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HULL CITY: Brown's getting excited



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Published Date: 21 July 2008
BOSS Phil Brown admits the "whistles have been whet" as Hull City's Premier League debut ticks ever closer.
The Tigers are just one month away from the most exciting season in their history following May's victory in the Championship play-off final against Bristol City.
Hull were instantly named the bookmakers' favourites to finish bottom, but Brown has further strengthened his squad this week with Wednesday's triple capture of record signing Peter Halmosi, George Boateng and Tony Warner.
Hungarian Halmosi joins for an undisclosed fee from Plymouth, but Brown revealed that Hull paid in excess of £1m, making him a club record purchase.
Impact
The triple raid takes Hull's signing count to six following the earlier arrivals of Bernard Mendy, Geovanni and Craig Fagan.
More signings will follow – Manchester United striker Fraizer Campbell, who made such an impact for the Tigers on loan last season, remaining one of Brown's top targets – and already the boss is assembling a strong squad.
Hull may be the favourites for relegation, but that won't worry Brown who has vowed to continue raiding the transfer market to make the Tigers a strong Premier League side.
A busy few weeks lie in store, but Hull are now signing £1m-plus players as they get ready to face the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea.
Brown admits it's a hugely exciting time.
"For everybody at the club, their whistle has been whet," he said.
"That doesn't matter whether you're a player, coach, manager or tea-lady.
"We are all looking forward to the challenge.
"It's exciting, it's great for the club but not just in terms of playing in the Premier but also in terms of the quality of players we've now got coming in.
"We would not even have been in a position to talk to these people if we had not been promoted, but the players' quality of performance last season has allowed us to go forward and enables these new players to join Hull."
winger Halmosi has signed a four-year deal.
A whole host of clubs were chasing his signature, but Brown won the race for the Hungarian.
Costing exactly £1m is Dutch international Boateng who has signed a two-year deal after arriving from Middlesbrough.
Warner was released by Fulham and will provide strength in depth in the goalkeeping department.
Fantastic
Brown said all three signings were what he was looking for – as were previous arrivals Mendy, Geovanni and Fagan.
said the Tigers boss: "We finished third in the Championship, it was a fantastic achievement and we had a wonderful season, but we're now in the Premier.
"We need to improve the club and to do that we are looking to flood it with Premier League players.
"We're confident but we'll be more confident on August 16 when we know what we've got.
"I'll bring in however many players it takes.
"Ideally, we're looking at two for every position and three utility players and that takes us to 25.
"Then you've got three or four kids outside of that flying the flag who can maybe step up.
"That's what we're looking at and until we get to that stage we'll keep looking."
Competition for places is clearly going to be rife, but Brown has not forgotten the role played by last season's Championship players.
The manager revealed that everyone will be given a fair crack of the whip.
"I've promised every player the chance to play Premier League football but the only way they can do that is by stepping up in training and in pre-season friendlies," he said.
While Brown continues to wheel and deal off the pitch, Hull began their pre-season friendlies this week with easy 4-0 victories at North Ferriby United and Winterton Rangers.
Fitness
Hull also visited Oostende in Holland yesterday ahead of visits to Chesterfield and Crewe next week, but Brown is taking little notice of results, knowing that the games are all about match fitness.
"Pre-season friendlies are a means to an end," he said.
"Players have to get match fit and that's why they play pre-season friendlies – there is no importance whatsoever on the results."
However, one thing Brown is very sure of is Hull's aims ahead of their first season in the Premier League.
Staying up will be an achievement first and foremost, but Brown and Hull have bigger ambitions than that.
"Nobody at the football club is just talking about surviving," said Brown.
"We're looking to compete and looking to challenge.
"Our first priority is to compete and our second priority is to learn from our development year.
"We're all looking forward to it and there are no fears.
"You don't have regrets in life and it's a challenge."
It will all begin on Saturday, August 16 when Hull host Fulham and whatever their fate, Brown's Tigers are sure to win new friends as an ambitious new club prepares to give it a go amongst the elite.
That positive attitude has made Hull flavour of the month with the country's media and Brown admits the publicity has been non-stop.
Now he wants to slow things down and concentrate on what really matters – 38 games – and hopefully many, many more – in the FA Premier League.
"It's been superb," said the Tigers boss. "It's been a million miles an hour and we've got up to speed, but what we've got to do is slow it all down a bit.
"we've got to focus on the task in hand which is 38 games of football – it all starts on August 15 and finishes on May 24."

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  • Last Updated: 21 July 2008 7:48 AM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Leeds
 
 
  

 
 


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