Steven Fletcher's been relegated before and knew his teams were doomed but he insists that is not the case at Dundee United.
The Tannadice club are scrapping for survival and tonight’s game in hand at Livingston could be vital in cutting their four-point deficit at the foot of the table. The experienced striker has already been relegated from the Premier League with Burnley and Wolves and admits on both occasions there was a sense of inevitability. Jim Goodwin’s newly-inherited side may be adrift but Fletcher believes they can come good over the next 11 games.
The former Scotland cap said: “I’ve been through a few relegation battles with Sunderland, Burnley and Wolves. The difference between then and now is the way it feels. In the past, even though we were not relegated yet, you felt it was coming. When I was at Sunderland, the first three years we flirted with it but never felt like we’d go down. It was the same at Wolves, it’s hard to explain it but I just had a feeling.
“That’s not the case here, I still feel there’s something there with us. It doesn’t feel the same and I still think we have enough to get out of it.”
The United players have sounded like broken records at times that there is too much quality and they will get themselves out of it. Fletcher knows it is now about actions rather than words. He said: “We know how urgent it is.
"We have been saying it’s 14 games, 13, 12 and now it’s down to 11 games. So we know games are running out and we have to start winning, we have to pick up points, it’s as simple as that.
"Wednesday is massive for us now. The gap is four points and this is a chance to cut into that.”
Fletcher doesn’t think United have played badly but individual mistakes have cost them dearly, a theme that has undermined their season. The 35-year-old said: “It’s individual mistakes that are costing us.
"You look at our squad and the way we train but things keep happening that sucks the life right out of it. We need to go out and grab a game by the scruff of the neck.
"The gaffer has looked at what we’ve got, looked at what we do do and the things we have not been doing. His message has been about doing more of the things we’re good at and cutting out the negative things and the mistakes.”
United have struggled at both ends of the park but Fletcher reckons they showed a lot more creativity and he had far more openings in Saturday’s defeat by Aberdeen. He added: “I had to take a step back after the game because of the frustration you get at losing but when you watch it again there were a lot of positives to take.
“From the way we started the game to the chances we created, there were a lot of good things. I think I had more chances in that one game than I have had in all season. So we need to keep doing that, put the ball in the box and we will create chances. I love that, the more crosses into the box, the better – because I’ve spent my whole career wanting that, you could see there is still a fight in us.”
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