Darren Fletcher determined to bring home win in Lithuania

Published on Thursday 2 September 2010 20:05

FOR Darren Fletcher, the charge has become a wearying one. On the eve of his 49th cap, the Manchester United player had to again confront the view held by some that he does not reproduce his club form on the international stage.

Darren Fletcher gets irritated by continual claims that he has failed to replicate his Manchester United form in a Scotland shirt, but accepts he can always improve and believes he is long overdue an important international goal Picture: SNS

This criticism has dogged him for years. It has endured despite an outstanding display for Scotland against the Netherlands a year ago, when he combined the relentless running and intelligent distribution which characterise his performances in a red shirt. To be fair, the skipper did himself few favours in his last outing against Sweden, when he, like so many of his team-mates, fell below the standard expected in the 3-0 defeat. Asked yesterday to analyse his contribution in Stockholm, he screwed up his nose. "Good question," he said, although it was one Fletcher clearly wished had not been asked.

"I thought my performance was nothing spectacular against Sweden," he said. "It could have been better. But I would not necessarily say I tore up any trees. It was a below average performance. I know when I have had a bad game. I am my biggest critic. I know that myself. Maybe my form just now for Manchester United is better than my form for Scotland. But that is something that I have to try and put right."

Fletcher revealed that after breaking into the Manchester United team his displays were reckoned by some to be a shadow of those he was producing for Scotland, where he developed quickly enough to be made captain by Berti Vogts at just 19. "I have had the reverse said about me," he said. "People claimed I did not produce international form when I played for Manchester United. At the start of my career that was said. In an ideal world you would like to play brilliantly for both. Sometimes that does not materialise for whatever reason. It's not a case of my trying harder for one rather than the other. I go in with exactly the same desire. You will always get 100 per cent from me."

But some Scotland fans believe they expect more than this from Fletcher. It is almost guaranteed that each player in a dark blue shirt is out there giving their all. The Manchester United player is one of those few Scottish footballers with the X factor. The wish is to see him do more than simply ferry the ball from place to place, or help shield the defence. But Fletcher's first priority is to do his manager's bidding. Perhaps this is understandable at club level, where this manager happens to be such a stern taskmaster as Sir Alex Ferguson.

Fletcher is still in the early stages of his manager/player relationship with Craig Levein, but he has been impressed so far. The manager has not had to use the hairdryer treatment yet, however. He only needed to put on a tape of the recent Swedish game to have his players squirming in their seats. "Maybe that Swedish game was the kick up the backside we needed," reflected Fletcher, who denied that he has his wings clipped when playing for Scotland.

"I don't really think I have been restricted," he said. "I am accustomed to playing different roles at Manchester United, sometimes being asked to hold a bit more and sometimes being asked to get beyond the strikers and make runs forward. You have to adapt to different situations and do what the manager is asking you to do. I only go on the pitch and try and replicate what the manager has asked me to do in each individual game. That's something I have always done, since when I was coming through at Manchester United. When Cristiano Ronaldo went forward I had to make sure I slid into his position."

Despite being irritated by those who continually claim he has failed to shine for Scotland, Fletcher is conscious of where his game has lacked recently. Although he scored five goals for Manchester United last season, and is already off the mark for the current campaign after striking against Newcastle in the 3-0 win, he has not scored for Scotland since the 6-0 demolition of the Faroe Isles in September 2006. One of his four goals for Scotland was, however, scored in a crucial 1-0 win over Lithuania in 2003. "I think it (a goal] is overdue," he agreed. "Hopefully I can put that right. (At Manchester United] I have had a bit more license to get forward. Most weeks we are dominating teams so I can take risks to get into the box. It's a different story in international football. We are not going to dominate teams. You almost have to pick your moments - if there are any moments, especially away from home."

Few will complain should he select tonight to score another winner against Lithuania, ensuring that Hampden is in the mood to salute his 50th cap on Tuesday against Liechtenstein.