Beach training and pub evenings bonded British players, says Tony Pulis in column on beer and Blackpool
Why Tottenham went to Marbella
Tottenham’s team-bonding trip to Marbella reminded Pulis of methods he used to build morale. He says the club’s early-season timing makes sense after a summer in which it added 10 players and spent more than £250m on new talent.
Pulis previously argued that manager Roberto de Zerbi needed time on the training pitch with his players after a poor start. He believes the trip could help De Zerbi assess the squad’s strengths and weaknesses, while preparing Tottenham to face Coventry on Monday night.
Blackpool brought players together
Pulis recalls going to Blackpool for three days of pre-season training in his early playing years. The team stayed in a guest house, sharing three-quarter beds, and ran on the beach each morning.
Players were allowed a few beers in the evenings, but had to be ready to return to the beach at 8am. Pulis says that, in his early management years, players also met in pubs after matches and weekday training, creating connections beyond football.
Hard tests and shared memories
Pulis says his teams sometimes faced demanding 10-day tests intended to challenge fitness and reveal how players worked together. He believes those experiences helped teams through difficult early periods in Premier League campaigns, although some players did not meet the character standards he expected.
He also took teams to military camps, where players climbed and swam underwater in a dark tunnel in cold, wet conditions. They slept on bunk beds with plastic sheeting over the mattresses and thin blankets; Pulis says he completed the exercises alongside them.
Changing team traditions
Pulis contrasts those earlier experiences with the high-end hotels, facilities and food often enjoyed by Premier League teams on trips today. He says he valued dressing-room friendships and shared memories, and disliked seeing players focus on mobile phones rather than talk to one another.
He notes that England manager Gareth Southgate also took his squad to a Commando Training Centre in Devon in 2017. As his own managerial career progressed, Pulis says, he was able to take teams abroad to more lavish locations.
Key points
- Pulis believes Tottenham’s Marbella trip could help De Zerbi understand his new squad.
- He recalls Blackpool beach runs, shared guest-house beds and evenings out as bonding experiences.
- Pulis says tough military camp exercises tested players physically and mentally.
- He says shared conversation and memories helped create lasting dressing-room connections.