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‘You want to turn the club around and point it in the right direction’: Sheffield Wednesday boss Tony Pulis admits he faces ‘enormous challenge’ after taking charge at Hillsborough as he sets sights on the Premier League
- This is Tony Pulis’ first managerial role since he left Middlesbrough in May 2019
- Pulis believes promotion would make his side the biggest club in Sheffield
- The former Stoke boss has never been relegated in 28 years as a manager
- The Welshman has spent his hiatus from the game travelling around the world
Tony Pulis claims he is refreshed, recharged, and ready to restore pride at new club Sheffield Wednesday.
‘There was no way I was going to come out of my house if it wasn’t a big challenge and this is an enormous challenge,’ said Pulis, who ended an 18-month exile from management to take charge at Hillsborough.
‘This is a club with a fervent following. No disrespect to Sheffield United but if you got this club into the Premier League it would be the biggest club in Sheffield. At the moment we’re not because of the stability Chris Wilder has brought them.
‘You’ve got to have a foundation. You want to turn the club around and point it in the right direction. If I can do that, take them up to the Premier League, play Sheffield United in a derby match in front of a full house at Hillsborough that would be my dream.’
Tony Pulis believes the Sheffield Wednesday job will be an ‘enormous challenge’ for him
Pulis, who left his last job at Middlesbrough in May 2019, has spent time off travelling the world to satisfy his appetite for history, visiting the battlefields of South Africa and to Corsica for celebrations to mark Napoleon’s birthday.
He has never been relegated in 28 years in the dug-out and, although Wednesday are languishing in the Championship’s bottom three, he insists this is about more than survival.
‘Nobody ever talks about me being promoted out of every league,’ said Pulis. ‘I’ve been to a cup final and into the latter stages in Europe and finished in the top 10 in the Premier League.
He defended his managerial record after taking Stoke City to the FA Cup final and into Europe
‘I’ve produced players. I gave Gary O’Neil his debut at 16. Ryan Shawcross was in my team at 17. So let’s not be negative.
‘I’m very fortunate to come into a club like Sheffield Wednesday. It’s an honour and a privilege and I’ll work my socks off.
‘I wanted to get in here and smell the roses and find out what was happening here, and why such a big club with so much potential hasn’t pushed on as far as it should’ve.’
