Fulham manager Mark Hughes has told the rest of the Premier League that his Fulham side refuse to be bullied.
Craven Cottage boss Hughes is still fuming at Stoke defender Andy Wilkinson’s outrageous challenge on Moussa Dembele in midweek.
The tackle has put Dembele out of action for three weeks, adding to Fulham’s striker woes with Bobby Zamora sidelined for five months with a broken leg.
But Hughes believes his side, who host Everton today, can stand toe-to-toe with the league’s bully boys.
He said: “You’ve got to fight your corner. It is a physical sport and you have to be able to be physical.
“We always try and play the right way because I believe it is right and that is the type of players that we have, but you have to be able to win ugly at times.
“There will be situations when we will need to have different strings to our bow.
“At the moment, sometimes it becomes more difficult because of the type of team that we are. If we can have a bit of devilment, then that will help us.
“You’ve got to be physical and stand up to the challenge. More often than not the top teams are there because there is an element to their game that allows them to be physical when they want to be.”