PHIL Brown has challenged his Hull City midfielders to "step into the shoes" of Jimmy Bullard and provide the inspiration to defeat Blackburn Rovers tomorrow.
The Tigers were left reeling by the loss of their influential talisman this week when Bullard was ruled out for at least six weeks with a fresh knee injury.
The 31-year-old club record signing had been credited with City's resurgence when named November's Premier League Player of the Month.
But with a chance to leap-frog fellow strugglers Blackburn Rovers at the KC Stadium tomorrow, Brown says it is up to others to fill the void.
Replica Baume & Mercier"It's a blow, every manager in the Premier League wants his best players available," Brown said.
"It's nothing against the rest of our squad when I say that he's one of our best players but there's now a massive opportunity for someone to step into his shoes.
"We've seen Dean Marney and George Boateng of late trying to hold down a position and they've excelled of late.
Louis Vuitton Cuir Taiga Handbags"The last time we saw Seyi Olofinjana he gave a terrific performance against Stoke too. We've got a problem with who to pick because there's a few options for us."
Olofinjana's return to the squad has come as a timely boost and Brown pointed to the last fixture where Bullard was absent as proof that City can cope without their midfield star.
The partnership of George Boateng and Dean Marney provided the platform for a 3-2 win over Everton last month and Brown wants more of the same.
"That was probably the best 45 minutes of my tenure at Hull City," he added.
"We've had some cracking games in the Premier League but those 45 minutes were as good as anything in my three years."
Brown would love a similar performance to set the tone for a reunion with close friend Sam Allardyce.
The pair enjoyed six years at Bolton and Brown continues to look to him for advice.
A 2-1 win for Blackburn saw Allardyce claim the bragging rights at the KC Stadium in March but Brown wants revenge to see City pull further clear of the bottom three and banish the disappointment of last week's 3-0 defeat at Aston Villa.
"It's only once we've faced one another in the Premier League but we owe them one after last year," he added.
"Blackburn came and did a job on us at the KC Stadium, it was almost smash and grab.
"It's all about the performance. We didn't do ourselves justice in the first half against Aston Villa and found ourselves 2-0 down.
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"We need to bring the performances of late back to the table and the same goes for the crowd, they've been magnificent in the last three home games.
"Stoke, Everton and West Ham were three cracking atmospheres and we need more of that."
Rovers preview: Pages 52-55 What do you think? Visit INSHORT Phil Brown has urged his midfield trio of George Boateng, Dean Marney and Seyi Olofinjana to minimise the impact of losing Jimmy Bullard to a knee injury.
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