SAYS PULIS

TONY PULIS has banned talk of getting Boro back for good into the Premier League even though the Teessiders have landed a big summer signing.

Pulis yesterday helped the club celebrate luring Take That to play at the Riverside in June.

By then Pulis hopes to have led Boro to their greatest day – automatic promotion – with the club currently second in the Championship. But he admitted he’s more of a Frank Sinatra man and will manage expectations his way. Pulis (left) said: “It’s a fantastic occasion for the area. I’m sure Take That will sell out. I like some of their music but I’m more Sinatra.”

Pulis says it is too early to say if Boro are favourites to go up but it’s not something stupid to suggest.

In August he claimed his squad wasn’t big enough or good enough to go up, but they are proving him wrong. The 60-year-old said: ”I don’t think you can take any notice of the league until 15-16 games in. Then you can have a look at where you are or what you’re doing. Things will pan out over the course of the next seven or eight games.

“We’ve had a fantastic start but the important thing is everyone understands it’s a marathon, not a sprint. It’s about being strong enough to stay in the pack.” Maybe the Rat Pack.