SLAVEN BILIC has rubbished Troy Deeney’s claim that West Ham were punished for trying to “mug Watford off”.
The Hornets‘ captain led a sensational comeback last weekend after they overturned a 2-0 deficit to win 4-2 at the London Stadium.
Deeney says his team-mates were wound-up by after Dimitri Payet set up Michail Antonio’s second with a rabona cross and Manuel Lanzini also tried an audacious shot.
But Hammers boss Bilic says his side did not try to humiliate the Premier League new boys.
He said: “He is a great player and a very clever player. It was smart to say that.
“It might look for some people like that but he said it because it was good for them because they turned the game around.
“It is a good story, 2-0 go to sleep and then 4-2. They woke up.
“But I am here more than a year now and I haven’t seen my players underestimate any team we have played so far, even Watford.
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“We spoke before the game and knew we were facing a really good team, we expected a tough game and we were right.
“It is just a clever statement from Troy.”
Meanwhile, Bilic says the club need to sort out their warring fans after ugly scenes showed clashes between spectators in the same match.
He added: “I didn’t notice it, it didn’t affect my concentration so I’m sure the players didn’t notice it. That had nothing to do with the performance.
“I would of course like it sorting out, we are playing football for the fans. You measure the size of any club by the size of the fans, we want them to feel good, to make them happy with our results and performances.
“We want them to feel safe at any stadium we are playing. That is the goal.
“Why are they fighting? I am not a shrink or a politician. I don’t know. It is not directly my job.
“Everyone at the club wants the fans to feel safe and be happy. Home wins are important, you want them to leave the game smiling.”
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