Phil Brown has been given two games to save his job as Hull manager as the turmoil at the Premier League club shows no signs of slowing down.Brown has been walking on thin ice for several weeks while struggling to produce successful results on the pitch.
This, coupled with some bizarre decisions off the field, have combined to leave club owner and leading shareholder Russell Bartlett exasperated. To make matters worse for Brown, he has lost his most powerful ally in chairman Paul Duffen, who resigned following a meeting with Bartlett earlier this week. Duffen appeared to be the only person with influence at Hull who was willing to stand by Brown and defend him to the hilt.
His departure, which is for financial reasons, is a huge setback to Brown and Bartlett has told his beleaguered manager that unless the team shows a drastic improvement in the next two games then he will be sacked. Bartlett might even decide to pull the trigger sooner should Hull suffer a heavy defeat at Burnley.
The upheaval will not stop there, either.
Former owner and saviour Adam Pearson is expected to be installed as Duffen's replacement next week.
Pearson, who saved the club from bankruptcy in 2005, appointed Brown in the first place but has never had a close relationship with him, despite Brown's success. His departure from the chair at Derby County on Wednesday is widely viewed as the first step towards him returning to Humberside.
Should Brown lose his job he can have few complaints.
Hull have won just three league games this calendar year and only survived relegation in May because of the incompetence of other teams. His eccentric behaviour towards his squad and staff has left some players open-mouthed, while others have lost faith in him and respect for his methods.
This has clearly been evident on the pitch, where Hull have struggled badly.
Nor will it have escaped Bartlett's attention that attendances have dropped, a sure sign that supporters feel increasingly short-changed by the team's depressing struggles as the novelty of Premier League football begins to wear off.
