Brian Horton has defended Phil Brown ahead of a return to the scene of his now infamous half-time team talk.
Hull assistant defends his boss ahead of return to Eastlands
Hull City assistant Brian Horton has launched a strong defence of Phil Brown ahead of a return to the scene of his now infamous half-time team talk.
The Tigers boss kept his players on the pitch during the interval at Eastlands last Boxing Day following a poor display which saw Hull trail to four first-half goals, with Brown's side eventually going on to lose the game 5-1.
The unorthodox decision came to be viewed by some as a turning point as Hull's bright early-season form evaporated and the club plunged into a relegation battle.
While Brown gave a simple "no" when asked earlier this week if he had any personal demons to exorcise ahead of the trip, assistant Horton, a former Man City manager, strongly defended his boss' actions.
"I'm surprised people are mentioning that one!" joked Horton. "I didn't think you'd bring that up today!
"It will probably stay in the history of football what he did.
"But is that a bad thing? It's a good thing.
"I did crazier things than that. I nearly killed one kid with a Vicks bottle one day when I threw it across the dressing room and it hit him straight on the temple."
Good thing
He added: "Some people thought it was a good thing, some people thought it was a bad thing.
"We just felt they had let us down, the way we had done things over that period."
Hull head to Eastlands in 15th place in the top flight after victories over Stoke and Everton either side of a draw against West Ham.
Horton added: "Confidence is the biggest factor.
"Confidence comes from winning games and playing well."
The Tigers have recently shown some bite - scoring eight goals in their last three league games, which matched their tally from the previous 11 - and Horton says there are no plans to return to a more conservative approach.
He said: "When you play open you are going to win some and you are going to lose some.
"That is what we have chosen to go with, going with two strikers."
Geovanni view
Meanwhile, Hull star Geovanni is looking forward to returning to City, who brought him to England before releasing him after just one season in the summer of 2008.
The Brazilian was part of Hull's side thrashed at Eastlands last year but he says Brown's team-talk is now in the past.
"We learned a lesson from that game last season but it should be a different game tomorrow," he said.
"What happened at half-time, I have said before, is past. You have to think forward now.
"I had a good time at Manchester City, they opened doors for me and I have a lot of good friends there. I respect them but now I represent Hull City."
