Darren Fletcher | 2013/14 Performances

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He brought a calmness to the central midfield. That much was evident to me. He was always taking the ball or available to take it. Take up the right positions and generally kept it simple and kept us in possession. In a sense, there was organisation and purpose in our CM.

A few good incisive forward balls - he was always capable of that...not in Scholes class but a good eye nonetheless for it.
 
His movement without the ball is outstanding. He is also amazing closing down play. Very smart and integral part of the team and i can't believe he's back just like that! He will only improve with every game now. I wonder what kind of standard he can reach. Staying away from the game for almost 2 years is also saving his body from injuries. You can actually save time on your career like that is what I heard from another professional who was out for some time.
 
I thought Fletch played well and I don't think he looked off the pace at all tbh. I admit that it up there with his best performances, but that obviously can be expected. He put himself about a lot, had a great reading of the game, made some great interceptions and didn't misplace many passes. Exactly what we need off a DM and it was really good to see. Made up for him.

Moyes was right to start him too. Why not? Fletch has always been naturally fit anyway, so it's just a matter of him now playing to get up and running with the speed of the game etc...onward and upwards for him which is fantastic news for us.
 
For those who said that he brought a certain calmness to our midfield, you guys got it spot-on. I kept an eye on Fletcher both with and without possession and it's absolutely spot-on that his reading and understanding of the game was superb. It seemed like the loss of his energy allowed him to play a more cerebral game in midfield as compared to his all-energy game of old that we're accustomed to. He was always available for a pass no matter if he actually received the ball or not, and more than a few times, I noticed that even his midfield partners didn't spot how great a position he was in to receive a ball. It'll be wonderful if he can stay fit and give us some much-needed nous and experience in midfield.
 
Anyone think we might be forced to start him tomorrow?

Carrick seems to have only got on the bench because Jones was crocked and Cleverley is going to be absolutely knackered after playing the full 90 in the last two games.

Fletcher only got an hour and in the role he has he can conserve his energy more. Just think he would complement Giggs better than Cleverley would tomorrow if Carrick is not ready.
 
Ole'sbodyguard said:
Anyone think we might be forced to start him tomorrow?

Carrick seems to have only got on the bench because Jones was crocked and Cleverley is going to be absolutely knackered after playing the full 90 in the last two games.

Fletcher only got an hour and in the role he has he can conserve his energy more. Just think he would complement Giggs better than Cleverley would tomorrow if Carrick is not ready.
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Don't think it would be so much forced to start him but I think he will in terms of getting another hour and not rushing Carrick back too quick before Tottenham.
 
Eric'sCollar said:
Don't think it would be so much forced to start him but I think he will in terms of getting another hour and not rushing Carrick back too quick before Tottenham.
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I think the Jones's injury has forced us into it. He would have featured for sure. Playing anyone bar the defence for two games in two days with another one three days later is a big ask.
 
it was an average performance - which is about what you can expect after his problems. I thought he played a bit too risky in his short-passing - but apart from that, he was ok.

And God how much I have missed Fletcher.
 
MrEriksen said:
I think Fletcher was solid.
Broke up play and made himself available.

Did nothing fancy and didn't offer much going forward but with Young, Valencia, Rafael, Rooney and Welbeck on the pitch (and later Januzaj for Rafael) there really was a bigger need for him to pick up counter-attacks and create a fallback option for when things didn't work forward. Get his fitness up to standard and we have a partner for Carrick that at least will be good.

Of course i want a new quality-signing in midfield, but Fletcher looks like a decent option until the end of the season if we don't manage anything in January.
Of course i want a new signing, but there is no need to slate Fletcher
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How strange it may sound - suddenly our central midfield doesn't seem like such a huge problem until the end of the season. Fletcher is back - Jones has been brilliant and Cleverley also deserves credit for improving dramatically in the last 2-3 weeks. And in addition - we are yet to see anything close to the best from Fellaini...and surely he must improve once he returns ?
 
lysglimt said:
How strange it may sound - suddenly our central midfield doesn't seem like such a huge problem until the end of the season. Fletcher is back - Jones has been brilliant and Cleverley also deserves credit for improving dramatically in the last 2-3 weeks. And in addition - we are yet to see anything close to the best from Fellaini...and surely he must improve once he returns ?
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Yes, our central-midfield doesn't seem like the main concern when it comes to have quality enough to win the leauge.
At the moment the lack of quality from our play comes from the wings where we earlier felt like we were stocked with quality.

I would however say that even though our midfield on paper looks "good enough" - just good enough should never be the aim of Manchester United and we should still look to strengthen the midfield in terms of first XI quality but because of Jones and Fletcher we can 'not panic' and wait with the midfield until the next season. Our wide attacking options should however be improved in January if we want to have a go at both the title and the top 4.
 
lysglimt said:
it was an average performance - which is about what you can expect after his problems. I thought he played a bit too risky in his short-passing - but apart from that, he was ok.

And God how much I have missed Fletcher.
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I thought that was a positive in a way though, he was relatively inventive and tried to make things happen. he really has obviously tried to take a lot of things from Scholes game imo and he's trying to replicate that. Hence a few 30/40 yard cross field passes and little flicks around the corner etc.

Always on the move to receive a pass and he's obviously a good communicator/organiser on the pitch (thought he and Cleverley seemed to have a mutual understanding during the game), he's a proper asset to have over christmas and if he really is fit then it's a massive bonus for us.
 
Thought he kept it all largely straight forward. It's clear he's still easing himself back into things.
 
No way he'll start vs Norwich or Spurs in my opinion. I'm pretty sure barring injury it'll be Carrick and Cleverley vs Spurs. With probably Rooney and Welbeck. Can't see us playing 3 in the middle and with the way Spurs are shaping up at the moment, I wouldn't want us to.
 
Gerald G said:
No way he'll start vs Norwich or Spurs in my opinion. I'm pretty sure barring injury it'll be Carrick and Cleverley vs Spurs. With probably Rooney and Welbeck. Can't see us playing 3 in the middle and with the way Spurs are shaping up at the moment, I wouldn't want us to.
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Who plays tomorrow then? Cleverley has played 4 straight full games in 11 days with 2 more to come in the space 4 days, Jones and Fellaini are injured and we have no idea how fit Carrick is but the fact he only got 10 minutes yesterday suggests that 2 games on the bounce with Spurs around the corner might be pushing it. Giggs for me is a cert so who partners him?

I don't think Moyes sees Anderson as a possibility for tomorrow.
 
not sure if fitness wise he is up for a big match like v spurs but he is a good option to have from the bench, at this moment at the very least.

1-0 up and looking nervy, to have fletcher to come one and uses his experience is a good thing to have. would be great if he can move up to another level next.
 
Best thing I saw today, was his encouragement from the sidelines...Fantastic example from a senior player!

Let's not rush him back...Moyes is doing great with him the way he is slowly bringing him back.
 
Kag said:
Should start alongside Carrick against Spurs.
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I hope not. I like both of them, but attacking wise, they were always awfull partnership IMO, somehow I think they never complimented each other, at least not that I remember.
 
Amar__ said:
I hope not. I like both of them, but attacking wise, they were always awfull partnership IMO, somehow I think they never complimented each other, at least not that I remember.
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Cleverley has played a lot of football and Giggs shouldn't get near the pitch. Unfortunately, unless Jones is fit I don't see much of an alternative.

Bare in mind, back then Carrick was a shadow of himself. He's a lot more forward-thinking and positive in his passing now. I'd like to see how they get on.
 
Amar__ said:
I hope not. I like both of them, but attacking wise, they were always awfull partnership IMO, somehow I think they never complimented each other, at least not that I remember.
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Agree. I remember Carrick - Fletcher together. Very poor and devoid of creativity or movement. Of course Cleverley isn't a creative genius but more so than Fletcher and has better movement. More effective in the final 3rd to quicken tempo.

Cleverley's got 3 days to rest. He should be OK to start vs Spurs and I think it's too big of a risk to start Fletcher.
 
It would probably be static like the Fellaini Carrick combo.
 
He amuses me when he's organising the other players at throw ins. His very first game back I heard him shout "You're just standing behind him" at Ashley Young when a defender stepped in front of him and he was the only person Evra was realistically going to be able to reach from the throw in.

He also told Cleverley where he should be standing from another Evra throw in today towards the end of the game and Cleverley ignored him so he told him again and Cleverley trudged over there with a disappointed look on his face that he wasn't allowed to stand where he wanted to stand.

Yes, I am easily amused.
 
Amar__ said:
I hope not. I like both of them, but attacking wise, they were always awfull partnership IMO, somehow I think they never complimented each other, at least not that I remember.
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Yep, they were by no means the perfect partnership. Still, maybe they'll gel better now that they've both matured a bit. Plus it's not like they have much competition.
 
amolbhatia100 said:
It would probably be static like the Fellaini Carrick combo.
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I think we can work around that. A higher line and a genuine link between attack a defence would help them.

I think Moyes put Carrick and Fellaini on a hiding to nothing when I think about. They're both slow and there's nothing they can do about it, so Moyes decides to play an ancient Rio and Vidic behind them and then compounds that by telling Rooney that he can stand right up top next Van Persie all game. Mental.

With Smalling and Evans at the back and somebody dropping deep into midfield - Rooney - Fellaini, Carrick and Fletch should hopefully look a lot better.
 
Zen86 said:
Based on what? His 15 minutes today or his 60 minutes the other day?
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Both.

He did well but it looks like it will take him some time to be able to put it those performances where he could just run and run and run. Either that or he'll have to adapt ala scholes and be a more clever player.
 
amolbhatia100 said:
Both.

He did well but it looks like it will take him some time to be able to put it those performances where he could just run and run and run. Either that or he'll have to adapt ala scholes and be a more clever player.
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I thought he controlled the game very well on both appearances. At this point we have no idea how energetic he is, but he sure looks more mobile than Fellaini ever has for us, always wanting the ball.
 
Zen86 said:
I thought he controlled the game very well on both appearances. But at this point we have no idea how energetic he is, but he sure looks more mobile than Fellaini ever has for us, always wanting the ball.
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I'm not talking about how well he controlled the games. But I agree on that point.

On the energy part, we have no idea what he feels his body can do but based on what he's done so far he's playing in a fairly static manner, in a fairly Carrick way, and I have no reason to believe that he'll suddenly be galloping around the pitch a few days later. If he's going to get get that dynamism back I reckon it will happen over time. Hence, I think the partnership could end up static. But like Kag above said there can be workarounds. Although it's not ideal.
 
Sir Alex Ferguson expects Darren Fletcher to return in July and adapt his game to become a holding midfielder.
The Scotland international has undergone an operation in a bid to cure his ulcerative colitis and misses the rest of the season. However, the boss is backing his fellow countryman to again show his character by bouncing back to resurrect his career.
"This improves Darren's prospects of returning [to top form]," explained Sir Alex at his pre-Spurs press conference.
"He had to change his game and he hasn't been the Darren Fletcher of three or four years ago in the games this season. Instead, he was sitting in front of the back four and he did well. That could be his role in the future. When he comes back, and I hope he does, it will be in a different role."
The surgery had been planned but the manager admits it is still a blow to a player who is extremely popular in and around the club.
"It was something we thought would happen anyway," Sir Alex added. "He tried his best to cope with the condition with the treatments he was using but, in the last couple of weeks, it's come back. This operation will hopefully solve the situation and we expect him to be back in July. It's a blow for the boy but given he's been dealing with the condition for a few years, it's just another step for him.
"He has fantastic character, he's a brilliant boy. He'll do his best, no doubt about that. He always does."
 
amolbhatia100 said:
I'm not talking about how well he controlled the games. But I agree on that point.

On the energy part, we have no idea what he feels his body can do but based on what he's done so far he's playing in a fairly static manner, in a fairly Carrick way, and I have no reason to believe that he'll suddenly be galloping around the pitch a few days later. If he's going to get get that dynamism back I reckon it will happen over time. Hence, I think the partnership could end up static. But like Kag above said there can be workarounds. Although it's not ideal.
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I think it's quite likely that Moyes has told him to sit deep and be a bit of a lynchpin in midfield, seeing as that's a role we've been missing for the last couple of games. The jury's still out for me.
 
datura said:
Sir Alex Ferguson expects Darren Fletcher to return in July and adapt his game to become a holding midfielder.
The Scotland international has undergone an operation in a bid to cure his ulcerative colitis and misses the rest of the season. However, the boss is backing his fellow countryman to again show his character by bouncing back to resurrect his career.
"This improves Darren's prospects of returning [to top form]," explained Sir Alex at his pre-Spurs press conference.
"He had to change his game and he hasn't been the Darren Fletcher of three or four years ago in the games this season. Instead, he was sitting in front of the back four and he did well. That could be his role in the future. When he comes back, and I hope he does, it will be in a different role."
The surgery had been planned but the manager admits it is still a blow to a player who is extremely popular in and around the club.
"It was something we thought would happen anyway," Sir Alex added. "He tried his best to cope with the condition with the treatments he was using but, in the last couple of weeks, it's come back. This operation will hopefully solve the situation and we expect him to be back in July. It's a blow for the boy but given he's been dealing with the condition for a few years, it's just another step for him.
"He has fantastic character, he's a brilliant boy. He'll do his best, no doubt about that. He always does."
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Haven't SAF once said that United shouldn't be playing with a holding player?
 
Zen86 said:
I think it's quite likely that Moyes has told him to sit deep and be a bit of a lynchpin in midfield, seeing as that's a role we've been missing for the last couple of games. The jury's still out for me.
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Fair enough. Like some above said, I never liked their combination and never felt it rally worked. However that's when we had alternatives like scholes, Hargreaves and Anderson (when he was better) around. Right now we have Cleverley so a fully functioning partnership with these two doesn't sound too bad at all.
 
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