Phil Brown is adamant that Sol Campbell should have been sent off in Hull's 2-1 defeat to Arsenal.
Tigers boss pays tribute to battling performance
Hull manager Phil Brown is adamant that Sol Campbell should have been sent off in the Tigers' 2-1 defeat to Arsenal.
Campbell conceded a penalty when the Dutch striker went down under his challenge after stealing in behind the Gunners' defence.
But referee Andre Marriner elected to keep the central defender on the field and only gave him a yellow card, while Hull's George Boateng was later sent off for two bookable offences.
Although Brown recognised Arsenal's shouts for offside during the incident, he insisted that dismissing Campbell would have been the proper course of action.
"The pivotal moment was undoubtedly in favour of Arsenal. He should have been red carded, it's as simple as that," he said.
Letter of the law
"It was offside, but it wasn't offside because the flag didn't go up.
"He's denied a goalscoring opportunity and under the letter of the law, he should have been red carded."
Jimmy Bullard and Nick Barmby hit the headlines this week after a scuffle in a public park was witnessed by members of the Women's Institute.
Brown felt that his players responded to the negative publicity in perfect fashion on Saturday.
He added: "I apologised to the Women's Institute during the week for the fighting spirit we showed unfortunately in public, I won't apologise for the fighting spirit shown today."
The Hull boss also refused to criticise goalkeeper Boaz Myhill and midfielder George Boateng for their part in the defeat, instead choosing to focus on his side's gutsy performance.
Pride
"Boaz Myhill has done a fantastic job at this football club," Brown said.
"Yes, he'll get judged on the way the ball came off him and George Boateng will get judged on the fact he got a red card.
"But these players can hold their heads up high because of the determination and the pride in the performance they put in.
"I'm very proud of my players. 10 men have harried and chased one of the best footballing teams in the country, if not in Europe, if not in the world."
Meanwhile, Brown faces an anxious wait to discover the extent of an injury suffered by Kamil Zayatte, who was on crutches following the match after being forced off due to a strong challenge by Campbell.
