TONY Pulis returns to Dean Court with West Brom tomorrow almost 24 years after kicking off his managerial career with Cherries. His first signing, none other than Steve Fletcher, can remember it like it was yesterday... 

The two years Tony Pulis spent in charge of Cherries might not make a highlight reel of his career in the dugout.

Likewise, his spell is unlikely to be among the club’s best bits.

But whether not you rated his credentials at the time, Pulis’s first act as Cherries manager was one of the greatest bits of business in the club’s history.

With Reading-bound hitman Jimmy Quinn heading for the exit, Pulis set his sights on one of the least likely names from Division Three rivals Hartlepool. In came Steve Fletcher.

“Hartlepool played Bournemouth on the last day of the season and needed to win to get into the play-offs,” said Fletcher. “We beat them 1-0, I had a decent game and that was enough for Tony.

“During the summer, I got called into (Hartlepool manager) Alan Murray’s office and he said Bournemouth were interested.

“I didn’t even know where Bournemouth was at the time and I certainly didn’t realise it was more than 350 miles away.

“There were no mobile phones back then so Tony called the landline at the club to give me directions to come down to see what I thought of the place.

“I got straight in the car and drove down with my father. Tony had strategically made sure I came in on the Westcliff side so I could see the beauty of the place with views over the pier.

“I remember looking at my dad and thinking ‘I’m not going back to Hartlepool’ and the following day, July 23, 1992, I signed.

“I was put up in the Royal Bath, the top hotel in Bournemouth, and thought to myself ‘this is the bee’s knees’.”

But Pulis, who had succeeded Harry Redknapp, and Fletcher endured a baptism of fire in their respective new ventures.

Early goals against Port Vale and at Mansfield did not prompt a goal rush in Fletcher’s maiden campaign, which he ended with a tally of just four.

He mustered another six in what was to be Pulis’s final season in charge but to this day, the club’s record appearance maker and club ambassador still admires his ex-manager’s loyalty.

“Jimmy Quinn had been a prolific scorer but the goals didn’t flow for me to start with,” said Fletcher. “Inevitably, there were comparisons, even though I was still only 19 with a handful of games under my belt.

“It was hard to try to fill the void and it didn’t happen in those first couple of years so I did lean on Tony to protect and guide me.

“I was 350 miles away from my parents and my home. Back then, players didn’t tend to travel from one end of the country to another like they do these days.

“If your landlady didn’t allow you to use your phone, there was no communication so even keeping in touch with your family during the hard times was difficult.

“You had to rely on the people around you and he was there.

“He was very disciplined as well. He would also give me the wrath of his tongue, and I did need a kick up the backside now and again, but I knew I could rely on Tony.”

And even now, Fletcher believes Pulis was not given the credit he deserved for his efforts at Dean Court.

Cherries ended both of his campaigns 17th in Division Three as the revolving door saw leading lights such as Joe Parkinson (Everton), Neil Masters (Wolves), Keith Rowland (West Ham) and Efan Ekoku (Norwich) fly through the exit.

“His objective all along was to make money for the club and we sold some big players in that time,” recalled Fletcher.

“Tony had been given his orders and must have brought in roughly £2million.

“When you look back, that must have been very difficult At the time, maybe people didn’t realise just how many of the best players had to be sold.

“But Tony would always take it all in his stride. He would never moan to the players about it, that was the way it was and he knew he had to do it for the club to survive financially.

“When he was relieved of his duties, I wondered whether the next manager would want me. I was anxious because I had just started to settle. It was difficult for everyone, certainly for me.

“Mel Machin came in and the rest is history but if it wasn’t for Tony, I wouldn’t be here in the first place. He believed in me and I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to have the wonderful career I had here if he hadn’t.”