Hull's Phil Brown has sounded close to despair at times when preparing for his first season as a Premier League manager.
Having won May's League Championship playoff to reach England's top flight for the first time in its 104-year history, Hull was immediately rated a firm favorite by bookmakers to be immediately relegated back to the second tier.
But it was preseason defeats to the likes of Crewe and Hearts - teams far from the caliber of those Hull will face in the Premier League - that have irked Brown, who is still a relative novice at management.
The former Bolton and Blackpool defender knows first hand the worth of hard work and attitude in surviving the Premier League, having been assistant to Sam Allardyce as Bolton got established in the elite division.
That's what Brown accused his players of lacking after a humbling 4-0 loss to Crewe, a team set to play two leagues lower this season.
"You get pictures of fitness, you get pictures of attitude, you get pictures of mentality, you get pictures of systems and the way players play and you also get pictures of whether people can step up to the plate in the Premier League," Brown said.
"I was getting all those pictures in the first half and it's purely and solely down to attitude." Things improved with a 1-1 draw against Oldham, but Brown was left miserable again after a 1-0 loss at Scottish club Hearts on Aug. 3.
"There were plenty of times last season when I moaned about the final third and yesterday was similar in that we didn't create enough," Brown said after analyzing the match. "But that will come with time and with drills on the training ground. It will also come with confidence and the players getting to know each other.
"There's a lot of work to be done, but we've never shied away from that." Brown, whose only previous managerial experience before joining Hull two years ago was a short and unsuccessful stint with Derby, is finding plenty of work to do as there has been little money forthcoming for new players.
Midfielder George Boateng and Hungary winger Peter Halmosi are the main arrivals for a total of just 3 million pounds (US$5.8 million; €3.75 million).
Brazilian forward Geovanni, veteran goalkeeper Tony Warner and defender Bernard Mendy also came on free transfers, although the latter won't have impressed his new coach too much by conceding two penalties and missing one against Crewe.
Brown's ability to blend willing veterans such as Nick Barmby and Dean Windass with loan signings like Manchester United's Fraizer Campbell got his club further than it's ever been before.
Without the finances to do more, Brown may struggle to do anything other than try not to finish last this season.
Sapa-AP
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