Phil Brown On Bruce Rioch, Big Sam, Hull City And Managing Giovanni | OneFootball

Phil Brown On Bruce Rioch, Big Sam, Hull City And Managing Giovanni | OneFootball

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·13 July 2025

Phil Brown On Bruce Rioch, Big Sam, Hull City And Managing Giovanni

Article image:Phil Brown On Bruce Rioch, Big Sam, Hull City And Managing Giovanni

You played for Hartlepool, Halifax, Bolton, and Blackpool. Many now know you more as a coach or manager, but what was Phil Brown the player like?

“People know me more for coaching because I had a pretty average playing career, though I played over 700 games, so I must’ve done something right! I left Hartlepool under difficult circumstances. I was captain, and we led what was effectively the first player strike over unpaid wages. I was 22 or 23. We went on strike for a day, and the next day we got five weeks’ wages and some bonuses. That was probably my last game there.


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“I moved to Halifax, juggling football with other businesses – I was a trained electrician and owned a pub, a nightclub, and a restaurant. Eventually, I stepped up to Bolton. That felt like real professionalism – playing for a club with history. I spent seven or eight great years there, won my first trophy at Wembley, and finished my playing days at Blackpool. It was at Bolton and Blackpool that I met Bruce Rioch and Sam Allardyce – key figures in my coaching journey.”

You worked under both Sam Allardyce and Bruce Rioch at Bolton. How did those experiences shape you before management?

“Those years shaped everything. Bruce Rioch was the first to really challenge me to stay in the game after playing. He pushed me to get my coaching badges and management qualifications. That led to St Helens College and my proper start in coaching.

“Sam Allardyce came in later and really accelerated my development. I was one of the first in the country to get the UEFA Pro Licence – in the second-ever cohort, alongside Stuart Pearce. Sam was so misunderstood. People called him a dinosaur, but he was doing things like sports science, performance data, and even one coach per player, years before others. He was a visionary. I served an apprenticeship under him and was inspired every day.”

When you took over at Derby County in 2005 for your first managerial role, how did you find that transition?

“Honestly, I had a bit of arrogance. I thought I’d never get sacked, then I was, seven or eight months in. That hit hard. After that, I returned to Hull as a coach under Phil Parkinson. When he was sacked, I felt I’d failed him. I didn’t want anyone thinking I’d undermined him. But I was asked to step in as caretaker, and that’s when things changed.”

You joined Hull City as manager in 2006 when they were 21st in the Championship and ended up taking them to the Premier League via the playoffs. Can you talk me through that journey?

“When I arrived, I initially went in as a first-team coach under Phil Parkinson, but he gave me control of training right away. It surprised me, but he seemed to have lost confidence. Ten minutes into my first session, I stopped everything and said, ‘What the hell are you doing at the bottom of the league?’ The quality was obvious as we had players like Ian Ashbee, Andy Dawson, and Dean Marney. They were underachieving.

“We survived relegation with a win at Cardiff – Dean Windass scored that day. Then the new owners came in. Adam Pearson stepped aside and said, ‘They have been watching you for 17 games. They know what you’re about.’ I then got the managerial job permanently.

“The owners had a three-year promotion plan and gave me money to spend, but with that came pressure. After a shaky start, we hit a great run of form. Suddenly, it was, ‘We expect promotion now.’  That’s football.”

You won promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs is always emotional. How did that Wembley win feel?

“Unforgettable. I’ve been promoted automatically with Colin Todd and Sam Allardyce, and via the playoffs with Hull. Automatic’s great, but nothing compares to that Wembley final.

“The fact that it was Dean Windass who scored the promotion-winning goal made it even sweeter, too. He was great to work with, and it felt amazing to achieve such a feat with a group of players whom I loved working with.

“I remember watching the Coventry vs Luton play-off final in 2023 for the BBC, and it reminded me how brutal and beautiful that day can be. You need humility as a manager – football will humble you fast or elevate you just as quickly.”

You managed to sign Giovanni after his spell at Man City. How did that come about?

“It actually started with a meeting to sign Tony Warner, a third-choice goalkeeper at City. At the end, the agent said, ‘Anyone else you’re interested in?’ I said we had wages but no transfer fees. He said, ‘What about Giovanni?’

“Brian Horton nearly fell off his chair. I asked about Giovanni’s temperament, and Brian said, “He’s a sunshine player – you’ll need to wrap him up in winter – but massively talented.”

“Turns out it was £250k in agent commission – no transfer fee. I called Paul Duffen and said, ‘Get it done.’ Giovanni was a game-changer. We picked up 20 points from our first nine games. That’s 2.2 points per game – a record for a newly promoted side, I believe.”

That season, you beat Arsenal, Spurs, Newcastle away, and drew at Anfield and Stamford Bridge. How did that feel?

“Absolutely incredible. We were 2-0 up at Anfield at one point. I tried to instill belief, like Bruce Rioch did with me. I wanted the players to walk into places like Arsenal or Spurs and not be intimidated.

“Against Spurs, they had 28 shots – Boaz Myhill was incredible – and Giovanni scored a worldie. Juande Ramos got sacked after that. It wasn’t that we were getting managers fired – they just weren’t taking us seriously.

“The turning point was actually a 3-0 loss to Portsmouth. Harry Redknapp and his team did their homework. That’s when I knew – we’d arrived. Opponents were starting to take us seriously. After that, it became a grind but what a journey.”

Finally, Phil, I have to ask you about your famous on-pitch halftime team talk away at Manchester City and Jimmy Bullard’s celebration reenactment of it a year later?

“Mixed emotions – some pride, some reflection. But it was authentic. Just before kickoff, I learned something from my staff about the night before that changed everything. If I’d known earlier, I’d have torn up the team sheet.

“We were 4–0 down. Six thousand Hull fans made the Boxing Day trip. They deserved better. I had 45 minutes to stew. I had to act – it wasn’t theatre. It was about accountability, passion, and loyalty to the fans.

“The second half ended 1-1, and the next year we got a result at the Etihad. That’s progress. And honestly, Callum, had I stayed on for the final nine games, I believe we would’ve stayed up. That survival might’ve triggered £75–80 million in investment. A new training complex. A new chapter.”

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