Fulham Boss Hodgson Wants Europa League Final Postponed

With the Icelandic volancano rearing its ashy head over the weekend Eurpean air travelers are once again experiencing serious delays and restrictions. Fulam skipper Roy Hodgson has asked UEFA to postpone their Europa League final in Hamburg against Athletico Madrid on Wednesday unless the situation improves.

“If Madrid are also in that situation, UEFA should show some transigence, rather than the usual intransigence, and trying to find a solution which helps us both by postponing the game until we both can fly there,” Hodgon told ESPN Soccernet.

The ash cloud hovering over European airspace caused serious travel problems during the semi-final legs of the European Cups. With many blaming poor performances by Liverpool and Barcelona on lengthy travel times. Even if both clubs were to make it to Hamburg on time it would be nearly impossible for away supporters to attend with air travel shut down.

“You would be placing the game with thousands and thousands of English and Spanish fans not able to go, which I would say is another reason for UEFA to reconsider. It would be harsh, especially on a team like ours who have had to do it once already.”

Blackpool and Cardiff take early leads in Championship Playoffs

Charlie Adam’s penalty on the hour mark sealed a first-leg win for Blackpool in their clash with Nottingham Forest. Chris Cohen silenced the home fans with a volley in the 13th minute. But Keith Southern brought the Tangerines level in the 26th minute before Adam’s penalty gave the home side a victory. Forest will be disappointed with giving up an early lead but are only behind a goal.

In the other semi-final Cardiff nicked a 1-0 away victory against Leicester City. Peter Whittingham broke the deadlock 13 minutes from time with a stunning long-range free kick. The Bluebirds created the majority of the chances during the match and Leicester City is lucky to only be trailing 1-0 going into Wednesday’s matchup.

Grant might stay on as manager of Portsmouth

Avram Grant has told Pompey that he would like to remain manager of the embattled club, but only if he can focus on running the team. Constant scrutiny over the clubs finances have made Grant field questions about a host of issues not related to his team’s performance.

“If I can work like a manager of football, and only a manager of football and not like this year, when I needed to be a manager of football and many, many other things,” said Grant. “I don’t know if you know. I was a financial man, I was a lawyer, I was many other things. This I will not do one season more. I don’t think it is a good idea, not for me, not for the club.”

Grant has won admiration from the southern fans by staying at a club that faces questions on whether or not it will survive.

Brown may return as Hull City manager

After being unofficially sacked and replaced by Ian Dowie earlier in the season Phil Brown is still technically the manager of Hull City. Facing a big financial payout to Brown should Hull fire him, the Tigers simply put Brown on administrative leave and brought in Ian Dowie as a “football consultant.” This means that it’s very likely that Brown could be back managing the Tigers in the Championship next season.

Brown is fueling fire to those rumors by refusing to deny them. “I just want it to be honourable. If it’s closure then give me what I’m due and appreciate what I’ve done for the club in the last three and a half years. I’ve never heard of it before [a manager returning after being removed] but nothing in football surprises me,” said Brown.

Dowie managed only one win in eight games at the helm and the Tigers were relegated to the Championship with two games to spare.

In a strange yet understandable move, Hull City Chairman Adam Pearson has removed Phil Brown from his position as manager at the struggling side. It strikes me as strange as Brown has been moved on after an impressive, if limited, performance against Arsenal on Saturday. Removal after the dismal showing against Everton the week previously would have made much more sense.

Pearson, on Radio5 this evening, has claimed that the new manager will be in place and revealed to the world on Thursday morning. Though the rumours sweeping Hull tonight would point to a name to strike fear in to the heart of any fan of football but more of that later. Brown leaves after three and quarter years which have seen unqualified success for the Tigers.

Of course, the last year or so has seen them struggle to retain their Premiership status, but by reaching the top tier for the first time in Hull City’s history and then staying up last season, still ranks as Hull’s brightest moment so far. I always liked the fact that Phil Brown always, always referred to it when questioned about Hull’s current form. Today, even when departing the K.C. Stadium, he still found time to mention it. “Although I am extremely sad to be leaving Hull City, I am very proud of my achievements during my time as manager, especially having led the team into the top flight of football for the first time in the club’s 104-year history and ahead of schedule.”

So Brown leaves and the job isn’t too unattractive, regardless of the position that the Tigers find themselves in. 9 games left and with any 2 teams in the bottom 6 capable of joining the doomed Portsmouth in being relegated to the Premiership. Keep them up and the new man becomes an instant hero, as long as he doesn’t attempt a karaoke on the K.C. Stadium pitch at the end of the match. I don’t think I could stomach that again.

Despite the connotations and the misguided opinion that Hull is not a football town, Hull City is an attractive offer. A super little stadium, excellent facilities and the potential to keep growing with the right level of support and investment. So which exciting and dynamic manager are Hull being strongly linked with? Sit down, you may need a strong drink to cope with this news.

By all accounts, chairman Adam Pearson is favoring giving the job to Gary Megson. Yes, Gary Megson. Hated by every set of fans of every club he’s managed, with the exception of West Bromwich Albion, sacked from five of his last 6 jobs. I have to say, I shook my head when I heard the news. Apparently Pearson was going to give the job to Megson back in 2006, but appointed Brown instead. Can someone explain to me how Megson keeps getting work?

At his last 3 jobs, he’s managed Forest, Leicester and Bolton in 166 games and won 47 of them. An earth shattering win percentage of 28%. Quite how he keeps getting work staggers me. I can’t understand it at all. Yet in the time it took me to write this sentence he apparently can’t take the job due to the terms of his severance package from Bolton Wanderers. I could hear the sigh of relief from Hull City fans over here!

So Pearson has made his move and he will attempt to maneuver someone who can attempt to keep Hull City up. I’ll miss Phil Brown though, I always thought he was refreshing honest, though the media used that against him in some quarters. I’ll miss him turning up on Goals on Sunday wearing a pink sweater draped suggestively over his shoulders, his never diminishing tan and his sartorial elegance on the touchline.

Hull City fans will hope that Megson is unable to join them, because they’re dead in the water if he gets them. Mark Hughes would be an inspired choice if they can get him and he can try an infuse the club with the tenacity that he brought to his time as Wales and Blackburn manager. Come the next couple of days, we’ll know exactly who will be the man charged with saving Hull City. Who do you think Hull City should appoint?

Things are very rarely simple at the K.C. Stadium, not while Phil Brown is there. Back in January, he raised eyebrows when he paid £5 million for the effervescent Fulham midfielder Jimmy Bullard. Not that there is any doubting the quality that Bullard offers, but that a player who had suffered so much from a bad run of injuries could be worth such a punt for a team that were in free fall at the time.

Bullard has been the most under rated midfielder in the Premiership since he arrived with Wigan Athletic for the 2005-2006 season. Gasps were heard when Capello called him into the England squad for the matches against Andorra and Croatia, but it was no real surprise to any one who looked further than the big four for footballing kudos. Capello knows exactly what this bubbly, infectious player can offer your team.

Brown quite rightly realised that if he had a player of Bullard’s quality at Hull City, then regardless of the misfiring front line, the Tigers would be harder to beat and have a player who can drag and drive a team on to victory. Of course, much was made of Bullard’s dodgy knee, especially when it went in his debut for the Tigers, but Brown has wrapped him in cotton wool since that incident and the benefits can finally begin to be seen in the Tigers recent performances.The magic hands of Dr. Richard Steadman seem to have once again worked a surgical miracle on another damaged knee in the Premiership.

Bullards career is one of those true life stories of a lad who failed to make the grade in his teens and fell in to non league football, before signing for his boyhood idols. The difference with Bullard is, that he managed to climb back twice. West Ham United signed him in 1999, but released him on free transfer two years later and Peterborough United picked him up. Under the tutelage of renowned diamond polisher, Barry Fry, Bullard once again climbed up the league ladder after joining Wigan Athletic, then Fulham.

If their is one characteristic that Bullard has in spades, it is determination. To seize a chance on the second time of asking is almost immeasurable, but add nearly a two year lay off through knee injuries and you see the size of his grit. He is a player that needs to be involved, to be the fulcrum of a side that needs a bit of quality and fight adding to it.He never gives up, never stops running, spray’s passes all over the place, he oozes quality.

Hull City already look a better side with Bullard now cemented in the heart of the Tigers midfield. He knows he owes Phil Brown for taking a risk that ultimately may have blown up in both their faces and that will benefit both player and manager. Bullard has been to the top and fallen down the ladder once. When that happens, you try everything in your power to avoid the same fate occurring.

With a World Cup at the end of this season, occasionally someone breaks in to the squad or gets picked against the grain such as Gazza in 1990 or Owen in 1998.  Or a squad player gets an opportunity to fill in for a more illustrious player and seizes that chance with both hands, such as Trevor Steven and Paul Parker in 1990. England will probably take 8 midfielders to the World Cup next summer and right now 5 of those places are up for grabs.

Of that only Barry, Lampard and Gerrard will probably be definitely in at this precise moment, with Lennon and Wright-Phillips vying for the right wing but one of Capello’s strengths is that he judges the player on their ability, not the postcode of the team they play for. Bullard could earn the right to go to South Africa next June if he can continue to show the qualities he injected in to Hull City’s side so quickly this season.

Hull City Chairman Paul Duffen has ridden to the defence of his beleaguered, battered and bruised manager after another capitulation on Saturday saw Hull brushed aside 6-1 at Anfield. 7 games into the season and Hull City have just 4 points, with a solitary win against Bolton and a point gained away at Wolverhampton Wanderers.  Since the turn of the year, Hull have now played 24 Premiership games, winning just two, and losing 17.

Now that’s not relegation form, that’s dead and buried form. 11 points from a possible 72 is an astounding return and one that beggars belief. Already this season they’ve conceded more than 4 goals in three different matches and that for me sets alarm bells ringing. I’m completely at a loss as to how Brown can address this dreadful run of form. It’s not the worst Premiership record, as recent history will testify with Derby County’s year of hell probably cemented in the record books for some time to come, but surely someone at Hull City must be worried.

Now, I’m still surprised as to how far Phil Browns star has faded since the Tigers burst on to the Premiership scene last year. People seem to be enjoying Hull getting mauled every week so they get to see Browns saddened face after every match. I’m not one of them, I actually really feel for Brown and the Hull fans. When you’re facing what appears such an insurmountable task, even little hiccups seem like mountains in the black light of football induced depression.

It makes you face every game with a level of pessimism that even the Grim Reaper may think a tad depressing. Going to a match begins to resemble spending two hours on death row, where even the prospect of contracting the black death seems preferable to watching your team get stuffed once again.

Fair play to Hull City’s chairman, he stopped short of giving the dreaded vote of confidence, but even Brown must realise something has to give eventually. I’m certainly not advocating any manager getting sacked, especially one that has taken a club to a level they have never been to before but sometimes you have to hold your hands up, say enough is enough and walk away. The chairman’s statement included one of those comments were you think Hmmmmm.

“Only a few points separate us from the middle of the league, and I am really pleased with the signs I see developing in the squad” Now it’s easy to be churlish about a Chairman when he comes out with a statement like that. Is it damage limitation? Is it spin? Is it delusion? Or is it a manager receiving a level of support that should be applauded.Duffen knows that Hull City are in the Premiership more or less due to Brown’s skills as a manager.

All the additional revenue, coverage and publicity is down to a manager taking an unfancied team in to the Premiership. Moments like this don’t come around very often and after 104 years of trying, you tend to give the man who got you there a little more support than perhaps other club chairman may do. Bigger clubs than Hull City have treated better managers worse than the support Phil Brown is currently getting.

Hull are about to embark on a run of six games that will show everyone exactly where Hull City are in the scheme of things. A run of 4 home games against Wigan Athletic, Portsmouth, Stoke City and West Ham United book ending away games at Fulham and Burnley will offer us an exact dissection of Hull City in the scheme of things. Once that run is over, things may look a whole lot rosier than they currently do at the K.C. Stadium. I just hope Phil Brown doesn’t get the karaoke machine out!

Looking at the predictions that are currently flooding the world of Premiership football, two teams are entrenched in a dogfight for who will finish bottom. No-one, but no-one thinks both Hull City or Burnley will stay up. One if not both of them, in the eyes of everyone think they’re dead and buried before a ball is kicked.

I have to say, I’m more concerned about Hull staying up than Burnley. The run that they embarked upon from the win against Middlesbrough on December 6th was frightening. 9 points from 22 games was relegation form, no doubt about it, but thankfully Newcastle, Boro and West Brom were worse. Yet were Hull that bad? Only 3 teams put more than 2 goals past them during the last 22 games, Arsenal, Liverpool and Middlesbrough and lost 9 games by just one goal.

That cries out that all the Tigers needed was a consistent goalscorer, someone who could nick a goal off a shin, a backside or a deflection. Phil Brown has made no secret of his desire to add to the firepower at his disposal, but saw moves for Michael Owen, Bobby Zamora, Frazier Campbell and Marlon Harewood fail. In the last week though, he seems to have had more luck in his attempts and he’s taken the promising American striker Jozy Altidore on loan and is close to signing former Wigan striker Henri Camara.

Ideally though, looking at the Tigers front line, even with the two additions, looks still weak. Cousin, Fagan, Garcia, Folan and Kendall don’t seem to have the prowess between them to win matches. Why are Hull struggling to bring the required players to the club? The loss of Craig Fagan after Danny Guthrie’s cowardly tackle broke his leg was a big loss. Fagan’s pace can cause most teams problems, but that alone won’t keep them up. Geovanni has the skill and guile, but lacks the consistency. He needs to show more for the cause for longer. The attempts to sign Ross McCormack from Cardiff City seem to have stalled, the clubs a couple of million apart in their valuations. McCormack was immense for the Bluebirds on Saturday and City will be loath to lose him.

Of course in addition to the striker issues, Hull now face the fact that Liverpool have begun to unsettle Michael Turner in their usual way. Once again Benitez has begun to court a player in the media before making a bid, so no doubt Turner’s head will be turned. Most players would be delighted to play for Liverpool, so it would seem a matter of when Turner leaves. That would be a big blow for Brown’s men, but with Benitez claiming that he now has very little to spend, Hull need to try and get the price they want.

Strikers are always a premium in football, but surely it can’t be this hard to recruit one? Perhaps the solution to Browns issue is a quick one hour drive westwards on the M62 to Leeds. Would risking £3-£4 million on Jermaine Beckford at Leeds United be such a risk for the Tigers? 56 goals in less than 100 games for Leeds shouldn’t be sniffed at, regardless that he plays in League One. He doesn’t have to up root to Hull, living within easy distance of the K.C. Stadium and it surprise me that Brown hasn’t gone after him. He scored two on Saturday, both pure predatory goals, something Hull miss.

Sometimes you have to cut your cloth accordingly and sometimes the obvious solution can be staring you in the face and you miss it.To preserve Hull’s Premiership status, Beckford could be a hugely important signing. Worst case scenario, Beckford signs for Hull and they go down. Then they have the perfect striker to score the goals to fire them back to the Premiership. Take a risk Phil, what’s £4 million when a £50 million carrot is waiting for them once again if they stay up.

Who will feel the effect most if they relegated to the Championship?

With West Bromwich Albion’s fate sealed last week we can now prepare ourselves for a dramatic conclusion to the Premier League season on Sunday. The neutral (including yours truly) will relish it and will want to see as many twists and turns as possible. Anyone supporters involved will have struggled to sleep for a week.

We all have our own predictions as to who will go down and what the sequence of results to will be. What I wondered is what effect will relegation have on the clubs involved.

West Bromwich Albion – 31 points (already relegated)

Even the most biased of Baggies supporters could not have been surprised about the clubs fate this season. However there seems relatively little for the Hawthorns club to worry about. Brom perenially spend within their limits upon promotion and Tony Mowbray has followed similiar traits. Signings that broke the £1 Million mark included: Scott Carson (£3.5 million), Marek Cech (£1.4 million) ,Luke moore (£3 million), Zuiverloon (3.2 million) , Valero (4.7 million), Aboulaye Meitie (£2 million) and Roman bednar at  £2.3 million.

Not taking into account players that left that Hawthorns, the Throstles have forked out around £20 million. No doubt a  few of the above will leave to recoup some of this. It is also likely that some contracts will include a drop in wages upon relegation ,West Brom should be relatively comfortble providing they spend their parachute monies wisely next season and offload a few big-earners.

Middlesbrough – 32 points

Although ‘Boro are technically £85 million in debt, the vast majority is owed to chairman Steve Gibson – which is the equivalent of owing your Dad 200 quid. Conisdering Gibson’s patience with Gareth Southgate it seems highly unlikey he will let the club suffer. However should ‘Boro suffer the drop (and it seems likely they will) they will have to get wheeling and dealing quickly. One of the first names out of the door will be Alfonso Alves, who was signed for a fee rumoured to be £12.7 million and one shudders to think what kind of wages the Brazillian is on at the Riverside. After breaking his foot against in the relegation six-pointer against Newcastle and a poor goals return for the club, ‘Boro may have to brace themselves for a big financial loss. The other big name out of the door, and the one Middlesbrough will miss most from an on-field perspective is Stewart Downing. A host of clubs will have relished the prospect of Boro’s demise in order to sign Downing and it is thought that Spurs will lead the chase after keeping tabs on the winger for considerable time. Boro will be hoping for auction fever from rival clubs in order to raise as much cash as possible. It will come as no surprise that Tuncay and David Wheater will also raise the eyebrow for a host of clubs, with Robert Huth also likely to be the subject of some interest.

Should Middlesborough fail to survive, the winds of change are likely to blow through this cold part of the country including the possibility of a new manager.  With numerous players likely to leave and taking into account the squads lack of experience, ’Boro may well have to be happy with a season of stability next season rather than a promotion charge.

Newcastle – 34 Points

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. There may have been talks of a conspiracy theory in regard to the strength of Manchester United’s team selection at Hull. But based on perfomances alone, Newcastle are where they deserve to be. If Newcastle are relegated we will witness a real exodus from St James Park, which in turn demonstrates the extent of the problems the Magpies will face. The list of players likely to leave include: Michael Owen, Mark Viduka, Obamfemi Martins, Damien Duff, Alan Smith, Nicky Butt, Jose Enrique, Geremi, Gutierrez and possibly Steven Taylor. If things continue in the trational ways of the Tyneside soap-opera then you wouldn’t rule out yet further changes at either boardroom or management level. Chairman Mike Ashley has been ostracised from the club before and if he cannot either persuade Shearer to take the job permanently and/or the Toon don’t get off to a flyer in the championship he knows showing his face in the Sir John Hall stand would be a tad unwise.

Newcastle will have to do their best to wheel and deal as early as possible in order to get the new players to gel as a unit early in the forthcoming season. The first thing they need to do is oust Joe Kinnear from his role, he isn’t physically fit to do job, and if the club are indeed relegated the job starts the minute the final whistle is sounded on Sunday. Although sacking managers isn’t a sign of stability, do any of us genuinely think that Kinnear would stay in the job until the end of next season – fit or not? With expectations and pressure form the fans likley to be huge and the club not in the best of health financially, relegation would hit United very, very hard.

Hull City - 35 Points

And to think the start Hull City had. The Tigers are clawing on for dear life in the Premier League and require one last roar this Sunday to ensure survival. Hull are likely to face a considerably weakened Manchester United team on Sunday which may give them half a chance of stealing a point. Whether any of that will come to fruition is another matter. Should Hull find themselves with an instant return to the Championship you would feel that financially the club will not suffer to the degree some of their rivals will. City were desperately unlucky to lose Jimmy Bullard so quickly after his £5 million move from Fulham and could find him leaving the club sooner rather than later at a cut-price fee.  Bernard Mendy and Andy Dawson will also have attracted some attention, Giovvani’s early season exploits may tempt a rival club into a gamble. Hull however – are sound financially, have a good boardroom and a good manager in Phil Brown. Providing they can keep the nucleus of the squad together City should be stable and will look to try and bounce back at the first attempt.

Sunderland – 36  Points

The fans and players alike pleaded for the board to give Ricky Sbragia the managers job on a permanent basis, the phrase ‘be careful what you wish for’ now springs to mind. Should Sunderland fail to beat Chelsea in Guus Hiddink’s last league game in charge, the Mackems may need another black cat in the dressing room for luck. The club would appear financially sound given the money they have spent in the last few seasons however I would still expect a few to leave. Sunderland shouldn’t really be in this trouble given what they have spent over the last couple of seasons. If the club are confined to the Championship, it is likely they will look to offload the wages of Steed Malbranque and Craig Gordon. I cannot see Kenwyne Jones staying at the Stadium of Light, particularly with Tottenham knocking on Niall Quinn’s door. Kieran Richardson and Anton Ferdinand will attract offers and no doubt the pair pick up a fair size wage packet each too. This being said, Ellis short is now linked to a buy out of the club followed by a change of manager and a £200 million transfer kitty – if Sunderland stay up and we are to beleive the tabloids.

This is the second in a series of relegation assessments.  For a similar look at Bolton Wanderers.  Check here.

Hull City surprised everyone at the start of the season, winning six of their first nine, knocking off an over-confident Arsenal. The club lost composure. Phil Brown lost his sweet goatee, and perhaps his sanity. Hull won just two of their next 21 games, drifting from a solid European challenge to treading above the relegation zone. They currently set in thirteenth place, a mere four points over the drop.

Form: Hull have done nothing recently to suggest a resurgence. They have won just one of their last eight, and lost four. Shoring up their defense slightly may inject a bit of optimism, though, as the most generous side in the league (52 goals allowed), a 5-0 defeat seems perpetually possible. Hull may stay, but probably not because of a massive fortune turn.

Schedule: Hull’s schedule has difficult tests, though there are points available. The Tigers host both Liverpool and Manchester United, but have softer ties against Portsmouth and Stoke City. Hull also travel to fellow strugglers Middlesbrough and Sunderland. They also play Bolton and Aston Villa. A couple good results, particularly at the expense of clubs such as Middlesbrough and Sunderland could do a great deal to keep them up.

Injuries: Injuries have hurt Sunderland in midfield. George Boateng and Jimmy Bullard are the exact type of experienced, steady midfielders Hull needs to keep the ship upright. Unfortunately both are crocked. Boateng may be back by the end of April, but January-signing Bullard is out for the season. It’s difficult to replicate that type of presence.

Prognosis: Hull City should stay up. They have had an atrocious run of form. If they replicate that in the last eight matches, that would put them on 39 points, giving them a good chance at staying in the Premier League. Their first start and subsequent fall affect perceptions, but being in the position to stay up is an incredible feat, given their squad and pre-season expectations.

In light of the news of Phil Brown “attacking” Geovanni, many football fans are wondering, when did it go wrong for Hull?

As the season started, fans and pundits alike were raving about the breath of fresh air he brought to the Premiership. Bucking the trend for promoted sides, his team attacked and results followed. Play the big boys? No problem. His side played fearlessly and took some significant scalps along the way. Sure, there was a big loss or two in the mix, but the positive results outweighed the negative. Hull City FC, and Phil Brown in particular, were the darlings of English football.

In interviews, Brown was a media star. The Hull manager was always willing to work with various press outlets and in a world where packaged clichés and “no comment” are the norm, his affable nature and straight answers were a revelation. Brown was, hands down, the nicest man in top-flight football. Everyone became a Phil Brown fan overnight.

The selfish git had us all fooled.

Without a doubt, the most noteworthy moment in this year’s Premiership was Brown’s infamous halftime rant at his players, forcing them to sit in front of the travelling fans while he tore into them. As it happened, Brown’s stock rose higher and higher with football fans who felt it was about time some high paid, out-of-touch players took a proper tongue-lashing and weren’t shamelessly protected by the boss. But while Brown’s “fan credibility” rose, his self-serving antics lost the respect of his players, and the results since have gone from bad to worse.

A club like Hull survives on character. It is essential that everyone is working for the greater good. Even with all players pulling in the same direction, there is no guarantee of success for a little club like Hull. Nevertheless, the sense of camaraderie and willingness to sacrifice the self for the collective good earned them 30 points in the first 18 games. Included in those points were a heady win against Arsenal at the Emirates, a few more kicks in the ribs of a down and out Spurs side at White Hart Lane, a good win against West Ham, and a comprehensive thumping of fellow promoted side West Bromwich Albion. Not included in the 30 points was a spirited comeback against Manchester United that left the once and future Champions shaking their heads, thankful the game isn’t 95 minutes long. As it stands, it took until last week for the rest of the league to score as many goals against the Red Devils as Hull scored, at Old Trafford no less, on November 1.

When Phil Brown sat his players down on the pitch and gave them the headmaster ritual, he was distancing himself from the carnage of a 4-0 first half. He was putting himself before the players. He was betraying the trust of his men to look good in front of the club’s fans. He was setting a precedent that public displays from Hull City was acceptable, and Geovanni took the bait. He was throwing away the rest of the season for Hull City FC.

Regardless of how much you make, and how pampered your lifestyle, nobody appreciates embarrassment. It is a poor motivator; for some it destroys confidence, for others, it builds resentment. Nobody “rises to the challenge” as Brown had claimed he anticipated.

Don’t be mistaken; players definitely get the hairdryer treatment from their managers. Truth be told, they get it more often than fans realise, and most times they are deserving recipients of a paint-peeling lecture. All the greats had uncompromising standards and accepted nothing less. But they did the dirty work behind closed doors.

Take a look at the tactics of some of the modern model managers to see a blueprint for successful man management. Arsene Wenger’s eyesight is incredibly selective, never ever seeing anything the least bit controversial performed by a player in red. He never speaks poorly of his players, even after enduring the ordeals of Tony Adams, Paul Merson, and the very public histrionics of Ashley Cole. Especially with his current crop of not-ready-for-prime-time-players, at no time has the stoic Frenchman thrown them under the bus.

Watch an interview with Sir Alex Ferguson, and he’s more likely to tell the reporters “Yous are f*****g idiots” than agree that one of his players was off form. He stands by his players through the tough times – think of Cantona’s Kung-Fu kick, Keane’s Haaland stomp and Ferdinand’s drugs test misadventure – because enduring misery together is vital to earning success. Don’t think for a second that those players got off as lightly behind closed doors as they did in Fergie’s interviews, but the bottom line is this: you can’t ask players to run through walls for you unless you prove to them you’re worth it.

Conversely, the first time things were not going to plan at Hull (a poor first half no less), Phil Brown lost the plot and publically humiliated his players. He claimed he was looking for a lift – a way to get a bug in their ears and remind them about the fans who spent a cold, miserable Boxing Day travelling to Manchester to watch a poor performance. In fact, he was letting each and every one of those fans know that it wasn’t his fault and they could hang the blame at the feet of the players, not him.

If this was about “making a statement” what was the point? At 4-0, the game was a foregone conclusion. As far as making an impression goes, Brown certainly left one on his players. So much so that they’ve managed to gain all of one point in the nine matches since the infamous rant. In the process, the club have tumbled down the standings and are now a hot tip for relegation.

When wondering where it all went wrong for Hull City, look no further than Phil Brown’s self-serving Boxing Day rant. That’s when Hull got knocked out of the Premiership.

The two big stories this weekend not related to Manchester United’s getting the first leg of the quadruple would have to be events that transpired at the Riverside and at the Emirates Stadium.

We’ll start with Liverpool because after such a great result midweek against Real Madrid, their loss at the Riverside defied belief. And the papers were quick to fill column inches with their own post match thoughts. Sam Wallace compares the Liverpool situation to that of Nigel Clough’s power struggle at Derby County. Personally I don’t see that much of a comparison as Rafa and Hicks for the moment appear to have formed a loose partnership. Piers Morgan heads down the character assassination route calling Rafa the most arrogant manager in the history of the Premier League. That’s just harsh. Patrick Barclay sneaks the line in his column about Rick Parry that Rafa is the one who has to answer for the results, not Parry himself. Don’t expect that anytime soon. This Independent column pretty much states what Rafa is confirming Sunday, the title race is all over.

It’s almost become a recording at the Emirates, a Premier League nil draw. The results are something that just baffle any mind and after the result against Roma midweek, you would think confidence would have reigned supreme against Fulham. However after Saturday’s result, all Wenger could come up with is “Maybe is is partly psychological. We are getting in good positions but not taking the chances.”

Maybe? Is that the best you could come up with? At this point it is completely psychological. When week in and week out your side can’t finish in front of goal, it becomes a mental thing. Wenger can praise your keeper all you want, and keep the faith in Arsenal’s stars, but you simply have to motivate your players to get goals. That is simply something Wenger hasn’t been able to do. Maybe Theo Walcott’s return to training can be the boost that Arsenal sorely need.

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The other big result this weekend was Aston Villa blowing a two goal lead to Stoke City at home. That didn’t stop Tony Pulis hoping pre-match that Villa finished in the top four. Post match it was Martin O’Neill not happy at the arrogant and over confident nature Villa had after going two goals up.

In other Villa news, Martin O’Neill has responded to disgruntled Villa fans who decided to fly out to Moscow just to see the Aston Villa ‘c’ side lose to CSKA Moscow. His offer, dinner with himself and the players. I guess that works, but I was thinking more a reimbursement check for expenses after having to endure that game.

The cracks are starting to show at the KC Stadium. After Geovanni’s ridiculous antics after being subbed, Phil Brown gave him the verbal hair dryer treatment. I expect that one to get much more heated before it cools off.

Speaking of hair dryer treatments, Rio Ferdinand is still sacred of Sir Alex’s.

Tony Mowbray continues to say he will not stand down from his footballing philosophy. That’s even after another defeat.

Bolton fans probably aren’t happy after Gary Megson has agreed to a new rolling contract at the Reebok Stadium.

Florent Malouda says the lack of first team action could cause him to consider his Chelsea future. I say take a hike. You were a good player for France, but the English game is not your brand of football.

And finally, if the News of the World is to be believed (and I normally don’t unless they have the video to prove it), Manchester United is going to throw 200,000 a week at Cristiano Ronaldo to stay.

Just one more thing before I go. Has anyone noticed how many clubs are now within three points of the drop?

I’m happy Guus is not as thrilled about Chelsea’s 1-0 win as I am.

A bit of a side bar before I get into the news tonight. Chelsea are extremely lucky they are a goal to the good heading into their Champions League second leg. For starters, I don’t believe Didier Drogba’s goal should have counted. Frank Lampard was actively offside, and when Drogba and Lampard are both teeing up to shoot, sorry the referee has to throw the flag up.

Then there are the two obvious penalties that should have been called on both Petr Cech and Michael Ballack. Then the icing on the cake, the man in the middle completely blows the last kick of the game. Alex did get the last touch and the referee didn’t seem to care.

Guus Hiddink has every right to not be happy with Chelsea’s performance Wednesday night against Juventus. Yes the first half went by fine, but Chelsea mentally checked out in the second half. Guus was the first to admit that. He isn’t satisfied with a one goal advantage heading into the second leg, but that’s understandable knowing the task at hand heading to Italy. Being complacent on an away European night could result in their ultimate undoing.

If preparing for Real Madrid wasn’t enough, having reports over your head about your job added to the difficult task Rafa had in front of him Wednesday night. The first denials about Rafa leaving hit my RSS feeder at 9:34 Wednesday morning, but nothing concrete from the ownership at Anfield.

Liverpool will be happy with their 1-0 victory. For starters they got that cliched away goal and got a road shut out. That is Rafa Benitez at his best. Every time Rafa has been under the gun, an European night has always given him comfort. Even his post match press conference was a happy place as he committed his future to Liverpool. We’ll see come this summer.

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For those wondering, Middlesbrough are in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup after a 2-0 win over West Ham United. Now Gareth, can you get that result in league play?

And Phil Brown is hoping that an FA Cup win Thursday night will kick start Hull City’s dead form.

More FA Cup talk as Roy Hodgson is warning Manchester United that Fulham won’t be laying down. The problem is, it’s Manchester United. Even if you don’t lay down you may end up rolled over.

So Kolo Toure didn’t know the rule about not coming onto the pitch until the referee said so once play resumed? Along with a new ritual, maybe a look at the laws of the game wouldn’t hurt.

Martin O’Neill has added his two cents into the artificial pitch debate. Of course he had to use the Champions League Final jab in his comments.

So another Premier League player has been arrested. This time it was Stoke City’s Ricardo Fuller. What driving offense (or offenses) could it take to be brought in for questioning.

And finally, Tony Mowbray intends to use loan signing Juan Carlos Menseguez as a super sub for that extra spark off the bench. West Brom could use one from the start as well.