Phil Brown on brink of Hull exit

Phil Brown was on the brink of being forced out at Hull last night as Adam Pearson appeared to be headed back to the KC Stadium.

Brown was left sweating on his position after a nightmare day that began with the Tigers facing financial ruin if they go down and ended with Pearson dramatically quitting as Derby chairman.

Pearson still has a financial involvement in Derby but is reported to want to return to Hull to replace Paul Duffen as chairman.

Duffen is Brown's staunchest ally in the Hull boardroom and his removal from the day-to-day running of the club will weaken his grip on the manager's job.

Duffen and Brown have had meetings with Hull's financial rulers this week and all seemed clear as they planned for the future.

But a change of regime and the return of Pearson would change that overnight.

It was business as usual at Hull yesterday but a whispering campaign grew during the day - fuelled by former player Dean Windass claiming Brown should go.

Bookmakers stopped taking bets on Brown leaving and even set up a book with Alan Curbishley as favourite to succeed him. He has ties with the club's Essex-based owners.

But the return of Pearson could also pave the way for a managerial comeback for Paul Jewell.

Pearson still has a five per cent stake in Derby but that would not stop him working elsewhere.

Hull's accountants painted a bleak picture if the club was relegated when their accounts were eventually released yesterday, claiming they may not be able to sustain life in the Championship.

The Essex property company that owns the club could be open to a sale in those circumstances.

The club last night issued a statement saying Brown had not been sacked.

He will be in charge for Saturday's relegation clash with Burnley at Turf Moor, but has received no assurances beyond that.

Ironically, Pearson, who guided the club from League Two to the Championship, appointed Brown as full-time manager in January 2007 before leaving seven months later when he sold the club to the consortium of Duffen, Russell Bartlett and Martin Walker.

However it remains to be seen how long he will stick with Brown following a miserable run of just four wins from 39 Premier League games.

After surviving by a single point last season, Hull are in the bottom three with just eight points.

Brown, 50, is facing calls from some fans to go and during Saturday's no-score bore against Portsmouth supporters taunted him with chants of "you don't know what you're doing".