Source: SKY_Sports
Brown lays down win gauntlet
Phil Brown has told his Hull City side they need three more wins to guarantee Premier League safety.[LNB] The Tigers square-off against Portsmouth at the KC Stadium on Saturday with both teams lurking nervously near the drop-zone and Brown is keen to see City gather points rapidly.[LNB]Hull sit four points above the bottom three and the Tigers boss has targeted at least nine points from their remaining eight fixtures to ensure they keep their top-flight status intact, beginning with Pompey.[LNB]Only West Ham in 2003 have been relegated from England's top division when reaching 42 points but Brown is aiming for that total to ensure a second season of top-flight football.[LNB]TargetHe told the Hull Daily Mail: "We're going into tomorrow knowing full well that if we win three of our last eight games we will be okay.[LNB]"We want to win those three games as soon as possible as the pressure then begins to mount on those around you instead.[LNB]"If we win tomorrow then it takes a lot of pressure off us and puts it all back on Portsmouth and the other teams fighting with us.[LNB]"If someone had given me this position where seven teams are worse off than ourselves at this stage of the season, of course we would have accepted it. But we have to make the most of it now."[LNB]ExperiencedHaving served under Sam Allardyce with Bolton, Brown believes he is well versed to deal with the pressures of the Premier League drop fight.[LNB]In the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons, Brown twice helped steer Bolton narrowly to safety and he claims City must keep their heads against their nearest rivals.[LNB]"Keeping your composure is the important part," he stressed.[LNB]"The pressure gets cranked up by everybody - the media attention, the focus from your fans - the players will feel it, no doubt about it.[LNB]"But a lot of it comes from the manager and the staff and I've got a lot of experience behind me, coupled with my own experiences of the Premier League in these situations."[LNB]
