NEWPORT’S Tony Pulis says he would have been interested in replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as Cardiff City manager but never got the chance.

Pulis was named Premier League manager of the year for keeping Crystal Palace up last season and was the fans’ favourite to take over the Bluebirds.

But the former Newport County player, who supported Cardiff as a boy, lost out to former Leyton Orient boss Russell Slade.

“If the call would have come I certainly would have spoken (to Cardiff),” said Pulis.

“It would have been wonderful in many respects to have gone back to Wales and to have taken over a football club that has the potential to back into the Premiership.

“It would have been wonderful to have got it back in the Premiership and established it but that wasn't to be. I never got a phone call and that’s fine.”

Pulis says Cardiff fans should get behind Slade, who has started with two wins in two games, and believes they have got a good chance of getting promoted back to the Premier League.

“I know Russell and he's a good man,” Pulis told BBC’s Sport Wales.

“Russell is carrying the flag for the football club and for the city ¬– he’s not just carrying the flag for himself.

“All the supporters should get behind him and work for one cause because Cardiff have still got a fantastic chance of getting promoted.

“They’ve not had the best of starts but they’ve still got an unbelievable chance of getting promoted.”

On his successful stint at Palace, which ended with his resignation this summer, Pulis admitted it was a risk to take the Selhurst Park job.

“Obviously you put your own reputation on the line,” he said.

“Everybody knows that I’ve never been relegated and they were in a dreadful position at the time.

“But it was a challenge and I do like challenges.”