Bendtner's late goal nudges boss over edge to signal end of an era at KC Stadium

OH, the fine line that separates success and failure in football.

When news filtered through that Phil Brown had become the third Premier League manager to be sacked this season, it was difficult not to cast the mind back to shortly before 8pm on Saturday.

Hull City were within seconds of claiming a valuable point from an admirable battling 10-man display against title hopefuls Arsenal when disaster, Boaz Myhill's failure to deal with a routine shot from Denilson allowing Nicklas Bendtner to net an undeserved winner.

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It was a cruel way to lose, especially as a draw would have nudged the Tigers back above Burnley and to within two points of safety.

What few, not least Brown himself, realised was just how cruel Bendtner's last-gasp winner would turn out to be as within 48 hours one of football's more colourful characters was out of a job.

Brown's sacking means that, no matter what happens from hereon in, Hull is unlikely to ever be the same again.

Certainly, it is difficult to imagine his predecessor having such a dramatic impact at the KC Stadium that the locals' phrase 'it's never dull in 'Ull' has never been more appropriate with Brown's tenure being something that few Tigers fans will forget in a hurry.

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There was the ecstasy of avoiding relegation to the Championship at the end of his first season – the added bonus for those in the East Riding being that survival came at the expense of bitter Yorkshire rivals, Leeds United.

Then, there was Wembley and the never-to-be-forgotten day when Hull's 104-year wait for a place in the top flight was ended.

And as if that wasn't enough, Brown's City then humbled Arsenal and Spurs on their own patch in north London en route to going joint top of the Premier League after nine games.

Even the subsequent slide down the division from October onwards last season was made all the more memorable by Brown's antics, whether it be the now infamous half-time team-talk at Manchester City or his grabbing of the microphone at the KC Stadium after City had stayed up by default on the final day of last season.

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Now, of course, Brown is no more at the KC Stadium and all eyes are on what the board does next. City are in deep relegation trouble, three points adrift of safety and having won just once in four months.

Clearly, after winning just five Premier League games in a year, something had to give and yesterday the board decided Brown should pay the price.

What happens now, only time will tell. But there can be little doubt the next four games will go a long way towards deciding whether Hull are to kick off a third season among the elite.

Saturday brings a trip to rock bottom Portsmouth before Fulham, who have won just once in 15 away games this term, travel to the KC Stadium a week later.

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Easter brings a visit to Stoke before the all-important home game against fellow strugglers Burnley.

Two wins from that quartet of games is the very minimum requirement with the Tigers probably having to claim eight or even nine points to keep their survival hopes alive ahead of a run-in that brings home games with Sunderland, Aston Villa and Liverpool plus trips to Birmingham and Wigan.

The 100m question is whether changing manager can bring about the improvement required and it is to be hoped that during the run-in the footballing Gods are smiling more kindly than they did on Brown shortly before 8pm last Saturday night.