Stoke boss Tony Pulis today said he was "very privileged" to have the partnership he has together with his chairman, recognizing in the wake of Rafael Benitez's outburst that not absolutely all managers are lucky enough to have such powerful boardroom backing. Speaking after Chelsea's 2-0 FA Cup gain at Middlesbrough, Benitez switched on those who gave him the name of 'temporary director' when he succeeded Roberto Di Matteo in November, and the fans who've never forgiven him for driving Liverpool to the 2005 Champions League final at the Blues' price. Benitez's relationship with club operator Roman Abramovich is coming under scrutiny but Pulis said only the Chelsea boss would know very well what degree of support he has. He said: "What goes on at Chelsea goes on at Chelsea - I can not handle that. In terms of what Rafa is going right on through, the most effective person to talk to is Rafa. "Every boss includes a different relationship with chairmen. I've had various relationships with other chairmen at other football clubs to what I have got with Peter (Coates). "I am very fortunate to really have the (Coates) family here, who're completely wonderful people. The road is popped down by me, if I want to see them and it's five full minutes if I jump within my car. The doorway is obviously open for me personally to see and go them. "Ask Rafa what his connection is similar to with Abramovich or individuals in power there. He is alone who can answer that - and from that comes everything. "When I first came into football, Bruce Rioch believed to me the best relationship in a football team is between the manager and chairman. Which was 20-odd years ago, and Bruce has been dead right. The partnership between yourself and the person who runs the football club is important to how a football club really projects itself. "As a football manager, I am exceedingly happy here. Other professionals are not so lucky." Asked whether players cared concerning the manager's job title, Pulis replied: "You may call me anything you want. The most crucial thing is that the folks who're employed by me need certainly to show me respect. I do not care what I'm called - particularly behind my back!" Wigan boss Roberto Martinez loves a good relationship with fans at the DW Stadium despite now being involved in a fourth consecutive relegation struggle since taking charge at the club. Martinez was a favorite figure during his playing days with Latics and has retained much of that help - a scenario as opposed to that experienced by his fellow Spaniard at Stamford Bridge. But Martinez was unwilling to be drawn too much on that subject as he met press to examine his side's sport against Liverpool this weekend. It wasn't seen by "i yesterday evening but as a director you're working 100 % every single day to try and affect what exactly you can affect," he explained. "Obviously there are lots of issues you can't influence and you can't do much about this. As a manager that may make your job a bit harder. "But it's difficult to comment from my viewpoint. I really do not think there is too much time to look elsewhere, when you're associated with our condition. I can not really comment." Martinez admitted the title of an 'temporary' director was one he wasn't familiar with. He said: "It is some thing you need to ask an attorney. If it has anything regarding baseball I really do not know. I've no experience on that therefore can't provide a remedy. It's some thing I have maybe not seen before."
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