Tony Pulis celebrated the 10th anniversary of his appointment as Stoke City manager today.
The 54-year-old took charge at the Britannia Stadium on November 1, 2002 and guided the Potters to survival in the Championship with a final-day win over Reading in his first season.
He then masterminded back-to-back mid-table finishes before being sacked by then-chairman Gunnar Gislason in June 2005.
Following a brief spell at Plymouth Argyle, Pulis was reappointed by new Stoke owner Peter Coates in May 2006.
The Staffordshire club earned promotion to the Premier League in 2008 and have remained there ever since.
"It's been a fantastic time here," said Pulis. "There have been a few ups and downs. Football clubs are not easy to manage, but I hope people will look back and think that I've played a part in what we've done over the past 10 years.
"[When I arrived here] we were getting crowds of just 11,000 and we couldn't even shower at the training ground.
"It's been very, very good, but you can't rest on your laurels - you have got to keep driving forward."
Pulis also led Stoke into their first ever FA Cup final in 2011, where they lost narrowly to Manchester City.
Robert Summerscales
