Demands of captaincy could bring out best in dynamic Fletcher

THE decision to name Darren Fletcher as Scotland captain for this weekend's crucial World Cup qualifier against Norway is one grounded in the sound reason which has characterised George Burley's managerial reign so far.

Fletcher, for anyone armed with even fleeting knowledge of the manager's methods, was always marked out as the outstanding candidate, and takes over from the suspended Stephen McManus, who, in turn, had stepped in for the injured Barry Ferguson.

Both will look on as Fletcher, 24, leads his country for the fourth time, with Burley perhaps keen to see evidence of the fortifying properties an armband can provide for its owner. The Manchester United midfielder has not distinguished himself for the national team in recent matches, with Terry Butcher, the Scotland assistant manager, this week suggesting he is perhaps still settling into Burley's system.

The manager's solution for any lack of dynamism on Fletcher's part has been to hand the player greater responsibility. His promotion to captain is effectively a demand that he does not allow himself to drift out of the game.

Fletcher's only previous competitive outing as captain was the 3-1 victory against Lithuania just over a year ago. He stood out for executing the quickly taken free-kick which led to Scotland's opening goal, from Kris Boyd. Saturday will see Fletcher win his 40th cap but there is a widespread feeling among the Tartan Army that he has been below par more often than not when in a dark blue shirt.

Yesterday's news provides him with the spur to capture the sort of form for his country which saw Sir Alex Ferguson hand him a new three-year deal last week. There is, however, no question mark over the player's commitment to Scotland. Despite being almost five years younger than Barry Ferguson, Fletcher has only three caps fewer than his midfield partner. He was also handed the armband as long ago as 2004, becoming Scotland's youngest-ever captain at the age of only 20 years and three months in a 1-0 win over Estonia.

Burley will have taken this into account when selecting Fletcher, a popular figure amongst his international team-mates. He has always proved a willing performer for Scotland, often at the risk of provoking his club manager's wrath. Indeed, Sir Alex was angered by the knock he received in the final minutes of Scotland's friendly with Croatia last season, in what was Burley's first game in charge. The knee ligament injury meant Fletcher was ruled out for six weeks, and he subsequently missed out on a place in the Manchester United squad for the Champions League final against Chelsea in Moscow.

"Darren has been an outstanding player for Scotland for a number of years," said Burley yesterday. "At the same time he has established himself as a regular player for one of the biggest clubs in the world. Since I took over, his attitude towards playing for his country has been outstanding. He is a player who is always desperate to represent Scotland.

"It is a measure of his talent that at his relatively young age he has achieved so much for his club and will win his 40th cap for his country on Saturday. I know he will be very proud to lead the players out at Hampden. He will do a great job."

Burley chose Fletcher at the expense of other candidates, including David Weir, Gary Caldwell, Craig Gordon, and, in the fevered imaginations of some, even James McFadden. Of this group, Weir's claim seemed the strongest. He has led Scotland on four previous occasions and is the last Scotland skipper to lift silverware – the Kirin Cup in 2006. He was also handed the armband for the first two games of Alex McLeish's reign, leading his team to European Championship qualifying victories against the Faroe Islands and Lithuania.

While he won't be wearing the captain's armband, the absence of McManus will see Weir pick up his 62nd cap, joining Danny McGrain as Scotland's eighth-most capped player.