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Players have kept me in job, beams proud Hull City boss Brown
HULL CITY manager Phil Brown admits that his players have saved him from the sack.
Brown was sweating over his future just a month ago but eight points from the last four games have lifted his side away from the Premier League relegation zone and eased the pressure on his shoulders
New chairman Adam Pearson has still to offer Brown any long-term guarantees but can only be delighted with the improvement in results.
"Results keep you in this business," said Brown after Saturday's 1-1 draw at Manchester City. "The change of chairmanship always causes problems in terms of which direction we are going and what is around the corner – change in itself in football causes anxiety – but the response of the players is the reason why I am still sitting here as Hull City manager.
"There are a lot of characters in the dressing room who have pulled together in my hour of need and in Hull City's hour of need," he added.
"All of that has resulted in better performances which has led to better results."
Brown, who has ditched the use of his electronic earpiece in recent games, admitted that he had become 'conscious' of his role in the wake of Pearson's return.
"I never felt I was becoming more the story than the team – I will never be as a big as Hull City and there is no players in that dressing room who will be bigger than the club either," he stressed.
"And I haven't changed. I'm just conscious of my role. I wouldn't say more conscious but just conscious of my role and the effect it can have.
"I was conscious of it before but at times, in the face of adversity, that pressure can change your behaviour. I understand that there is pressure and there will always be pressure in the Premier League or in any game of football.
"We've all got different agendas and our agenda is that I, one, stay manager of Hull City and, two, make sure we are a Premier League team for a third year."
Brown denied that Pearson had requested the changes but acknowledged that he was a positive influence.
He insisted that someone had 'stood on his earpiece' but refused to go into further details.
Hull salvaged a point thanks to a controversial late penalty scored by Jimmy Bullard.
Referee Lee Probert initially signalled handball against Joleon Lescott but later claimed the penalty was awarded for a foul by Kolo Toure on striker Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink,
"I felt it was given for 50 per cent of one incident and 50 per cent of the other," said Brown. "It was either a handball or a foul but, if you put the two together, maybe that's the reason."
City manager Mark Hughes said: "It certainly wasn't handball but the referee now says it was for a challenge in the box which I would debate as well.
"If we had scored a second goal, we would have won comfortably."
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
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Temperature: 8 C to 21 C
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