The two bosses have now shown a similar taste in enemies

Those who have noted similarities between Alan Pardew and Phil Brown were provided with even more ammunition last night when the Hull boss followed in Pardew’s footsteps by falling out with Arsene Wenger.

Obvious comparisons between the two include that both enjoyed an initial period of fantastic overachievement after winning promotion to the Premier League and went on strong FA Cup runs. Both managers made their clubs’ record signing in their first January in the top-flight (Dean Ashton and Jimmy Bullard) and both men suffered long-term injuries at a crucial time.

Negatively, both managers have received criticism for some of their methods: Pardew for his sloganed T-shirts and training complex revamps and Brown for

Southgate backs Alves, Alves talks about moving clubs

When Middlesbrough decided to make Afonso Alves the most expensive signing in their history by splashing out over £12 million on him, they were probably expecting more than four league goals in his first full season.

But rather than blaming the misfiring Brazilian for the fact they are stuck in the relegation zone, Gareth Southgate decided to publicly support the 28-year-old:

“I still believe he can score goals between now and the end of the season.”

Alves’ response was not to knuckle down and strive to repay his manager’s faith. Instead, he decided that it was the perfect time to talk up his interest in jumping ship this summer:

“Benfica is a great club. It’s a kind of club that any player would want to play for.”