PHIL Brown revealed he kept his Hull side on the pitch at half-time as a message to the fans after their first-half horror show against Manchester City.
The Tigers' have won many friends with their impressive start to their maiden top-flight season but it all went horribly wrong at Eastlands yesterday as a City side short on confidence rattled in four goals in the first 36 minutes.
When the half-time whistle blew, Brown marched his players to the away end, sat them down and gave them a dressing down.
The Hull boss said: "I thought it was nice and cold and I thought I would keep the boys alive because they looked as if they were dead.
"Let's not read too much into it but I think 3,500-4,000 travelling fans deserved some kind of explanation for the first-half performance and it was difficult for me to do that from the confines of a changing room."
Felipe Caicedo and Robinho scored a brace each before half-time and Stephen Ireland, who starred in City's midfield, netted the home side's fifth.
Hull at least salvaged some pride after the break with Craig Fagan, returning after more than three months out with a broken leg, netting a consolation.
Brown was still in forthright mood after the game.
"Our mentality was just not there, it was wrong," he said.
"We gifted them a first goal and we then went on to gift them a second, a third and a fourth.
"It was unacceptable behaviour, an unacceptable performance from a Phil Brown side and I am bitterly disappointed, to say the least."
In contrast to Brown's woes, City boss Mark Hughes has challenged his side to maintain the momentum they gained by climbing out of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone.
After a run of only one win in nine games, gloom had descended over the City of Manchester Stadium and Hughes was coming under fire.
"We had a great day," said Hughes. "We are a good side when we produce what we know we are capable of. What we haven't done is produce that level we know.
"We know we have it within us. It was a good day and we have to build on it.
"We need to build on good performances like this because confidence is built by having a good run of results.
"We have been too inconsistent this year. I have always said the second half of the season I expect to be better, and I still hold to that.
"We have to make sure we don't let performances like this go to waste. We have to use this a catalyst for bigger and better things."
When the half-time whistle blew, Brown marched his players to the away end, sat them down and gave them a dressing down.
The Hull boss said: "I thought it was nice and cold and I thought I would keep the boys alive because they looked as if they were dead.
"Let's not read too much into it but I think 3,500-4,000 travelling fans deserved some kind of explanation for the first-half performance and it was difficult for me to do that from the confines of a changing room."
Felipe Caicedo and Robinho scored a brace each before half-time and Stephen Ireland, who starred in City's midfield, netted the home side's fifth.
Hull at least salvaged some pride after the break with Craig Fagan, returning after more than three months out with a broken leg, netting a consolation.
Brown was still in forthright mood after the game.
"Our mentality was just not there, it was wrong," he said.
"We gifted them a first goal and we then went on to gift them a second, a third and a fourth.
"It was unacceptable behaviour, an unacceptable performance from a Phil Brown side and I am bitterly disappointed, to say the least."
In contrast to Brown's woes, City boss Mark Hughes has challenged his side to maintain the momentum they gained by climbing out of the Barclays Premier League relegation zone.
After a run of only one win in nine games, gloom had descended over the City of Manchester Stadium and Hughes was coming under fire.
"We had a great day," said Hughes. "We are a good side when we produce what we know we are capable of. What we haven't done is produce that level we know.
"We know we have it within us. It was a good day and we have to build on it.
"We need to build on good performances like this because confidence is built by having a good run of results.
"We have been too inconsistent this year. I have always said the second half of the season I expect to be better, and I still hold to that.
"We have to make sure we don't let performances like this go to waste. We have to use this a catalyst for bigger and better things."
Copyright (c) Press Association
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