A happy dressing room is half the battle won

There is no doubt that AFCB has been a good place to play your football in the last few seasons. The mood of the camp has generally been optimistic more often than not. Sure we have seen some lows, but nothing compared to the administration years.

That the camp has been a good one is partly why I feel the team has done well in recent seasons. If the players do well against the likes of Real Madrid they will take enormous confidence from such a game and the bonds between them will becomes stronger. It will be a game that they have a shared experience of and which will help them when times are hard.

Picking themselves up is something that they will have to do in the coming games and if we are a tight unit with everyone pulling in the same direction AFCB stands a better chance of doing well. I am not so sure how unified the team was before the start of last season but if they were it did not show on the pitch in the first 10 games.

Now it is a fresh chance to show that under Eddie Howe the same players can start a season with determination and a combined spirit to succeed against even better opposition. This is where I feel the captain can have a positive impact to lift the players. In Tommy Elphick we seem to have a motivator and Eddie Howe also will want to stress that a good start will lead to more positive things. 

We still have a large squad though and I hope that Eddie moves a few more players on in the coming weeks to ensure that those who can come off the wage bill do and that those who are not getting a look in at Dean Court can get a chance elsewhere.