Tony Pulis column: 'I was seen as a dinosaur but I don't see many managers moaning about set-pieces now'

Hello. I'm Tony Pulis and welcome to my new BBC Sport column, Going Direct.

From tactics to man-management, I'm going to be tackling a different aspect of the modern game every week, and comparing old-school ideas to new trends.

There's only one place to start, and that's with the rise of set-pieces, which is probably the story of the season so far.

I was seen as a dinosaur for my focus on dead-ball situations and long-throws with Stoke City when we were promoted to the Premier League in 2008, but I wouldn't say I feel vindicated by the way they are now in fashion - because I knew back then how important they were.

My job, whoever I was manager of, was to get results. Yes, I was pragmatic, but I was also purposeful. I worked on my basic beliefs of being effective in a way that would help my club win games.