Tony Pulis was impressed with his first look at his Middlesbrough team but has warned his new employers not to expect miracles in the remainder of the season. Pulis watched from the Riverside stands as second-half goals from Martin Braithwaite and Britt Assombalonga secured a 2-0 win against Bolton Wanderers.
The 59-year-old, who was dismissed from his previous job at West Bromwich Albion in late November, replaces Garry Monk, who was sacked less than four hours after overseeing a victory at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.
Monk left a club in the Championship’s top 10 but, while Pulis will be tasked with securing Boro an immediate return to the Premier League following their relegation last season, he accepts it will be a challenge to make it out of the second tier. “I’m not going to turn water into wine,” he said. “I have to make sure that I have a good look at the place before I start making any predictions.
“What I will say is that there was some very good play from us at times. I liked the attitude in the dressing room at half-time too – it was very good. The club is ninth in the division [at the start of the day], but if everything at the club was spot-on and working well I wouldn’t be here talking, Garry still would be. There are problems, and there have been problems here. It’s just about finding out what they are.
“The best thing we can do is get this club winning again, get the team winning, and get back in the Premier League, but that does take time. For me to stand up after being here for 12 or 13 hours [and talk about winning promotion], it’s too much to ask.”
