AFCB's last home win in the Premier League was back on 12 March against Swansea City and that was just one of five wins at Dean Court last season. It also took until 19 September to get the first home win against Sunderland and the second victory at home did not come until mid-December. Frankly, it has not been easy to win games for AFCB and there needs to be a bit of deep thinking about how the side can do better at its football home.
It may be that travelling to bigger grounds was something that gave the team more of a buzz last season but playing at home should also be a great experience for them as the advantage of the crowd and the size of the pitch and familiar surroundings should put them at ease. Good early pressure has been a trademark of Eddie Howe sides, but there has to be a greater resilience in games at home when the side go a goal behind.
The Everton game at Dean Court was the breakthrough match last season when the lads managed to secure a draw from a match that they seemed to have already lost in added on time. It was a strange period as before that home match they had been all over Newcastle and yet had come out f the game with no points at all. It wasn't that the side was playing badly, they just couldn't score and if you look at home goals last season in August they scored one goal at Dean Court, in September it was two in one game, but only two goals in October at home and three in November. The side probably needs to average closer to two games a match at home if it is to increase its win ratio at Dean Court from five to 10 games in a season.
Eddie Howe has brought in more fire power to help achieve that. Whether having a fit and eager Callum Wilson along with an intelligent Josh King in behind is AFCB's best way to get goals is still not set in stone, and it may be that getting the best out of Jordan Ibe is just as important and that could mean the need to play other options who may work better with Ibe. It is important that Ibe is pushed too by Ryan Fraser and Junior Stanislas, but if Ibe can raise his game and set the standard it could be that he can pull the whole team along with him when he is tearing up the wing at Dean Court. His ability to beat two or three players will create space for the strikers and this season we want to see more of those chances buried by the likes of Afobe, King, Wilson and Mousset.
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| It's all about winning. |
The Everton game at Dean Court was the breakthrough match last season when the lads managed to secure a draw from a match that they seemed to have already lost in added on time. It was a strange period as before that home match they had been all over Newcastle and yet had come out f the game with no points at all. It wasn't that the side was playing badly, they just couldn't score and if you look at home goals last season in August they scored one goal at Dean Court, in September it was two in one game, but only two goals in October at home and three in November. The side probably needs to average closer to two games a match at home if it is to increase its win ratio at Dean Court from five to 10 games in a season.
Eddie Howe has brought in more fire power to help achieve that. Whether having a fit and eager Callum Wilson along with an intelligent Josh King in behind is AFCB's best way to get goals is still not set in stone, and it may be that getting the best out of Jordan Ibe is just as important and that could mean the need to play other options who may work better with Ibe. It is important that Ibe is pushed too by Ryan Fraser and Junior Stanislas, but if Ibe can raise his game and set the standard it could be that he can pull the whole team along with him when he is tearing up the wing at Dean Court. His ability to beat two or three players will create space for the strikers and this season we want to see more of those chances buried by the likes of Afobe, King, Wilson and Mousset.
For me the most important choice is Lewis Cook starts and is given a run in the side..he looked amazing at Reading albeit a friendly but seemed a class apart and seemed to be the glue that kept the side together...for me not Wilson to start but Afobe.....Eddie has signed six players...how many will start..I suspect just one..what message does that send to players he wants to sign...if you factor in last seasons signings ..probably three ..Gradel,King and Ibe will start ...surely the idea of signing new players is to improve the team and not the squad..maybe I am wrong...but the idea of these youngsters playing in the Capital One Cup and maybe the FA Cup is not what they signed on for.....for me Lewis Cook should be told you are my number 4 for the first ten games....anyway lets see
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