STOKE, England (AP) — Stoke says Tony Pulis has left as manager by mutual consent, ending his seven-year tenure at the Premier League club.
By guiding Stoke to a 13th-place finish this season, Pulis secured the team’s status in England’s top division for a fifth straight year but he came under increasing criticism for failing to change its direct and physical style of play.
His departure was announced Tuesday.
Pulis was the second longest-serving manager in the Premier League, behind Arsene Wenger of Arsenal, in the wake of Alex Ferguson’s retirement from Manchester United last weekend. After Wenger, who took over at Arsenal in 1996, the EPL’s longest-serving manager is Newcastle’s Alan Pardew at 2 years, 156 days.
