Ayee that's how I saw it, grew into the game and was alright in the end.
Darren Fletcher
- Thread starter Maciej
- Start date
Just not up to the pace of a Premier League game at the minute. It's not his fault so he'll get no criticism from me. It's a real shame because a couple of years ago Fletcher looked like a potential Utd captain.
Incredibly harsh thing to say.
His backheel in the second half was 
Probably true enough though, unfortunately. I've thought it since he first came back.
Maybe but if he comes up against a decent midfielder it's going to be embarrassing.
Lets hope the more minutes he gets, the more he improves.
He has got plenty of credit in the bank to get away with some slow/off performances.
And its not like its costing us.
He has got plenty of credit in the bank to get away with some slow/off performances.
And its not like its costing us.
Was as bad as I've ever seen him play to be honest. Doubt he should even be ahead of Nick Powell on this level of form.
Although I like that he keeps his position much more after the illness, he was horrible today... lost all the challanges and lost the ball every time it was possible for him to do so.
I think we have seen the best of him tbh. For me Fletcher could have been a great player, but the injuries in his early career set him back. Now, the illness has killed him off i feel.
I think we have seen the best of him tbh. For me Fletcher could have been a great player, but the injuries in his early career set him back. Now, the illness has killed him off i feel.
Give the guy a chance, it's not long from he thought he might never play again.
Agree with what you say apart from the last line as it will cost us a loan spell would do him wonders and serve him and us well.
Why is Darren Fletcher being played when he's so clearly miles off being ready to play in a professional game of football again?
We can't just play him because Sir Alex thinks he is a nice guy.Just because it's sad that he struggles with this illness and he's had a couple of good season's for us earlier in his career doesn't mean that it's a good idea to let him play while we have Tom Cleverley warming the bench.
We can't just play him because Sir Alex thinks he is a nice guy.Just because it's sad that he struggles with this illness and he's had a couple of good season's for us earlier in his career doesn't mean that it's a good idea to let him play while we have Tom Cleverley warming the bench.
We can't give him his time if he is a liabilty, we can all understand that at this level. He has had long enough time now and is playing, so we surely would be in our rights to judge him by the way he plays? If SAF find him right for a starting place, we must be in our rights to judge the performance?
I'm afraid his time is up, as it would be for anyone with his horrible luck with his injuries and illness.
Come on some over reactions going on, he had a poor first half as did many and improved in the second half. Not like you can say anyone bar carrick played at the level we'd expect and rafael and evra were both far worse in their positions today than fletch was in his. At least he has the excuse of not having much football and clearly being inhibited by his illness, not sure what some players could say in defence of themselves today.
It's really hard for him as he's having to reinvent himself as his biggest attributes are no longer available to him.
Unfortunately that's true. Such a huge part of his game was his great stamina, nowadays he just can't get around the pitch the same. When he runs it looks like he's in quicksand, couple that with his (understandably) very rusty passing and he just doesn't offer anything.
You may as well play Valencia or Welbeck central midfield as it stands.
I think he just needs so much more time to get back (if he manages that). On one hand, we need to be patient, on the other hand, we have to play our most inform players to win the games. He wasnt good today I though, too much what he did didnt have a real purpose or brought us an advantage
Fletcher is horribly out of pace and out of form.Just looking at his face i feel sad for him,he just doesn't look like a professional football player let alone a man utd standard player.
He'll pick it up. I feel he is getting better with each game. Though at this moment he should only play in a 3 man midfield.
Fletcher's only attribute before his illness was energy. Naturally he doesnt have that after the illness. He has to reinvent himself massively, work on passing and positioning if wants to play a positive role in this team.
He has never been a good technical or intelligent player so I have my doubts.
He shouldnt be playing PL football ahead of Cleverley or Anderson, he should at most be played in CL fodder games and the league cup, but even then he will take valuable minutes for young talents like Powell or Tunnicliffe.
Sentimentality is not doing anything positive for United as a club here.
He has never been a good technical or intelligent player so I have my doubts.
He shouldnt be playing PL football ahead of Cleverley or Anderson, he should at most be played in CL fodder games and the league cup, but even then he will take valuable minutes for young talents like Powell or Tunnicliffe.
Sentimentality is not doing anything positive for United as a club here.
He's unfortunately been massively shit for us recently. I hope he somehow manages to regain his level, though I have my doubts.
Shouldn't be starting at the moment.
Shouldn't be starting at the moment.
I didn't know I would Phelan
I'm not sure what Fergie has seen in his cup appearances to think he's good enough for the more important games right now. He looks a level below the rest of our players and simply should not be starting league games imo.
His biggest asset was always energy and without that he basically looks like a limited football without the legs to make up for it.
His biggest asset was always energy and without that he basically looks like a limited football without the legs to make up for it.
You're lying. Surely that would mean that his last game was the best of the lot.
Because of Fergies achilles heel, the old sentiment card.
He's a brilliant manager but he's always had it, you can look as far back as Brain McClair to see it.
Cleverley should be starting and the likes of Fletcher coming on when we have a match sown up.
Fletcher's one of my favourite players, but he simply shouldn't be getting anywhere close our starting 11 in the Premier League as it is right now. He's just too far off the required standard, and he was absolutely shocking yesterday.
Weird innit? Guess it just proves the great man has a soft spot. Should have been a game for Cleverley to cement his partnership with Carrick.
I wouldn't be so worried if it was just his stamina and explosiveness that were gone, but his first touch was just so awful v Reading, I don't know what to make of it. Got the ball pinched off him time and again because of this.
Oh, Fletcher and Park are shite now.
and Arsenal too
Pete is on a wumming roll tonight.
I would give Fletcher a bit more time before totally writing him off.
I would give Fletcher a bit more time before totally writing him off.
May be I am a little but it is miracle that he has come back and is playing again. After being out for so long it is not a surprise that he is finding it somewhat difficult. The only way for him to get back anywhere near his best is by getting actual game time. I have seen every game that Fletcher has played this season, including the reserves, and he has shown progress. Fergie has been picking the right games and right teams for him, it's not his fault that others also decide to play like total spastics at the same time. Cluj, Braga at home, Newcastle in the COC, Chelsea in the COC, meaningless Gala game, QPR home, Reading away are not bad games for him to get a run.
With Giggs and Scholes on the verge of retirement and now many other home grown players in the squad, it would be good to have him back fit and firing.
Right time to bump this thread.
Fletch looks sure to start tomorrow and he's been back and playing long enough to get a realistic assessment of what type of player he will be in the future. He's largely been played as the most defensive player with the likes of Clev and Anderson supplying the energy.
Tomorrow, he's likely to be paired with Carrick and Scholes/Rooney in some type of midfield three. Plenty of comments in this thread suggest he's not got the energy or engine he used to have. Tomorrow should be a good indicator of whether that's true or not, because against City's midfield and in a derby setting we could really do with some of those qualities.
If it is true that Fletch's has lost that energy and engine for good, tomorrow will also be a good test if he has the ability to adapt into a different type of midfield player and offer the team something slightly different.
Either way, tomorrow is a huge game for Fletcher personally and I'm interested in how he does. We are getting to the halfway point of the season and he's been back long enough for the rustiness to have worn off and for the fitness to have been built back up.
Fletch looks sure to start tomorrow and he's been back and playing long enough to get a realistic assessment of what type of player he will be in the future. He's largely been played as the most defensive player with the likes of Clev and Anderson supplying the energy.
Tomorrow, he's likely to be paired with Carrick and Scholes/Rooney in some type of midfield three. Plenty of comments in this thread suggest he's not got the energy or engine he used to have. Tomorrow should be a good indicator of whether that's true or not, because against City's midfield and in a derby setting we could really do with some of those qualities.
If it is true that Fletch's has lost that energy and engine for good, tomorrow will also be a good test if he has the ability to adapt into a different type of midfield player and offer the team something slightly different.
Either way, tomorrow is a huge game for Fletcher personally and I'm interested in how he does. We are getting to the halfway point of the season and he's been back long enough for the rustiness to have worn off and for the fitness to have been built back up.
They always were useless, except against Arsenal and similar teams in the few couple of seasons where you guys arguably had a team with the ablitiy to "play" better than us.
Fletcher was good at harrying the opposition, putting them off their game. Park similarily. Put the two of them against a Fabregas - [anyone Arsenal had at their disposal] partnership and they would feck up the rhythm of the opposition, which was a good thing at the time. Neither of them were EVER good at outplaying the opposition or breaking down a defensive opponent. Right now our optimal midfield is arguably better than Arsenal's, and thus we shouldnt be playing "destroyers", even if Fletcher could still fulfill that role (which he cant).
Fletcher always was, and is even more than before, a complete liability when we play against a poor opponent.
You seriously underestimate Fletcher, regardless of what his illness has done to his game now, to describe him the way you have based on his performances up to his illness is pretty baffling. Plus regardless of how he did it, I never saw Fletcher get dominated in a game against Arsenal and he wasn't fouling the whole time.
I have no problem admitting that I never like Fletcher as a player. He did a good job in several games against teams like Arsenal where we relied upon destroying the opposition because we were going through a poor spell midfield-wise. Missing him for the finals against Barcelona definitely hurt us - that's the kind of game he is made for. I give him credit for that.
But, he was never useful against teams with worse players than us. Hes not the kind of player that lets us outplay the opposition. Hes poor at passing, has mediocre football intelligence and his one good attribute, energy, has been taken from him by the illness.
He shouldnt play for us any more.
But, he was never useful against teams with worse players than us. Hes not the kind of player that lets us outplay the opposition. Hes poor at passing, has mediocre football intelligence and his one good attribute, energy, has been taken from him by the illness.
He shouldnt play for us any more.
if he's fit, we'll take out barca. he was the missing weapon in 2009 and 2011
Like I said think you're seriously downplaying his qualities, he may have excelled at harrying opponents but he's a very good footballer as well. End of 08 till his sickness he was one of our first choice players, not just midfielders and that was where we excelled at beating the weaker teams, must have been doing something right.
A lot of people either building him up to highly or shooting him down to much. He was a very useful player to have and complemented our more skilful players with his energy and willingness to carry out the dirty work. Now he can't carry out the dirty work anywhere near as well then he should be moved on. But since he is recovering from illness and he might get back to what he was, he should be given time as he has bought this considering what he has done for this club so far. A solution that would best serve both would to go on loan play every week. I love Fletch but right now he is a mile of the first team and it will eventually cost us. Wouldn't be so bad but gets highlighted as the only reliable midfielder we have is Carrick every other one has big ? Marks over them. Hopefully this gets sorted in the summer one way or another!
That's a myth. We'd have lost both those games anyway. Fletcher used to be a decent player, especially in 2009, but not one to dominate Barcelona's midfield.