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Pearson heads back to Hull City to hunt for £18m
ADAM PEARSON'S first task on taking charge of Hull City next week will be to attract the multi-million pound investment needed to secure the future of the troubled club.
The 45-year-old former chairman has been persuaded to return to the KC Stadium by concerned owner Russell Bartlett after the Tigers' accounts revealed crippling debts.
Earlier this week, Hull's auditors, Deloitte, questioned the club's "ability to continue as a going concern" without significant funding.
The Yorkshire Post understands 18m will need to be found in the next seven months to prevent Hull being declared insolvent.
Pearson, who will officially take over on Monday but is expected to be in the crowd at Burnley tomorrow, faces a race against time to bring in the necessary funding to keep the Tigers afloat.
It is believed talks have already taken place with two or three possible investors, though it is not known at this stage if any deal would involve Bartlett, an Essex-based property developer, being bought out or not. The alternative is for the new investors to take a shareholding alongside the existing owner and talks will be stepped up once Pearson's appointment as chairman is confirmed.
Either way, Pearson, who is expected to take a minor shareholding in Hull, will be running affairs on a day-to-day basis and it seems prudent financial management will be the order of the day at a club where the annual wage bill is estimated to be around 40m.
Along with the need to attract fresh investment and reduce out-goings, Pearson's other pressing task is to decide the future of Phil Brown.
The Hull manager, who lost a close ally when chairman Paul Duffen left the club earlier this week, is under pressure after winning just three Premier League games in 2009.
A section of the KC Stadium crowd vented their frustration at Hull's on-field struggles by chanting 'you don't know what you're doing' at the manager during last Saturday's goalless draw at home to Portsmouth.
With Hull sitting third-bottom with eight points from 10 games and the trip to Burnley being followed by a televised home game against Stoke City a week tomorrow, Brown appreciates results will decide his fate.
He said: "A manager always relies on results and at this moment in time, we have got four points from the last three games. If we can put our best foot forward against Burnley and we can get something from the game, that will be a good return for October.
"October was a big month and so far it has been fairly successful on the field of play. It was a disappointing defeat against Fulham but what we must bring to the table (tomorrow) is the manner in which we played against Wigan and the way we defended against Portsmouth."
Asked if he felt on trial ahead of a new chairman being installed next week, Brown replied: "I have been on trial every day of my life. It is the deal. I have responded to every challenge that has come my way and I will continue to do that.
"I am confident that we will be a Premier League club at the end of the season."
Duffen's departure, confirmed yesterday after 48 hours of intense speculation in the East Riding that Bartlett had forced the Tigers chairman out, will have come as a blow to Brown.
The pair had forged a close bond during their time together at the helm of the Tigers but Brown insists that Duffen's exit will not affect his players at Turf Moor tomorrow.
He said: "The game is about change. Paul's resignation, nobody saw it coming. But it has happened and I have to respond to it. My players have to respond to it by putting in a performance on Saturday."
Brown's hopes of a much-needed on-field lift could be hampered by the absence again of record signing Jimmy Bullard at Turf Moor.
The 30-year-old midfielder, who returned to the first team at Fulham 11 days ago after nine months out with a knee injury, missed training again yesterday.
Brown, who will definitely be without goalkeeper Boaz Myhill tomorrow, refused to rule out Bullard being in the squad to face Burnley but admitted the 5m signing could be forced to miss the trip across the Pennines.
He said: "Jimmy will be a big player for this football club and when the moment is right, we will play him. Whether that is Saturday or not, that will depend on Jimmy's head-state, like we have always said.
"I have had a conversation with him this morning and he did a light session with the physio. The outcome of that will depend on whether he trains with the first-team (today) and whether he plays on Saturday."
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Weather for Yorkshire
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -8 C to 2 C
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