Pulis urges Maresca to demand ‘siege mentality’ at Man City after guilty finding
October 9, 2026 07:30
Pulis warned that City’s players will face hostility at away grounds and in the media, and urged the manager to reassure his squad that the club will defend its position while expecting players to do their job. “I loved being the underdog and I loved to prove people wrong, and that is what I would demand now - a siege mentality from my squad and supporters alike to prove to people that, irrespective of what is happening off the pitch, on the field and the terraces we respect our club and we are going to fight on,” he said. He also stated: “No excuses about what is happening off the field would be tolerated, and that would be my final word on the matter.”
The timing matters: City’s players will be arriving back from international duty and going straight into the off-field fight that has become a media frenzy. The club have remained firm in denying all charges. Pulis added that, if the verdict is upheld, it would come at a heavy cost to the club and its reputation.
Beyond the immediate fallout, Pulis questioned whether current Financial Fair Play rules are fit for purpose given the scale of modern football spending. He noted it is “not unusual for around a billion pounds to be exchanged between clubs in England and around the world during each transfer window” and that individual players are sometimes bought and sold for more than £100m. He also highlighted concerns about bigger clubs signing young players from smaller academies for relatively small compensation fees.
What happens next
City’s next competitive fixture is away to Liverpool this weekend, a match Pulis highlights as the first major test of the mentality he says Maresca should instil.