Hull go down fighting

HULL’s defeat to Sunderland may have consigned them to relegation but no one can claim that they didn’t put up a fight.

Literally in the case of Jozy Altidore who was sent off for head-butting Alan Hutton, in an incident that also saw the Sunderland defender dismissed.

Then George Boateng got in on the act, blaming Phil Brown’s infamous half-time team talk on the pitch in December 2008 for the Tigers’ plight.

But the biggest fight may be still to come – the fight for the club’s very survival, a fight that, remarkably, may yet include Brown.

In the aftermath of Hull’s defeat chairman Adam Pearson laid bare the scale of the club’s financial plight.

Pearson also revealed there is a possibility Brown could return to the managerial role he was ousted from last month.

Iain Dowie was installed in the position until the end of the season but Brown remained on the books and was placed on gardening leave.

The 50-year-old has another season left on his contract and the cheapest option would be to reinstate him.

Pearson said: “Everything is an option. Obviously it would look pretty unusual but if we were to attract new investment into the club and the board was therefore changed then obviously they may have a different view.’’

The Tigers’ financial problems have been known about for some time and Pearson used his programme notes ahead of Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat by Aston Villa to criticise predecessor Paul Duffen for his handling of the club.

Pearson bought Hull in 2001 when they were languishing at the bottom of the lowest tier of the Football League and in administration.

He oversaw the club’s rise to the Championship before selling to a consortium including Duffen and Russell Bartlett, who remains the owner.

In 2008, Hull achieved promotion to the Premier League before narrowly avoiding relegation on the final day of last season.

But Duffen resigned in October amid speculation about the club’s finances and Pearson, who had taken up a similar role at Derby, returned to the KC Stadium.

The 45-year-old revealed the club’s debts are in the region of £35m, with around £25m owed to banks, while the club have been taking “monies in advance’’ from the Premier League for almost two years.

Addressing what the future might hold, Pearson said: “Obviously the informal route is the one we would like to take, which is where you sit down with the creditors and restructure. We’ll be talking to a few people on Monday and for the rest of the week.

“It will be one of the last scenarios to try to go through a CVA (Company Voluntary Arrangement, which would bring a 10-point deduction), but if we have to go down that route then we have to build a team that can fight back from that kind of deficit.

“I’ve just had a meeting with the owner, he was very, very adamant that administration is not on the agenda.’’

Pearson acknowledged replacing Brown had not had the desired effect but stuck by the decision.

He said: “Everybody’s got to have a long, hard look at themselves, myself included. In hindsight it’s definitely a decision that hasn’t worked. But Iain couldn’t have done any more.

“We took a decision for various reasons and there was a lot of signs to say we needed to make a change or we were going to slip out, and the results have just continued.’’

Pearson, meanwhile, insisted he remains committed to sorting out the mess and admitted relegation had not come as a shock.

He said: “It’s very sad. It’s not a huge surprise. The form has been such over the last 18 months – six or seven wins in 50 odd games – we’ve had time to plan for it.

“I’m massively committed. I’ve only been here 20 weeks. It feels more like 20 years tonight but I wouldn’t have come back here and cut short my time at Derby to just do 20 weeks. That would be a pretty poor decision to make.’’

The goal that ended Hull’s slim survival hopes came via the boot of Darren Bent after just seven minutes, the striker’s 25 goal of the season.

Hull’s defeat coupled with West Ham’s win over Wigan means the Tigers are six points from safety with two games left and with a vastly inferior goal difference.

It could have been different had Jimmy Bullard scored a 41st-minute penalty rather than hit a post, before both sides were reduced to 10 men in first-half injury-time after an off-the-ball clash between Altidore and Hutton.

And although Hull huffed and puffed and their fans gave a hearty cheer when Sunderland boss Steve Bruce was sent to the stands in the second half after one comment too many to the officials, but they knew their fate and the final whistle brought resignation as a number of home players slumped to the turf.

But while the fight to avoid the drop is over, the fight for survival is only beginning.

MATCH RATING: **** – Not a classic in the footballing sense but there was certainly no shortage of incidents, controversy and drama.

REFEREE: Ref: Lee Probert (Wiltshire) 5 – Had to send Altidore off for violent conduct although Hutton can count himself somewhat unlucky to have been dismissed.