Crystal Palace FC were today proud to announce the arrival of Alex Marrow on a permanent basis following a succe sful loan period with The Eagles. According to reports, the youthful, versatile Salfordian will cost Palace a five figure sum,a bargain in the eyes of those who have witne sed his abilities.Marrow, plucked from Blackburn Rovers academy, joins the current crop (see whatI did there) of youngsters at Palace where he has adjusted exceedingly wellto Championship life having made 18 appearances already this season, becoming a key man capable of dominating the midfield.DeterminedStanding at 61, Marrow can be as effectivewith defensive duties in the air as he is when the ball remains grounded, imposing pre sure onto the Jerryd Bayless Jersey opponent in question. But it is the way in which he performs these tasks which has endeared him to the Palace faithful, approaching each tu sle or physical battle with the Clarence Weatherspoon Jersey same amount of vigour and endeavour whether or notthe chances of succe sare high.The boy has a vast array of mental skills as well as those when in po se sion; he can tackle a game with the same level of determination thatfans themselves would show, unknowing of when to finally give up the chase. If there were no full-time whistle, Marrow would probably continue playing regardle s, a fair testament to his impre sive stamina and pa sion. Comfortable on the ball too, Marrow has acted as a reliable distributor, even in the packed Heathrow terminal that is a Palace midfield,spraying pa ses from onewing to another,ensuring Palaces dangerous players are those in po se sion in the most vulnerable areas for opposing Charles Barkley Jersey teams.Having been deployed in all areas of defence already in his brief Palace career, he seemed somewhat over-oared by the responsibilities early on, clearly uncomfortable at the back. But he foughtthrough and found a rightful place infront of the back 4 where he has remained pleasantly all season. At just 20, Marrow is part of the same production line as current Blackburn midfielder, Phil Jones, who has been tipped for a promising career himself. But Marrow sought after regular first-team football last season, starting at Oldham Athletic on an initial one month loan deal which Dave Penney extended to a full season at Boundary Park. Marrow excelled, appearing 33 times and scoring one goal for The Lactics. Dougie Freedman, now Palace caretaker bo s, witne sed Marrow last season while still at Southend Tiago Splitter Jersey and kept a close eye on him while Alex starred for the Rovers reserve team. He recommended Marrow to former manager, George Burley, and Marrow joined on a short term loan deal. Now the man in charge and clearly impre sed, Dougie snapped him up to join Steffen Iversen as Palaces second January signing. The legendary striker had this to say of the boy:Ive been very impre sed with Alex, it is good to see him join the club permanently and Im sure he will become an important part of our squad for some time to comeDougie Freedman, Palace caretaker managerTimeWith a two and a half year deal in his pocket, Marrow and Palace will attempt to Gerald Henderson Jersey haulourselves fromthis sticky situation at the foot of the Championship. With his future sorted, Marrow may well exceed further expectation on his return from an unfortunate ankle injury. Neverthele s, with the new owners at the helm, the club is at least moving in a positive direction as stable foundations are starting to become visible. At a tender age currently, the money invested in young Alex could prove to be extremely fruitful.