Source: Daily_Mail
Hull City 1 Blackburn 2: Brown faces his biggest test after horror show
A potentially crucial home defeat against relegation rivals, a humiliating bust-up with one of his best players and Dean Marney's straight red card for kicking Morten Gamst Pedersen in the delicates: it's fair to say Phil Brown has had better days.
Sam Allardyce guided Brown during the early stages of his coaching career at Blackpool and Bolton and it is unlikely he will have taken any pleasure from witnessing such an uncomfortable afternoon for his protégé.
Stephen Warnock (centre) and Keith Andrews (right) both got on the scoresheet as Blackburn overcame Hull City
But the Blackburn boss is fighting his own battle against the drop and will have had no room for sentiment as he took three increasingly valuable points back to Lancashire.
Stephen Warnock was Rovers' hero, scoring his side's first goal in the 34th minute and then setting up Keith Andrews less than two minutes later to give the visitors a lead that Hull never looked capable of overturning.
Hull City v Blackburn: How the action unfolded
Blackburn boss Allardyce and Hull manager Brown swap tears for fears
Allardyce said: 'The Middlesbrough result on Saturday put a little bit more pressure on us all today.
'Thankfully Stephen's goal gave us the confidence to go on and we scored again with probably the best move of the game.
'We always looked comfortable from then on and we defended tremendously well throughout. We had to dig this one out and we did that very well.'
Things are not so rosy for his opposite number. Brown must now try to resurrect the form of a team who have won just once in their last 18 Barclays Premier League outings and placate Hull's furious fans who let rip when Geovanni was hauled off early in the second half to be replaced by Nick Barmby.
Hull boss Phil Brown (left) and Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce are good friends from their time at Bolton
The Brazilian forward stood stunned when his number flashed up while the KC Stadium erupted in a chorus of boos and jeers at Brown's decision.
Perhaps emboldened by the crowd's reaction, or perhaps just infuriated, Geovanni stormed off and refused to acknowledge his boss as he stomped into the dug-out.
'He will never do that to me again,' warned Brown. 'Geovanni is not bigger than this football club. It's as simple as that. He wasn't having a positive impact on the game.
'I thought the match-winner on Thursday night was Nicky Barmby and I thought it was an opportunity for him to come on in the same position.'
On the club's wider situation, Brown added: 'This is now the biggest test in my career and it probably is for the rest of the squad.'
Warnock opened the scoring when Pedersen's deflected shot squirmed out of Matt Duke's grasp under pressure from Roque Santa Cruz, leaving the Blackburn defender free to slide in his third goal of the season.
And two minutes later Pedersen's flick sent Warnock driving into the penalty area. His square ball across the six-yard box was too inviting for Andrews to miss and he added to his former club's woes with a straight-forward finish from five yards out.
Blackburn Rovers midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen was sent off late on
Blackburn keeper Paul Robinson was clattered by Michael Turner just before the interval and left the field gingerly at half-time after receiving treatment.
It proved a serious enough injury to prevent him returning and Jason Brown duly took his place. Andy Dawson was booked for a foul on Diouf on the edge of the area but the Senegal forward also earned a yellow card for claiming he should have had a penalty. Allardyce decided to withdraw Diouf for his own good soon after.
