West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce has backed Andre Villas-Boas with his criticism of Tottenham fans.
Big Sam wrote in the London Evening Standard: "Andre Villas-Boas surprised many when he criticised Tottenham's fans following the win over Hull on Sunday.
"Sometimes, still full of emotion of a game just finished, it's easy to get drawn into saying something indiscreet - I've done it, we've all done it - but Andre's comments looked a little more premeditated.
"As managers, you have to constantly be aware that an off-guard comment can, at any time, come back to bite you in the rear end but perhaps this was a calculated gamble by Andre.
"People have, for example, never forgotten Phil Brown keeping his Hull players out on the pitch at half-time after a bad first half against Manchester City.
"His critics say it was the start of his downfall which was rubbish because the slide had already started but what is less often mentioned is that Phil managed to keep Hull up for a season which makes him, up to now, the best manager the club have ever had.
"What Andre said was, for me, constructive criticism and if he gets the right reaction from the Spurs fans, then it was a gamble worth taking."
