**Tony Pulis Urges Cardiff City to Reinvent Their Structure and Explains his Near Misses with the Bluebirds Job**
Former Premier League manager Tony Pulis has weighed in on Cardiff City’s ongoing search for a new manager, offering candid advice on the way forward for the historic Welsh club. Speaking to BoyleSports, Pulis stressed that Cardiff’s board must look beyond the appointment of a head coach and instead focus on overhauling the club’s footballing structure from the top down if they are to bounce back from their recent relegation.
Cardiff City, who recently parted company with manager Omer Riza following a disappointing campaign which culminated in demotion from the Championship, are under increasing scrutiny from supporters. Many fans have questioned whether simply changing the first team manager will be enough to address the deeper issues plaguing the club. Calls for a more comprehensive football strategy, with greater expertise at board level, have grown increasingly loud in the wake of recent failures.
Pulis, well experienced in football management with spells at clubs such as Stoke City, Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion, echoed those sentiments. He highlighted the example of Birmingham City, who, after flirting with disaster and subsequent relegation, implemented major changes in their football operations – a move he believes Cardiff would do well to emulate.
Central to Birmingham’s recent resurgence, according to Pulis, is the influence of Craig Gardner. Once a Premier League midfielder and now Director of Football at Birmingham City, Gardner has overseen the overhaul of the club strategy, including the development of a clear playing identity and more effective recruitment policies. Pulis praised Gardner’s hands-on approach as transformative and believes Cardiff must find an equally capable leader to put in place a modern structure off the pitch.
“If you look at Birmingham, there was all sorts going on, doom and gloom after relegation. But Craig Gardner has done a fantastic job, building an infrastructure behind the scenes,” said Pulis. “He’s a meat and potatoes man, very down to earth and knowledgeable about what’s needed at a club. The club gave him the support he needed and he got on with it. Cardiff desperately need their own equivalent behind the scenes rather than just focusing on a manager.”
Pulis then turned his attention to the situation at Cardiff, underlining the enormous potential of the capital city club, but warning of deep-rooted issues that have hindered progress for years. “It’s a great football club, the support potential is enormous. But what’s needed isn’t just a quick fix – they must look at reorganising everything, not only at first team level but right through the club’s structure. Someone has to grab hold of things and sort it out,” he remarked.
Adding a personal touch to his insights, Pulis was asked about persistent rumours that he had previously been close to taking the reins at Cardiff City himself. Reflecting on those links, the 67-year-old revealed: “I came close to getting the Wales job a couple of times and Cardiff a couple of times too, but it never quite happened. It just wasn’t the right fit for either party at the time.” He also made it clear that he is content with life away from the touchline, enjoying retirement in the South of England.
As Cardiff City’s board prepares to make what could be one of the most pivotal managerial appointments in recent memory, Pulis’s advice adds weight to calls for a broader change in football operations. Many within and outside the club believe that a more sophisticated structure is needed to mirror the success stories elsewhere in English football, and that perhaps only then can the Bluebirds secure a sustainable future.
With a passionate fanbase and a proud heritage as the only club in Wales’ capital, expectations at Cardiff City remain high. The coming days and weeks could prove crucial in shaping the club’s long-term trajectory, as supporters wait to see whether the board will heed advice from figures like Pulis and introduce the changes that many feel are desperately overdue.