Brown: I want more congestion
The struggling Tigers face a quick turnaround as they travel to the
North-West little more than 48 hours after a frenetic Premier
League loss to Manchester United. But after causing considerable
problems for the champions in the 3-1 defeat on Sunday, Brown is
convinced spirit will overcome any fatigue in the crunch clash at
the Reebok Stadium. Brown 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. “My old mate Sam (Allardyce), when we were together at
Bolton, always questioned the physiological side of two games in
three days. “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, it would be difficult, given the level of performance against
Manchester United, to make too many changes. “What we take from
that is joy and a lot of pride in the performance and commitment
the players showed. “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 this season.” With Hull
and Bolton together in the bottom three on 17 points, the match is
crucial for both clubs. Hull may feel victory is imperative given
that the fixture comes after a run of just two points in five games
and ahead of daunting clashes against Chelsea, Tottenham and
Manchester United again. Hull have also played twice more than
Bolton but Brown, while not losing sight of the game’s importance,
wants to keep things in perspective. The former Bolton full-back
said: “I’m not going beyond the Bolton game. We are focusing all
our attention on the Reebok Stadium tomorrow night. “We’ve a very
difficult January around the corner so it would be nice to finish
December off out of the bottom three. “It is a big game, but no
bigger than any other. It’s the next one.” Hull are now halfway
through their season and have won just four games, all at home.
This time last year the Tigers sat proudly seventh in the table
after an outstanding start to their first top-flight campaign. A
dreadful run of form then almost proved disastrous as they avoided
relegation by just one point. Brown is now hoping this season
proves the reverse of last. “At the halfway stage we’re very
positive,” he said. “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.” Despite losses to United and
Arsenal in the last two games, the mood at Hull is still markedly
different from how it was in October. Two months ago poor form and
dire financial reports painted a bleak picture. Brown’s own
position was also thought under threat as new chairman Adam Pearson
took over at the beginning of November. Relegation is still a
concern but when asked if he was concerned about Hull’s current
league position, Brown said: “Not given the performances. “If we
continue down this line results will turn in our favour as opposed
to against us. “The faults we can identify (from the United game)
can easily be put right.” Brown also feels he has the backing of
Pearson. He added: “The way we are playing at the moment, the new
chairman is more than pleased with the progress he is seeing on the
field of play.”