Has football moved on from Tony Pulis?

I don't mean to be rude about someone who has had a long and respected career in management – there are plenty of positives to point to in his record of course, the main one is that he has never been relegated.

But just imagine he retires tomorrow. He has had the chance to do something really special over the course of many seasons at various clubs, and yet the headline will be that he was never relegated.

Tony Pulis on the touchline at Old Trafford on Saturday in West Brom's defeat at Manchester United

Jesse Lingard scores Manchester United's first goal as West Brom defenders watch on

They say you should never finish a game with regrets, I can't help thinking Pulis might one day look back and wonder if he could have been a little bit more imaginative in his football thinking. Look at Bayern Munich's approach and then check out West Brom under Pulis. It's like the two managers are involved in completely different sports.

Pulis went to Old Trafford on Saturday and defended for his life. He had players behind the ball as a priority and his strikers' main job was to defend.

Look at Chris Brunt. I've always thought he was one of the most underrated players in the Premier League. He's been very creative but lacked a little consistency. He's capable of a brilliant pass and a touch of cleverness to light up a game. He's now a left back under Pulis, and not an attacking one either. He's turned from a player with something vaguely resembling a free spirit to someone programmed to do it the 'Pulis way' and not express himself. They're footballers not robots.

Chris Brunt, pictured marking Juan Mata, was made to do a lot of defending on Saturday at Old Trafford

Mata scored a let penalty to seal all three points on a comfortable afternoon for Manchester United

This dire Baggies display at United came after a week when we had ex-professionals telling us that Louis van Gaal's Manchester United are not as attacking as Sir Alex Ferguson's used to be. (Honestly, where we would we be without this special insight you can only have if you've played the game at the highest level?). And yet Pulis still made a Baggies wall his priority.

As a football lover, I was saddened by it. And West Brom fans should be as well. Tony Brown, a West Brom legend, was with us in the press box. Brown played and scored in arguably the greatest domestic league game of all time in this country when West Brom went to United and won 5-3 in December 1978. Watching the game back I realise that at the time I was in awe of Cyrille Regis (and I still am), and I was mesmerised by the late great Laurie Cunningham.

Pulis' team right now could not be further removed from that glorious footballing side of the late 1970s.

Pulis has never been relegated in all his time managing in the Premier League

Louis van Gaal was criticised for Manchester United's style of play in the lead up to the match

Tony Brown unleashes a volley at goal during a tie against Valencia in the UEFA Cup in 1978

Listen – this isn't some sort of weepy nostalgic cry for football help.

It makes me laugh that it's quite possible the same people who criticise Van Gaal's 'dull' United probably praise Pulis for 'doing a good job.'

Pulis has a smaller budget for sure but that shouldn't dictate a limited, defensive, frankly boring approach, should it? Of course not, he's just smashed the club transfer record for Salomon Rondon but the Venezuelan usually found himself 40 yards from a team-mate on Saturday.

In 2015 Leicester City have shown the way. You can play exhilarating football, score goals, and win games without the budget of the big boys. It's about the manager's approach.