Is Fletcher The Missing Link?

Nottingham Forest have signed Crystal Palace midfielder Carl Fletcher on a six week loan deal, to fill the void left by the foot injury to Guy Mouusi. But is he the solution to our defensive frailties?

In fairness to Calderwood, he's reacted quickly to fill the gap left by the Moose and should be applauded for getting someone in so soon. But we might be expecting a bit too much from 'Fletch,' a player who couldn't get a place in a struggling Palace team.

Much has been said and written this week about the Welsh internationals strengths. But little has been said about why he can't hold down a place at the Eagles. A change is as good as a rest for some players and we have to hope it's the case with Carl. He was a regular before the arrival of Warnock and was even club Captain under Peter Taylor, but his sudden fall from favour begs the question of why he's up for sale. Warnock put him on the transfer list in August and has so far had few offers.

As you'd expect, Calderwood is talking the new guy up. He told the official site. 'Carl has got good experience with West Ham and Palace and was captain of Palace when Peter Taylor was manager. I think he will be a valuable commodity. Losing Guy and his physical presence for a considerable period of time, we needed a wee bit of help and definitely needed an addition to the squad. We had to take someone with a little bit more profile in this league and I think we've made a super signing. We watched him in the World Cup game against Germany on Wednesday and he came through it with flying colours. He knows his job, whether it be in a midfield or defensive position, and has a lot of attributes that will be invaluable to us in the short term.'

There can be no doubt that we're crying out for a defensive midfielder to halt the threat of even a half decent Championship strikeforce, but Carl Fletcher may not be quite the right man. We do need a player that can link the defence into attack. Most fans are happy with his arrival and see him as a ready made replacement for the Moose. Personally I'm not too impressed. Mainly because whenever I have seen him play, he's been a bit wayward with his passing and has the a tendency to make silly challenges. On that basis he should fit in well, because from the back we're a shambles at present.

Hopefully my fears will prove to be totally unfounded and hopefully he can ram these words right down my throat. I hope he does, because if he doesn't, then moving away from the foot of the table is going to be a long time coming. Welcome to the City Ground Carl Fletcher.

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