Cape Town - Watford manager Marco Silva has hit back at new Everton boss Sam Allardyce for unfairly comparing the two men's managerial records.
Allardyce was annoyed when some suggested that he was likely Everton's second choice of manager behind Silva. The former West Ham boss lashed out, saying: "I have every respect for Marco Silva and I am not criticising Marco Silva but Marco Silva’s track record has got no comparison whatsoever with mine because he got Hull City relegated."
Silva has not let the comment go by unnoticed, insisting that it doesn't make sense to compare his record at the age of 40 with that of Allardyce, who is 63.
"I read what he said, but when he made this comparison it does not make sense," Silva told the press after his side's 1-1 draw with Tottenham on Saturday.
"It is the same thing if I compare his work with a national-team coach like Gareth Southgate.
"It's like me comparing the five goals Richarlison has scored in the Premier League with Peter Crouch [who has scored 207 goals in his club career].
"Crouch is nearly 37, Richarlison is 20; Crouch has played so many games [669] and Richarlison far less."
He added: "Go and see what he [Allardyce] was doing when he was 40 years old, or see what he was doing in his first seven seasons as a coach.
"Then look at what I am doing at the same age - or you can wait until I am 63 years old, and then we can compare what I have done."
At the age of 40, Allardyce was the manager at Blackpool in League One, the third tier of English football, after a spell as interim manager at Preston North End.