Fergie on Fletcher...

cw1984

Really old interview (year 2000) but it shows you just how highly Fergie thought of Flec...

An interesting read IMO.

Friday, July 28, 2000
Fletcher is ready to fill Beckham's boots
By Ken Lawrence

The thought of losing David Beckham to Barcelona or any other predator may be anathema to Manchester United supporters but Sir Alex Ferguson can afford to be less agitated over the prospect.
Not only could United boost their transfer budget by £40million if Beckham were to decide he could no longer play for his highly critical boss - a ready-made replacement is literally waiting in the wings.

Ferguson is convinced that in teenage prodigy Darren Fletcher, he has a youngster who will make a sensational impact when he breaks into the first-team.

The 16-year-old Scot, already rated Beckham's understudy, is so integral to Ferguson's future plans that the manager took the lad into his own home to convince him to move to Old Trafford.

Since then, Ferguson has discovered that losing the willowy midfielder would have been a massive blunder.

So convinced is he of Fletcher's long-term potential that he is certain to blood the youngster in the Premiership this season. But he insists that United's prize capture should be allowed to walk before he is asked to run, which means he will not be allowed to serve his country yet.

Ferguson said: 'I know Craig Brown (Scotland's coach) has been looking at the boy and there is no question he can go all the way at the highest level. But he needs time to build his strength before Scotland start playing him.'

While Ferguson has no intention of sitting back and allowing Barcelona to spirit Beckham away, he is comforted by the knowledge that he still has the best midfield prospect United have snapped up since the Brylcreem Boy himself.

Yet, had Ferguson not stepped in when he did last January then Fletcher, born and raised in Dalkeith, near Edinburgh, would almost certainly have been lost to Newcastle United.

The young man who played for Scot-land's Under 16s as a 14-year-old arrived at Old Trafford for the youth-team game he believed would result in him signing to realise his boyhood dreams.

Instead, he was not picked for the game and was not even used as a substitute.

Desolate, Fletcher returned home, where his parents dissolved into tears when he told them he did not believe United really wanted him.

Fletcher's father contacted Old Trafford in an effort to discover what had gone wrong and Ferguson was furious when he discovered what had happened. He knew the teenager had the potential to become Scotland's best football export in a generation.

Immediately, Ferguson poured on the charm offensive. Fletcher was not only invited back but summoned to the manager's luxurious Cheshire home and put up for the night.

A United insider said: 'Sir Alex treated him like his own son. He knew from speaking to the lad's parents that the youngster was desperate to join United and always had been. Like David Beckham, he even had United posters on his bedroom walls.

'Ferguson had long since decided they could not afford to lose him but he was unaware of that.

'Darren's parents have never sought financial gain over United's interest, nor did they even when it looked like Darren was going to reject the club. They wanted only what they thought was best for their son and that was for him to go to Old Trafford.' Ferguson realised that by taking Fletcher into his home and talking to him for hours about what lay at the other end of the rainbow, he could strike the right chord with the midfielder who had been noted as much for his ability in the classroom as his intelligence on the pitch.

Fletcher quickly realised how much the legendary manager wanted him to sign for United.

Within days, plans were in motion to settle Fletcher in one of the club's boarding houses and he has since resumed his studies at a school on the outskirts of Manchester, his United contract safely tucked away.

An order also came from on high that Fletcher, providing he was fit, should play in every youth game he was available for. Ferguson decreed there would be no more risks taken with the player's developing ego.

Such was the pace of Fletcher's development that he had become a regular in the reserve-team by the end of last season and it was only at the last minute that Ferguson shelved plans to name him as a substitute in the final Premiership game of the campaign at Villa Park.

Fletcher is considered at least as far advanced as Beckham and Ryan Giggs were at the same age and, unlike either, is as reliable with his left foot as he is with this right.

Former Old Trafford stalwart Pat Crerand said: 'The boy has wonderful vision. He can carry the ball, he can pass it and he can shoot. He scored one goal, a thundering effort, and there was hardly any backlift before the shot.

'He has superb balance and he's the best thing I've seen come out of Scotland in years. He's going to be huge.' Ferguson has always believed that if they are good enough they are old enough. Giggs, for example, was only 17 when he played in the first-team and the manager made his name at Aberdeen by introducing a stream of starlets such as Eric Black and Jim Leighton.

He will therefore have no compunction in picking Fletcher sooner rather than later.

Crerand, like many who have watched Fletcher, predicts he can be a regular in the Premiership side within a year, receiving the same sensational reviews that first greeted Giggs and Beckham.

Beckham, probably the best crosser of the ball in the world, remains one of Old Trafford's treasures, vital to Ferguson's plans to conquer Europe again. But how Beckham reacts in the coming weeks to his manager's premeditated criticism in the update of his autobiography may determine his future.

United's actions have suggested Beckham is priceless to them. Twice they rejected advances from AC Milan. Now Barcelona, having sold Luis Figo for £37.5m, are preparing to test the water again.

But things may have irrevocably changed between Beckham and Ferguson over the last few days after the manager dredged up Beckham's failure to turn up for training back in February and their subsequent row.

There surely cannot be the same empathy between the pair, especially as Ferguson had vowed he would never again bring up the subject. It is conceivable that Ferguson, with an insurance policy called Fletcher in place, may end up, not for the first time, laughing all the way to the bank.




http://soccernet.espn.go.com/archive...tlawrence.html

yaka8

Good Find, and interesting read

UnitedRoadRed

Fletch was great at 16, but (partly due to injury) hasn't developed into the player he was expected to. Wes would be first choice centre back if it wasn't for the injuries that he's had down the years that have stifled his experience compared to what he could have had.

FranklyVulgar

I seriously think the lad is starting to blossom, he had alot of expectation and doesnt have the attitude that makes that a good thing. He isnt flash or brash he seems quite scholesesk in his mentality although he doesnt mind giving interviews it would seem.

Still i think that this season and last his performances have been of an exellent standard and he genuinely does have everything to his game, its just getting that consistency and confidence that comes with being a regular and thats my main worry for Fletch. He might not get the games he needs to fulfil his potential and coming up for 25? i think he needs to start being a regular.

I genuienly believe he is potentially better than Carrick.

All 3 United

I genuinely know he isn't.

cw1984

I think he *could* be.

I've seen him put in some truely outstanding performaces for Scotland. And not just his tackling and chasing either. His ball distibution was fantastic.

All 3 United

Yes he had a great impact when he came back to a Scotland squad who were on the brink of qualification to the Euro's. They lost to Georgia.

Sorry I have seen him cost us too many goals to rate Fletcher above a class act like Carrick.

Forever Red

I genuinely agree

cw1984

I dont rate him above Carrick. Not at all.... I just think he *could* be as good or at least close too him.

wade

Good read. Its interesting he's become a squad player instead of a starter like Giggs and Becks. Its different with every player i guess.

All 3 United

Maybe your right, I have to admit he has improved towards the back of this season but still don't see him becoming as good as Carrick.

I remember when he started getting in the first team and there was actually a thread on here asking who was better or is going to be better, Fabregas or Fletcher (And many on the CAF suggested Fletcher!). I had to laugh at the time and still don't see him ever being good enough to keep the likes of Carrick, Hargreaves, Scholes or Anderson out of a regular starting spot.

A1Dan

I find it interesting that, while you can spot talent young, even at 17 or 18 managers can sometimes be decieved about what type of player somebody will turn out to be.
We were all expecting a Beckham-esque winger because of Fergie's comments, but ended up with a centre-mid battler.
I was watching that Ronaldo documentray the other day, and there's a bit where Mourinho says that when he first saw him he thought he was another Van Basten.

Dippersripper

Darren Fletcher ffs. How can anybody be considered good with a name like that? Now, lets talk about Fletcherinho. The player who delivered MOTM performances against the bestest of teams in Europe. The scot who had Fabregas in his pocket.

All 3 United

or runs that slow, with arms flapping and gesticulating to other players to get the opponent who just ran straight past him. Or attempting to mark Anton Ferdinand from a set piece.

Dippersripper

Those mistakes won't get half the attention if the player who committed them is one of your favorites. The fact is, Fletcherinho has been excellent over the last two seasons in every big game he played.

All 3 United

Who was supposed to be marking Ballack last week??

Decotron

If the team was going to war so to speak, Id pick Fletcher everytime.

All 3 United

So would I and stick him on the front line!!

Dippersripper

Do you remember Rooney and Anderson's fuck up for the portsmouth penalty? Besides, that was not completely Fletcher's fault.

Brad

And some people say Fergie never gets anything wrong!

He was never, ever a 'prodigy'. Ever

No you wouldn't, you'd pick Vidic. Fletcher would harry the opposing gun man, keeping his distance refusing to put a challenge in, and then get shot square in the forehead

All 3 United

I think Jamie Redknapp putt it rather well, "Ballack drifted off Fletcher"

As for Anderson and Rooney against Portsmouth, yes they made a mistake but you would need to ask why they were the two last men. Plus they tend not to make too many mistakes.

weso26

I totally agree with that.

weso26

Fletcher was marking both Essien or Ballack at that time as I recall. He had a choice, go to the near post with Essien (which is the more immediate threat at the time) or follow Ballack. He chose Essien. When the ball came across, none of the defenders picked up Ballack, which one of them should have done. If you look at it, you can see Rio looking at Ballack coming in and doing nothing about it. Rio marked nobody and was caught in no mans land.

Why should Fletcher have to mark 2 and some defenders pick up nobody

No way was that Fletcher´s fault. Absolute bollox.

All 3 United

Carrick is 26 and Fletcher is 24. Not much time to improve 10 fold really.

All 3 United

If I recall rightly another Utd player was sat in front of Essien and as usual Fletcher was ball watching and went to the ball despite a player already covering Essien. School boy error.

weso26

A1Dan

Not what regular watchers of the youth team were saying at the time... everybody was dying for him to break through.

Brad

I question the judgement of regular watchers of the youth team back then, then

He's never shown anything, at any point, in the United first team that indicates he could ever have been considered a prodigy