Take a look at Pulis' transfer record at Stoke

User Posted Link

Summer 2006-January 2013. There's an awful lot of dross in there (for premier league level) considering the money spent. Even with good players he overspent (like Crouch, ?10M for a 30-year-old with a mediocre scoring record, 1 in 4 at prem level). One of his first summer signings for WBA is James McClean, a limited one dimensional down the touch line winger, who works hard but is restricted to delivering the occasional good cross and not much more. A player that couldn't make the grade at a relegation fighting Sunderland and was poor for a Wigan side that were just relegated to league one. Mulumbu on a free is great business, especially compared to that.

Pulis is a very good defensive coach who will get the very best out of slow cloggers, but is not the best when it comes to player judgement/value/implementation in the transfer market beyond that. I wouldn't lose sleep over him not wanting Mulumbu, as his box to box play is probably more dynamic than a Pulis side requires anyway.

Bear in mind they probably needed to cut wages after Pulis signed Darren Fletcher, a player who is past his prime and can't play much more than half a season due to health and fitness issues and is now limited to just sitting in front of a defence, which obviously suits the Pulis style. That's such a typical Pulis signing, in terms of short term thinking and generally not bothering to develop younger players (Shawcross and Begovic being the exceptions). Shades of Palacios, Woodgate, Upson, etc. He's welcome to those types of players, while we sign his 'rejects' who can actually complete a whole season and have a longer shelf life.

Posted By: Common Sense Police, Jun 23, 07:54:12