“The people at Everton are fantastic. Not the manager” – Deeney swipes at former boss

There is no love lost between Everton and Watford.

Ever since Everton made it clear that they wanted to secure the services of then Watford manager Marco Silva, the relationship between the two clubs has been sour at best. Silva impressed during his brief spell at Vicarage Road, before highly-publicised interest from Everton and Silva's subsequent interest in taking that role eventually led - in part - to his departure. The two sides face each other at the weekend with Silva's former side, currently coached by Javi Gracia, sitting one point ahead of Everton in the Premier League table. Ahead of that match, Watford captain Troy Deeney, chief executive Scott Duxbury and technical director Filippo Giraldi spoke to fans at a forum during the week, and one of the topics up for discussion was their former manager. First off, Deeney said that he would "let the team do the talking" when asked if he would meet Silva before the game, before things got a touch more spicy. Deeney urged supporters not to boo the former manager, and to leave the rough treatment up to the team. "We'd prefer it if you left him alone. It'll only motivate them more. Leave him alone, let us kick the s*** out of them," he said. But Deeney left his final words for Silva himself, when asked what clubs in the Premier League had impressed him most.

His response? "The people at Everton are fantastic. Not the manager."

Ouch.