HAVING received the captain's armband from his international manager and a new three-year contract from his club manager in the past fortnight, Darren Fletcher hardly requires any further endorsement of his status as a top-flight midfielder.
So as he prepares to win his 40th cap for Scotland today by leading them into the pivotal World Cup qualifier against Norway at Hampden, the 24-year-old Manchester United player is perhaps entitled to adopt a disdainful attitude to those who have been unconvinced by his recent form in a dark blue jersey.
Fletcher is fully aware of the sceptics in the stands who have made their disapproval clear whenever his attempts to play a difficult pass have seen possession lost, but he could not be less concerned by them.
For better or worse, he is a player with the courage of his convictions who will make no apologies for his dedication to an ethos first drummed into him by Sir Alex Ferguson and then developed at international level by the late Tommy Burns.
"I've always been a player who, if I give the ball away, I want it again right away," said Fletcher. "I'll never hide on the pitch, no matter how bad a game I think I'm having or anyone else thinks I'm having. One thing I can guarantee is that I'll want the ball again and will try that hard pass again.
"That's just the way I've been brought up and one person who always remarked on that was Tommy Burns. He had the same attitude as a player and he encouraged me to show the bravery to keep looking for the ball, no matter what.
"I've had it in the past from the crowd, you hear the moans and groans if you give the ball away a couple of times. They do put pressure on you at times.
"But what do they want me to do? Just pass the buck and pass it five yards? You're not going to help your team that way. It's not something I'm going to start doing, making myself look good by just passing the buck.
"I've got to take responsibility and help win the match. Sometimes that means giving the ball away when you try to put teams under pressure by getting it in behind their defence.
"Sir Alex Ferguson always says possession back and forward across the pitch is not going to hurt teams. Good possession is about trying to play the ball through the midfield to your strikers. That's how the top teams keep possession, not just by rolling the ball across midfield or the back four. The team is solid, but it's not hurting the opposition.
"It doesn't really bother me what other people say, I'm not going to change. I've always felt I've had the backing of Sir Alex, that's never been in doubt, but it was great to get the new contract. If you perform for Sir Alex, then he'll reward you. I know I've never let him down. He calls on me for big games and that's a pressure and responsibility I enjoy."
Now under his fourth Scotland manager since making his debut as a substitute in a friendly against Norway five years ago, it is the input of former coach Burns which made the greatest impact on Fletcher. He was visibly moved yesterday as he spoke about the man whose untimely death five months ago came as a shattering blow to so many in Scottish football.
"He was a massive influence on me," said Fletcher. "He was a great man and, as I say, always encouraged me to try and make that pass which splits the defence.
"He was a great coach and someone I learned an awful lot from. It is humbling to be getting ready to win my 40th cap when a great player like Tommy only won eight for Scotland."
Fletcher, who has captained Scotland on three previous occasions, admits he had his sights on the honour for today's game as soon as the absence of both Barry Ferguson and Stephen McManus created the temporary vacancy.
"I was thinking about it, having done it in the past and enjoyed it," he said. "I realised Davie Weir was in the squad too, but I was hoping it would be me and I was delighted when the manager told me.
"I was younger and more naive back when I was captain for the first time, although I certainly wasn't shy or quiet. I've obviously gained more experience at this level since then and I'm looking forward to the challenge of being captain for this game. It is a huge honour for any player.
"We have a lot of natural leaders in our squad, but I will try to lead by example. If something is going wrong on the pitch, then it is my responsibility to try and sort it out.
"I'm not a shouter or a screamer, but I've always been vocal on the pitch. It's something I've always done and always will do, whether I'm captain or not. You can influence a game from midfield and I'll try and play as I always do, giving organisation and leadership from there. It doesn't get much better than winning my 40th cap as captain of my country in a World Cup qualifier."
Fletcher has willingly embraced George Burley's attempt to inject more flair and conviction into the Scotland side and insists they can no longer settle for the status of glorious failures conferred upon them in the remarkable Euro 2008 qualifying campaign.
"This is the next stage," added Fletcher. "It's all very well being the underdogs but now there is greater expectancy on us.
Now the manager is trying to change our style, to be more offensive, because the expectancy is there for us to win.
"Norway only have one point so far, so we know if we can beat them it will put us in a strong position with them then having to play Holland next Wednesday. We need to play the game at a high tempo and pressure them." Burley spoke earlier this week of the possibility of Fletcher going on to eclipse Kenny Dalglish's record of 102 Scotland caps, should he avoid serious injury and help the team become regular participants at major finals.
Being mentioned in such illustrious company provoked a rare moment of bashfulness from Fletcher. "I don't have a set goal to beat Kenny Dalglish's record," he said. "I just want to play at the highest level for as long as possible.
"If it happens, it happens. To be honest, I don't really want the mantle of beating the record. I'll maybe just get to 101 and stop, because you can't beat King Kenny's record! Seriously, I hope I can win a lot more and that it helps lead us to big competitions."
Log on to live commentary of all the action from Scotland v Norway as the match unfolds at Hampden todayThe full article contains 1174 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
