Hull close in on loan deal
Hull boss Steve Bruce says the club are close to agreeing a loan deal for a Premier League player - but does not expect them to arrive in time to face Newcastle.
Bruce has made no secret of the fact he wants to recruit some fresh faces to counter the threat of relegation with particular emphasis on bolstering a forward line hampered by injuries to Nikica Jelavic and Abel Hernandez.
But Bruce admits Saturday's game at the KC Stadium may come too early for the as yet un-named addition.
"It's always nice top bring one or two in if you possibly can to give everyone a lift in the squad and that's what we've been working on really hard in the last couple of days," said Bruce. "Let's hope we can get them over the line."
"I wouldn't have thought it would be done by Saturday if I'm honest. We are working in particular on a loan deal but I wouldn't think it's going to get done before 12 o'clock. I would like to say it would be but I really can't see it."
The Tigers have been linked with a host of targets in the past week including the Senegalese pair of Demba Ba and Dame N'Doye but one player who Bruce has ruled out is Manchester United's young midfielder Nick Powell. The 20 year old recently returned to his parent club after a loan spell at Leicester City but a solitary appearance for United in the Capital One Cup means he falls foul of FIFA rules on playing for more than two clubs in a season.
Newcastle arrive in East Yorkshire searching for their first win since John Carver took over from Alan Pardew and history would suggest the odds are in their favour as Hull have only recorded just one home win since the sides first met in 1934.
Bruce is desperate to end that run and make the KC Stadium a fortress again after only three home wins in over a year.
"A good home record was paramount to us last year and I think going in to the second half of the season now all of the games are big ones.
"For all of the teams at the bottom and the top it's a vitally important time so if you can win your home games usually that's going to stand you in good stead.
"I've said all along 10 wins is usually enough to keep a team up, sometimes nine because you usually get the three or four draws elsewhere that you need.
"It's always been a target of mine in any league if you can win 10 that usually guarantees that you stay up. It's so tight at the the bottom this season that it might not be enough but I'm still convinced it would be and it's all to play for."
John Carver hopes to have top scorer Papiss Cisse available.
The Magpies were hoping to rush the striker back from the African Nations Cup, where his nation Senegal were eliminated in the group stages.
Gabriel Obertan and Mehdi Abeid should be fit to return from thigh and toe problems respectively, but the game is likely to come too soon for Dutchman Siem De Jong.
Carver has admitted his reputation as the "miserable one" may soon be banished after he was handed the challenge of leading Newcastle to a top 10 finish.
The 50-year-old was appointed head coach on a permanent basis this week and will be keen to crack an even bigger smile by kicking off his reign with a win on Saturday.
Carver said: "They call me the miserable one, not the chosen one. You can see the smile on my face - I don't smile too often, trust me.
"I'm so proud and honoured to be the head coach of a club like this. I've got enough belief in my ability.
"I think Lee (Charnley, chief executive) has come out and said our goal is to finish in the top 10. If we get ninth, eighth, or seventh at a push, why not?
"We've got 16 games left and I've seen enough in the last three or four games, taking the cup game out of it, for us to go on a run."
Source: DSG
