Tony Pulis named Middlesbrough manager to replace Garry Monk
Pulis will watch Tuesday's clash with Bolton Wanderers from the stands before taking charge of the squad from Wednesday
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Your support makes all the difference.Middlesbrough have announced the appointment of Tony Pulis as manager, with the former West Bromwich Albion boss replacing Garry Monk, who was sacked on Christmas Eve.
Pulis makes a quick return to management after being sacked by West Brom on 20 November following a run of four wins in their last 22 Premier League matches, but despite the abrupt ending to his stay at the Hawthorns, he remains something of a coup for Boro.
But after nearly a decade in the Premier League, Pulis admitted that he was lured to the Riverside by the combination of the “challenge” to get Boro promoted and the chance to work with chief executive Steve Gibson, who he described as a “football man”. The Welshman will watch the Boxing Day Championship clash with Bolton Wanderers from the stands, before meeting the team on Wednesday.
“I wanted a challenge – a real challenge – and this reminds me so much of Stoke when I went there with Peter Coates, Pulis said. “Steve Gibson is a football man who understands the game. I have great respect for him as a person and an owner.
“I really am looking forward to this. The immediate challenge is finding out about the football club and as a team we have to get as many points as can, as quickly as we can.
“I wanted to come at this time because we have so many games in a short space of time, and I can assess everything.”
The 59-year-old Welshman has established himself as a manager of Premier League calibre, having led Stoke City to promotion in 2008/09 and keeping the side afloat until he left in 2013, before taking the Crystal Palace job at the end of 2013.
Pulis kept Palace afloat before leaving the club a day before the start of the 2014/15 season, and a year later became West Brom manager where he spent nearly two years in charge before being sacked last month when the Baggies slipped into the relegation zone.
“We’re delighted to appoint Tony as our new manager,” Gibson added. “His experience and knowledge speaks for itself and he has a tremendous track record.
“We’re excited by this appointment and by what Tony can bring to this football club. There was strong interest from two other clubs, and we’re delighted Tony has decided to join us.
“There’s no disguising that 2017 has not been a happy year for any of us, but we’ve refocused and we’re looking forward to the future.”
Pulis takes over at Boro with the club currently ninth in the Championship table following last Saturday’s 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday, a result that was not enough to keep Monk in a job that he had held for just six months. The decision to sack Monk came as a surprise for the former Swansea and Leeds manager, given that he had discussed plans for the January transfer window earlier in the week with Gibson, but it was decided that the club needed a different manager for the approach that it wanted to take.
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