AFC Bournemouth
Eddie Howe believes “born winner” Carl Fletcher is the right man to lead Leyton Orient, having departed Vitality Stadium.
Fletcher completed a switch to League Two side The O’s on Wednesday, swapping his Cherries loan player manager role for a return to first team management.
The 39-year-old leaves AFC Bournemouth with Howe’s blessing, and the boss is confident he has all the attributes to be a success at Brisbane Road.
"Carl is extremely hard-working, has really good opinions on the game and has had some brilliant experiences in the game, both as a player and as a manager," Howe told afcb.co.uk.
"He understands the game inside and out, and is a born winner, which is something that he’s never lost throughout his playing career and all the way into his coaching. Carl is someone who, quite simply, loves to win.
"He is in a really good place to attack this job and the one thing you know with Carl is that he will always give his best to make the job work.
"It is a great move for both sides – for Carl and for Leyton Orient. They are a really good club who do things the right way, and Stephen Purches speaks so highly of them from his experiences there.
"I think it could be a really good match."
Ex-Cherries midfielder Fletcher has previous managerial experience, having led Plymouth Argyle for 16 months between September 2011 and January 2013, while also taking on various coaching roles at Vitality Stadium following his return to Dorset almost six years ago.
And Howe believes those experiences will be invaluable to the former Wales international, having watched his development at close quarters.
"I always knew that being a manager again was something Carl wanted to do," Howe continued.
"He has had some great experiences here, from taking the under-18s, the development squad and becoming our loan manager, to stepping up and coaching with the first team at times.
"He will have gone through things that really open your eyes in so many different ways, including the overall job of managing people. If you have an understanding of the roles of everyone then it’s going to ultimately make you a better person.
"I try and encourage my staff to develop themselves to be the best they can be in their respective roles.
"Then, if an opportunity comes up that they wish to pursue, as a club we never stand in anybody’s way and are always very open to people exploring the next steps of their respective careers.
"We wish Carl all the best and hope he has every success at Leyton Orient."
