Jimmy Bullard return has sparked Hull revival, says Phil Brown

Phil Brown has faced some “dark hours“ at Hull this season, but is emerging with “renewed confidence“ that his club is on the up again.

The under-fire manager’s next hurdle is a game against Everton tonight, the team which plunged the Tigers into a crisis in September when they won 4-0 at the KC Stadium in the Carling Cup.

That was followed by a 6-1 defeat at Liverpool and two months of intense pressure on his job that reached a climax when new chairman Adam Pearson arrived a fortnight ago.

Since then, however, Hull have scored five in two games - beating Stoke and drawing with West Ham -  coinciding with the return of live-wire midfielder Jimmy Bullard, and climbing out of the bottom three.

Brown has heeded Pearson’s wish for more humility at the club and been given his chairman’s backing for now.

Veteran midfielder Nicky Barmby weighed into the debate over Brown’s future yesterday and admitted his boss has given his squad a “kick up the backside“ and that everyone had “raised the bar“. He added the criticism Brown has faced has been “harsh.”

Barmby said: “I think the people of Hull still respect what he has done for this football club. The manager knows that when results don’t go right, especially in the Premier League, that there will be stick. But he’s ridden it well and will be better for it. Some managers don’t protect their players like he has done with us.

“Sometimes we need a kick up the arse, all of us, but we’ve always remained behind him.
We’ve shown we want to play for the club and play for the manager.”

Brown knows he is not in the clear yet, but said: “The whole team feels more comfortable now, but it’s not just about me.

“The game of football looks different when your team is performing and we’ve done that in the last three games, even though we didn’t get the result at Burnley.

“Whenever a manager is walking out at the KC Stadium with a side that looks like they’re confident and willing to put their best foot forward, everyone feels more comfortable.

“We lost heavily to Everton but there were positives to take even from that dark hour. But that game will have no relevance to this one.

“We are not getting beyond ourselves, but not getting behind ourselves either. We’re realists and we understand the situation of competing in a tough division.

“People make reference to the result being everything but we’re more into the performance of the players and I think that’s improved since three or four weeks ago.

“We got a performance without the result at Burnley and then got a result with the performance against Stoke. Then a renewed confidence comes back and, at 2-0 down against West Ham, a lot of teams would have gone under.

“We collectively showed a lot of spirit to come back and surprise a lot of people at the weekend. The quality and the spirit is all down to the players.”

Brown’s quest has been boosted by Bullard’s return after a knee injury suffered days after signing last January. He has sparked an attacking impetus in Hull that was lacking as the team slumped in September and October.

Brown added: “Whenever your best players are available to you, it dictates your style of play. I want to be known as a hard-working side that can play football, simple as that.

“I’ve not been surprised by how he’s performed but I’ve been fascinated, been astounded that he’s finished both games. I wouldn’t say another two 90 minutes would necessarily be beyond him. The rest and recuperation period we give him will be key.

“You can’t wonder what might have been if he had been fit last season. You can’t worry about what never happened.”

Barmby says Bullard has been an inspiration. “He’s been a big lift for us. But everyone has raised the bar. Jimmy is a fantastic footballer.”.