Source: Team_Talk
Cotterill hails character of players
Steve Cotterill conceded that events at Portsmouth had been hard but praised his players for their character following the 2-1 win at Hull.[LNB] A David Nugent strike on the stroke of half-time put Pompey, who look set to avoid going out of business, 1-0 up at the KC Stadium before on-loan Wolves defender Greg Halford smashed home a 20 yard free-kick two minutes after the break.[LNB]Veteran Hull midfielder Nicky Barmby pulled a goal back for the home side but they couldn't find an equaliser as Portsmouth held on.[LNB]Cotterill said after the Championship contest: "It's been a difficult four months.[LNB]"The last 24 hours have compounded it a bit, but maybe that might get sorted. Thankfully, we can only concentrate on the football.[LNB]"I don't want to be a hero or a martyr because the players are pretty good.[LNB]"They're a solid bunch of lads. If it wasn't for the character of the players and how they are, my job might have been a bit more difficult.[LNB]"The players have heard all this before for the last 18 months. They've been banged on the head and things have been said about the club.[LNB]"But this is a proper football club with proper fans - not plastic fans - and proper people working in it.[LNB]"At the hotel the night before the game I asked the players if they were all in. If not, they needn't stay for their dinner and we'd make sure we took them back home.[LNB]"They all sat down and we all ate together. There were a few worried people. Some of the people that have been here last season might be battle-hardened to it.[LNB]"Some of the new lads were perhaps wondering where they were and took a bit more settling down than the ones who have been here a while.[LNB]"We agreed that for the sake of our fans, Hull City and football, even if something was going to happen to our club overnight, we had a duty to turn up and play the game.[LNB]"It was easy to screw up all the politics and throw that in the bin and get on with the football.[LNB]"It has been difficult. It was quite big news last night. There were a lot of people worried about their careers. Not just players, but people like our media guys, masseurs and coaches.[LNB]"It's a great club. It's got into bad waters through its own fault. We got into this situation, it's no-one else's fault. But we would like a break and we would like a go at getting out of it.[LNB]"That's not going to happen overnight. We are trying to do it properly, but I think a lot of neutrals are rooting for us."[LNB]Hull manager Nigel Pearson struggled to find the positives as his side suffered their second home defeat in the space of a week.[LNB]Pearson said: "There were some good things but we conceded two poor goals and it was another defeat.[LNB]"We lost a game that we shouldn't have lost, like the other night (against Sheffield United). We've had two games at home that we shouldn't have lost.[LNB]"I don't think the other side were particularly better than us."[LNB]On referee Darren Deadman, who waved away two penalty appeals in the second half when Carl Dickinson appeared to handle the ball, Pearson added:[LNB]"It would be wrong of me to blame someone else for our defeat, but having said that I would like to see honesty in terms of how things are done during the game.[LNB]"You can make up your own minds about the officials, but I've got my opinions and they are very strong and they know what I think of them. That's not to make excuses for us though."[LNB]On the league position, Pearson added: "I'm very concerned, but the job's a little bit bigger than first anticipated in terms of things being corrected.[LNB]"Hopefully in 10 games time we will be (in the hunt for promotion) but obviously we are not at the moment."[LNB]On goalscorer Barmby, he added: "He did ever so well. At the age of 36 he's an example to everyone."
