STEVEN Fletcher was itching to get going yesterday but he had to wait.
One of the enjoyable wee ways he passes the time while holed up in hotels on international duty is by playing FIFA 15, but it took half-an-hour before anyone could get the games console and the television synchronised at Scotland's squad headquarters yesterday. They got there in the end. It was like the story of Scotland and Fletcher himself.
It is five-and-a-half years since Fletcher scored his first, and to date only, goal for Scotland. He had just turned 22 and he's now edging closer to 28. "I'm 27 but I feel 37," he said with a smile.
The beard and tattoos do give him a slightly older look, but has any Scotland player had such an eventful last five years? Since that goal against Iceland - he was still a Hibernian player at the time - Fletcher has moved to Burnley for £3m, Wolverhamption Wanderers for £6m and Sunderland for £12m. At the rate his fees are inflating his next deal with be worth £24m.
He has become a respected, established presence in the Barclays Premier League. He has been periodically linked with Celtic and has not written off joining them one day given that he intends to return to Scotland later in his career. And above all - at least in terms of the volume of headlines it generated in this country - he has been estranged from Scotland and then brought back in from the cold.
The facts can be quickly recalled: Fletcher criticised Craig Levein for not playing him against the Czech Republic and Spain in October, 2010. A cold war developed between the pair and when Levein subsequently tried to call him up in February, 2011, Fletcher sent a text to a member of Scottish Football Association staff saying he was unavailable.
Neither of them would budge for 20 months. There was frustration all round, not least among supporters who craved his involvement.
"You never know, the manager could have been around for 10 years and maybe I wouldn't get picked again. There was a time I thought I wouldn't get another cap," said Fletcher.
"You are sitting back watching Scotland on the TV, you want to be there but you're thinking that things are never going to get sorted. We managed to sort it, fortunately, and I'm past that now. I'm back playing and enjoying it.
"It was a difficult time. When things weren't going well, I wanted to be there helping. When they were going well, I wanted to be part of it. So it was hard. But it was a learning curve, I've learned from that. It has made me a different person."
Eventually there was rapprochement. Olive branches were held out and Fletcher returned against Wales and Belgium in October, 2012. They proved to be Levein's final games. Fletcher spoke about that exile at length for the first time yesterday and did not criticise Levein. "It did drag on for a long time and you get to a stage where you think 'right, this is never going to happen, I need to move on'.
"When I did get the call, though, I was delighted. I thought it [meeting Levein again] was going to be worse than it was. It was fine. To be honest, we both spoke honestly, it was fine and there was no atmosphere. He said: 'do you want to come back?' I said: 'yeah'. And that was it, really."
Scotland played 16 times while Fletcher was in the cold. Although he had injury issues in that period he might have made far more than his current total of 17 appearances.
"I want to get as many caps as I can now. I think me not playing for a while, and coming back, made me realise how much of an achievement it is to get picked for your country."
He is Gordon Strachan's first-choice centre forward, despite missing several months having damaged an ankle badly in the manager's second game in charge against Wales at Hampden in March last year. Only now, having had a prolonged rest over the summer, does Fletcher feel the problem has fully cleared. "I've said in the last couple of weeks, probably months, that it's the best I've felt for a long time, probably the best since I signed for Sunderland. I'm happy to be back playing and back fit"
Fletcher's scoring record is not good enough for Scotland but he delivered big performances recently and helped make Ikechi Anya's goal against Germany and Shaun Maloney's against Poland. Four goals in nine appearances for Sunderland, including two superb finishes against Crystal Palace last week, confirm his form and confidence.
He is strong, mobile and intelligent, good in the air and technically accomplished. Against the Republic of Ireland on Friday he will be determined to hurt some friends. The man who brought him to Sunderland was former manager Martin O'Neill, now Ireland's manager. One of his mates at the club is their veteran defender, John O'Shea.
"As a manager Martin was brilliant for me," said Fletcher. "The fact that he spent that much money on me [£12m] meant he obviously had faith in me. I was keen to repay him and had a good start under him. That was probably one of the things he liked about me!"
As for O'Shea, Fletcher was in jocular mood. "He doesn't kick me, he can't get near me! I told him to stay away from my ankles last week.
"That goal he scored against Germany was a bit of a sickener for us. It was obviously a great night for him, 100 caps and to score the late goal. I did congratulate him the next day. Through gritted teeth! But it wasn't a bad finish. I would be happy with that . . ."
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