Hull City: Brown enjoys stay of execution
What a difference a month makes. At the start of November when Hull City entertained Stoke City Phil Brown was a man on death row. The Tigers had endured a terrible 2009 and had managed to win just two of their opening 11 league games of the new campaign. Brown was under more pressure than Jordan’s bra straps, but Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink’s last-gasp winner against the Potters handed Brown a stay of execution and he is relishing his second chance at the Humberside club.
Make no mistake about it, Phil Brown was a dead man walking at Hull City. The team were underperforming, he was castigated by certain sections of the media and even some of the fans were calling for Brown to be axed. In fact it’s widely believed that the former chairman Paul Duffen took a bullet for his old friend in order for him to remain at the club. The Press reported that Brown’s position was going to be assessed on a match by match basis by the returning chairman Adam Pearson but that seems to have done the trick as Hull City have moved out of the drop zone and go into this weekend’s clash with Aston Villa on the back of a four-game unbeaten run.
After the Stoke victory, Hull showed great fight and determination against West Ham United to come back from two down to lead 3-2 at half-time, only to settle for a share of the points after Mendy was red carded. The Tigers then stormed into a 3-0 lead against Everton in their next game and heroically held on for a 3-2 win as the Toffees threw everything at them. And then when everyone predicted their impressive run would end at the billionaires of Manchester City, Jimmy Bullard stepped up with a late penalty to equalise and produce the greatest goal celebration ever – and as Rafa Benitez would say, that’s a fact!
So what has changed at the KC Stadium? Well Hull fan Robert Kaye believes a number of factors have contributed to the upturn in fortunes at the club.
“Of the more obvious factors, there is the return of Adam Pearson as chairman and the resulting (new) low profile of Phil Brown. A degree of realism and humility has thus returned. Anthony Gardner has been fit enough to play a few games and Jimmy Bullard is fit and producing the kind of performances we all dreamed about when he signed. We also have striker Jozy Altidore who is starting to look like a real handful although he hasn’t scored yet. He’s more Heskey than Drogba right now but he is showing plenty of promise.
“Let’s not forget that the whole team and supporters have responded and the attitude is light years away from what it was a month ago. The team is playing more like we were at the end of 2008 than how we played for most of 2009. Simply put we have accepted that our strength is not in grinding out 0-0, 1-0, 1-1 results and that in being more aggressive we will concede goals (and lose some times) but we will get enough positive results to be safe.”
Jimmy Bullard’s return from injury has coincided with the club’s good form and the former Wigan and Fulham midfielder has been singled out for huge praise from the pundits, but just vital has he been to the Tigers?
“It has been very important on many levels,” insists Robert. “His presence in the middle of the park has allowed us to change from the hoof ball game that was getting us results like those at Sunderland and Liverpool to a team that actually plays through the middle. Jimmy’s presence improves those around him. They know that generally there is someone that they can rely on to be available to receive the ball and then the skill to bring others into play. His infectious enthusiasm for the game inspires the team and the supporters.
“Another aspect of his importance is credibility. I can’t start to imagine how dumb we must have looked to other teams for making a record signing that played 37 minutes in his first season. Having a player of Jimmy’s skill, who seems to be generally liked by opposition supporters even when he is doing a number on their team, helps raise the image of the club and may just be a catalyst for other players to sign on raise the level of the team. I just hope he stays fit!”
So how does it feel to be a Hull City fan right now?
“Much better than it did a month ago,” insists Robert. “It has been really, really frustrating to hear the rubbish that has been spouted in the Press about the club. We aren’t exactly the most media savvy crew around and there have been too many “open mouth, insert foot” moments.
“I like to think of the Premiership as a school. The likes of Arsenal are the sixth form. They know their way around, they have (probably) survived puberty and have a relatively mature outlook on life. We are the noisy little oiks in the lower third. We have come from being a big(ger) fish in a small pond and haven’t yet learned to keep our heads down and keep out of trouble to survive.”
The improved results and performances have obviously bought Brown some time at the KC Stadium and have put a huge spanner in the works of those who were calling for the gaffer’s head. Robert admits some of Brown’s decisions have left him scratching his head but insists that Brown deserves time to get things right at the club.
“The “Brown Out” campaign was growing in strength and without the resurgence he was a dead man walking. Personally I think he had earned the right to some more time but as we keep hearing football is a fast moving game and there is no room for sentiment. I would have been unhappy to see him go but I could understand the position of those who were calling for his head. Have I always had total faith? No. I think he has made some poor decisions to go with the good ones and I see a tendency to make knee jerk changes if things go wrong. No-one is safe in football but I think Brown has earned the position until the end of the season now, come what may.”
The Tigers aim to continue their good run of form this weekend at Villa Park, a place where they haven’t triumphed at since 1967, ahead of a tricky end to 2009 which includes Blackburn at home, Arsenal away, Manchester United at home and Bolton away. But Robert is confident of grabbing a handful of points.
“I’m going for five points from those five games – one win, two draws and two defeats – but without making any predictions as to where. I’m quite optimistic about getting a draw against Villa though. I don’t really mind as long as we go there and perform like we have the last few games. I just don’t want another trip like Fulham, Liverpool or Sunderland.”
Hull are currently four points clear of the drop zone and Robert is confident the Tigers will retain their Premier League stripes come May.
“I’ve put money on us beating the drop! You asked me this question at the beginning of the season and I said we’d finish 13th to 15th if I remember correctly. I haven’t seen anything to make me change that opinion. However, my other prediction of Liverpool to be champions is looking increasingly shaky.”
