Pre-season buzz still there for Tony Pulis

Pulis is gearing up for his first full season at the Baggies helm with the luxury of a full preparation that was denied to him when he was appointed midway through the last campaign.

And despite years of success and the option of a more comfortable life, the 57-year-old insists he would not be anywhere else but on the training fields of America this week.

"It is just in my blood," said Pulis, who took his side to Austria last week before the current trip Stateside.

"It's a drug, but it's a privilege and a pleasure to be involved in the sport that I love.

"I will never, ever take it for granted. It's a gift that's been given to me and I've got to glean as much as I possibly can out of it.

"Hopefully I will keep doing it.

"I love pre-season. It's great because you're building for something.

"I enjoy the way we work, I enjoy Austria. It's a wonderful place to start pre-season, just above sea level.

"It's a lovely place to work the players. It's quiet, the food is tremendous and the people are lovely, so welcoming and they can't do enough for you.

"To do the things we want to do with the players it's ideal."

Pulis worked his players hard yesterday with another early morning session that began before the sun rose.

They then took part in an optional gym session in the afternoon before heading for the Citrus Bowl – scene of tonight's friendly against Orlando City – to sample the artificial pitch that awaits them in the first of their three American fixtures.

"It's been brilliant," he said. "The players have worked really hard and it's probably a bit different to what they're used to so I think they've embraced it. You can put down certain things that you expect to be done. You can put down markers and the players can then work towards those markers.

"We're all different and we all have different ways of doing things and there's no right and wrong way.

"The important thing is trying to get the players as fit as you possibly can for when the season starts. They have bought into it massively and when you've got senior players like Darren Fletcher, Joleon Lescott and Jonas Olsson doing the work with great gusto then it helps.

"This part of pre-season is all about game time so in this game the lads will get some good game-time in matches that will be very difficult. The American season is half-way through so their players are fitter than ours, and we encounter artificial turf as well, which is going to be very difficult.

"It's not the result or the performance I'm looking for, it's for the players to get through the game, give it as much as they possibly can and move on to the next one."

Meanwhile, it is understood Albion are close to completing the signing of former Wolves keeper Wayne Hannessey from Crystal Palace.