Where has the incisive play gone?

AFCB did not get everyone on the edge of their seats in the first half of the Rotherham match. In fact the feeling was quite the opposite with fans talking about other games and checking their phones, as the Cherries tried to pass their way from side to side and back to the keeper in an attempt to match the 31 pass goal that had mesmerised us all at Norwich only two weeks earlier. But this match saw not enough incisive movement from the forward players and few attacking passes to unlock the Rotherham back four and to create chances. Fans had to wait until the second half for the Cherries to really get going.

Eddie Howe commented: "I thought we dominated the ball first half but didn't penetrate or create chances to score goals and that's what you want to do at home so we asked our players to get the ball forward quicker and I'm surprised we did not do that first half. I'm at a loss to explain that really, although we did have total control of the game and the ball. We need to turn that dominance into chances and goals."

More creativity required. Can Surman and Kermorgant supply it?

Eddie then picked up on something that he perhaps is trying to convince his players and himself that they "love playing at home". The points on the board so far might question that. The performance first half was certainly flat and so was the crowd which was only just over 8000. The noise did pick up second half, but that was because the team finally gave the crowd something to be excited about after somewhat losing their way in the first half.

"We've got to give the fans a little bit more to shout about, especially after the first half. We need more goalmouth action. We need to be more positive and set our marker down at home," said Eddie Howe.

Eddie has to pick a team that can get a result against Leeds
 to stop any negativity creeping in.

The action though was not great in the first 45 minutes with neither keeper having any save to make! For all Bournemouth's possession they weren't going anywhere and it became a ponderous affair. 

Eddie Howe was well aware of the problems though: "It's about decision-making when you have the ball and we want to be positive. We want to get the ball into our strikers, our attacking players and we turned down those opportunities to go backwards. As much as we are about possession we are about efficient football and about scoring goals and creating chances and as I say we don't want to be known about a team that's going nowhere with the ball."

Whether AFCB fans are able to keep patient with the pattern of play that we saw against Rotherham for much longer will be a test. I certainly feel that such a slow start will not be witnessed against Leeds Utd as the home crowd deserve a display from this team now and the players know it.

Check out the Match Day Gallery and Stephen and Robert's Corner for Callum Wilson's keep me upiee pics.