Tony Pulis has reflected on how his early pre-season bonding methods at Blackpool, built on beer and beach runs, contrast sharply with modern football's approach. The former Stoke City and West Brom manager described taking his teams to the seaside town for three-day training camps during the 1970s and 1980s, a practice he believes forged essential team spirit.

Players stayed in shared guest house accommodation with three-quarter beds. Each morning involved running sessions on the beach, followed by seven-a-side games on a local park pitch in the afternoons. "In the evenings, we were allowed out for a few beers, with no time stipulated for our return," Pulis said. The only rule was that they had to be ready to train again at 8am the next day.

Comparing eras

Pulis contrasted those experiences with the current era, where he believes mobile phones are a major barrier to natural bonding. "I used to go mad if I walked into a dining room at the training ground or a hotel to see a group of lads looking at their phone and not engaging with each other," he stated. He argued that bonding in his playing days happened continuously, through meetings in pubs after games and training, a culture now disrupted by digital distractions.

He later adapted his methods as a manager, organising extreme pre-season trips to army camps and Austrian bases to test character. "The extreme tests that we asked our players to do over that 10-day period brought out an inner determination," Pulis explained. He noted that such challenges helped reveal which players had the required mentality, with those who fell short departing without lingering ill will.

Current context for Blackpool

Pulis's historical perspective emerges as the modern Blackpool squad seeks its own cohesion on the pitch. The team currently sits 20th in League One with 11 points from 11 games, having lost 4-1 to Mansfield Town in their last outing. Their recent form shows one win, one draw and three defeats from the last five matches.

The quest for improved results continues with a tough away fixture against 8th-placed Sheffield Wednesday on November 1st. Pulis's core philosophy endures: "I have always believed in building a family togetherness within the dressing room, with a commitment from every player to the benefit of the team." His Blackpool bonding trips, though from a different age, were an early embodiment of that principle.

More detail at BBC Sport Football