Touchline bust-up leaves Kinnear, Brown in hot water

Joe Kinnear and Phil Brown, the managers of Newcastle and Hull respectively, have been charged with improper conduct over a touchline clash during last week’s FA Cup third-round replay.

The two managers were sent to the stand after an angry confrontation midway through the first half of the match, which Hull won 1-0.

Kinnear claimed afterwards that he had simply told Brown to “cool it” after his counterpart had been enraged by a tackle on forward Daniel Cousin.

It is the fourth time Kinnear has been in trouble with the FA’s disciplinary chiefs since he took over at Newcastle in September.

He was given a warning as to his future conduct over an expletive-rich outburst at journalists in early October.

The following month he got into trouble again for describing match official Martin Atkinson as a “Mickey Mouse referee” and in December he was sent to the the stand for a diatribe at referee Mike Riley at the end of a game away to Stoke.

Both those incidents led to improper conduct charges which Kinnear will answer at a disciplinary hearing due to take place in the next few weeks.

Both managers have until February 3 to respond to the charges.