Playing down the hype

I am expecting Eddie Howe to be pretty open-minded, but cautious, ahead of the Charlton game. The problems in the striker department have already been down played by himself in that he feels the injuries to main players are minor, and hopes that most of the players will be available for selection come Saturday. He has also been fairly realistic in his attitude to how well the club will do in the Championship. Everyone starts with no points and after 10 games we will have a clearer idea of where we are and how things are going.

Looking at our early fixtures though, I do suspect that the Cherries have a tougher start than many. Charlton had a good season last time around even if they did not start so well, so we might get some joy on Saturday, but Watford and Wigan are really difficult games for the Cherries so early on. Towards the end of August AFCB will be going away to Huddersfield and Doncaster and I believe it is when we play these kind of teams that we have to try and get some surprise points on the board to add to the home wins.

Therefore, Eddie Howe is unlikely to get carried away if we get off to a magnificent start as the next problematic game will be just around the corner. Moreover, if AFCB's fails to get out of the bottom four after four or five games he will not be looking to find a fire blanket to put out the flames. At the end of August the players will have only had a few matches and to experience the atmosphere of the Championship, while others will still be returning to the squad.

I think confidence will be helped if AFCB can also get through to the next round of the Capitol One Cup, but that match is right after the Charlton game. Take each game as it comes is all we can do. However, I do expect the fans to go berserk if we do record  six wins out of six in August.

How many points do you think AFC Bournemouth will get from their first six games?