Tony Pulis column: What Man Utd need now is stability, not more changes

In my experience, and I am talking about Premier League clubs, my owners were keen on my views on the players I had just inherited – not just in terms of their ability on the pitch but their value as assets on budget sheets and in the transfer market.

I was always continually asked if I could make players better, and also if I could recover money from those I did not rate or want, so as to help the club’s financial position.

I understood why – my position as manager was to 100% help the club and try to achieve maximum performances on and off the pitch – but it can be hard to do both.

It means when you are taking over a group of players your club has invested in, you cannot always be completely honest about certain players in that group.

You know the club has a vested interest in holding the player’s value and the fact you have to portray positivity to protect that is sometimes unbelievably difficult.

Criticising them in the media can’t happen, because of your loyalty to the club, so you are left hoping the people who watch your games week in, week out, understand and recognise your dilemma around your squad.

The club’s recruitment strategy has been publicly questioned recently, of course, by defender Lisandro Martinez – and I am sure a lot of supporters agree with him and/or would like some clarity on that subject.

But, from a manager’s perspective, Martinez’s outburst also raises serious questions about the player himself.

Him saying what he did does make me wonder whether he believes he has been a success personally. If so, then how many more players in United’s first-team squad also believe themselves to have been successful, rather than part of the problem?

Managing players with inflated opinions about themselves is another challenge in itself – and it certainly needs addressing.

You can add that to the list of Michael’s issues right now, but he has an even bigger problem in how he deals with his captain Bruno Fernandes’ comments after United were humbled by Como in the Champions League on Wednesday,

Watching Michael in his post-match press conference in Italy was really difficult for me.

I’ve managed games where my team has been beaten while having a right go, but having to see a manager man up to his side after a performance that, for me, questioned their attitude to compete or even run around and try, was heart-wrenching.

Listening to the way his captain spoke, after his own example typified his team’s reluctance to do the above, it again showed me how difficult it must be at that club at the moment.

Michael’s tactics are there to be followed, yet to do that away to Como on a very wet and windy miserable night, you need men and not boys.

Fernandes seemed to be enjoying his relationship with Carrick last season, when United were flying up the table, but they have now levelled off both as a team and individuals in the way I described in this column.

Proper captains, and I was lucky to work with some top guys, come to the fore when the team and club needs them most.

I’ve always judged leaders by people who follow them when things are going wrong. Unfortunately, many members of that team did follow their captain’s example, but in a totally unprofessional way.