SILVA: MY HORNETS ARE NOT A DIRTY SIDE

MARCO SILVA surveyed another proliferation of red and yellow cards at Watford and insisted his team does not have a disciplinary problem.

Tom Cleverley’s late expulsion in the dramatic 2-1 defeat at Crystal Palace in midweek means the

Hornets have now had eight players sent off in the Premier League since the start of last season – more than any other club.

But Silva (above) launched a robust defence of his side and claimed: “My players have been kicked far more than we have kicked opponents. I don’t have any doubts about that.”

Watford’s head coach was angry that Palace substitute Patrick van Aanholt was not dismissed for a dreadful challenge that left

Argentina playmaker Roberto Pereyra with a four-inch gash on his calf.

Last season, under Walter Mazzarri, the Hornets finished bottom of the fairplay table and this term they have been invovled in two of the ugliest incidents in the top flight – a horror tackle by Miguel Britos on Brighton’s Anthony Knockaert and skipper Troy Deeney gouging Stoke midfielder Joe Allen’s cheeks.

But Silva shrugged: “I don’t know if we are the worst now – some of the others are really close.

“And if you watch other teams, I don’t think we can be received in a bad way. We always compete to be fair.

“The situation with Britos was one which I hope will not happen again, but Marvin Zeegelaar’s red card at Burnley was very harsh.

“And Tom Cleverley – who always plays fair – picked up two yellow cards at Crystal Palace, but two bookings can happen to even the fairest team in the world.

“Five minutes before Tom was sent off, there was a foul on Pereyra that should have been a red card and I cannot understand it.

“Pereyra has not been able to train since then, and we finished the game probably with nine men because he was limping heavily. If you think our team doesn’t play fair, you need to look at what is happening around us.

“I don’t want to talk about referees or blaming anybody, but I am sure we do not have a problem with discipline.”