Tigers never got credit for Premier League run, says returning Brown

Preston manager Phil Brown will head back to the KC Stadium tomorrow for the first time since he was sacked by Hull City 11 months ago with relegation looming. Richard Sutcliffe reports.

RARELY has the phrase, ‘It’s never dull in Hull’, been more apt than during Phil Brown’s reign as Hull City manager.

The 51-year-old spent a little over three years in charge at the KC Stadium and it is doubtful there has been a more eventful time in the club’s long history.

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A first trip to Wembley, the end to the city’s 104-year wait for top- flight football and two successful fights against relegation in different divisions were just some of the events which shaped headlines during Brown’s stint in East Yorkshire.

Then, there was ‘that’ team-talk at Manchester City, the re-working of the old Housemartins’ album title London 0 Hull 4 courtesy of a thrilling quartet of victories over capital opposition, and the ‘spitgate’ furore involving Cesc Fabregas – all events that conspired to keep City on the back pages.

Tomorrow, Brown returns to Hull for the first time since his sacking 11 months ago as Preston North End look to put a dent in the blossoming play-off hopes of the home side.

February 12 is a date the North End manager has understandably had pencilled in his diary since taking charge at Deepdale five weeks ago, not least as it will also see his assistant Brian Horton make an emotional return to the KC along with former Tigers captain Ian Ashbee.

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Brown, when talking to the Yorkshire Post, may have this week tried to insist, “It’s just another game”. But, when asked if there was one highlight of his time in Hull, the sparkle soon returns to the voice as the Preston manager ponders all the happy times he spent on the banks of the Humber.

“I really enjoyed my time at Hull City,” says the former full-back who first came to the KC to join Phil Parkinson’s coaching staff a couple of months into the 2006-07 season. “We had some good times and I have nothing but happy memories.

“It is tough to pick out one highlight. Survival in the Championship at the end of that first season was obviously a big moment. We beat Cardiff 1-0 at Ninian Park, which is now no longer there.

“But we didn’t know if it was enough because Leeds, who were our main rivals, had gone off after a pitch invasion at Elland Road. What followed can only be described as 15 minutes of surrealism as we waited for them to go back on and finish.

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“It was so tense but, eventually, they returned to play the final two minutes. That moment when the final whistle blew at Elland Road (to signal City were safe due to Leeds drawing 1-1 against Ipswich Town) was a special feeling.

“Fifteen minutes after the final whistle at Cardiff, I then met the new owners for the first time. So, as you can imagine, it was a lot to take in.”

Those “new owners” were Russell Bartlett and Paul Duffen, the latter destined to become chairman following the sale of the club six weeks on from that nail-biting win at Ninian Park.

It was then that the rollercoaster ride really got underway as City won promotion and then embarked on a truly remarkable start to life in the Premier League as 20 points were claimed from the opening nine games, courtesy of back-to-back away wins at Newcastle United, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and West Bromwich Albion.

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By late October, Hull were level on points at the top of the table with Liverpool and Chelsea. That was, however, as good as it got with just two wins from the remaining 29 games meaning relegation was only averted thanks to Newcastle United’s own failings.

There was no such reprieve last season with City being all but relegated with two games to spare, by which time Brown had gone and been replaced by Iain Dowie.

Despite that, Brown seems certain to be afforded a warm reception tomorrow when he returns to the scene of so many happy memories.

He said: “A year after staying up against Cardiff, we were at Wembley and on our way to the Premier League. After that, the big games just kept on coming and the club was transformed so much that during international breaks there were only five or so players left at the club. Who could have ever imagined that at Hull City?

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“Four away wins in those opening 10 games, including wins at the Emirates and St James’, were special. I know our form fell away but I still don’t think we got the credit we deserved. A lot is being made, quite rightly, of what Ian Holloway is doing at Blackpool.

“But, even now, Blackpool haven’t got as many points at this stage of the season as Hull had.”

As fond as Brown is of City, his priority tomorrow is claiming a much-needed win – last Saturday’s 4-0 defeat at home to Bristol City having left Preston 10 points from safety at the foot of the Championship.

He said: “This is a big game for us because we are still looking for our first win under the new management team. We have seen lots of signs in and around the place that improvements are being made. But we need that win.

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“We lost 4-0 last week and if you just saw the result then you would think, ‘Preston got well beaten there’. But anyone who was at the game will tell you how well we played. We created so many chances, much more than Bristol.

“It was the same with forward passes and final third entries. But it was just one of those days.

“It is a huge challenge (to keep Preston up) but I remember taking on something similar at Hull and we did okay there.

“The big task is to turn the players away from accepting mediocre performances. Getting that first win is the big thing. I won’t say it will be like London buses in that a load will then come along together but it will make a big difference.”

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Tomorrow will be see a sizeable contingent of former Tigers returning to the East Riding with Leon Cort and one-time loanee Chris Brown being in the Preston playing ranks along with Ashbee and Wayne Brown.

Ashbee is the most recent arrival of that quartet, having last month brought the curtain down on an eight-and-a-half year stint at Hull that saw the 34-year-old captain the club in all four divisions.

Brown added: “Getting someone in like Ash on a permanent basis was important. He is a man and we need men to get us out of trouble. The KC Stadium is a tough place to go to at the moment, especially as Hull are coming into the game on the back of a 5-1 win on the road at Scunthorpe. But it is a challenge we are certainly looking forward to.”

Once again, this weekend in Hull is likely to be anything but dull.