Stuck in the middle, glory passes captain Fletcher by

Published on Saturday 11 October 2008 19:35

HIS billing can seem as if it weighs on Darren Fletcher like a giant sandwich board when he plays for Scotland. As a Manchester United midfielder, he is his country's one international who mixes it with the game's glitterati in his day job. As a stand-in captain in dark blue – his role yesterday in the absence of Barry Ferguson and Stephen McManus – much is expected of Fletcher.

When the 24-year-old first wore the armband four years ago, he became Scotland's youngest captain since 1886. And last week, just to make it all too much, he was compared to Kenny Dalglish. George Burley said that having amassed 40 caps at an age three years younger than Dalglish was when he achieved that mark, Fletcher could go on to break the Celtic and Liverpool striker's record 102 total.

For now four is the figure to encapsulate Fletcher's international career. His cap haul is four-zero, he has captained his country four times and has scored four goals. Most pertinently of all, many Scotland supporters and observers would say, he has yet to come to the fore wearing the dark blue.

In keeping with his recent international form, his contribution was a decidedly modest one yesterday. It was evident from early on he was looking to play simple passes, hold a position and keep the ball moving; certainly not over-elaborate, as his status seemed to have made him feel compelled to do in the past. But at times the central midfield area proved so congested it was a wonder those scrambling around it weren't left requiring oxygen masks.

Maybe Fletcher, in inhaling deeply as he stood for the anthem, had enough in his lungs to last the afternoon. In that sense, yesterday would have been no different from any other international. Whenever he dons a Scotland jersey, Fletcher, a true football patriot, always stands tall, thrusting his shoulders as upright as his 6ft 1in frame will allow. Whatever grumbles there might be of Fletcher in Scotland colours, his commitment and industry can't be questioned. Twice within the last 13 months, in France and in the friendly with Croatia, he has been wounded for the cause.

On Friday, Fletcher said he would seek to bring "organisation and leadership" to the role of skipper. Not a shouter and raver, this would amount to him being vocal. This vocality seemed to extend to exhorting his team-mates with a little shout and a clap of the hands, very infrequently. Fletcher, otherwise, was too focused on attempting to work out a way of getting a foothold in a game that seemed to be played out anywhere but through the middle.

The central figure in a three-man midfield, effectively Scotland started out in a 4-1-3-1-1 formation, Scott Brown screening a back four with Fletcher flanked by James Morrison and Barry Robson, with Shaun Maloney further forward on the left flank and James McFadden the only central striker. Fletcher retained possession on the rare occasions he received the ball, and showed some sure touches and vision on the even rarer occasions he could contribute to attacks. But by the latter stages of the opening half he was forced to drift into advanced areas that put him in line with McFadden, but never in the line the ball travelled.

In the second period Fletcher was restricted to a handful of interventions. The game became strung out from end to end but the action missed out Fletcher more than he was missing in action. And so it will be that the moan about the Manchester United man never performing as he does for his club will be trotted out ad nauseum in the coming days.

Those who lay that charge seem to entirely overlook the fact that, for the Old Trafford club, Fletcher is surrounded by players of infinitely greater endowments than those he plays with in the international domain... and that for the European champions he is appreciated for the sort of harrying, hustling approach not asked of him for Scotland... and that for United he plays in a midfield that dominates most opponents, while Scotland dominate very few teams. Still, Fletcher is in good company when it comes to such a club and country debate. They used to say the same about Dalglish.

• Sports writer Andrew Smith will be online for a live discussion of yesterday's match from noon. Click here to join the debate.