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.”