Darren Fletcher is currently starting out on a medical which looks likely to be the sternest ever conducted at the club.
The player’s injury and serious illness record is such that the Irons board are determined to leave no stone unturned on the player’s well being.
Right at this moment there are some very nervous people at the club who believe this could be a disastrous signing.
One senior source when asked by ClaretandHugh when the outcome of the medical would be known said: “It will be several days – we need to be 100 per cent sure all is well. It will be stringent and cover absolutely everything.”
Immediate reaction to the news that the Manchester United midfielder could be on his way to the club has not been great on this site’s forums.
Among the comments left are:
O ‘Another great idea of our brilliant manager… when he’ll finally leave the club it will be a great day and I’ll have a party.’
O ‘ I really can’t see the benefit of Fletcher s at the cost reported with his recent track record of unavailability. I was also beginning to think our scouting network was working, but again, maybe I’m wrong. If Sam is worried about not landing Song surely we could have identified someone who plays +30 games a season and is hungry to join a team on the up.’
O ‘If we agreed to the original terms of Fletcher’s demand this is going to cost us just shy of 11 million quid over 3.5 years. For a player who has played a total of 50 games in the last 4 years. I understand the need to have a back up midfield leader if Song goes, but to agree to such a deal would be crazy. I can’t wait to hear the final terms.’
O ‘What a shocking piece of business – sorry David’s you have given into this manager and being bullied – I don’t know what it will take you to realise that that the majority of fans cannot stand him. Please don’t go through with this signing – even if Song does not sign Fletcher is not his replacement – we will need to buy again in the summer. We need younger fresher legs. Poyet is a far better prospect.’
O ‘Why are we doing this deal? What happened to our (successful) new transfer strategy? He brings no improvement to our squad and will no doubt become a block to the development of young players like Poyet, at ridiculous expense and risk. He is way past his best, if he wasn’t, he would not be released on a free from Manure. ‘
O ‘Well done BFS! Darren Fletcher, 31 years old, a perfect perspective player! The ideal replacement of Song… Don’t worry, if Fletcher doesn’t work we have Nolan… The future is ours!’
Only a couple spoke in favour of the deal with one correspondent saying: “Well done to our manager for having an eye on good playmakers and bargains! Fletcher can be a very good addition to an already brilliant squad assembled by Big Sam. Let’s hope it all goes to plan! COYI….
Yes HUGH if we did not have Nolan than he could be a good signature,but all the fans can see is the future with both of them in the team,if we had the managers assurance that Fletcher can only replace Nolan than there would be 100% positive reaction From all of us and all hoping BFS Adopts Fletcher,
It’s ver hard to look at the pages now with every one picking our team against Liverpool already including Nolan in the 11,no sign of Valencia even though Mourino rates him at 21 mil,no Kouyate even after we pay a fortune to bring him back and he is fit,no Alfitano even after he came on and changed the game last week,no Jarvis who is more mobile and a better passer,Nolan is no Gerrard or Lampard he can’t get about like them he can’t hit 30 yard passes and he can’t tackle and how many goals has he scored this term,
That’s the problem not Fletcher,
Has someone kidnapped the 2 Daves,where’s the boy even he has said nothing,
PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS.
Seems as if common sense has gone out the window.Couldn’t they find 6 young players from Africa to come over for the same money Fletcher is asking???
i cannot see any positives in this at all but it is a Sam signing why oh why did we not just keep Zerata at no cost
Although I an fully appreciate our fans misgivings and even share their worries, I believe the one thing that has been overlooked in the sea of concerns. Is that Fletcher before his unfortunate illness was a very good player.
The trouble is that was then and since the illness there hasn’t been any evidence that he has made a full recovery.
However, if he can jump through all the medical hoops I believe that his previous undoubted class would make it worth a gamble on taking him on a loan deal to the end of the season.
Providing it was made clear that he was on trial and had to prove himself worthy of a possible permanent contract.
I think that it is clear that our strongest midfield diamond doesn’t include nolan. Also we have cover going forward but as poyet is one for the future there is little cover in the diamond defensively. Song can’t carry the team every week and noble doesn’t always play at 100%.
So imo Fletcher would be signed as cover for song and to keep noble on his toes.
If we can get Man u to help with his wages whilst Fletcher was on trial (providing he passes his medical) and he is more realistic with his wage demands long term, then it just might be worth a flutter!
Although I an fully appreciate our fans misgivings and even share their worries, I believe the one thing that has been overlooked in the sea of concerns. Is that Fletcher before his unfortunate illness was a very good player.
He was never a very good player! average at most in a very good team.
Philtheiron 1 Man U aren’t paying nothing2 why is Poyet one for the future he has more chance of tracking Sterling than Nolan has got a chance of catching his shadow,you may think Nolan is not part of our midfield diamond but BFS puts his name down first then fills in around him,if you remember last week you can’tlay a diamond with Nolan on the pitch,
Why do we need cover for Nolan because Fletcher can’t cover Downing or Alfitano, Fletcher is no Song or Kouyate,he might be able to cover Noble when he runs out of energy by covering Nolan,
This is bad business and we will be stuck with another lemon for 3 years,how long does Poyet need 6 months 1 year max,
Zarate is coming back then we have got to make room for Valencia and Jarvis,
Fletcher is a better passer of the ball than, Noble, Song, Nolan or Kouyate he would give us something different I think he is being looked at to take Nolan’s place in the Diamond and in case Song doesn’t sign at the end of the season he is an option to play in Noble’s current position with Noble moving back to his best position which is currently taken by Song. As Phil said it is worth a punt, there is no transfer fee involved, if he passes the medical lets give him a proper welcome see what he can do 🙂
Wasn’t it one of the owners that said they make bad transfer decisions in January?Then why in the name of sanity are they even entertaining Fletcher?As bubs said where is the voice of reason from the owners or Jack the Tweeter?I am angry at the way Allardyce is making another stupid play for a player past his use by date.As has already been said,if Man U don’t want him why does BFS or West Ham want or even need him??Wake up Gold & Sullivan.
Agree with Philtheiron,the lad was a very good player at united,good passer of the ball & very commited in the tackle.He was one of Fergusons go to players.But it is his illness that is or was the worry.I am really not a fan of Allardyce transfers these days but i certainly dont see Fletcher as this mug player he is being made out to be.Would have preferred the money going towards a deal put to Alex Song that he would have found hard to turn down though.But having said that if Fletcher is going to be a replacement or option other than Nolan then it is no bad thing.Nolans shelf life is short now.He will soon be sitting on the bench again.Even Sams stubborn streak wont keep him on the pitch when we have all midfielders available for a selection.Sometimes as fans we need to keep a bit of a perspective when it comes to signings,we aint Chelsea or City,yet.We have to mix & match a little with experienced & younger players.We aint going to sign a world class player everytime the purse strings are opened.I aint going to slag the lad off before he has even signed for us because maybe he will do the business.Im willing to wait & see,if it doesnt work out all is not lost,it seems like an Allardyce signing & it could be another nail in his coffin 😉
I am sorry to see a minority of our fans saying that this could be a decent signing. At his best he was an average player in a very good team. It will be a very sad day for West Ham if he signs for 2-3 years. It is even sadder because I believe it is a clear indication that BFS will be given a new contract – I have had enough of this man’s long ball tactics – nothing has change this season except for those glorious few months when Nolan and Carroll were injured.
A very sad day for west ham,ffs we aint signing a guy from the conference who is 38.He has always been a decent player,recognised throughout the game as a good player.Fact not fiction.Trouble is people rarely see a player live,watch them a few times on the box then think they are experts on them.I am neither pro or against the signing,but i watched the lad many,many times at one point,he is no mug for sure.Yes the illness is or was an issue,but if people are starting to think we are to big to sign people like Fletcher then they are delusional.Remember where we were 3yrs ago with all the players we had then & where we are now.Grasp a sense of reality,we aint Real Madrid.
I hope the two Davids read this blog. PLEASE do not sign Fletcher. It will be a disaster which you will be paying for long after Sam has gone. My only hope is that we are signing him on a loan basis until the end of the season with the option to offer him a permanent deal.
Then it’s ok. Anything more is a big step backward.
Must say very unhappy with negative comments about potential signing of fletcher. Think i’m correct in saying he has a champions league winners medal and numerous premier league titles to his name. Which correct me if i am wrong no member of our side has!
From what i have seen of him he has always put 100% effort in when he has played and as much as i dislike united you dont play as many games as he as if your as bad as some people on here would have us believe.
His experience could prove vital. Just think we need to give him a chance before we jump on his back. COYI
Well said.He has won about 13/14 bits of silverware in his career.People say he was an average player in a good team but Ferguson was no fool,his record shows that.He wouldnt have had fletcher anywhere near his teams if he was average.Maybe it wont work out but to start slagging the guy before he has arrived is crazy.I have a feeling if he does sign he will prove a lot of people wrong.After all,i remember a few months ago many people ripping into the chairmen for wasting our money on a player from the french 2nd division.Yeah they didnt have a clue what they were doing there did they.Terrible signing by the men with no knowledge 😉
Well I am one of the minority who thinks that a Fletcher who proves his fitness is better than both Nolan and Noble. If he desn’t satisfy the medical requirements then he won’t be signed and we have lost nothing but he is a winner and to come back from what he has tells me that this man has the strength of character and desire that would add solidity in front of our back four and he can play.
Fletcher is that kind of player loved by BFS; the worst thing is that the owners are still paying heed to our “great” manager which love dull players … BFS has no ambitions, West Ham needs an international and modern manager which can value perspective young talent with a fluent playing style. I’m ready to wait some years for a project like this before winning something… but please, I don’t want to see BFS big face and his chewing gum never again! Gold&Sullivan please make us this fantastic gift, thank you.
An excellent signing for us. This guy is a leader. The experience he brings with him can’t be underestimated. You don’t spend twelve years at Manchester United unless there’s someting about you. He is exactly the type of character we need to help us make the transition into becoming a top team. People say it will damage the progression of diego poyet. Nonsense. What better person for poyet to learn from than the likes of fletcher.
I really haven’t seen enough of him to make a truly informed comment. You don’t obviously stay at a club like United for 12 years without having something in your locker. Reading through some of the united comments on various sites the consensus seems to be they are gutted he is leaving, 1 commenter stated they thought he has been the best combative central midfielder sine Roy Keane and thats an endorsement I’d like any of our players to have. His lack of game time could be an issue and I hope the medical is as stringent as is being stated, should he pass the medical I hope he feels like he still has a point to prove to United, especially should he sign and be on the pitch for the United game. COYI
There are a few people above telling us how many trophies he has won with one of the greatest sides ever. All very true. But that was years ago. He’s only played 50 games in the past 4 years. If he was coming here on a one year contract for 30 grand a week this wouldn’t be so bad. But we are about to lay out millions in wages on a guy past his prime.
There was only one other side we heard about who were also talking to him – WBA. If he is so wonderful why was there not more interest? Well past his best and well over priced.
Prefer it if we didn’t sign him, end of
Have to agree with PennsylvaniaHammer. I can’t understand the people who think we should be signing people who have a lot of silverware. On that basis why not give Bobby Charlton a run out? We are talking about Fletcher today not the player of yesteryear.
The same people who moaned about allardyce signing downing are moaning about fletcher even though its a free transfer and we have morrison and downing off the wage bill neither of whom were playing
Morrison zarate and Vaz te off the wagebill
Give the guy a chance. He does not seem the sort of player who is just happy to sit back and have 1 last pay cheque before he retires (unlike some signings of recent times). I’m sure the medical will be very stringent and if he does pass that then we have a decent player to add to our squad who looks like a leader on the pitch.
His lack of game time in recent seasons may be a blessing and he comes to us for a fresh challenge and wanting to prove people wrong.
Lets welcome him and show what being a true loyal hammer is all about getting behind the team and Encourage the players who choose to wear our colours.
Hope no future signings ever read the blog comments on here with regards Fletcher,they would run a million miles in the opposite direction if they saw the amazing positive type of fans we have on here sometimes.What sort of supporters do we have who suggest we might boo him on his debut or keep quiet when his name is read out before the game.Its embaressing for me to even think i support the same team as these people.If the guy does sign we welcome him & hope he does well.Im not a fan of Allardyce but i will trust the Davids & him to do what is right for the club.The signings of the summer were great,we have now bought in two youngsters this window plus possibly Fletcher.I will trust them to do the right thing for this club.If people want to boo Fletcher then fine do it,but im sure he will get a great reception from the people in the ground,i expect many of the people slagging him wont even be there & are never there 😉
Well said rads. Totally agree. Makes my blood boil at the fact that any true supporter would even think of booing any of our players , and to think he has not even kicked a ball for us yet! As much as i dislike Nolan in our team could never bring myself to boo him. Thats what used to make our supporters special. Yeah we dont win a great deal if anything but we get behind our team and support the players. Suggest all the negative ones slope off and support the spuds or chelski they would fit in well there.
No one is saying he won’t be welcomed but now there talking about selling Noble to make room for him,
How many of you want to see Noble go and how many of the same people were saying Noble for England 1 or 2 months ago,
Fletcher will only mean BFS will carry on playing boring big ball football,
I have never wished bad thing on any player but I pray Nolan and Carroll get injured so we can go back to the begging of the season and watch some entertainment for our money.
Noble wont go Bubs,just lazy reporting probably.Fletcher comes to us so they make a story saying Noble is not needed & Qpr/West Brom are after him.It aint going to happen.As for the ‘welcoming’ matter,i have read people saying we should boo when his name is read out before the match.They aint fans as far as im concerned,thats just pathetic.I to want a return to the start of season football with the set up we had.I hate the system BFS plays when Carroll is in the team.I loved watching Sakho & Valencia up top together 😉
Well it’s off, so we have to stick with Nolan, Fletcher will probably have a blinder against us in the cup match
Yeah,we only wanted to take him on loan apparently.Which in all honesty was probably the wisest option.See how he did & sign him if he was up to it.Guess all the arguing on here was all for nothing then 🙂