Respect but no red carpet for 'the Governor'

One of the reasons why it is great to be rubbing shoulders with some of the successful clubs in the Championship is that they have managers who have already played in the big time. Paul Ince is one of those who has seen it, done it, but while we have what I consider footballing royalty coming to Dean Court this Saturday, I hope we do not roll the red carpet out for his team.

What Paul has achieved over the years is almost unmatched by most other football players unless they have been part of the Manchester United teams over the last two decades. He has rightly been called 'the Governor' for his playing style which won him 53 England caps and brought him all the major club honours - two Premier league titles and two FA Cups. If Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall manage to have a few words with him at the weekend I hope they glean from him every bit of information they can. It is not every day that a manager with so much knowledge brings his team to AFCB and yet while we should respect what he has achieved I'll be the first in line hoping that the Cherries give his team an absolute tonking.

Paul Ince's managerial record has perhaps not yet reached the heights of what he has achieved as a player, but his Blackpool side have got off to a great start this season and AFCB will have to be at their best to stop the league leaders. For Eddie Howe it is another chance to take on a young manager who is well respected in the game and who plays some attractive football. In some ways I look at Blackpool and think that AFCB become a similar kind of club that may yet get a chance of mixing it with teams that perhaps have much bigger fan bases. To do that though, AFCB has to find a way of getting results against teams like Blackpool so I am hoping that Paul Ince does not enjoy his trip to the south coast very much. 

Having just heard that Paul Ince's cousin is ex-middleweight World Champion Nigel Ben, I have decided that perhaps we can just allow Paul to bring his own tangerine carpet if he wants it for the dugout - respect for the Governor!