The club have been in freefall since Owen Coyle's departure, taking four points from a possible 33 with Laws at the helm, and are now three points adrift of safety as they languish in the bottom three. "I don't think any of us expected we'd have to deal with as much off the pitch as on it this season, with the unexpected disappointment we had at Christmas," Fletcher said. "We know managers come and go, but to lose seven or eight staff was something we did not anticipate and was really tough to deal with. "Brian was left with a massive job to do, and I'm not sure Sir Alex Ferguson could have done any better. "The chairman (Barry Kilby) acted quickly to bring Brian in and we have tried to help him too with new staff. "But what happened at Christmas had a massive impact and is something that will take a long time to recover from." Burnley's dismal form under Laws even prompted a suggestion last week the club were already seeking a replacement, although the story was vehemently denied by Kilby. Although Laws also brushed aside the gossip, Fletcher believes it "will have hurt" the 48-year-old. "No-one likes to see something like that," Fletcher added in the Lancashire Telegraph. "Unfortunately, these things are part and parcel of being in the Premier League and we just have to deal with it. "But it is very frustrating for everyone at Burnley. The way things happened had a massive impact on us, and my heart bleeds for Brian because he came into a difficult situation." Captain Steven Caldwell, meanwhile, is poised to boost the club's fight to beat the drop this week. Centre-back Caldwell looks set to return from three months on the sidelines by playing in a reserve fixture against Manchester United on Thursday. The 29-year-old has not played for the Clarets since a 2-0 defeat at Wolves on December 20 due to a groin injury initially sustained playing for Scotland in August. A hopeful Laws said: "Steven has made good progress and it looks like he may get a reserve game this week. "I hope he does make it back towards the end of the season because it will be nice to get him involved and you need leaders, particularly in the battle we have ahead of us."
