PULIS TARGETED FOR VACANT WALES JOB
WALES look ready to swoop for Tony Pulis and put him right towards the top of their list in the hunt for a new manager following his sacking by West Brom.
Pulis has significant support from key figures heading up the search for Chris Coleman’s successor and sources close to the former Baggies boss say he would be interested in the Wales role.
Pulis, from Newport, has leapfrogged Ryan Giggs as the new bookies’ favourite for the job after lots of money was placed on him throughout Monday. Quite a bit of that was put on in the Bristol area, where Pulis has had strong connections.
The FAW are putting together a seven-man sub-committee to look for the new manager, with chief executive Jonathan Ford overseeing the process.
Wales were interested in exploring the Pulis option anyway, but his dismissal from the Hawthorns just 72 hours after Coleman walked away from the Welsh post represents an uncanny twist of fate.
Ryan Giggs remains firmly in the mix. However, we understand his well-publicised off-the-field issues may count against him, rightly or wrongly, in the eyes of some influential figures on the FAW’s ruling council.
France and Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is another option being explored, although one FAW source described that as ‘a lovely alternative but one that might prove a little too imaginative.’
Henry took his coaching badges under the tutelage of Coleman’s No.2 Osian Roberts and the two men have a close bond. For some, a HenryRoberts combination or Giggs-Roberts double act is seen as the best way forward for Wales.
There are two major complications surrounding Pulis. The first is that his route-one style of football, adopted for years with Stoke and West Brom, is the antithesis of the pass-andmove Welsh Way that has been encouraged by Roberts, Gary Speed and Coleman.
Youngsters such as Ben Woodburn and Ethan Ampadu have been urged to adopt that style at age-grade level, with a view to a smooth tactical transition when they make the step up in the senior team.
Pulis’ more-direct approach would come as a culture shock to them, and ball players such as Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramey and Joe Allen.
It would remain to be seen how Pulis could dovetail with Roberts, whose opinion is likely to be sought and whose views could yet prove decisive.
However, Pulis has spoken at coaching seminars put on by Roberts in Newport, so the two men know one another.
The other issue surrounding Pulis would be salary. He is accustomed to seven-figure sums in the Premier League, but the FAW made it clear they couldn’t compete with the £1ma-year offer Sunderland made to Coleman to lure him away.
However, Pulis is in his 60th year and may be prepared to drop to around £400,000 per annum for the different challenge of managing his country in international football.
A poll run by WalesOnline shows Henry as the most popular choice amongst Welsh fans with 25 per cent of the vote, followed by Giggs on 23 per cent. Pulis comes next with 18 per cent, then Craig Bellamy.
Clearly, Pulis is a figure who would prove divisive to the fan base, as would Giggs, but key figures on the FAW believe they need an experienced manager to take the team to the next level.
Pulis’ own lack of any international experience, previously a drawback for candidates in for the Wales job, is not likely to count against him.
Other names that have appeared on a candidates’ list include Patrick Vieira, Marcel Dessaily and Mikel Arteta, who like Henry took their coaching badges in Wales.