This is Croydon -- CRYSTAL Palace boss Tony Pulis hid a family tragedy at the start of his last season while at Stoke City. The Stoke Sentinel, part of the same media group that owns the Croydon Advertiser, Local World, worked closely with Pulis in his ten years in charge at the Britannia Stadium. And they say the manager's world was thrown into turmoil in the summer of 2012 when his first grandchild, Olivia, contracted a virus and died just a fortnight after her birth. His daughter, Laura, has since given birth to a baby boy, but Pulis says Olivia will never be forgotten. And now he is asking his old fans to donate towards Laura's attempts to raise several thousand pounds for Bliss, a charity for babies born too soon, too small or too sick, when she and her husband run the London Marathon in April. Letters of thanks are still arriving at Pulis's Dorset home, and he has lost count of the number of goodwill messages landing through his letterbox over the past eight months. Pulis also insists his relationship with the Coates family, notwithstanding the emotional wrench of being asked to leave Stoke last May, has remained as solid as it could be in the circumstances. Chairman Peter Coates was the first to contact him, albeit by text, after his appointment as Crystal Palace manager was officially announced, while he has also had amicable conversations with City director John Coates. Privately, Pulis is not certain what reception awaits him from Stoke City travelling to Selhurst Park for Saturday's re-union. He needn't worry, surely, for even the vast majority of those wanting a change of manager last May appear to still appreciate his efforts during his nine seasons as their manager. The majority of Palace fans appear to have brushed aside any reservations they felt at Pulis's appointment back in late November after seeing him whip his team into competitive shape for the relegation battle ahead. And he in turn has found them not just supportive, but also realistic after no doubt recalling the sorry experience of being immediately relegated on every previous trip into the Premier League. To make a donation for Laura's London Marathon run for Bliss, please go to www.justgiving.com/LauraDave-Lask/
Reported by This is 13 hours ago.
This is Croydon -- CRYSTAL Palace boss Tony Pulis hid a family tragedy at the start of his last season while at Stoke City. The Stoke Sentinel, part of the same media group that owns the Croydon Advertiser, Local World, worked closely with Pulis in his ten years in charge at the Britannia Stadium. And they say the manager's world was thrown into turmoil in the summer of 2012 when his first grandchild, Olivia, contracted a virus and died just a fortnight after her birth. His daughter, Laura, has since given birth to a baby boy, but Pulis says Olivia will never be forgotten. And now he is asking his old fans to donate towards Laura's attempts to raise several thousand pounds for Bliss, a charity for babies born too soon, too small or too sick, when she and her husband run the London Marathon in April. Letters of thanks are still arriving at Pulis's Dorset home, and he has lost count of the number of goodwill messages landing through his letterbox over the past eight months. Pulis also insists his relationship with the Coates family, notwithstanding the emotional wrench of being asked to leave Stoke last May, has remained as solid as it could be in the circumstances. Chairman Peter Coates was the first to contact him, albeit by text, after his appointment as Crystal Palace manager was officially announced, while he has also had amicable conversations with City director John Coates. Privately, Pulis is not certain what reception awaits him from Stoke City travelling to Selhurst Park for Saturday's re-union. He needn't worry, surely, for even the vast majority of those wanting a change of manager last May appear to still appreciate his efforts during his nine seasons as their manager. The majority of Palace fans appear to have brushed aside any reservations they felt at Pulis's appointment back in late November after seeing him whip his team into competitive shape for the relegation battle ahead. And he in turn has found them not just supportive, but also realistic after no doubt recalling the sorry experience of being immediately relegated on every previous trip into the Premier League. To make a donation for Laura's London Marathon run for Bliss, please go to www.justgiving.com/LauraDave-Lask/
Reported by This is 13 hours ago.