Darren Fletcher | 2013/14 Performances

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Scarecrow said:
He was on the verge of retiring a year ago. Today he starts in the biggest game of the season, against the best team in the world. Inspiring.
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On a personal level unbelievable effort but as a club a reflection on the state of our midfield
 
Few years ago Fletcher must have been one of the first names on the team sheet for games such as these, lets hope he restores Moyes's faith for selecting him
 
Lost shape after Fletcher going off. Allowed Robben to score the third.
 
I thought Giggs would have been bought on instead of Hernandez.
 
It's his usual tactic of throwing on Hernandez for a midfielder when we don't have any control of the game to begin with. Just makes things worse. Thought Fletcher was miles better than Carrick though.
 
Did we become worse because Fletcher left the pitch or was it because the game was so open at that point in time? I was too busy raging at the decision to sub him out I didn't actually pay attention to what was going on in the game.
 
Horrible with the ball. Made a couple of interceptions and the shape was better with him. Not entirely sure why he's so overly praised though...he and Carrick were equally shocking.
 
Needs a weight-lifting pre-season and he'll be back to his best next season.. This season was always going to be tough for him and I for one didn't expect even this much from him..
 
Say whatever you want about him and his performance. To be able to take the pitch in a Champions League quarter final against Bayern Munich from where has come from takes a lot of doing. Really proud of him.
 
Thought he was quality tonight. Couple of mistakes in possession but done well holding the shape and got tight when needed.
 
I thought he was awful in terms of retaining possession, building moves. Defensively he did slightly better but still looked on the slow side.
 
Was a shite side better than Carrick tonight who again failed to threaten to be even a slight factor in the match against a top quality midfield.

Fletcher did what he could and had he been fully fit I would of seen Carrick go before him.
 
Fletcher played as well as he's ever done tonight.

He was still poor and any discussion on his selection in the past should be answered by the appointment of David Moyes.
 
As soon as Fletch was removed the midfield battle was lost. If Moyes was determined to keep Rooney on (Lord knows why...) he should've subbed Valencia and shifted Welbz wide.
 
#07 said:
As soon as Fletch was removed the midfield battle was lost. If Moyes was determined to keep Rooney on (Lord knows why...) he should've subbed Valencia and shifted Welbz wide.
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Yup. When I saw Fletch's number come up I knew it meant Rooney staying on and being shifted into the middle and said "that's that then." to the missus.
 
Fair play to Fletcher after just starting the game against Bayern after everything. Our team switching off after he was subbed off says a lot about his performance. I am not saying he was great, but there were definitey much worse performers on the pitch who are first teamers.
 
He should be playing everygame till the end of the season, if his body is capable. Too me, along with a few others, it safe to say he will give 100%. He may not be the most talented player in the world, but for what he lack in talent he make up in desire, pressure and pressing. He may never be what he once was but he need games to get him fitness up. What happen to him, would not only destory his body but also his confidence. He held is own tonight and merits a consistent run in the team to build himself back up.
 
Take a bow lad, you were absolutely superb yesterday. After what happened to him, he put in a performance that put others to shame.
 
I didn't think he was that good. He was alright, no better than any of the other players though. Worse than a couple too. I guess if you take into account his illness and stuff it makes him more impressive. From purely a performance point of view though I think he was only OK.
 
Big Ben Foster said:
Disappointing. The players who have served us well for years are fighting for their futures, while the manager who dragged the champions to midtable with nothing to play for by early April gets backed to continue.
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What?.That would be the same whoever came in.
 
ZDwyr said:
I didn't think he was that good. He was alright, no better than any of the other players though. Worse than a couple too. I guess if you take into account his illness and stuff it makes him more impressive. From purely a performance point of view though I think he was only OK.
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I don't think it was a performance of AC Milan last 16 2010 levels but Fletch played a key tactical role in stifling Bayern's attacks down the middle. As soon as he went off they started walking through our centre with ease. Carrick and Rooney offered no type of protection at all. They were easier to pass than stationary objects. Moyes should not have subbed him.
 
Fletcher is just a symptom of the problems we've got in central midfield. Even at his very best he wasn't a top player and the fact that he still looks good for us despite not being the same player tells you all you need to know about our midfield. Right back into Fergie's time we've been conceding the midfield against top sides and until we upgrade the players we have that's going to continue to happen. I don't think we have a midfielder that'd get into another top side in Europe. It'd be a shame to see Fletch leave and I hope he can give us another season or two as a squad player but to actually move forward we need to have real quality throughout the midfield and he's probably not capable of offering that, at least not on a consistent basis.
 
Brophs said:
Fletcher is just a symptom of the problems we've got in central midfield. Even at his very best he wasn't a top player and the fact that he still looks good for us despite not being the same player tells you all you need to know about our midfield. Right back into Fergie's time we've been conceding the midfield against top sides and until we upgrade the players we have that's going to continue to happen. I don't think we have a midfielder that'd get into another top side in Europe. It'd be a shame to see Fletch leave and I hope he can give us another season or two as a squad player but to actually move forward we need to have real quality throughout the midfield and he's probably not capable of offering that, at least not on a consistent basis.
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Yeah, I think thats a pretty fair opinion. I think if we were looking it objectively Fletcher could very well be replaced, obviously though with everything thats happened, and with emotions playing a part, I think most would want Fletch to stay, with the likes of Cleverley and Fellaini going first.
 
Brophs said:
Fletcher is just a symptom of the problems we've got in central midfield. Even at his very best he wasn't a top player and the fact that he still looks good for us despite not being the same player tells you all you need to know about our midfield. Right back into Fergie's time we've been conceding the midfield against top sides and until we upgrade the players we have that's going to continue to happen. I don't think we have a midfielder that'd get into another top side in Europe. It'd be a shame to see Fletch leave and I hope he can give us another season or two as a squad player but to actually move forward we need to have real quality throughout the midfield and he's probably not capable of offering that, at least not on a consistent basis.
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I'll admit to having been blinded about the quality of some of our players in recent years but watching Brown and O'Shea playing for Sunderland has really brought it home how skilled Fergie was at building a team that is far more than the sum of it's parts. I always thought that the likes of those two would show how good they really are when placed in a team of mere mortals. As it turns out, they look good but not a lot more than that. You could watch Sunderland play most teams from the lower half of the league and chances are you wouldn't pick Brown and O'Shea out as the only top drawer players on the pitch. I'm starting to wonder if the same might not be true for poor 'auld Fletcher. Maybe there's a dozen or so CMs in the PL who could do just as good a job as he does?
 
Brophs said:
Fletcher is just a symptom of the problems we've got in central midfield. Even at his very best he wasn't a top player and the fact that he still looks good for us despite not being the same player tells you all you need to know about our midfield. Right back into Fergie's time we've been conceding the midfield against top sides and until we upgrade the players we have that's going to continue to happen. I don't think we have a midfielder that'd get into another top side in Europe. It'd be a shame to see Fletch leave and I hope he can give us another season or two as a squad player but to actually move forward we need to have real quality throughout the midfield and he's probably not capable of offering that, at least not on a consistent basis.
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Define "top player." Fletcher was pitted against the midfields of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, AC Milan and many other very good teams and was quite often our best, most important player in said games. Fletcher was an animal for a couple of seasons, and I don't like the revisionism that rears its head every now and then.

As for last night, I actually thought he was shite, albeit better than the joker that played alongside him. Our midfield held us back massively last night. Carrick wasn't showing for the ball and the pair of them gave it away constantly. With that said, it's difficult not to admire Fletcher's performance when you think of the bigger picture. He shouldn't even be out there, yet he is, which is testament to his character. Given that our manager is a perennial loser, it worries me that said loser would actively sell off one of his true winners, given that many of our other proven winners are about to leave, too. Fletcher will be important for going forward. He should be, anyway.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
I'll admit to having been blinded about the quality of some of our players in recent years but watching Brown and O'Shea playing for Sunderland has really brought it home how skilled Fergie was at building a team that is far more than the sum of it's parts. I always thought that the likes of those two would show how good they really are when placed in a team of mere mortals. As it turns out, they look good but not a lot more than that. You could watch Sunderland play most teams from the lower half of the league and chances are you wouldn't pick Brown and O'Shea out as the only top drawer players on the pitch. I'm starting to wonder if the same might not be true for poor 'auld Fletcher. Maybe there's a dozen or so CMs in the PL who could do just as good a job as he does?
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I've always liked Fletcher but something I've said on here in the past - and it didn't get a great reaction - is that we should have been worried by how highly we rated and were reliant on Fletch who, while a good, committed player, was always very limited. Slightly like Carrick in that, though he's also a very good player, we could certainly have bought someone better had we wanted to. But obviously money comes into that discussion.
 
Kag said:
Define "top player." Fletcher was pitted against the midfields of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, AC Milan and many other very good teams and was quite often our best, most important player in said games. Fletcher was an animal for a couple of seasons, and I don't like the revisionism that rears its head every now and then.

As for last night, I actually thought he was shite, albeit better than the joker that played alongside him. Our midfield held us back massively last night. Carrick wasn't showing for the ball and the pair of them gave it away constantly. With that said, it's difficult not to admire Fletcher's performance when you think of the bigger picture. He shouldn't even be out there, yet he is, which is testament to his character. Given that our manager is a perennial loser, it worries me that said loser would actively sell off one of his true winners, given that many of our other proven winners are about to leave, too. Fletcher will be important for going forward. He should be, anyway.
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In the same way he didn't take to Phil Neville at Everton?
 
Brophs said:
I've always liked Fletcher but something I've said on here in the past - and it didn't get a great reaction - is that we should have been worried by how highly we rated and were reliant on Fletch who, while a good, committed player, was always very limited. Slightly like Carrick in that, though he's also a very good player, we could certainly have bought someone better had we wanted to. But obviously money comes into that discussion.
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We've probably disagree on this in the past. I think that's harsh. At his best, Fletch allied a fantastic work-rate with a really impressive and consistent range of passing. Definitely one of the better CMs in the league when he was at his best. To be fair, that was only for a couple of seasons though. It's obvious with hindsight that his illness was taking a lot out of him long before it all came out in the wash (so to speak!)
 
I'd get rid of one of Fletcher or Cleverly in the summer, and give their place to Powell in the squad. I personally can't see the point of keeping too many squad players in the 25 years plus age group. I'd prefer if we gave their squad roles to younger players to see if they're good enough (which is what Cleverly and Fletcher once were themselves).
 
Kag said:
Define "top player." Fletcher was pitted against the midfields of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, AC Milan and many other very good teams and was quite often our best, most important player in said games. Fletcher was an animal for a couple of seasons, and I don't like the revisionism that rears its head every now and then.

As for last night, I actually thought he was shite, albeit better than the joker that played alongside him. Our midfield held us back massively last night. Carrick wasn't showing for the ball and the pair of them gave it away constantly. With that said, it's difficult not to admire Fletcher's performance when you think of the bigger picture. He shouldn't even be out there, yet he is, which is testament to his character. Given that our manager is a perennial loser, it worries me that said loser would actively sell off one of his true winners, given that many of our other proven winners are about to leave, too. Fletcher will be important for going forward. He should be, anyway.
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Nah, balls to that. I'm not getting into these boring discussions about definitions of 'top player' but pick whatever definition you like and Fletcher isn't, or wasn't one. Plus it's only revisionism if I didn't hold these opinions then, as it seems a pretty loaded argument to hold me to 'facts' I don't even accept.

What he was was a very good player who had a fantastic attitude and who was physically able to unsettle teams with the way he could press and get around. Much like our squad as a whole, he arguably over-performed in those years. That's a testament to his character and the manager, IMO. And as I said, I'd like to see him remain, but if he's in the team in big games in the next year or two then we have problems, as he's not the player he was. That's not an insult, it's judging him on his peformances since he returned. I'd love to be proven wrong after a good pre-season, but I'm not sure I will be.
 
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