Hull City Football Club

• Nickname:The Tigers
• Founded:1904
• Manager:Steve Bruce

• Ground:Kingston Communications Stadium
• Capacity:25404

Brown plays down importance

07 Nov 2009 - 10:42:48

Click To Enlarge

Hull City manager Phil Brown has refused to accept that his side's clash with Stoke City is a must-win, with the Tigers boss' job seemingly on the line.

Speculation has been rife all week that Brown needs a win to ensure his survival in the job, but he has played down such speculation.

He told reporters: "I am not tired of hearing it - I am not aware of it. It is as simple as that.

"People are saying it's a must-win game, but it's not a must-win game at all.

"As far as I am concerned, putting a performance in similar to the Burnley game will be sufficient to get the home crowd going.

"If we get that performance the results will follow. It is about putting our best foot forward in the first five to ten minutes to get the crowd behind us."

Meanwhile, Brown has praised Potters counterpart Tony Pulis for his side's efforts so far this term.

He added: "I think Stoke have got a better squad than they had last year and are attacking the Premier League in the same manner.

"We'd all like to achieve the status Stoke had last year. Tony was, in many people's eyes, the manager of the year.

"He has done a magnificent job and everybody's attempting to try to achieve the same."