BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes said he wants to see more of the passion that resulted in an angry confrontation between Brad Friedel and Robbie Savage during Saturday's five-goal thriller with West Ham.

As emotions ran high during a stirring second half, Friedel and Savage squared up to each other after a breakdown in communication between the pair nearly led to an equaliser for Yossi Benayoun in the 78th minute.

The trouble flared when the duo became embroiled in a heated exchange after both had failed to cut out a cross from the left, and Friedel momentarily lost his cool as he ran up to Savage and deliberately barged into him with his chest.

The pair were quickly separated by team-mates and moments later they kissed and made up, Savage making a point of shaking the American's hand by way of an apology in front of an approving Blackburn End.

It was a bizarre incident in a second half that, at times, felt almost surreal, but Hughes later brushed it off, insisting that's exactly the kind of passion he wants to see from his players when their backs are against the wall.

Referring back to his days at Manchester United, when Peter Schmeichel, Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister regularly used to have barneys with each other on the pitch, Hughes said: "Schmeichel, Bruce and Pallister used to go hammer and tongues in every single game that they played.

"It's something and nothing really, but it's just an example of the demands that we have of ourselves and of the team-mates alongside us.

"It's not a bad thing.

"If you're allowing things to happen, or you're not hurt by things, or you're not trying to make things happen, then you're not taking part.

"I think some people enjoy that part of it more than others."

Hughes confirmed that Friedel and Savage had a 'laugh and joke' about the whole episode after the game and the Rovers boss also insisted there was not an underlying problem between the pair.

"Sometimes when you look from the outside, you think that's a problem but it's not," continued the Welshman.

"It's players having demands on themselves and demands on their team-mates.

"I've said many, many times since I've been at this club that that's what I want to see.

"I want to see players having high standards and when people drop below that, for whatever reason, then I expect them to have those demands.

"This was just an example of that and they were laughing and joking in the dressing room afterwards, so it's not an issue."