Darren Fletcher soothes dressing room fears

Albion captain Darren Fletcher insists James McClean's standing in the dressing room remains unaffected by controversy over his snubbing of the English flag.

McClean, who is from a staunch republican background in Northern Ireland, was criticised by some sections of the Baggies support after turning away from the cross of St George during the national anthems prior to last Friday's friendly at Charleston Battery.

The 26-year-old, who has previously come under fire over his refusal to wear a poppy, is being urged by boss Tony Pulis to shake off the 'stigma' surrounding him.

Fletcher claims McClean has proved a positive addition to the dressing room since his £1.5million move from Wigan last month and retains the support of his team-mates.

"We weren't aware of it at the time but it's a personal issue for him," said Fletcher of the Charleston incident.

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"Until you read into the history and look at his beliefs and where he's from, in some ways you have to respect his feelings.

"It goes a lot deeper than people think and it's very naive for people to just judge him on what they see without knowing the full story – and the full story is a difficult one as well!

"He's got a lot of principle and for us he's a great player and there are no problems in the dressing room, so in that respect I can only speak highly of him.

"The people we care about are the West Brom supporters and for me as a captain, I have to reiterate that we've got a really good lad and a really good player and someone who the dressing room have taken to.

"The rest of it is not a problem. The most important thing is that the West Brom fans realise that.

"He's been a great lad and he's settled into the squad fantastically."