Has Adam Smith turned the tables on Simon Francis?

Last season Adam Smith hardly get a sniff at ousting Simon Francis from his right back slot. There is a current vibe though that he just might be able to get the upper hand from what has been seen in pre-season training. Far from going into his shell after giving away a last minute penalty against Sheffield Wednesday during the tense Championship run-in, Adam Smith has come out and advanced his game with some stunning performances that have put him firmly in contention to start against Aston Villa on Saturday.

Smudge just might have played himself into the team.

Adam was selected for the tougher match against Hoffenheim rather than the home fixture against Cardiff City. While how may choose a mixture of players from the two games to start against Aston Villa, there is every reason to believe that Adam is in with a shout of ousting Simon Francis if it is considered that his performances have been better in assisting goals and keeping clean sheets. We'll not know until the team is announced, but in a strange way the mistake Adam made against the Owls all those months ago might well have been the catalyst for him becoming more of a regular in the AFCB team.

Simon Francis: too good to be dropped?

Meanwhile, Simon Francis has been so consistent in recent seasons many AFCB fans are just so glad that he has stayed with the club. Once he does show how good he is in the Premier League he is likely to get many more admirers. As might one or two other members of this incredible team.

Premier Talk focuses on what went on last night at AFC Bournemouth - BBC 5 Live get chatty at Dean Court 

Eddie Howe also has a press conference today at 1.30pm when we should hear about how the team is before the Aston Villa games and news on the injury situation with Christian Atsu and Harry Arter.