Tactical genius, karaoke singing and top fashion tips: The madness of Phil Brown

By Mirror Football in Mirror Football Blog

Published 10:57 15/03/10

So the axe has finally come for Phil Brown. The perma-tanned, headset wearing, karaoke enthusiast has been shown the door by Hull City, and then told to get the hell out of it.

Phil Brown sacked by Hull - exclusive

So long Phil, it's been a blast - largely because of your often baffling, sometimes bizarre and always entertaining antics.

In true Big Brother style, MirrorFootball presents Phil Brown's best bits...

10) Phil Brown tactical genius
After Hull were battered 6-1 by Liverpool at Anfield in September, reporters had to stifle giggles when Phil gave his post-match interview and claimed everything had gone to plan.

With a straight face he said: “I got the boys in on Sunday to analyse and dissect what went on on Saturday. The most important thing was that I knew the gameplan was right. I watched very closely Fiorentina do exactly the same gameplan and it paid off.”

9) Phil Brown tactical genius (Part II)
You haven't won a match away from home all season, you're set for one of your most difficult games of the season: Liverpool at Anfield, and you'll be facing arguably the best striker in the world in Fernando Torres.

What is your strategic masterplan to nullify the Spaniard goal-machine? Yes, hand a Premier League debut to 18-year-old centre back Liam Cooper and tell him to mark Torres. Brilliant.

8) Brown vs Cesc Fabregas
After losing an FA Cup quarter final 2-1 against Arsenal at the Emirates, Brown gave an explosive post match interview in which he first accused the referee of "turning against us" before claiming he had seen Cesc Febregas spit at his assistant manager Brian Horton. The Gunners captain was later cleared of any wrongdoing by the FA.

7) Phil Brown the philosopher
Zen-like Phil Brown is obviously something of an amateur philosopher as well, if this quote is anything to go by. “Any regrets? Loads. But I don’t drink pints of hindsight, I drink pints of Guinness.”

6) Phil Brown's fashion tips
Gok Wan watch out! Looking like a reject from a Daniel O'Donnell look-a-like contest, Phil turned up on Sky's Goals on Sunday sporting a charming pink sweater draped over his shoulders. The sports casual look is so 1996 Phil...

5) Madonna headset
As if standing on the touchline looking like he's been Tango'd isn't enough, Brown compounds his 'look' by wearing a ridiculous Madonna-style headset/mouthpiece arrangement.

Quite who he is talking to is not clear given that his players are all on the pitch and his staff are all sat about a yard behind him on the bench. Perhaps he is doing his Samaritans shift...

4) Phil Brown school of motivation
Concerned about his players' lack of form this season, barmy Phil responded by cracking down on life at the training ground. He took their darts away along with the plug to the coffee machine, on which he left note saying "Out of Order", to which "bang" was quickly added by one dressing room wag.

Most bizarrely of all he even banned the players from eating in the club canteen, forcing them all to troop down to the nearest petrol station to buy sandwiches.

3) SuperPhil
When he's not leading his daily life as a mild-mannered football manager, it seems Phil also moonlights as a super hero - or at least claims he does, thereby breaking the first rule of super heroes everywhere.

Earlier this season he claimed he had talked a woman out of jumping off the Humber Bridge when he had been out walking with the Hull squad . Remarkable stuff. Unaccountably, none of the Hull players who were there remember seeing any woman, and the Humber Bridge Board were also unaware of the incident.

2) Karaoke
Hull's form last season was like a match in which they scored a couple of early goals and then held on for dear life while the opposition battered them but were unable to score.

They only stayed up on the last day of the season after Newcastle self-destructed but emboldened by his success by default, Phil Brown took to the pitch at the KC Stadium - after losing 1-0 to Manchester United in their final game - grabbed the microphone and belted out a cringe-inducing version of Sloop John B.

1) The infamous on-pitch team talk
With Hull 4-0 down by half time away at Manchester City, Brown led his players across to the corner of the stadium where the Tigers fans were sitting, before giving his half-time team talk to his stunned players right there on the pitch.

"It was nice and cold and it needed to be to keep the players alive, because they looked half-dead," said Brown. "I thought our fans deserved some explanation for that first-half display and I couldn't do that in the confines of the dressing room. They lost the match 5-1, and the bizarre move was the inspiration for Jimmy Bullard's goal celebration at Eastlands. Genius.

And before you go, here's Jeff Stelling and the boys from Sky picking on poor old Phil. Enjoy...