Brian, Give Us A Wave Goodbye

Last updated : 27 February 2002 By Paul Bryant

So the news is that Brian Little has left the club after a meeting with Adam Pearson. Little was not sacked but agreed to leave by mutual consent. The surprise to me when I found out this news was not the fact that Little has left (I predicted he was living on borrowed time in my last article) but more the timing of his departure.

We have only 11 games left and currently sit in 6th position with a good chance of a play off place. For all the bad second half of the season Little has been responsible for, surely letting Little leave at this stage of the season is a big gamble? It was only a day or two ago when Pearson claimed Little would not be sacked at this stage in the season, a decision accepted and approved by the majority of the City faithful.

Pearson has already admitted that a replacement will not be brought in until the summer, therefore leaving us manager less at the most crucial point of the season. This could be the decision that finally ends our fading hopes of promotion. Sure, we weren’t winning games under Brian Little of late, but can we be expected to win promotion or even most of our remaining games with no manager at the helm? Surely attempting to finish the season this way is making it even harder on ourselves. In the ideal world we would either have a replacement lined up immediately or Little would have stayed until the end of the season before a decision is made on his future. My ideal option was the latter, and therefore the team would not be unsettled at a crucial point.

For whatever reason Little has decided to leave and Pearson has backed his decision. Maybe Little decided it was time to jump before he was pushed or maybe Little was pressurised into leaving. Either way only time will tell if it is the right decision for Hull City AFC.

The question of who the replacement will be is bound to be on everyone’s lips. A few names have been thrown around but they are all just guesses. Pearson has promised us someone with the experience and skills to take City in the right direction, but then aren’t every club promised that before a new manager is drafted in? I’m sure we were promised that with the arrival of Brian Little but he has failed to live up to expectations despite his excellent progress last season.
Still, Adam Pearson has done an excellent job at the club so far, and therefore has to be trusted. Let’s hope City can finish strong this season and finally hire a manager capable of taking us away from the basement division.