It hurts and that should give AFCB fans hope

Listening to Tommy Elphick's honest comments after the Huddersfield game were good medicine in my view. He did not mix his message. He knew the team had not performed well and did not hide his disappointment. That gives me hope. Yes, it is hard to take it when the team not only lose but get a good beating away from home, but AFCB are against much better players and they are still adapting to their new surroundings.

That the players want to get better is a very good sign. Eddie Howe is not disillusioned with AFCB's performances because he could see how difficult it was going to be. Luckily the Championship is not a sprint and there is time to try and sort out some of the things that individuals and the team as a whole can do better. AFCB fans, including myself, have to give Eddie and Jason time to put things right in a league when the games just keep on coming. I suspect that the period that sees a two week break at the start of September is when the squad can really look in some depth at how to come up with ways to be harder to break down, when playing away.

Elphick hopes to turn away for around on Wednesday. and Saturday.

The good thing is that at the moment AFCB have played as well as they did last season when at home. They are not used to playing teams that can really hurt them with quality and we have had it our own way for a long time. This season will be different. Every point is going to be hard earned, but it is important that fans of the Cherries do not get too despondent when we do suffer a heavy defeat. It might be different if we knew players were not trying and were not happy to wear the shirt or didn't want to play for the manager, but this is not the case. What the team needs is our support and acknowledgement that they have a very difficult challenge, but are not trying to hide from the fact that they still have things to learn. They are a young team Eddie Howe tells us.

It is probably not good to magnify the problems the team has had on the road too much as it will get into their heads that they can't do it away from Dean Court. It is interesting that Tommy Elphick said that he was pleased we have two more away games coming up this week. It is not about fearing such games it is more about these players wanting to put things right that gives me encouragement. They are not miles away from doing well in away games. It will come and perhaps sooner than we all think.