If Joe Kinnear collected victories as readily as he earns tickings-off, Newcastle United would be challenging for the quadruple rather than reflecting on another season of failure. Dispatched to the stands for the third occasion during his brief stint as manager, the 62-year-old may find it prudent to invest in a season ticket for the directors’ box at St James’ Park.

Kinnear and Phil Brown, his counterpart for Hull City, were sent off by Phil Dowd, the referee, after a first-half confrontation in which words were exchanged, fingers pointed and, finally, foreheads lowered towards each other. It was a brief but unfortunate episode and if Kinnear feels he is paying a heavy price for every indiscretion, he also has form.

The Irishman is no stranger to the inner workings of the FA’s disciplinary mechanism. When he joined Newcastle, he brought with him a touchline suspension incurred during his spell at Nottingham Forest for describing an official as “Coco the Clown” and was subsequently sent from pitchside at Everton when he attempted, however innocently, to breach that ban. In subsequent months, Kinnear has been warned by the FA over his epithet-strewn rant at journalists and is still awaiting action after dubbing Martin Atkinson a “Mickey Mouse” referee and being dismissed away to Stoke City for haranguing Mike Riley.

Newcastle supporters would probably admire the passion if results followed, but the club remain locked in an icy embrace with underachievement. Kinnear has overseen a sequence of four wins in 17 fixtures and it will be Hull, not Newcastle, who host Millwall in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Daniel Cousin’s 81st-minute winner was symbolic, because the 40th anniversary of Newcastle’s victory in the Inter Cities Cup, their last trophy of any significance, will now pass without silverware. Kinnear’s pre-match warning was accurate; the club are acutely in trouble.

It is a poignant thought, as well as alarming. It was a year ago this week that Kevin Keegan’s startling return to Gallowgate lifted a city and its football club and encouraged the reawakening of dreams, which neatly illustrates the extent of the corrosion at Newcastle. Hopes, if they can be described as such, are now restricted to avoiding relegation.

Newcastle were not awful against Hull — the home side created clearly the better chances — but a long list of injuries blunted any semblance of a cutting edge. Michael Owen, the England striker, missed a trio of good chances, but the number of absentees can scarcely amount to an excuse when Brown had made eight changes to the side that had lost 2-0 to Everton on Saturday.

The good news, Kinnear claimed, was that his conference with Newcastle’s directors on Tuesday night had brought confirmation that he would be given £8 million to spend on signings, on top of what he brings in through sales. “We’ve made two serious offers of about £4 million each,” he said. “I think we’ll end up spending about £10 million.

“I’m very optimistic. One of the players would be very crucial to us. He plays for Cameroon, he’s got pace and he’s powerful.” That is understood to be a reference to Stéphane Mbia, the Rennes midfield player.

Reinforcements are necessary. When Xisco — whose arrival last summer courtesy of Dennis Wise, the Newcastle executive director (football), and his recruitment department had prompted Keegan’s departure — somehow missed a free target from seven yards, all the old doubts resurfaced. From a far more difficult chance, Nicky Butt directed a free kick from Danny Guthrie on to the underside of the crossbar.

Although Hull struggled for fluency, the skirmish between the benches robbed the game of its cohesion and any hint of beauty was similarly tossed aside. With tempers remaining frayed — Owen and Craig Fagan, the Hull midfield player, were spoken to by Dowd after a barbed discussion — the theme was more spiky than sparkling.

Finesse shrivelled in the chill, although Owen, who should have scored, forced a fine reflex save from Matthew Duke.

The sight of George Boateng, the Hull midfield player, being carried from the field on a stretcher was emblematic of the evening’s progress. Yet, given Newcastle’s travails, Hull’s win — only their second in 14 games — was no shock. Cousin’s fourth goal for the club was a sweet finish after Bernard Mendy’s blocked shot fell to Richard Garcia, who crossed adroitly.

Newcastle United (4-4-2): S Given — D Edgar, F Coloccini, S Bassong, C N’Zogbia — J Gutiérrez (sub: K LuaLua, 82min), N Butt, D Guthrie, D Duff — M Owen, Xisco (sub: A Carroll, 76). Substitutes not used: S Harper, S Taylor, T Kadar, R Donaldson, N Ranger. Booked: Coloccini.

Hull City (4-5-1): M Duke — N Doyle, P McShane, K Zayatte, S Ricketts — C Fagan (sub: B Mendy, 74), R France, G Boateng (sub: I Ashbee, 67), R Garcia, P Halmosi — D Cousin (sub: C Folan, 86). Substitutes not used: A Warner, N Featherstone, W Atkinson, S Giannakopoulos. Booked: Fagan, Ricketts.

Referee: P Dowd.

Revised fourth-round draw
Kick-off 3.0 unless stated

Jan 23: Derby v Nottingham Forest (7.45)
Jan 24: Hartlepool v West Ham (12.40)
Hull v Millwall
Sunderland v Blackburn
Chelsea v Ipswich
Cheltenham or Doncaster v Aston Villa
Torquay v Coventry
Kettering v Fulham
Portsmouth v Swansea
Sheffield United v Charlton
Wolves v Middlesbrough
Watford v Crystal Palace
West Brom v Burnley
Manchester United v Tottenham (5.15)
Jan 25: Cardiff City v Arsenal (1.30)
Liverpool v Everton (4.0)

- Neil Warnock wants to add an FA Cup Final to his managerial CV, after his Crystal Palace side saw off Leicester City 2-1 in their third-round replay at Selhurst Park. Paul Ifill, the Palace winger who is on the transfer list, opened the scoring after 38 minutes with a deflected effort. Sean Scannell, a substitute, doubled the lead after 55 minutes and although Max Gradel scored for the Coca-Cola League One leaders in the final minute it was too late to worry Palace, who will play away to Watford in the fourth round.

Warnock, who reached the semi-finals with Sheffield United in 2003, said: “I think there will be a Championship club there or thereabouts this year, and I hope it will be us. I’ve told the lads I want a Cup run.”