Bilic knows frustration that drove Mourinho to kick out
(Reuters) - West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has expressed sympathy for Manchester United counterpart Jose Mourinho after the Portuguese was banished to the stands during their 1-1 draw on Sunday, the Croat admitting that watching your team could be harrowing.
Mourinho has been charged by the Football Association and faces a touchline ban after he was dismissed for kicking a water bottle in frustration when he felt midfielder Paul Pogba was harshly booked in the Old Trafford stalemate.
"I don't know the rules but England is a country where they like to stick to the rules and I saw that," Bilic said when asked if he thought managers were aware that kicking a bottle was an offence.
"The problem is that Jose hit that bottle like... it was a great volley to be fair. He should have miskicked it. He hit it too good. But you know a lot of things and you still do them, as it is a special kind of state during the game.
"You are not thinking 'can I kick the ball?' You are fuming and you see the ball and you kick it. Many times, I see the bottles in front of me and many times I go like... I will smash it and I stop in the last second.
"Your adrenaline is going and you are also in the red zone."
Bilic also said he felt there was no right way for a manager to conduct themselves on the touchline.
"There is no proper way of managing. Sometimes if you are too calm you are accused of not having an impact on your players and that you should be on the touchline," he added. "But if you are on the touchline you get accused of making them nervous. Everyone's got his own way."
West Ham will be at Old Trafford again on Wednesday to face United in the League Cup quarter-final before taking on Arsenal at home in the league this weekend.
(Reporting by Debanjan Bose in Bengaluru; Editing by John O'Brien)