A Fond Farewell To Fletch

As Darren Fletcher departs for pastures new, ManUtd.com's Steve Bartram bids farewell...

To say that football needs more characters like Darren Fletcher is an understatement. The world needs more people like him. Far above and beyond being a model professional and a thoroughly decent man, he is a walking triumph of human spirit.

Perhaps, to fully absorb the point, you need to have had close experiences with serious illness, more specifically ulcerative colitis. In my case, it was watching at close-quarters over the course of two decades as a fit, active family member gradually had his energy eroded by the disease before he eventually embarked on life-changing surgery.

So, upon hearing in November 2011 that Fletch had contracted the illness, my immediate reaction was to write him off. His character was unquestionable, but how could a professional athlete handle the soul-sapping nature of the illness? There would be days when it was difficult to get out of bed, let alone partake in top level competitive sport.

It was stunning, then, when Fletch even returned to training, let alone made his competitive comeback in September 2012. When it emerged three months later that he would be taking another break from the game, I doubt I was alone in expecting his next public appearance to be suited and booted, taking sympathetic applause from a packed Old Trafford after announcing his retirement.

Instead, he simply did what he had always done: fought back. This man, this machine seemingly powered by adversity, underwent major surgery, then subjected his body to double training sessions, following daily group and individual routines at the Aon Training Complex, with regular afternoon sessions with Mick Clegg, United's former strength and conditioning coach, at his fitness lab in Ashton. Not content with merely coming back, Fletch wanted to come back a better player.

At this juncture, it is worth ensuring that this celebration of Darren Fletcher the character and the battler does not disserve Darren Fletcher the footballer. Aesthetically and conceptually, there have been slicker players to pull on the United jersey, but there was a primal, soul-affirming joy in the savage art of watching Fletch set about recovering the ball from opponents; a one-man swarm of Irvine Welsh characters bum-rushing a panicked tourist at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Not everybody agreed. 'Anti-football' was Arsene Wenger's 2009 assessment of the Scot's purpose, having watched his Arsenal side roll over after having its soft underbelly tickled by the all-action antics of Fletcher. Perhaps, having seen the benefits of fielding Francis Coquelin as an energetic midfield destroyer in recent weeks, the Frenchman has now acknowledged the art of such players.

Detractions never became distractions for the Scot, however. Having learned his trade under Sir Alex Ferguson and alongside Roy Keane, scrutiny and criticism went with the territory. The emergence of Chelsea as a new power, the ongoing menace of Arsenal and speculation over the future of the club conspired to set an unforgiving scene in which to learn on the job, but Fletcher's strength of character carried him through. Having already missed two key years of his career through injury as a teen, nothing was going to dissuade the Scot from stamping his authority on United's midfield, so he continued to inject infectious enthusiasm and energy as Ferguson's young team grew together.

The signings of Michael Carrick, Owen Hargreaves and Anderson in the space of a year provided a substantial blockade but, having been convinced by Ferguson that he still had a part to play in the evolving United after 2008's Champions League triumph in Moscow, Fletcher's reaction was to follow the example set by Cristiano Ronaldo. The Scot drew up a new training plan with Clegg, who then watched on as the Scot mastered his body. "The only other player I've worked with who got it so spot on was Ronaldo," said the coach.

Fletcher's reward was to play a major role as the Reds retained the Premier League title, won the Club World Cup and League Cup, reached the FA Cup semi-finals and lost in the Champions League final to Barcelona. Conspicuous by his absence after receiving a ludicrously harsh red card in the semi-final stroll at Arsenal, Fletcher had to watch on as Pep Guardiola's side thrived against a United team crying out for his hustle and moxie.

The reaction, once again, was to hit back harder. One-on-one skills sessions with Rene Meulensteen added more to the Scot's creative game, and he established himself as one of the Premier League's most effective midfielders. Though he privately tired of being labelled a 'big-game player', Fletch did thrive on the challenge of facing renowned opponents.

He admitted: "When we play them I say to myself: 'Right, I'm going to see how good you really are. Fabregas, Lampard and Gerrard, I'm going to get against you and see how you like it. And when you've not got the ball I'm still going to get about you and see how you like it.' I'm going to ask them: 'Do you fancy it? Do you like getting kicked? Do you like the fact I am going to be at you for the whole 90 minutes? As soon as you get the ball I am going to be in your face. You are not going to like it one bit. And when we have the ball I am going to run you into the corner and you're going to follow me. Are you ready for that? Because that's what's going to happen."

Within a year, however, Fletcher was battling another familiar foe. The colitis which he had initially shrugged off had returned with a vengeance. The next three years were an ongoing battle against his own body, but one from which he eventually emerged triumphant. Then, rather than banish the experience to a dank recess of the mind, Fletch made himself the poster boy for United for Colitis, a charity to raise awareness about the disease, so that others might follow his lead and beat it.

This leads us back to the character of the man. Today's outpouring of tributes from his coaches and team-mates says it all: friend, father-figure, confidante, leader. From a media perspective, he is a joyous experience. Questions meet honest, considered answers, and obligations are never swerved. After 2008's Champions League win over Lyon, Fletcher required stitches after a toilet door fell on him in the dressing room. Despite literally being attacked by an unhinged assailant, the badly bruised Scot still faced the world's cameras and dictaphones to field all questions. Years later, when a club media colleague left the club, Fletch happily partook in a mocked up (and unscripted) MUTV interview in which he tearfully paid tribute to the journalist for inspiring his success.

Some farewells are easier than others. On one level it is heart-warming to see Fletch refuse to spend any more time on the sidelines and leave the club he loves to pursue regular involvement elsewhere, but there is an unavoidable sadness to his departure which runs deeper, because he is the kind of person with whom you want to be associated. You don't meet many men like Darren Fletcher in football, or in life.

Credit: manutd.com