FOR more than 30 years one of Newport's most successful sporting son's has been attempting to fulfil an ambition which began on the playing fields of St Joseph's School.

An unassuming, hard-working and at times controversial figure who has strived to reach the pinnacle of the sport of football he so cherished for his entire playing career.

Never a top flight player, he became a lower league manager with spells on the unemployment line in between, always harbouring the dream of that one big chance.

A playing career that started at Bristol Rovers in 1975 and ended at Gillingham and Bournemouth immediately gave way to a coaching career under Harry Redknapp, at the time the young boss making a name for himself with the Cherries.

Soon circumstances changed at Bournemouth with Redknapp off to West Ham and like another of Harry's graduates, Tony Adams, our man began his own management odyssey.

And for the next 15 years, Tony Pulis honed his craft. He was a huge success at second club Gillingham, almost taking them to what is now the Championship in a vintage play-off encounter with Manchester City.

A difference of opinion saw Pulis depart the Gulls and he then had brief tenures at Bristol City and Portsmouth before two spells with Stoke sandwiched between managing Plymouth Argyle.

After promotions, recriminations and a fair share of acrimony along the way, Pulis completed his quest last season, taking Stoke into the top flight for the first time in 23 years.

Amid the understandable furore and hysteria about Hull City’s great start, it's easy to overlook Pulis' marvellous achievement.

The boy from Pill has come a long way, now pitting his wits against the likes of Arsene Wenger, Phil Scolari and Alex Ferguson on a weekly basis.

Pulis has never been relegated as a manager and as he tells the Argus, he doesn't intend to start now.

Q: Tony, Premier League football after 34 years in the game. Is it as enjoyable as you had hoped?

A: “It really has been fantastic, it has taken me personally and everyone at this football club as well an awfully long time to get here.

“Growing up in Pill it was always something I hoped for, although if I am honest I always dreamed of doing it as a player.

“The Premier League is very unforgiving, we are finding that quickly. But we've beaten Aston Villa and Tottenham and have shown we can belong there.

“I honestly believe we can survive. We have to follow the examples set by teams like Bolton who have consolidated.”

Q: What is better, playing or being a manager?

A: “Without a doubt being a player. Nothing compares to that. I often tell my players to really enjoy the good moments when they come along, because nothing touches the feeling you get as a player. It is ten times better than being a manager.

“It was always my dream to be a footballer, since I can remember. We used to play football all the time when I was at St Joe's and that was everything to me.

“I told all the teachers I would be a footballer and I loved my time as a player.

“Management is different. It is full of stresses and much bigger pressure, because the buck always stops with the manager.

“I have had massive lows as a manager. Being out of the game and having pitfalls with certain clubs was tough, you learn from those experiences.

“But I am very luck to still be involved in the sport I love and to be a manager in the Premier League is special. It's a culmination of 34 years trying to get there.”

Q: How do you feel about people labelling you as a long ball merchant, does it bother you?

A: “Not really. It's a thing that the media make a big deal of. I think we play effective football.

“I don't have Ronaldo and Steven Gerrard in my team.

“We play a style that suits us and is difficult to play against. (Argus: you are hardly the first to do this?) “Exactly. Rory Delap has always had a long throw. We play to our strengths but the most important thing is to fight to survive.

“We knew from day one we were in a battle and we will keep going.”

Q: It's interesting to see yourself, Phil Brown and Tony Mowbray come into the Premier League. Should more Premier League clubs appoint British managers?

A: “I believe so. It has become a fashion thing. Arsene Wenger and Gerard Houllier came here and did fantastically and other foreign managers have enjoyed success.

“Football follows the fashion and suddenly most big jobs in the Premier League go to managers that aren't British.

“I appreciate that football is a world game, but really it makes sense to try and find that next good young British manager.

“I would help our national sides. There are some great British managers out there, just waiting for a chance.”

Q: Speaking of which, what is your verdict on Wales? And would you fancy the job when John Toshack retires?

A: “I think John Toshack has done a fantastic job with the national side, tremendous.

“It augers so well for the future the way he's gone about it, the recent qualifying performances and the hunger the players showed tells me that he was definitely the right man for the job and it's a great job “But I don't think I would be considered this time around. I am only 50 and I love club management, the day to day involvement, playing a game every week.

“International management is very condensed and I don't think that would be right for me in the next few years.”

Q: Do you follow Newport County at all, being a Pill lad?

A: “Yes I do, I stay in touch with what is going on at Newport through Glyn Jones (County academy director) who is a good friend of mine.

“I still stay in touch with friends from Newport, they come to watch Stoke sometimes and follow the County.

“I still have fond memories of playing football in Newport.

“I played for the YM as a kid and had a time with County.

“They are a football league club in my eyes.

“I know they are working hard down there to get into the Conference and I really hope they make it. It's the first step.”

If anyone knows about the next step it's got to be Tony Pulis.

After more than three decades of scrapping to do so, he's become a player on football's biggest stage.

The next job is to stay there.

Few believe it possible. Pulis will enjoy proving them wrong. He's been doing it for 30 years.