Both men began their playing careers at Bristol Rovers, something Pulis believes shaped their careers and their personalities. "We were brought up at a very traditional club," he said. "You can't say old fashioned, they say, you've got to say traditional. But whichever you say, Bristol Rovers was that way. "We were taught a very early age to work very hard on our football. Nothing was given to us, we had to work for everything. "Basic principles, on and off the pitch, were really, really drilled into us. "We didn't have what they've got now in academies, we weren't spoiled, we weren't given everything. "We had to work to achieve things, and the club was an outstanding club to be at as a young person. "They were really, really good people, with old-fashioned values." Pulis called for his team to avoid complacency, despite being on a five-game unbeaten run and pointed out that Blackpool's results this season mean they will no longer be underestimated. "They're obviously the surprise package," he said. "But the cat's out of the bag now; they're a decent team. "They're not the also rans that everybody thought they were going to be. "They've had some fantastic results, and if we aren't on it on Saturday then they'll come to the Britannia and beat us without a question of a doubt." The clubs haven't met in a top flight fixture since 1971, but will always be remembered as the two English sides to have Stanley Matthews on their books. "He gets great respect from both supporters," Pulis said. "It'd be nice to have him on our side, he was a great, great player." Pulis also paid tribute to Blackpool manager Ian Holloway, and said that people should not judge his managerial qualities by his occasional eccentricities. Pulis said: "Ian has brought success to football clubs. For all that people say about his character, and he is a bit scatty at times without a question of a doubt, he's a good manager. "He's proven that he can manage at this level. I'm very pleased for him. "Blackpool are a fluent team and are very organised. "The way they play, everybody knows their jobs. It'll be a tough game." The Potters manager played down his team's recent good form, adding: "You just have to keep ploughing through and hoping that things go for you". He said: "Confidence is high and the players have done well, but we need to keep picking points up because the league is very tight this year."
