Brown unfazed by King reunion

09 April 2009 17:09
Hull City boss Phil Brown will not be letting former Tigers star Marlon King dominate his thoughts this weekend. The burly frontman scored five goals for Brown's side as they made a flying start to their debut Premier League campaign. However, the goals dried up and, following a falling out with his manager, King was released from his season-long loan deal from Wigan. He was subsequently snapped up on a similar agreement by Middlesbrough and is currently helping Gareth Southgate's side battle against the drop. King could put a dent in the Tigers' own survival bid on Saturday when Hull head to Teesside, but Brown insists he has no qualms about facing a man that struggled to hold down a spot in his team. "I think the reason we let him go was because he wasn't bringing to the table what he brought to the table at the start of the season. It is as simple as that," he said. "The situation moved on; we moved forward fairly quickly - and Wigan moved forward fairly quickly. Middlesbrough acted upon it, and the rest is history. "I don't know what Marlon's record is since he's gone up there, but he hasn't played regularly for them. "Would he have played regularly for us? He wasn't in the team when he left, so the answer is probably no." Choke Brown accepts that King will be keen to prove a point to his former employers on Saturday, but the Tigers chief is more concerned with securing three points than becoming embroiled in petty feuds. He added: "I think every time players cross the white line, if they have got anything about them, will have a point to prove. "The game is not about Marlon King or me - it is about Hull City getting three points. "If Marlon King stands in our way, he's got to bring his best game to the table. "Whether they start with (Afonso) Alves and Tuncay (Sanli), whether Marlon King is on the bench, it doesn't matter. "Whatever team they put out, they'll be fighting for their lives. "We have to make sure we keep that quiet, we choke it as much as we can, keep a lid on it and play some football. "If we get those things right we've got a chance of winning the game."

Source: SKY_Sports