Armstrong: Pulis was the right man for Boro
David Armstrong knew as soon as Tony Pulis was appointed that he was the manager to take Middlesbrough back to the Premier League.
Boro had slipped to ninth place under Garry Monk when Pulis took over on Boxing Day, but they go into the final day of the Championship assured of a play-off spot.
Armstrong, a mainstay of Jack Charlton’s team of the 1970s, played alongside Welshman Pulis at his final club, Bournemouth.
“As soon as he got the job I knew he would turn the club around,” says the midfielder, who at one point went an incredible eight seasons without missing a game for Boro.
“It’s no surprise to me at all because Tony is a manager who doesn’t stand any messing about. He’s in the business to get results and that’s certainly been the case since he took over.
“All the players in the squad will know exactly what’s expected of them on the field and in training.
“He has high standards and has been very successful with the squads he’s had elsewhere.
“I know Tony. I know what his mentality is. He’s very demanding.
“As a player he wasn’t the most gifted technically, but he always wanted 100% rom his team-mates in games and on the training pitch.
“Nothing’s changed as I’ve watched him progress through the management side.
“His teams have always been very difficult to beat and he’ll always get the best out of the hand he’s dealt.
“He was a player at Bournemouth when Harry Redknapp signed me from Southampton and took over from Harry as manager when he moved to West Ham.
“At that time I had a very serious injury and had to retire so I never played under Tony, but I could see his determination to put everything together and get the best out of players there.”
Armstrong, who helped organise a reunion of Charlton’s team at The Riverside last night, remains an avid fan of the club he played for 359 times.
“It’s paramount that they go up,” he says. “Everything about the club is geared to being in the Premier League, not just the playing side. We’ve seen what can happen to other clubs if they are out of the top flight for too long.
“Clubs like Boro are the focal point of their communities and for me it’s always been about the supporters. They deserve to be in the Premier League.
“But I’d be particularly pleased for Steve Gibson if they go up. He’s been a great chairman who has put a lot of money into all areas of the club.
“If they are promoted he’ll back his manager with everything the Premier League demands and I’d trust Tony to know how to strengthen the squad.”
Pulis, meanwhile, reckons he has been rewarded for backing his judgement on “fabulous’’ Stewart Downing.
The former England winger, 33, faced an uncertain future under Pulis’ predecessors Aitor Karanka and Garry Monk. But Pulis says Downing has played a key role in helping Boro, who visit Ipswich today, to secure a play-off spot.
A point will seal fifth place for Boro and a semi-final against Aston Villa, the first leg of which would be at the Riverside on Saturday.
And Pulis said: “Stewart has been fabulous – he’s a tremendous player. He has an ability to pick positions.
“George Friend, at left-back, gets forward more than Stewart at times, but Stewart pulls people out of areas on that side of the pitch and allows us to get in.
“On the other side, we have Adama Traore. You just give him the ball and he does the rest, so we have a good balance.
“Whether it was Aitor or Garry, all managers have different views of players, but you have to back yourself and make sure you follow it through.’’
Boro midfielder Grant Leadbitter is pushing to face his former club, but Pulis warned: “He’ll need Adam Clayton to stop playing as well as he’s done.
“Clayton came on at Sheffield United when Grant was sent off and was absolutely fantastic – and has been ever since.”