Bruce hopes to see best of Aluko
Hull manager Steve Bruce is hoping fans will soon be able to see the real Sone Aluko make his mark on the Barclays Premier League.
The Nigeria international was arguably the club's best player in the first half of their 2012-13 promotion campaign before missing the rest of the season with an Achilles injury.
Last term was equally frustrating, with his Achilles this time ruling him out for almost four months from October.
But Bruce has never lost faith in a player he first worked with as a teenager at Birmingham, and has been desperate to see him back to form and fitness.
He was handed a chance from the bench against Everton on Tuesday night, courtesy of the knee injury that is likely to sideline Mohamed Diame until the new year, and his response suggested Bruce's wish could be about to come true.
Aluko scored a fine leveller and excelled in support of Nikica Jelavic, who might have won it for Hull had his finish matched Aluko's set-up.
"I was delighted for Sone," said Bruce, who is likely to hand him only a second Premier League start of the season against West Brom on Saturday.
"When I first arrived a couple of years ago he was the outstanding player in the Championship. Unfortunately he damaged his Achilles so badly he missed all the rest of that season and even last year was stop-start.
"In my experience when you've had serious injuries and been out for a year it can take you as long again to be really, really back to being that comfortable. That especially goes if you play like Sone, who is all about twisting and turning and moving.
"But I'm delighted because he's worked extremely hard and stuck at it. I pulled him aside before the Everton game and said he was very unlucky not to start because he did very well as a sub at Old Trafford, which is a good sign.
"I know he's looking forward to the challenge of playing week-in, week-out in the Premier League because he's been blighted by injury. Let's just hope he has a bit of luck because he is a very talented player.
"He's one you enjoy watching because he's a bit different."
The news on Diame, who has been a huge success since his deadline-day arrival from West Ham, provides less cause for enthusiasm.
The Senegal midfielder, who has scored four times in 10 games for Hull, aggravated a knee problem early in the second half against Everton and is set to sit out a busy festive period.
"He's got a problem in the tendon of his knee, he's had the scan and we just have to be patient and let it settle," said Bruce.
"We hope he'll be involved over Christmas but at the moment it's looking two or three weeks to just let it settle down.
"Injuries are part and parcel of the game but you need a little bit of luck. Injury does play its part but it's been cruel to us for the last two or three months, from the first game of the season we've had (Robert) Snodgrass (out), then Jelavic, then Michael Dawson, now Diame.
"Our big players have picked up these injuries which is frustrating."
Alan Irvine insists he does not fear the West Brom axe after meeting with chairman Jeremy Peace.
The Baggies head coach has thanked Peace for his support as he comes under increasing pressure from supporters.
Albion have lost their last four games and go to fellow strugglers Hull in the Barclays Premier League on Saturday.
Irvine is favourite for the sack with some bookies but, after talking with Peace, remains unconcerned.
"I spoke to the chairman after training but not about that and he didn't speak to me about that," he said.
"He was great. I went to see him about a completely different matter.
"We spent 15 minutes just chatting over different things and he was great, as he has been all of the time.
"I'm really grateful for the support he's given me.
"I understand the way things are in this job. There's a short-term culture nowadays and, if it's not Alan Pardew getting stick, as he was six or seven weeks ago, it's somebody else.
"If it's me at this time, hopefully I will be able to get to the situation Alan is in because it wasn't that long ago I was at Stoke hearing people calling for his head.
"They are such fine margins. We are not too far away from getting good results.
"I don't think anybody who has been at the last two games can think we are miles away from getting a good result.
"We need some goals."
The Baggies are 16th in the table, two points above the relegation zone, having won just one of their last nine games and Irvine knows it is his turn in the spotlight.
"I think we have all be under the microscope," said the 56-year-old, who is without injured captain Chris Brunt for the trip to the KC Stadium.
"I have certainly been there at the start of the season when it was very much on me and people were questioning the appointment.
"We came through that and everybody thought I was great, but I said at that time that if we lost a few games then they would probably think I was hopeless again.
"That's the way it goes. Is it on me again now? It hasn't been but it might be at this moment.
"Other people have been subjected to attention and criticism then. It was only last week I was defending Arsene Wenger, which was bizarre."
One thing that has not helped the Baggies during their recent poor run is that Saido Berahino seems to have lost his killer touch in front of goal.
He has now gone five games without finding the back of the net, but Irvine has backed the 21-year-old to rediscover his predatory instincts.
"We have asked a lot of a young player. He had a very good start to the season, there was a lot of interest in him and a lot of talk about him," he said.
"There's been a lot of focus on a young player and he has handled it well overall but I don't think anyone would have been surprised to see Saido dropping off a little bit, which is what has probably happened.
"I believe he will come back, he's a good finisher and I really believe the goals will come again."
Captain Chris Brunt is out of the trip with a hamstring injury.
The skipper limped off after making a tackle in Tuesday's 2-1 defeat to West Ham, although Irvine is hopeful he will return next week.
James Morrison (illness) and Sebastien Pocognoli (dead leg) are back but Jonas Olsson (Achilles) is out and Claudio Yacob serves the final game of a ban.
Source: PA
