Manchester United fans will be keeping an eye out for Darren Fletcher and Scotland as the World Cup qualifiers are played today. This is the fourth time he has captained his country and remember, the other three were during that remarkable run of games when they all but qualified for Euro 2008 beating some big names on the way !!
Fletcher can draw on some of the experience he has gained playing with some big names at Manchester United. However, the 24-year-old is also determined to make his own mark as he attempts to take the Scots another step closer to South Africa.
Fletcher told Sky Sports: "There are a number of experienced players at our club and in the international team as well - but especially at the club because you are with them day in day out. We've got a lot of experienced players who have won a lot of things and you learn different things from different types of characters. But I'll be my own man and I'll enjoy it on Saturday. I'll go out there and give it my best and get the team up for the game and try to lead by example. If anything goes wrong on the pitch, sometimes you have to take responsibility and maybe change something. It's hard sometimes, the manager can obviously change things but, as a captain, if you see something going wrong then, on the pitch, you have to take that responsibility."
Being captain does bring some pressure with it but Fletcher is used to pressure having played at Manchester United for a number of years now.
"Maybe people do expect more but it's not a problem to me, it will give me a challenge to raise my game and answer those calls. It's something I look forward to. Playing for Manchester United, sometimes these expectations do come but you have to deal with that every week at Manchester United and it's no different with Scotland. The Scotland fans expect a lot from us and rightly so because we have been progressing over the last couple of years and we're looking to get to the next stage, which is qualifying for a major competition. The fans, the squad, the manager all want that to happen."
Scotland collected three points from their first two Group 9 games after following up a defeat to Macedonia with a victory over Iceland, and Fletcher is targeting three points against Norway.
"They are all massive games, they are all must-wins, if we don't win the game, the group is not over and there is still a lot to play for. But we want to win every game we play in and it's no different on Saturday against Norway. We will have a full Hampden and all the boys are thinking about one thing: winning the match.".....Back To Home Page
Fletcher can draw on some of the experience he has gained playing with some big names at Manchester United. However, the 24-year-old is also determined to make his own mark as he attempts to take the Scots another step closer to South Africa.
Fletcher told Sky Sports: "There are a number of experienced players at our club and in the international team as well - but especially at the club because you are with them day in day out. We've got a lot of experienced players who have won a lot of things and you learn different things from different types of characters. But I'll be my own man and I'll enjoy it on Saturday. I'll go out there and give it my best and get the team up for the game and try to lead by example. If anything goes wrong on the pitch, sometimes you have to take responsibility and maybe change something. It's hard sometimes, the manager can obviously change things but, as a captain, if you see something going wrong then, on the pitch, you have to take that responsibility."
Being captain does bring some pressure with it but Fletcher is used to pressure having played at Manchester United for a number of years now.
"Maybe people do expect more but it's not a problem to me, it will give me a challenge to raise my game and answer those calls. It's something I look forward to. Playing for Manchester United, sometimes these expectations do come but you have to deal with that every week at Manchester United and it's no different with Scotland. The Scotland fans expect a lot from us and rightly so because we have been progressing over the last couple of years and we're looking to get to the next stage, which is qualifying for a major competition. The fans, the squad, the manager all want that to happen."
Scotland collected three points from their first two Group 9 games after following up a defeat to Macedonia with a victory over Iceland, and Fletcher is targeting three points against Norway.
"They are all massive games, they are all must-wins, if we don't win the game, the group is not over and there is still a lot to play for. But we want to win every game we play in and it's no different on Saturday against Norway. We will have a full Hampden and all the boys are thinking about one thing: winning the match.".....Back To Home Page
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