He said: "When he was here he was always bubbly and almost like one of the boys.
"He was that type of coach. I enjoyed working with him, he was a good coach.
"And I've been impressed by what he's done at Hull. The first half of the season they were absolutely flying and got wins at Arsenal and Tottenham.
"There's been a lot made of the way they have fallen away — it's a horrible run they've been on.
"We were in that position this time last year and I've been worried about them for a while. Not playing well, not picking up points. It gets harder and harder for them to get a win. They are lucky other teams have not been picking points up.
"I'm sure they'll be trying to put their finger on why that is and I'm sure it's frustrating for them."