Fiery. Combustible. Committed. All words which could suitably describe Watford's Jose Holebas.

The Greek defender's emotions are never too far from the surface and indeed they regularly come to the foreground.

It's little surprise then that Holebas, who by his own admission runs hot, finds Watford's current league standing, which has them four points clear of the Premier League drop zone, hard to digest.

Anger, Holebas claims, is the correct response to such a situation and an emotion some of his team-mates could do with showing more readily.

"When you are down and look at the Everton loss, Swansea, Palace and they are easy points normally. We lost against Stoke as well and it makes me angry," Holebas said.

"That makes me angry and some of the players in our team should show it more as well. Maybe they are angry but they are not showing it.

"Sometimes it is better to explode the bomb rather than do nothing about it. Sometimes I am too angry, but this is my way and people need to handle it."

Holebas' combative nature has seen him become a polarising figure among Watford supporters, but his desire to win can't be disputed.

This competitive streak often manifests itself in unsavoury ways, most recently when confronting supporters after the FA Cup defeat to Southampton, and team-mates are also not spared the 33-year-old's honest appraisals.

He insists such moments come from wanting the best for Watford and a desire to get the most out of himself and others.

"I think everyone is fighting for the team but sometimes you have to do a little more than this," he said. “This is what I thought was missing, but I hope we have this now.

"Sometimes someone is saying something [in the changing room] and I think that is a good way to be. It keeps the team alive.

"It is better to do that than say nothing so you go out onto the pitch like mice."

Perhaps the toughest moment of Holebas' season - even Watford's as a whole - came at Goodison Park in November.

Holebas was more than culpable than most for the collapse which saw Watford throw away a 2-0 lead to lose 3-2 against Everton.

The display led then Watford boss Marco Silva to lose trust in Holebas and he began to miss out on the starting XI to Marvin Zeegelaar.

The defeat on Merseyside has been marked as a turning point in Silva's reign and it is one Holebas looks back on with regret ahead of the visit of Everton on Saturday.

"We have to go into this game like it is our last," Holebas said. "When we were at Everton we were 2-0 up and we lost in a way that was unacceptable.

"I was totally emotional in that game. I think I was a little hard and I was screaming at people. I know what it is like when you lose points like that.

"Everyone wants to play and if he (Zeegelaar) is training better than me, the manager will pick him. That is how it is.

"I have got my chance in the team now and I am taking it. That is all there is to it."