Oct 31, 2009 - 2:57 PM
0 shoutsBy WALTER SIMON STATS European Football Writer=
LONDON (SE) - Hull's under-pressure manager Phil Brown expects to keep his job despite a 2-0 defeat at Burnley which leaves his team rooted in the Premier League's bottom three.
Defiant Brown praised his players for their dogged determination but Graham Alexander celebrated his 100th Burnley appearance with both goals.
Brown said: "I expect to be in charge not just for the next match but for the rest of the season. I had a long chat with the new owner on Friday and I will meet him again on Monday."
Adam Pearson is expected to assume control at Hull following the resignation of Paul Duffen in midweek and it is Pearson who will decide Brown's fate.
Brown added: "I asked for a committed performance and I got one. In the end we were undone by refereeing decisions.
"There was a penalty against us, a penalty not given for us, and a perfectly good goal disallowed.
"I would ask the referee to go home and look at the match again on television and tell me that he was right every time. In my view he was not.
"You need a bit of luck and we did not get any today and on those decisions the outcome of football matches are decided.
"I am not blaming anyone else in terms of the way we played. We were excellent at times but we have nothing to show for it."
The first flash point came in the 20th minute when apparently innocuous challenge by Stephen Hunt on Tyrone Mears prompted referee Mike Jones to point to the spot.
Alexander despatched the penalty with his customary efficiency, his 68th success in 73 efforts from the spot.
The second turning point came in the 66th minute when the referee blew for a foul on the edge of the Burnley area and the free kick from Brazilian Geovanni sailed into the net.
But the effort was disallowed because of pushing in the box and in the protests that followed Geovanni was booked.
Two minutes later Geovanni, still clearly upset, was shown a red card for a hasty challenge.
Burnley took full advantage of Hull's misfortune to score a second goal in the 77th minute just as the visitors were committed to attack.
Alexander lashed home a fierce left foot shot from 25 yards and there was nothing Hull could do to get back into the match.
Burnley manager Owen Coyle said: "I don't know if the penalty we got was fair or not but I have seen them not given. You just have to take the chances when they come.
"Graham Alexander has been a great asset to us and it is hard to believe he is 38. he plays like a man ten years younger.
"When it comes to penalties there is no one better around and he did what he does best with an excellent second."
