Money doesn't matter insists Bullard

Hull midfielder Jimmy Bullard has told fans he is driven by pride and not pound signs following recent criticism of his displays.

As the Tigers fight for Premier League survival, frustrated supporters have turned on the £5m club record signing since he returned from injury last month.

Many feel Bullard has failed to recapture the form which saw him crowned the Premier League player of the month for November.

But speaking to the Hull Daily Mail, Bullard said: "Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but sometimes it goes like that. It is hard to win player of the month every month.

"I am out there to do the best I can and sometimes it is enough and sometimes it isn't.

"One week you are up in the clouds the next week you are down. You make what you can of it, but I never get too down about it.

"When the whistle is blown I'm just out there being me, there's no money in my head."

Boss Iain Dowie, meanwhile, has drawn on retired American athletics star Michael Johnson for inspiration ahead of one of the most crucial weeks in the club's history.

Hull are three points adrift of safety going into games at the KC Stadium against Aston Villa on Wednesday and Sunderland on Saturday.

Dowie believes survival now comes down to mental strength, which is why four-time Olympic gold medallist Johnson springs to mind.

"Whether we have the quality we will see in the next four games. I believe we have," Dowie said. "I think it was Michael Johnson who said the mental side is the crucial element when you get there.

"Athletically he knew he was good enough, it was putting the demons to one side.

"It's about us making sure we have a positive attitude. Our focus is to make sure we come with a real energy."