Captain Elphick can be a big influence

Tommy Elphick is not thought to be facing a major injury crisis. He visited a specialist last week over his ankle though which indicates that he might not be as confident about playing a part in the team for a little while yet. He'll want to come back strong and not having any worries so it is right that he gets the best treatment he can and with someone he trusts. But how much will the team miss him not being on the pitch at this time?

Tommy will hopefully be back holding on to the goal posts
 at some point but before then he can still be a big asset to the
club behind the scenes.

Normally I would think that as long as Tommy is around the lads will be okay on the field, but with Wilson also now injured I hope that Tommy can ensure that he does still get his team talks in and reinforces his message of concentration and being first to the ball. A captain needs to be around his players and with so much changing with the injuries the outlook has to be one of building a fortress as the league has not been kind to the Cherries.

While Distin and Cook will be looking to improve on the two goals that they could not stop at Stoke, we start to see how important it has been for Baily Cargill to have been building his game experience in recent seasons. He is now on the edge of being involved for 90 minutes in the team and as a sub he could be needed at any time. Seeing him preparing for the Stoke game, where he would be the sub for the centre backs, I thought this is another significant step for the young defender. This weekend could be an even bigger week for him if he makes a Premier League debut. That's why I am sure that Tommy and Sylvain will be reassuring him that he is ready.

Out today - Cherry Chimes' October Newsletter brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month, plus a special Newsletter article entitled The chase will never be the same again.

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