• ‘I want more congestion’, says Hull manager
• Brown claims his players are ‘highly motivated’
Phil Brown has flouted the traditional manager’s cry of the festive season, claiming that fixture congestion could be beneficial to Hull City.
Brown’s side face a trip to the Reebok Stadium to play Bolton Wanderers a little over 48 hours after defeat to Manchester United at home. But the Hull manager said: “The programme has been highlighted by a number of managers and a number of clubs but I think the more congestion, the more success you are having. I want more congestion.”
However, he admitted that this time of year presents its own challenges. “My old mate Sam [Allardyce], when we were together at Bolton, always questioned the physiological side of two games in three days,” he said. “I agree with him – it is very difficult – but when the spirit in the camp is good and the players are just desperate to play.
“What we take from that is joy and a lot of pride in the performance and commitment the players showed [against Manchester United]. We need to take that into this game. We are going there with a group of players that are very highly motivated at the state of play and cause of Hull City.”
“The match is crucial for both clubs,” said Brown. “We have a very difficult January around the corner so it would be nice to finish December off out of the bottom three. I know we’re 10 points behind the halfway stage last year but we’ve just got to make sure the second half is a lot better than we did last year.”
Kevin Davies insists Bolton have reasons to be optimistic before the match. The Bolton captain believes they are ready to climb out of the Premier League’s relegation zone.
“We have got a lot going for us at the minute,” said Davies. “We need to make sure that we continue to work hard against Hull in what is going to be a difficult match. We have given some really good and strong performances in recent matches. We were unfortunate not to beat Manchester City.
“We got the win we deserved against West Ham. Even when they got it back to 1-1, we kept our heads up and finished off the game in style. Now, it’s up to all of us to maintain that level for our match against Hull.”
Fabrice Muamba is available after sitting out the Burnley match through suspension but Gavin McCann is likely to miss out for Bolton as he is still suffering from an ankle injury.
Hull CityPhil BrownBolton WanderersPremier Leagueguardian.co.uk
