Intro:

Steve Bruce expressed his disappointment on Thursday (18th December) after central defender Michael Dawson was ruled out for at least a month with a hamstring injury, with his Hull City side facing a vital run of English Premier League fixtures starting with a home clash with Swansea City on Saturday (20th December).

Script:

SOUNDBITE: (English) Steve Bruce, Hull City manager (on Michael Dawson's hamstring injury):

"Well, unfortunately it was a grade-two tear like we thought so it could be anything from three to four to five weeks I would have thought, minimum, which unfortunately has happened to us too much. From the very first day of the season with Snodgrass to Jelavic to Dawson to Diame it's been unfortunately one thing after the other in that department. It's part and parcel of it, we keep saying that, but we could do with a little bit more luck in that department. We've got four or five of them with pretty ugly injuries so we'll have to get on without them unfortunately."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Steve Bruce, Hull City manager (on facing Swansea City on Saturday):

"The way they've conducted themselves, the way they've played, the style of play they've done, they're an absolute credit. And they are a big example in that if Swansea can do it and be in the Premier League for four, five, six years, whatever it is, then all of us can. So it will be a difficult game because they've got some good players, really good players, they've invested well, their centre forward is arguably as good as you're going to get in the Barclays Premier League so it's a big big game for us but there's an opportunity. And then we go to Sunderland on Boxing Day and we're back here against Leicester two days later so it's a big opportunity to pick some points up. And if we can manage to win a couple of those games then the whole season has a different complexion and that's got to be our aim."

SOUNDBITE: (English) Steve Bruce, Hull City manager (on Hatem Ben Arfa):

"I've said to Ben Arfa, unfortunately I wasn't going to accept the performance like I'd seen from him when we played against Manchester (United). It's up to him to force his way back into the squad and that's the way it is. If he decides to stay in France then that's up to him. There's only 10 days or something before the window opens - but I think it's fair to say he's probably played his last game for Hull."