Cherries' squad depth already being tested

The mounting injury list is going to need some frantic work by Steve Hard and his team to get the numbers off the treatment books and back in training. The left back situation is clearly the major worry having seen Charlie Daniels having to come off at half time in the Leicester match and Tyrone Mings stretchered off with a knee injury just six minutes later.

Charlie Daniels may well be the quickest of the injured players to recover.

Adam Smith can of course play at left back even if it is not his strongest position and Filippo Costa could provide cover if the Cherries needed to extend the period that Daniels and Mings are out but the early signs are that Charlie Daniels' knock might be not as severe as first thought. 

The left side of the field is certainly stretched though with Max Gradel also likely to need time out to recover from his left knee injury. While Junior Stanislas has not been involved in the Premier League squads he may just get his chance now.

We also heard from the Bournemouth Echo that Harry Arter had a minor operation on his groin in Germany to sort his long absence out and the midweek match against Hartlepool had resulted in a hamstring strain for Josh King as well as a problem for Dan Gosling. Luckily the scan for Gosling was clear and he is likely to be back in training fairly soon.

The importance of having a first rate physio section though is being underlined and keeping the players fit is going to be vital. While there is time to bring in loan signings, the club will also want to not dilute the strong squad spirit too much and morale within the camp has to remain high. That can probably be helped if the Cherries can deflect attention away a bit with a new signing, but bringing in players will be a battle in the next few days with every club looking to strengthen. Once again Charlie Austin is strongly linked with the Cherries with rumours of him now having a house in Sandbanks and the Daily Mirror stating that the striker is Eddie Howe's top target.

All Departments' review of AFCB 1 v 1 Leicester City is now out - you can listen on the side bar of Cherry Chimes or visit the All Departments' website to find other ways to listen.


Look out tomorrow for the Cherry Chimes' September Newsletter which brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them in AFCB's first month in the Premier League, plus a special Newsletter article entitled Tactical battles have to be won

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