Can the Grabban and Rantie partnership work?

Eddie Howe has changed the way the team is set up in recent weeks with Grabban playing his loan striker role to great effect. But do we already have the perfect partner for Grabban at AFCB? The Rantie and Grabban partnership has not really worked and Eddie has given it a good go. While Pitman and Thomas have also played as a partner to Grabban, it always seemed that Rantie was the one that Howe wanted to use with Grabban. Is it a case of these two not being able to play well together?

Grabban and Rantie. Can they get on the same wavelength?

I'm not so sure. I still think it is early days for Rantie and that we won't see the best of him for another few months. When he can start to be stronger on the ball and make more of a presence with his frame, he could yet become a strike partner that Grabban could work with. The speed and flexibility that Grabban has mark him out as something special in my mind. He is may be under valued by the fans even if not be Eddie Howe.

Rantie is the one with the big price tag and the player knows it. I don't think this has helped, but Rantie has to show more if he wants to be part of the side going forward. Pitman has not made a massive impact either and Eddie Howe may still be looking to supplement the forward department with Thomas likely to leave and Matt Tubbs now out on loan again at Crawley Town. 

So it is down to Rantie to try and make sure that he is the one that makes the partnership with Grabban work. If he can't do that there are others who will surely come to take his place and the next five months for the South African are probably the most important of his career. The others that might partner Grabban need not cost AFCB more money though, because Surman has been doing okay behind Grabban, while McQuoid and Coulibaly may provide more goals.

If you still don't think I write enough each day, you can get a little bit more out of me if you visit the Jesus Was a Wiganer site. I return a few answers on the Cherries ahead of the match with Wigan at the weekend. Don't worry, I get to shoot some questions back at Dan Farrimond on Friday for our Rival Lines feature.