TWIT ALTIDORE IN THE BROWN STUFF

DOZY Jozy Altidore put the Twit in Twitter with his no-show in this no score bore.

The American teenager was supposed to be on Hull's bench but turned up late and Tweeted his excuses on the social networking site, leaving manager Phil Brown and team-mates seething.

It was enough for Tigers' perma- tanned chief Brown to drop him - but the 19-year-old striker must have had a premonition of how bad this game was going to be.

Honestly, the kid on loan from Villarreal had a let-off not having to get involved, even though it'll cost him two weeks' wages but I dare say he can afford that, earning £20,000 a week.

Hull's team spirit was also missing and that was shown when keeper Boaz Myhill and Seyi Olofinjana argued at half-time before the defender shoved his Yank team-mate.

Brown and Portsmouth boss Paul Hart are waiting to be put out of their misery and the axe will fall sooner rather than later.

Tigers' Brown looks a dead man walking, despite a pre-match brag that he wants to bring European football to the KC Stadium.

Most people in these parts assume his Continental vision is luring a top Italian or Spanish side for a pre-season friendly next July before Hull start a Championship campaign if, by some miracle, he lasts that long.

The fans finally lost patience yesterday when he subbed their best player, Stephen Hunt, and the Hull faithful hounded the man dubbed Captain Tanfastic with chants of 'You don't know what you're doing'. Three wins in 26 games make a mockery of his European hope and the boos that rang out at the end is not the sound he wants to hear.

Brown appears to have put Hull's future at the feet of injury-prone Jimmy Bullard, who missed out on a home debut yesterday after getting kicked in a reserve team match.

Hart, a genuine enough fella, had the eyes of Portsmouth's new director of football Avram Grant looking down on him from the stands and the Israeli would not have liked what he saw.

The South Coast club's latest owner, Saudi Arabian Ali Al Faraj, is ready to spend some cash in January and is likely to trust Grant more than Hart.

KICK: Ben Haim in action in the bore draw

You can take keepers David James and Myhill out of the equation along with Hull's Hunt and Olofinjana, plus Pompey's Jamie O'Hara and Younes Kaboul - but the rest have some explaining to do.

They won't feel any guilt picking up their £25,000-£40,000-a-week pay packets while supporters, who can only dream of earning that in a year, had their weekend ruined by inept game.

Brown likes taking his players for walks on the Humber Bridge, where he claimed to have saved the life of a woman, although it is whispered that players walking a few yards behind have no recollection of it. He should take them for a Sunday lunch-time pint around the city centre and judge the mood of those that matter - it might end up being him that needs rescuing.

Both sides lacked the flair and cutting edge to give suffering fans a glimmer of hope in a season of gloom.

They were incapable of stringing passes together before giving the ball away, embarrassing stuff for two top-flight outfits.

It was a shock when the relegation- haunted pair, who have three league wins between them this season, actually threatened the goalmouth.

Hull only lifted their fans on a couple of occasions. Geovanni crossed but James made a fine save to prevent further danger.

There really was desperation when they looked at ref Stuart Attwell for a penalty late on when James clearly saved the ball at Geovanni's feet.

Portsmouth looked the more likely to score but the match was typified in the second half when Aruna Dindane's goal-bound effort was blocked by team-mate Kaboul.

The visitors felt hard-done-by two minutes from time when Kevin- Prince Boateng charged towards goal only to be pole-axed by Myhill, who was out of his area and gave away a free-kick.

Defenders were covering and Attwell's decision to book Myhill was spot on.

It's just a shame the rest of it wasn't.

• HASSELBAINK TURNS DOWN PORTSMOUTH

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