From postcards to texts, the different ways a manager gets the sack - Pulis

What the report says

Tony Pulis, writing for BBC Sport Football, reflects on the many ways a manager can leave a club, from formal dismissals to departures that are less direct or more public. The piece is framed as a personal account from his long career in English football, with examples of managers being told they are out over the phone, by text, through intermediaries, or after speculation about replacements has already begun.

Pulis says the hardest part is often the uncertainty and the loss of trust that can come before an official decision. He describes situations in which clubs quietly sounded out alternatives, while the incumbent manager continued working under contract. He also recalls being told his own time at Stoke City was over while driving to pre-season training in 2005, and says similar experiences can leave managers with little chance to say goodbye properly.

The column also includes lighter but pointed anecdotes, such as a former manager who reportedly sent a postcard from holiday to a chairman after being placed on gardening leave. Pulis uses these stories to underline how precarious football management can be, noting that coaches are often expected to have a plan for a rapid exit, even if they never want to use it.

He finishes by contrasting unpleasant departures with more respectful endings, citing his exits from Stoke and Middlesbrough as examples of clubs parting with him on better terms. The broader message is that managerial sackings are not always simple or clean, and the process can matter as much as the result.