West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has sung the praises of "honest" West Brom counterpart Tony Pulis.

Bilic wrote in the London Evening Standard: "Tony Pulis gets criticised for his brand of football but he doesn't hide it, like others. There are a lot of clubs playing exactly the same way in many parts of the game. In England, they all sit back when opponents have a direct attacking style. He is a great coach and a very honest man.

"I have been a TV pundit with him and he called me a few times when I was at Besiktas to ask about a few players in Turkey. He is very passionate and understands football in many different leagues across Europe.

"I respect him also because he never tells lies, even though you can bend the truth in football when the result allows you to. His West Brom team, who we face at Upton Park on Sunday, achieved a big win against Arsenal but he said they were lucky and needed to defend very well. He is pragmatic. He uses what he has to achieve reasonable objectives."