Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson insists he doesn't enjoy giving his players the 'hairdryer' treatment.

"I don't enjoy it if the team isn't playing well," Fergie told the Mirror. "I'd rather not be in that position. It's much better to come in at half-time and everything has gone according to plan.

"Here, of course, more often than not it does, simply because of the players we have. But that brings its own challenges.

"That's when you need to talk about concentration and the necessity of not taking our foot off the pedal or the importance of going for that killer goal.

"So there are two types of team talk - one if you're doing well and another if you're not.

"The observations on the first-half are the most important thing. You only have about seven or eight minutes to rectify or resolve the situation if the match isn't going to plan.

"You should never dodge any issues. I don't know what team talks are like in other dressing-rooms but I try to get to the nub of the problem and solve it as quickly as I can.

"After that, you have to motivate your players to start the second half.

"As manager you have to produce the right words and the right volume to make players very aware of their - responsibilities and how they can improve."