Bitter spat between Man United technical director Darren Fletcher and angry fan at Old Trafford - with Scott McTominay also involved

VP89

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Love how a lot of the fans seem to think they should know exactly what Fletchers role and responsibilities are.

Have to say I absolutely despise the entitlement some of our fanbase have. The likes of Goldbridge have a lot to answer for.
https://www.si.com/soccer/manchesterunited/interviews/darren-fletcher-gives-clarity-role-manchester-united#:~:text=Darren Fletcher has clarified his,what exactly the situation was.
"With Ralf and his staff coming in, and Michael and Kieran choosing to move on, we had a quick transition process, so part of my role has been to assist with that, both on the training pitch and during games.”

“I guess that’s been the most visible part for me this season, but that’s really an addition to my overall technical director role. It’s been a brilliant experience since I took on the role.”

“I’m working closely with Nick Cox, as Head of Academy to look at the long-term strategy for bringing players through."

"We have to manage the balance between allowing them to develop and creating right steps for that without piling pressure.”


We have a good idea on his remit from the above, generally speaking. Of course the fan in the video is an idiot though :lol:

Goldbridge is an absolute tit who outright lies on his channel claiming no one knows what Fletcher does and that he serves no purpose. He's just an idiot clickbait ignorant man trying to get likes at the expense of putting down the club image as far as he can.
 
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rimaldo

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i think it’s pretty clear that geebs is fletcher’s dad. it’s pretty damning that even he doesn’t know what fletcher does at the club.
 

rimaldo

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Fletcher has probably hired him as his deputy. Nepotism. They both just walk around carrington looking stressed pretending they’re busy with not a scooby what their job even is.
i reckon the fan was probably geebs. it was all staged. an elaborate ruse to try and show how much his son cares about the club.
 

golden_blunder

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Damn, I thought it was a good idea. But I shouldn’t have underestimated the power of numpties to make something out of nothing
 

Nytram Shakes

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Just because someone was at the club all those years doesn't mean they are responsible for the bad things that happened at the time. Allow people to be judged on what they do when they're in the job as long as they have the qualifications for it. A lot of times someone junior in a role replaces the senior and changes things for the better.

Judge people by what they do in the role not judge them harshly just because they were also an employee before.
No it doesn’t mean they are going to bad, but one thing has been 100% clear in the post Fergie era, we have lacked people who have the experience and know how to run the football side of things at the club and it’s been a complete mess.
What do we do to combat that? Get help? no we employ people from within the club do the roles, individuals who have no experience of the jobs they are doing, some of which have never even been a role at the club before. Add to that the uncertainty as they are people who have been invoked with the club during these farcical years of mammoth spending for minimal results as well as the clear development of a culture problem at the club.

So no it doesn’t mean they are going to be bad, but it definitely doesn’t look positive.
 

Relevated

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Spot on. These social media influencers who peddle this nonsense have a lot to be accountable for.

1 - Why? Why do you need to know what role everyone plays in the club?

2 - Do you know what the likes of Cech do at Chelsea?

3 - Is that ever questioned?
1 - I am not asking for a direct report on what every single employee does at this club. Fletcher holds a position of high authority, and is higher up in the club, and this means that we should be fully aware of what the leadership team deals with. The club is accountable to the fans and MUST be entirely transparent.

2 - I am not sure what Cech does at Chelsea, but thats primarily because Im not a Chelsea fan and have no interest. If I was a Chelsea fan I would definitely want to know what he does. For what its worth, Petr Cech is very confident in talking about his role as can be seen here: Petr Čech explains his new role as Chelsea Technical and Performance Adviser - We Ain't Got No History (sbnation.com)

3 - Maybe Chelsea fans question it on their forums, but why would it be questioned here?
 

UNITED ACADEMY

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That part relevant because even Liverpool, City, Chelsea... are not German model. Not long ago, we often heard that we're trying similar model to Liverpool with transfer committee.

Even if we decided to change most recently after Ole sacking, it's too soon to say we're going places with this new German model. Fletch's job title/role (technical director, even in his own description of his duty) is not equivalent to what ETH description here about Overmars and sporting director in Germany. And if he's doing much of that part, the manager in RR would have known his role better. Because even without incoming in winter window, RR still had to communicate with upstairs about players departure; where directors work for their money in Germany model. Last but not least, fans have some power in German clubs' board.

I am not saying I know what Fletch does, or Fletch is shit. What I am trying to say is there is some blind faith convenient comparison when it comes to us. Be it Ole record was not unlike Klopp first couple year in Liverpool; Pep and Zidane done it with Barcelona and Real, Ole might... In reality, the situation is contextually very different from the get go.

Edit: about the being on the bench, I am curious how the regulation works with coaching license. I saw Paratici and that bald head scout who recently resigned from Tottenham, sit in the bench. Also these newly appointed technical coach in Germany sit on the bench freshly off their retirement. Murtough has been in the business for so long, it's strange if with his knowledge of his peers in the industry, he doesn't prepare for this scenario.
What Liverpool, city, and Chelsea are doing is irrelevant because they are not doing it, while we are doing it and only did it this season. Clearly there has to be a reason why one of the board is sitting next to the manager on the bench now, while we never done this under Ole, Mourinho, LVG, Moyes, and Sir Alex. I’m using ETH’s quote because I remember he mentioned that this is what the German clubs do, and Rangnick is a German and used to be a manager and sporting director in German clubs means it could be that it was his decision that he wanted Fletcher to sit next to him.
 

Paxi

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Why was he ‘questioning’ someone who didn’t play or select the team?
Went to the cinema to watch morbius the other day, should I have ‘questioned’ the bloke who sold me the ticket as to why the film was so shite?
He’s questioning the team and not Fletcher is he? If Fletcher interjected, then by all means have a heated discussion. Nothing wrong with it.
 

GazTheLegend

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Maybe, if it was soft. But I think when you've been around football grounds and heard that special type of idiot trying to make a name for himself then I give Fletcher the benefit of the doubt.
I don't. If he has any sense he'd ask a Steward to have a word. Or rather, TELL a Steward to have a word. The Stewards are there to protect people like Darren Fletcher. Might not be a good look even then but it's better than having a go yourself.
 

Toblerone92

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The title of this thread is nauseating. Must we reduce the discussion here to the level of the tabloids that we so often criticise for their sensationalism and misrepresentations of the truth?
 

phelans shorts

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Gaz. Is a Mewling Quim.
As for Edwin, I agree that he is more DoF material and I imagine that he could be tempted by a big pay increase and the chance to restore a former giant where he is fondly remembered as a player.
A serious question, given how the Overmars situation went down at Ajax, would you be comfortable with Edwin coming in? I know my opinion on him TANKED and I’m kinda surprised that so many see it as a non issue
 

tomaldinho1

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I wonder how many people would have a negative opinion of Fletcher if they weren't allowing themselves to be swayed by reading other people's negative opinions on him.
I think most are more influenced by his job title than anything else. To be honest, looking at the club setup we made a point that Murtough wasn’t actually a DoF but was ‘Footballing Director’ and so I’ve no reason to assume Fletcher is a Technical Director in the same way you might see it in other clubs. There was a good interview with Brighton’s Technical Director a couple of years back on BT where he tried to explain what he did and it seems chalk and cheese to Fletchers role, which looks from the outside looking in like he’s basically a coach. If they’d just called him a coach, these threads wouldn’t even get past the 1st page but because he’s Technical Director AND coach AND in the dugout it does seem odd. As with many recent hires there also wouldn’t be any interest in this if he’d done it somewhere else and had some success but that’s also not the case.
 

Hughie77

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I read what the guy said , he told them they don't care, and a few other things, then went to leave himself and wasn't allowed out of stadium, then saw Fred's goal in con course . Its a bit of nothing realy he's a fan expressing his opinion that's allowed, he didn't abuse Fletcher and it was directed personally toward him. I've sat there before not far from the dug out, before they had those comfy seats, but we were UTD then so there wasn't any discord amongst fans.

This guy had a right to voice his opinion because some of those players don't care.
 

Isotope

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THese impatient glory hunters. None of this happened in 1774 BC when we were a relegation battle club.
 

golden_blunder

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A serious question, given how the Overmars situation went down at Ajax, would you be comfortable with Edwin coming in? I know my opinion on him TANKED and I’m kinda surprised that so many see it as a non issue
He’s not going to move from CEO to DoF, he studied and worked hard to get to that level, he’s not about to bin that because some oiks think that our DoF role can be filled by chucking money at it. A move ironically that most people are asking the DoF to get away from doing
 

golden_blunder

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I think most are more influenced by his job title than anything else. To be honest, looking at the club setup we made a point that Murtough wasn’t actually a DoF but was ‘Footballing Director’ and so I’ve no reason to assume Fletcher is a Technical Director in the same way you might see it in other clubs. There was a good interview with Brighton’s Technical Director a couple of years back on BT where he tried to explain what he did and it seems chalk and cheese to Fletchers role, which looks from the outside looking in like he’s basically a coach. If they’d just called him a coach, these threads wouldn’t even get past the 1st page but because he’s Technical Director AND coach AND in the dugout it does seem odd. As with many recent hires there also wouldn’t be any interest in this if he’d done it somewhere else and had some success but that’s also not the case.
I’ve said it numerous times, they done the lad no favours calling him technical director when it’s clearly not.
his job is to deal with the youth pathway. That’s it. they should have given him a title that reflects his work.
Anything else is just because of lack of bodies in the structure so he’s helping out.
For example he was asked to help coach because Ralph only has 2, which also helps Fletcher as he needs to do some coaching to complete his badges.
 

tomaldinho1

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I’ve said it numerous times, they done the lad no favours calling him technical director when it’s clearly not.
his job is to deal with the youth pathway. That’s it. they should have given him a title that reflects his work.
Anything else is just because of lack of bodies in the structure so he’s helping out.
For example he was asked to help coach because Ralph only has 2, which also helps Fletcher as he needs to do some coaching to complete his badges.
Exactly - just call him a coach or head of youth development/planning or something. Why give him an actual title that means a very senior and strategic/commercial role in other clubs and is a really important position? It might genuinely be just to placate fans but agreed it’s done no favours for him or the general sentiment we employ unqualified people.
 

phelans shorts

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He’s not going to move from CEO to DoF, he studied and worked hard to get to that level, he’s not about to bin that because some oiks think that our DoF role can be filled by chucking money at it. A move ironically that most people are asking the DoF to get away from doing
Oh I know, and I agree completely. I’m more wondering about those who still want him given he actively gave Overmars a new contract (and presumably a pay raise with that) whilst also being fully aware of the allegations and ongoing investigation given his role.
 

Foxbatt

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Oh I know, and I agree completely. I’m more wondering about those who still want him given he actively gave Overmars a new contract (and presumably a pay raise with that) whilst also being fully aware of the allegations and ongoing investigation given his role.
we gave Ole the manager's position knowing that he also covered for someone who was alleged of rape. Unless they are charged there is no point in not giving the post as it could all be a scam as well.
 

phelans shorts

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we gave Ole the manager's position knowing that he also covered for someone who was alleged of rape. Unless they are charged there is no point in not giving the post as it could all be a scam as well.
To be fair, I’d have had absolutely no problem giving Ole the boot once I found out about that. Edwin was in charge of the investigation and handed the man a contract whilst it was ongoing, a mere matter of weeks after the contract was signed he jumped because he knew he was about to be pushed.

Also your last sentence there is very, very troubling.
 

Sandikan

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Good on Fletcher. Shouldn't be an expectation for staff to sit there silently and take abuse while trying to do their job. They pay a lot for a ticket and it's an emotive sport which seems to make people feel as if they have license to do or say whatever, but it doesn't excuse idiocy quite frankly.
Agree 100%.
Sick of goon fans thinking just because they pay about 12 seconds worth of a player's wage, they can shout whatever abuse they like with total impunity.
And if they get even a look back, it's straight on social media all affronted and playing the victim.
 

MoskvaRed

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To be fair, I’d have had absolutely no problem giving Ole the boot once I found out about that. Edwin was in charge of the investigation and handed the man a contract whilst it was ongoing, a mere matter of weeks after the contract was signed he jumped because he knew he was about to be pushed.

Also your last sentence there is very, very troubling.
I think your original question was addressed to me. I suppose it was a serious lapse of judgement on the part of Edwin towards his mate of 30 years or more. Although, as far as I can tell, it seemed more allegations of dick pics and general sleaziness rather than the type of allegations surrounding that random Molde player to whom Ole turned a blind eye or our current 500k a week man.
 

Mmm-Qatarian

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Quite aside from this "bitter spat", I do find some of the invective aimed at Darren Fletcher on here to be somewhat odd. Frankly, I feel that some of the criticisms of him are quite nonsensical. I'll go through a few below.

"What does he even do?"

I think this criticism is odd because the day-to-day workings of the directors at the overwhelming majority of clubs could most likely not be accurately described by fans. That it is not immediately clear to the fanbase what Fletcher gets up to is hardly proof that he's useless since most of his work goes on behind-the-scenes, which self-evidently means that his role is not going to be entirely transparent to people outside of the club. For me, this accusation feels as though its coming from fans who are (justifiably) angry at the current mess the club find itself in and are therefore looking to find fault with everything that goes on here.

"Why is he even on the touchline?"

The reason I'm not on board with this criticism is that most of the people who make it fail to provide a reason why Darren Fletcher being on the touchline is negatively impacting performance. At best, it seems as though people are speculatively saying that his job could be done from the stands. With that said, though, I can see some logic behind having someone like Fletcher on the touchline, as it may allow him to better understand what goes on with the coaching team on matchdays. If a change of manager is then required, Fletcher may be able to act as somebody who is able to provide the new boss with insight into what does and does not work with particular players and the group as a whole. I can see how this could be beneficial from the perspective of continuity.

"McTominay is only there because Fletcher and Fergie like him."

Whilst I'd say the other two criticisms are, in my view, misguided, this is just a load of nonsense. You don't need to go looking for a sinister reason for McTominay's inflated level of game-time for the club because a simple and patently obvious one exists in plain sight: we are bereft of options in the midfield. Fred is the only other senior player who can be relied on to play regularly in the double pivot that has been favoured by Rangnick and previously by Solskjaer; Matic is too old to play week-in-week-out and Pogba often looks uncomfortable when he's shoe-horned into the position. McTominay makes the team by virtue of us not having enough bodies in midfield to force him out; it doesn't require some Machiavellian scheme by Fletcher and Ferguson to keep their Scottish lad in the starting XI because they like him.
 
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