Premier League Betting: Brown is paying for his loyalty

Premier League / Frank Gregan / 04 November 2009 / Leave a Comment

"In football, the view that contracts should be honoured is a fallacy... Phil Brown is about to discover how much loyalty there is in the game - diddly squat!"

Phil Brown should have quit Hull while he was ahead, says Frank Gregan, but now he's facing the sack and an uncertain future.

This time last year Phil Brown was being hailed a genius by the supporters of Hull City. After reaching Premier League for the first time in the club's history his side were taking the division by storm. Confidence was sky high and they were exploiting the fact that little was known about them.

They got off to an absolute flyer, reaching the dizzy heights of the top six. It was about this time last year whilst they were riding high that I suggested backing them to be relegated. It looked unlikely given their superb start but once the adrenalin started to become diluted it was evident that there wasn't a great deal of quality in the side. They didn't go down of course, but they only survived by the skin of their teeth on the final day of the season.

A month later it was pointed out in this column that Phil Brown should be using his popularity to his advantage and actively seeking employment elsewhere. He had done the job at Hull and achieved all he was ever going to achieve. It would have been in his best interests to look elsewhere and find another club with greater potential.

That goes against the grain with many folk. However, in football, the view that contracts should be honoured is a fallacy. A contract is nothing more than financial security for both parties. If a manager is sacked he is compensated, if he's enticed to another club compensation is paid; the truth is that both Phil Brown and Hull City would have been better off if he had have found himself a progressive club around this time last year.

Now it looks very much as though Mr Brown is about to find out exactly how much loyalty there is in the game - diddly squat! New chairman Adam Pearson is likely to want to bring in his own man. Where will that leave Phil Brown? It will leave him well compensated and able to read a press release in which the Board of Directors place on record their thanks for all of his hard work and wish him well for the future!

Results are everything and since their blistering start last year Hull's record has been dire. Phil Brown needs to turn things around quickly and his side gave a much improved performance last time out at Turf Moor before going down 2-0 to Burnley. They deserved something from the game but fell victim of a couple of inept decisions made by referee Mike Jones. Pearson has confirmed that Brown will be in charge for Sunday's home game against Stoke but has refused to give any longer term assurance.

It's a game that Hull and Brown have to win otherwise it may prove to be the manager's last in charge. Betfairians don't fancy their chances, they are priced at [3.0] in the match odds which, considering the venue and the opposition, illustrates just how bad a run of form they are enduring. Stoke are priced at [2.68] with the draw at [3.4]

Confidence is the key and, despite not getting a result last week, the Hull dressing room will have been heartened by their second-half performance. They need to show the same kind of spirit on Sunday and the recommendation is to back them at [3.0] or bigger.

It's been a tough 12 months for Phil Brown and who knows where he'll be this time next year. The nature of football management is such that even if he gets a win on Sunday it's highly unlikely he will be in charge of Hull City.