A most turbulent week at Hell – sorry, Hull – City concluded with a controversy-tinged defeat that threatens to cost Phil Brown his job. Already deeply in the red off the pitch, Hull were hardly in the pink on it and, long before Geovanni’s second-half dismissal reduced them to 10 men, Brown’s side looked second-best to Owen Coyle’s impressively slick-passing, inventively moving Burnley.
With reports suggesting that Brown could get the sack unless Hull’s results improved immediately, Brown tried to put on a brave face afterwards, but admitted his future would be resolved after emergency talks with the club’s owner, Russell Bartlett, and incoming chairman Adam Pearson today. “I will speak to the owner later and on Sunday, and we will find out more on Monday,” he said.
“I expect to be manager of this club in the Premier League next year. The announcement will be forthwith and hopefully I’ll be standing alongside Adam Pearson on Monday. My situation is my situation and I’m not blaming anyone else for it but me. I’m proud of my players’ performance today.”
Characteristically, Brown, Coyle’s captain at Bolton during the 1990s, seemed determined to make the most of his perceived last stand and emerged from the tunnel in prize fighter mode.
Up in the directors’ box Pearson, who replaces the newly departed Paul Duffen, sat busily punching buttons on his BlackBerry. Brown could only trust Pearson was messaging Hull’s bank manager about an overdraft extension rather than canvassing potential managerial replacements.
When Stephen Hunt was harshly judged to have felled Tyrone Mears, Graham Alexander stepped forward to evade Matt Duke’s reach. The ball had barely settled in the back of the net before Turf Moor taunted Brown with choruses of: “You’re getting sacked in the morning.”
With Robbie Blake and Chris Eagles teasing their visitors, Burnley were ascendant, but Hull began the second half by seriously testing Brian Jensen for the first time, Burnley’s keeper adroitly repelling Kamel Ghilas’s shot. Even so, visiting tension was building and when the frequently outmanoeuvred Paul McShane was withdrawn, he hurled a water bottle to the ground.
Creditably, Brown refrained from doing likewise when Geovanni appeared to have scored with a brilliant curling free-kick – rather harshly awarded for Steven Caldwell’s perceived trip on Hunt – but had that effort surprisingly disallowed for a minor push in the wall.
Even worse, Geovanni – deployed in an unaccustomed deep central midfield role – saw red after receiving a second yellow card following a late tackle on Steven Fletcher. Then, by way of a finale, Alexander scored a second with a low-angled drive from outside the area, leaving Brown clinging on by his fingernails. Did he have a message for Pearson? “If anything changes, so be it,” said Brown. “But he’s still got a manager prepared to put his neck on the line for Hull City.
“We’re in a tight situation. We’re in the bottom three. But the threat of relegation does inhibit good players. Saying that, I asked the players for a committed performance and I got one.”
Coyle also had some encouraging words of support. “[Phil Brown] is a personal friend of mine. You don’t like to see anyone down on their luck. We are friends and we go back a long way. I am sure he will see this through and come back stronger.
“There’s no doubt in my mind we were the better side,” said Coyle. “We created numerous opportunities, but Phil’s a friend and I do feel for him.”
The Fans’ Player Ratings And Verdicts
Martin Barnes, When The Ball Moves fanzine
We were workmanlike rather than spectacular, but it’s the three points that count. Alexander played his best game of the season, with two goals, and Eagles gave us a good cutting edge out on the wing. Jordan was very solid at left-back – he might be winning over some of the doubters at the club. I thought we passed it quite well and got it in the danger area. Once Hull were down to 10 men there was no doubt who would win, but they never really looked like scoring.
The fan’s player ratings Jensen 7; Mears 8, Carlisle 7, Caldwell 7, Jordan 8; Bikey 7, Alexander 8; Eagles 8 (Guerrero 84), Elliott 7, Blake 7 (McDonald 74 7), Fletcher 7 (Nugent 77 6)
Subs not used Penny, Duff, Gudjonsson, Thompson
Rick Skelton, HullCityOnline.com
We were pretty good today. The first half was quite even, but after that we came out and looked like the sort of team Phil Brown used to send out. We played better football than Burnley – quicker, more physical – until the ref intervened. After that, only one team were going to win. Ghilas had a good chance, but it was a weak effort. Geovanni’s goal was disallowed, but pushing in the wall goes on all the time. He shouldn’t have been booked because it should’ve been a goal.
The fan’s player ratings Duke 6; McShane 5 (Mendy 58 6), Zayatte 9, Gardner 7, Dawson 5; Geovanni 8; Marney 6, Olofinjana 6, Hunt 6 (Barmby 70 7); Vennegoor of Hesselink 6 (Altidore 58 7), Ghilas 6
Subs not used Warner, Mouyokolo, Kilbane, Garcia
To take part in the Fans’ Verdicts, email fans.premier@observer.co.uk
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