Veteran manager Tony Pulis has warned that football management is still a dangerously all-consuming job, speaking out after Vincent Kompany’s recent health scare. Pulis says managers must treat their own fitness as a priority — because the physical and mental toll of the dugout never goes away.
Tony Pulis (Credits: BBC Sport)
Tony Pulis on Vincent Kompany and manager health
Kompany collapsed at Bayern Munich’s training ground, with the cause identified as meningeal irritation — an inflammation of the protective membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord. For Pulis, it was a stark reminder of a pattern that has shadowed football management for decades, from the tragic death of Scotland boss Jock Stein in 1985 to heart issues suffered by Graeme Souness, Sir Alex Ferguson, Gerard Houllier, Joe Kinnear and Harry Redknapp.
He recalls an experiment 25 years ago in which then-Leicester boss Dave Bassett and Bolton’s Sam Allardyce were wired to heart monitors during a match — both of their heart rates reached critical levels. “It’s not just during games,” Pulis argues, “the stress is relentless.”
How Tony Pulis learned to manage his own fitness
Pulis admits his own self-care was “really poor” when he got his first management job at Bournemouth in 1992 at age 34. Back then, English managers handled everything from scouting to signing to coaching every level of the club, and Pulis drove up and down motorways surviving on fish and chips, half-time pies and petrol-station sandwiches. The criticism landed squarely on his shoulders with every defeat — “all the arrows and guns are pointed in your direction.”
The turning point came just before he left Bournemouth in 1994, when a conversation with an Australian triathlete made him treat fitness as a non-negotiable part of the job. Pulis describes exercise as a “release valve” that became central to his routine for the rest of his career, from Stoke to West Brom to Sheffield Wednesday.
His message to today’s young managers is blunt: winning games is the only protection management offers, so look after your body before the job takes its toll — because nobody else in the club will do it for you.
Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.
