Source: Telegraph
Hull City manager Phil Brown rallies players snatch result against Stoke
Brown was present at the Britannia Stadium for West Ham's win over Tony Pulis' side, and will have taken note of the effective way West Ham left their box free of too many defenders when dealing with Rory Delap's aggressive throw-ins. It will have been a valuable lesson, as the importance of taking points from the match is not lost on Brown. [LNB]'We have got to score goals and win,' he joked. 'It was a big weekend for us, this weekend. Next weekend is even bigger. We need to put pressure on [Newcastle and Middlesbrough], and the only way to put pressure on is to get something from the Stoke game.' [LNB] Related ArticlesGeovanni-Cousin row played downVilla keep Hull mired in quicksandPremier League tablePremier League highlightsFootball ups and downsAlan Shearer: Saving Newcastle United would be greatest featBrown refused to accept that an injury to Ian Ashbee within the first five minutes of the match against Villa ultimately affected his side's ability to cope with Villa's attacking thrusts. [LNB]'Five minutes into the game you lose your inspirational captain, it can damage you, but I don't think it did to a large extent,' he explained. [LNB]Instead, he pointed to a lack of quality in the final third, especially in the dying minutes of the game, when his players had Villa pinned back in their own area. [LNB]'We stuck to the game plan, and worked hard. I would describe the performance as spirited, but we just lacked a bit of quality at times. That came in the last 15 minutes, with some decent balls into their box, but the two strikers left them to each other. You have to die for the cause in those situations. All over the park, we have to show that extra commitment.' [LNB]Brown was anxious to play the kind of commitment shown by his two strikers, Geovanni and Daniel Cousin, who had to be separated when they walked off the pitch at half time after a disagreement over whether Geovanni should have shot from 20 yards, or passed to his partner instead. 'Were there punches thrown?' Brown asked. 'It was just a discussion.' [LNB][LNB]
