Pulis was high up in the list of candidates to replace Alan Pardew when the much maligned former Premier League manager of the year departed Newcastle for Crystal Palace. It is unsure wether his style of play would have ever been accepted on Tyneside. One thing that is for sure however is the fact that he would have led Newcastle far away from the Premier League's relegation zone. The Daily Mail reported that the former Stoke boss, who quit Crystal Palace on the eve of the season, was clear to work again from January 1 under his severance deal with the south London club. He had been interested in the vacancy at Newcastle but told his advisers to end talks when they became worried that Mike Ashley and head scout Graham Carr would want a say in team selection and signings. A man of Pulis' integrity would have never accepted that.
