Points in August are the Cherries' goal now

The opening month of fixture is no catwalk for the Cherries. Hard away games to Huddersfield, Blackburn and Norwich are intermixed with tests at home against Brentford and Forest. As usual us fans will be wondering if AFCB can pick up enough points to get away to a decent start in this consecutive season in the Championship. Don't expect a breather at Exeter either in the Capital One Cup either as they will like the prospect of a bit of a cup upset.

Stephen gets excited when AFCB are in the top six.

This season is harder for the Cherries in my view as they are no longer seen as team not to worry about. More experienced teams in the Championship know that an Eddie Howe side is going to give them a battle and will pass them right off the park if they are not up for it. But points are never easy to get at this level and we can only hope that AFCB have done enough of the right kind of ground work to give them the best of chances of doing well right from the start. Eddie Howe will have eliminated as much of the risks as he possibly can but he can't make any plans to prepare for poor decisions from officials or players, mis-timed tackles and injuries. He will have his fingers crossed more than most, but should be satisfied that he has a squad that is more powerful than 12 months ago and more experienced.

Eddie Howe too is more experienced and I think some of us take it for granted that the Cherries' manager is also picking up more ideas all the time about what works in the Championship and what doesn't for his teams. Every year the teams in the Championship roll the die with new players coming in and others going out. The game changes all the time and keeping on top of everything must be a manager's nightmare. It's those who cope best with the pressure and expectations that rise to the top. Those who can get their ideas over clearly with passion and confidence that they impart on their players. AFCB are in good shape and August like all the other months in the Championship should be seen as a challenge to enjoy now. There were too many years in the past when AFCB fans never came anywhere close to what we are experiencing now so let's grasp the challenge. UTCIAD!

Look out for the Thrice Champions' match preview. I give a few answers to their probing questions about the Cherries - see Thrice Champions' website. Also don't forget to get your bets on with Free Bet Negotiator so that you get free vouchers even if you lose this weekend's footie bet.