AFCB have another chance to escape the bottom three

The games are already edging towards 10 and AFCB are still stuck in the bottom three and only looking down on Crystal Palace, but that could all change with a home win against Leicester City. There has been criticism about the way the team has been failing to hold on to leads, and if the game goes according to plan we could well see AFCB ahead and trying to hold on to the points against the foxes if they can make one of their exciting fast starts. But will it be deja vue?

Leicester City are placed tantalising just above AFCB in the table.

Things are getting more serious each time a game goes by. While some have been annoyed at the style of play, I don't believe this team is a group of players that can play long and just knock balls off the pitch when they are ahead. They have to play the possession game as Eddie has said endlessly, but they also need to get back into position quicker when they do lose possession. Too often we see players struggling to get back and to make a solid two lines of four. It's this lack of mindfulness that has been costing the team, like the first goal at Everton.

Playing Leicester City is a fixture that has predominantly ended in a draw in recent seasons. Getting one over the Foxes is rare, but Bournemouth have the players to do it. Beating Leicester would be a great feeling at home and by lifting the team out of the bottom zone they would go into the Spurs game with a real chance. But they need our support at home to get past Leicester. It is no good us fans battering them every time a pass goes astray and a move breaks down. Let's get back to being the plucky underdog and the team that fights for every ball. The lads will do that if we get behind them.

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There has been a bit of expectancy that AFCB will just turn it on at some point, but it's not going to happen without some encouragement. I've been reading all the comments that so-called fans post on other sites and while we all are frustrated, the team is still playing for Eddie. Fans who have it in for Eddie need to remember what it used to be like. He has not become a bad manager just because the team hasn't picked up many points from their first six games.

Let's be proud of our team and stick behind them, because if we don't the task for them becomes much harder. Let's go into the international break with a win. UTCIAD!

Possible AFCB team to face Leicester City
Begovic (GK), A Smith (RD), Francis (D), Aké (CD), Daniels (LD), Ibe (RM), L Cook (CM),
Surman (CM), Stanislas (LM), King (FW), Defoe (FW)

Cherry Chimes' October Newsletter brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month. It's out tomorrow with special story - Howe keeps his cool on first few games of the season.

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Home wins have never been so important for the Cherries

The points are slow in coming at the moment and AFCB now have more need than ever to win their home games. The visit of Leicester City will give the opportunity for AFCB to climb a few places but they have to get out on the pitch believing that they are the better side and will score goals at home.

Bournemouth have to now start producing at home.

Dean Court has delivered three goals so far in the league for the Cherries from three games, so the goal count has been a bit low. AFCB did get ahead in one of those games, but only won the one game against Brighton when they came from behind. Still the home games are where the Cherries first picked up their rhythm and that almost carried them to a good result up at Everton.

It is suddenly an issue though that the Cherries have been ahead in games against Man City and Everton, but have not come away with any points from those games. Scoring first simply isn't enough and the goals against keep rising. AFCB have not done enough yet to get the first clean sheet and if they can do that against Leicester it is going to be a bit of a relief to see that the defence has it in them to achieve a shut out.

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Tackling is not much talked about these days on Match of the Day or any other pundit shows, but it would be good to see AFCB's back four try and up their count in these home games to make it easier for those in front of them. The first goal at Everton didn't see a Bournemouth player get a clean tackle in at all as the ball made it into the box and Simon Francis could't get across quickly enough to get an effective block in. 

Begovic is also under pressure to show that he can make a difference in my book. He does make some good catches for crosses, but now and again Boruc would make some saves that you just wondered how he had kept the ball out and we are yet to see that from Begovic.

Bournemouth need to be harder to beat and especially at home. Even a point at this stage is very valuable and a clean sheet would achieve that.

Cherry Chimes' preview of AFCB v Leicester City on ASK Fans

Leicester have not had a great start

Leicester have progressed well in the League cup with wins at Sheffield Utd and Liverpool, but they have come unstuck in the Premier league losing out to Arsenal, Man Utd and getting a draw away at newly promoted Huddersfield. Coming to Dean Court, Craig Shakespeare may feel he has an easier game, but there's no doubt they are leaking a lot of goals.

Jamie Vardy is a man AFCB have to get to grips with on Saturday.

The Foxes have actually let in one more goal than the Cherries with 12 and they sit only a couple of places above Bournemouth before this game. While Vardy has netted five times in the six Premier League games, but big summer signing Kelechi Iheanacho hasn't scored and neither has Islam Slimani in the league. The striker at Leicester that is always under valued though in my mind if Shinji Okasaki. Okasaki has three goals from five appearances and he usually only comes on as a sub, he'll be a danger if he gets on. There is less chance of Leonardo Ulloa making an appearance despite him signing a new two-year contract in the summer, he has not featured this far for the Foxes.

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While Riyad Mahrez has not scored this season he has had the most shots for Leicester at 15 and just behind him is Demarai Gray on 13. So Leicester have plenty of potential going forward.

They worrying fact from a Bournemouth point of view is that Leicester have only failed to score in one game, which was against Man Utd. The Cherries are not in the habit of scoring more than one goal a game yet, even if they did achieve that in their last home game. Shakespeare has noted that his payers were too open in their last match when they narrowly lost out to Liverpool in a 2-3 thriller, and it will be intriguing to see if Leicester play on the break and hope to get lucky with Vardy's pace at Dean Court or if he tries something new.

Harry Maguire is another of the important signings Leicester made over the summer and he has two assists and has made the most clearances. Maguire is different to the club's other defenders in that he loves to come forward with the ball and Bournemouth will have to watch they don't give him too much time and space, because he can pick a pass. Bournemouth's central midfielders must also get on top of Ndidi who is the best tackler in the Leicester camp. Keep these players quiet and Mahrez and Vardy will have a quiet game.

Leicester City Away Form
LLD

AFCB Home Form
LLW

Don't expect too much of Callum when he returns

The message is that AFCB fans should give long term absentee striker Callum Wilson as much time as he needs to hit form when he returns to playing matches. Callum is likely to return in the next month by my reckoning, if he continues to progress, while training again with the squad. What will the Cherries have though when he is available for selection?

Callum is getting closer to being pitch side.

It's hard to know how easy Callum will find it to get his touch back and will he have the same speed that made him a striker that lived on the edge of his nerves to react to opportunities? We won't know straight away and we won't know for some time by what Eddie Howe has suggested and I think the fans will just be pleased to see him back. If things don't come for him straight away, there should be no pressure put on him. Fans understand what he has been through and we just want to see him do well when he is ready.

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I felt that Callum was only just beginning to find his feet again last season when he did his second cruciate ligament. He had scored a superb goal against WBA with a deft touch that had given him that sense that he was back, but to suddenly be injured again with another long term injury was a cruel blow when Callum had hopes of targeting an England call up and getting a full season of Premier League games behind him. 

As it is, Callum has only played 33 games in the Premier League over two seasons and yet has scored 11 goals from those games. What would his record have been like if he had been able to play Bournemouth's two full seasons? And where would the Cherries have finished if Callum had been available in those missed matches? We'll never know, but I guarantee he would have more goals than he has to his name.

At 25, Callum has time to make up for his disappointments but the main thing is that he remains injury free. His body has already gone through much stress and repair, and he may not be the same striker he was before. That edge and speed might not return and he may have to modify his game. At least at AFCB there is the coaching platform for him to make a successful change if he needs to. Hopefully, he comes back as well as if he had never been away. He used to be a regular starter and if he gets back to that level I'd say his treatment will have been a full success.

Can Stanislas start another AFCB revival?

Junior Stanislas has made a habit of kick starting winning runs for AFCB with his goals in the last two seasons and while AFCB fans have not seen a great deal of the player, it's hard not to see him as a bit of a magical player for the Cherries. While he has started his first Premier League game at Everton, and did not see a result that helped the team, his abilities are something that are much in need by Eddie Howe at this time.

Junior could spark another AFCB revival.

It's not just that Junior gets crosses in and can beat a man one-on-one, it's his intelligence on the field that marks him above some of the others vying for his position. Stanislas is usually thinking a few steps ahead and he's very good at spotting opportunities to get a head start on the opposition. While Eddie has been giving Jordan Ibe high praise and encouraging him to get better, I kind of feel that Junior is the player that Ibe can learn so much more from while he is at AFCB.

Stanislas has the quality to look up and pick a pass with accuracy and his shooting is frequently on the money. He might not be the strongest or biggest player to win challenges in the air, but on the floor he is one of AFCB's quickest players and he has a habit of making the right choices when he is in the box.

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The big games is where Junior comes alive. He was  instrumental in the 3-3 home draw with Everton last season and he fired AFCB ahead when they beat Man Utd 2-1 at home. Big goals are something that he brings to the table and if he can get something going now it will be seen as a masterstroke that Howe has put him straight back in ahead of others, such as Pugh and Fraser who he could have entrusted with the job.

It's not happened yet for Stanislas, but we could see something special from him in the next few games.


AFCB's U21 storm to 6-0 win against Newport on the Hampshire Senior Cup. 

Surman is fighting to keep his place

Who would have thought that Andrew Surman would suddenly be the player that was pulling AFCB up by his performances after the first few games he had this season. We are all quick sometimes to criticise when things are going wrong, as it is a human trait, and the balance sometimes goes out the window. But whatever you think about Surman keeping his place in the team, he has been one of the reasons why AFCB have started to play better.

Andrew Surman has a quiet word with Josh King.

Surman has moved on from scoring his first goal of the season to making a bigger impact in the middle of the pack. He played well against Brighton in the cup alongside Gosling and the same duo worked hard against Everton. The moment that I most recall though from Surman's game at Goodison was the clearance he made off of the line in the second half. The ball was an inch away from being a goal an only Surman's quickness of thought stopped the ball from crossing the line.

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It wasn't just in defence though that I liked Surman's game. He was putting in first touch passes and speeding up the game and when Surman is on song, you usually find that the Cherries are playing well. Why it has taken a few games for the team to get to this level though is peculiar. But Surman is one of the players that is now dictating games and by playing well it is rubbing off on others like King and Ibe who are running at defences. All the stick that Surman has faced has perhaps turned around his game.

Surman is the kind of player that will always divide opinions, but I can't fault his fight and his desire to do well for the team. If he keeps making goal line clearances and spotting balls for King and Ibe, he will have a good season.

Josh King is back on form

We are being treated to some wonderful goals from Josh King. The goal he got last week against Brighton was very different from the blast he put past Jordan Pickford at Everton, and it is clear that he is maturing as a striker.

Josh King has found his goal touch.

While the start of the season has not been that kind to King, he has upped his game in the last week and now looks more like the player that every Premier club would like to get their hands on again. Bournemouth needed something special to get the initiative against an Everton side that were strong at home, and when King raced in and put the Cherries ahead, it didn't appear that Everton would find it easy to pick themselves up from the blow. King buried his shot right in the corner and he couldn't have placed it any better.

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Beating Pickford was always going to be difficult and yet once he was beaten, there was plenty of reason to think that he could be beaten again. Bournemouth kept on top for most of the game but they couldn't find that extra gear to fashion another goal. The performance was a good one and Josh will feel that he is now back and getting goals, but the team needs a bit of luck.

I thought Josh and Jermain are starting to hook up better with each other and they may yet for a partnership that clicks well enough to propel the team up the league. But the Cherries still have to find a sharper goal edge. King did not have a great deal of chances to get on the score sheet despite the possession the side had. What was good to see though was King taking on players again and heading right for goal. He is a powerful force when he does that and he just might have to be more selfish if he is to get near his 16 goals of last season.

Eddie will reflect on the positives from Everton defeat

When AFCB lose you usually have to scratch around to find any positives in the game. But against Everton there was much to like about the way the team played and the energy that was put into the game. The Cherries are always a better side when they go out to attack teams and the Everton match saw some excellent movement going forward which would have undone lesser sides than Everton.

What can Eddie be thinking about the start of AFCB's season? Can he turn it around quickly?

You can say that Everton are not doing that well themselves yet, but they are a well established Premier League side with some exceptional players like Sigurdsson and Rooney. But Everton didn't manage to stifle AFCB's creativity and if anything much of the match was a real battle with no side giving much ground.

From a player point of view, Howe will be keen to see more of Junior Stanislas in the side. He is only going to get better and his return has been long awaited. But the real spark came from Josh King who is now asking questions of defences again. I've missed his drive and enthusiasm to get at teams, but that extra aggression is so important for the team and it is definitely there again.

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There as been a bit of a programme to build the players up a bit after their less than perfect start. Now we are starting to see some evidence that this is a good side. They may be lacking in the points but they can catch other teams if they play with the intensity and tempo that we are now getting from them. The positivity has to remain if the Cherries are to start winning more games - so keep the faith.

"The balance of the Cherries is better now," says Howe

The reappearance of Junior Stanislas is giving Eddie Howe reason to smile, despite the difficult position that the team is in. It was no risk for Howe to put Junior straight back into the side. He knows that there are few better deliverers of the ball than Junior in his squad and he is keen to give him the game time after being out for so long.

AFCB are attacking with more intensity, but they have to shut the door better at the other end.

I can't blame Howe for that either, as in previous seasons it has been Junior that has been the inspiration for many of Bournemouth's sudden improvements in form when they have needed it. Junior is regarded as key, because he offers balance in his ability to push the side forward and break with speed. The pace in the team needs to be kept high for the way Howe wants to play and with Fraser and Pugh having done a lot of work already, it comes as a bonus to be able to freshen things up a bit with Junior now ready to come in.

Stanislas has not really never had a full season though at AFCB and it will be interesting to see how many games he can get this season. I do see him as Bournemouth's top winger, he just hasn't had the game time to prove it. He does come alive in the final third of the pitch and he times his run better than most when the ball is on the opposite wing, arriving late to get space. We saw that he almost caused enough panic in Everton's midfield to help King and Defoe nearly get a second goal when he won the ball on the half way line, before Defoe finally had his effort saved by Pickford.

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If Stanislas himself can start scoring, AFCB will be in a much better place. It is asking a lot for him to hit top form straight off, but Howe needs all his best players hitting form as soon as they can if they are to climb away from the bottom positions.

Whether Eddie also sees a need to rest Arter and Surman more this season is something that will play out over the season. With Surman already missing a game and Arter now having his Achilies problem to contend to and missing the Everton match, the central midfield area looks more vulnerable to change and Dan Gosling has been the immediate beneficiary of this. But Lewis Cook and Emerson Hyndman still appear to be on the edge of Howe's thoughts which is surprising considering the start that the team has made.

Ask Fans Report - Everton 2 v 1 AFCB

King points to discipline and focus in losing to Everton

Josh King was open in his criticism of the team to not hold on to their goal lead at Everton. A lack of discipline and focus cost the team the victory in his opinion. While Everton had to take their chances to win there is little that Eddie Howe can take from the way that Bournemouth defended their goal in the last 20 minutes.

Josh King is happy to score but he wants the goals to lead to wins.

AFCB are conceding goals at a rapid rate. If it continues like this they will break the 70 goals a season against level which is far more than they let in in their first two seasons in the Premier League. With the summer acquisition of Nathan Aké and Asmir Begovic it was thought that the goals against would tighten up, but it hasn't been the case. While it has not been individual mistakes this season there has been a tend for the whole team not defending well enough at times and it's really costing AFCB now.

Good defending is an art and it seems to have fallen out of the mentality of players in the Premier League. We glory a the goals but don't recognise defending as being equal and perhaps it is time that Bournemouth looked more closely at this part of the game. Holding on to leads is something that AFCB have suffered from in past seasons and it is rearing its head again. Being stubborn and focussed on opposition movement when your team is not in position is key at this level and even though players tire during a game they need to try and keep the same focus for 90 minutes.

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The Everton goals were great from their point of view and the crowd certainly gave momentum to the Everton comeback, but I'm not sure where the leaders were in the Bournemouth team to stand up to it when Everton had equalised. Sometimes AFCB just need that person to get the players fired back up and concentrating on their game rather than dwelling on the disappointment of a goal going in. King is right in that we have many good goalscorers at the club and we have to believe that we can get back in games when they start going against us.

At Everton the players looked a bit swamped when Everton started to turn it on and it was a complete turnaround in what we had seen for the first 70 minutes. At least the players have a week to recover and to go into the next game with hopefully more strength to try and see the game out against Leicester.

ASK Fans Match Report - Everton 2 v 1 AFCB

Bournemouth let Everton off the hook

It's never easy to see your team having to hold on to a lead at any point. Bournemouth are the typical advocate of making you feel that they have the game by the scruff of the neck, but then it so often slips away as it did against Everton.

Bournemouth had the game in their pocket.

A win away from home is always a marvellous thing to have, and while it didn't happen this time, there is a sense that Bournemouth will trouble teams on their own grounds now which is something that we didn't see at WBA or Arsenal. AFCB still have to go for the kill when they get a goal up, and while they did that for a while after they scored, they found it a different game when Everton brought on Davies and Niasse.

It is surprising that the Cherries found it hard to react when Everton got back level, but I do believe the game in mid-week that went into extra time against Brighton won't have helped, as Josh King was subbed perhaps earlier than he would have been and Francis, Ibe and Gosling will all have been feeling it in their legs having played 120 minutes against Brighton. It's a mental tiredness as well, because Bournemouth had Everton where they wanted them with 70 minutes or so gone, and as soon as Niass got the equaliser it was as if all the good work counted for nothing. So perhaps we should not be so surprised that Everton ended up getting another goal to win the game.

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The game is a results business and at the moment the results are hard to come by, but this is the kind of game that will make the team stronger when they are next leading a game and knowing they must be even more determined to kill a game off.

The Daily Mail - The Verdict

Niasse's goals mean defeat again for Bournemouth 2-1

Match Description

Everton 2 v 1 AFC Bournemouth

23 September 2017

Attendance: 38,133

Niasse made sure Goodison was not going to be a good day out for AFCB.

It was all going to be about one man making his 400th league performance wasn't it? Wayne Rooney was in the wars coming up against Simon Francis and the Everton medical team were constantly busy trying to patch the Everton number 10 up after that. A battling first half saw no goals despite a penalty claim from Sigurdsson. Bournemouth were holding out well and needed to find a moments inspiration in such a tight game. While Bournemouth went ahead with a well taken goal from Josh King, it was Rooney's sub that gave Everton their win. Niasse scored twice in a late second half rally by Everton to take the game and the points away from Bournemouth.

Bournemouth brought in a trio of changes. Junior Stanislas, now fully fit, went straight in as the left winger, while Dan Gosling returned to the centre of midfield rather than Harry Arter, who did not feature in the squad. Jordan Ibe also made the starting line up, having been a sub in the last league match, while Pugh dropped to the bench. Artur Boruc was absent, tweeting the team good luck, so Aaron Ramsdale featured on the bench with a Premier League debut a possibility, if Asmir Begovic had any problems. Finally, Steve Cook also made the bench having returned in mid-week following his knee injury at Arsenal.

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First half

Bournemouth looked to take the game to Everton with Ibe and Daniels testing Everton's full backs from the start. Surman was getting in fast, even taking a knock to the head from Sigurrdson. Everton started to pick up, winning their first corner and shortly afterwards Calvert-Lewin came close with a header that went wide from a Baines' left wing cross.

Calvert-Lewin was stopped in his tracks again moments later by Aké as Bournemouth had to turn their attention to more defending. Sigurdsson fired high over the bar in the 10th minute as Everton came more into the game. Schneiderlin had had enough of Surman and picked up a yellow for his rash challenge. Dan Gosling's challenge on Sigurdsson then had the Everton fans crying penalty, but Martin Atkinson is not interested.

Everton were testing AFCB's defence with half an hour gone. Interruptions from free kicks were numerous, five each by the time we were on 35 minutes. Rooney got a massive cut on his left eye after challenging for a ball in the box with Francis. Francis' arm was high and driving at Rooney but the ref saw it as a valid attempt to challenge. Rooney's not happy with that.

Everton had the momentum, even with Rooney off the pitch receiving treatment. When Bournemouth did get more of a grip back on the ball they were finding it difficult to create around the Everton box.

Rooney was causing problems again around the penalty area at the other end. Martina was getting a lot of room on the right where Charlie Daniels was pushing up. On the other side Smith was carrying the ball well and King fed Stanislas with a high ball that was headed out for a Bournemouth corner.

Rooney was off again having gone over Adam Smith and opened up his eye cut again. But Bournemouth were finding to hard to gain from the extra man advantage. King did force another corner, which Pickford punched away. Nil-nil at half time - I'm not sure if this is more of a boxing match that a football game but it's honours even.

AFCB were about to take the lead at Goodison.

Second half
Daniels is in business early on preventing Martina from getting in behind. Bournemouth were playing much more compact than we have seen and on the break. Daniels then gets the ball to King who is past Holgate and he hits his shot back across Pickford and into the bottom left corner! It's 0-1 to the Cherries! 48 Minutes gone.

Rooney loses the ball to King and Defoe now through and Pickford makes a great save! Should Bournemouth have made it two-nil before Evertonhad a chance to get their breath?

Everton sub. Tom Davies coming on and Niasse off come Klassen and Rooney. Davies immediately fouls Surman and gets a yellow card. That will please Koeman! Surman has a shot blocked after King found him in the box.

Bournemouth have upped the tempo. Everton can't get it out of their own half. Surman almost gets Adam Smith in from a corner. Bournemouth are so lively. Gosling goes thundering in on the edge of the box, he rides a tackle but his shit is right at Pickford on 61 minutes. Surman and Gosling are looking strong in midfield and keep finding the passes. Ibe is tackling back but trips Sigurdssson.

Josh King has an injury and gets up after Atkinson halts the game. Everton fans non to happy as they had possession. Begovic grabs the ball after Calvert-Lewis tries to make the most of the ball coming off of Francis.

Calvert-Lewis goes down with Aké in the box but it's 50:50 - no pen. Bournemouth are on the march again with Daniels, 69 minutes gone and still no Bournemouth subs. Everton corner is headed towards goal but a Bournemouth player gets it off the line and back into Begovic's arms! It was Surman with the heroic clearance off the line, amazing agility!

Bournemouth on the break can't quite get that second goal. Ibe just over plays it. Begovic makes a big catch from a Martina cross. Pickford is down after Stanislas' free kick and Gosling has been flattened as he went for the header!

Bournemouth substitute Defoe on 75 minutes and on comes Benik Afobe. Martina is subbed for Kenny to come on 76 minutes.

Tom Davies plays in Niasse through the middle, and Oumar Niasse gets the equaliser into the roof of the net. Francis could not get back to Niasse in time and the captain is furious with Bournemouth not being lively, after losing the ball around the half way line that led to the goal on 77 minutes - 1-1. All to play for.

Steve Cook replaces Josh King on 79 minutes. Aké moves into midfield. Niasse gets a yellow for bringing down Ibe.

Kenny finds Calvert-Lewin and Davies the ball is kept out after a Steve Cook block, but Niasse gets the goal to put Everton ahead 2-1! Begovic could not get up quick enough and a header, then a close range finish from a yard out puts Everton 2-1 in front.

Aké comes off and on comes Mousset, just seven minutes to save the game. AFCB corner. Headed over at the near post by Mousset.

Kenny gets down the right and crosses it for Calvert-Lewin but he's put it over. Everton playing with great pace now. Have Bournemouth got anything left? Niasse has made the difference fro Everton.

A great game for the neutral but it's painful for Bournemouth fans. Pickford comes for an Adam Smith cross. Four minutes of added time. Stanislas gets a yellow card.

Josh is in goal mode but his strike wasn't enough to earn AFCb any points.

Summary
This was a game that Bournemouth had in their pocket. But they did not finish Everton off when they were on top. Jermain Defoe had the opportunity to kill the game and when the subs came on they changed the game for Everton. Still, it was a good, hard fighting performance from Bournemouth and they were unfortunate not to get something from the game. Their luck has to change if they play with this kind of spirit. Everton were on the ropes but Eddie Howe will feel that the Cherries let three points escape them.

AFCB

Begovic, A Smith, Francis, Aké (Mousset 83), Daniels, Ibe, Gosling, Surman, Stanislas, King (S Cook 79) Defoe (Afobe 75)

AFCB Subs

Ramsdale, S Cook, L Cook, Pugh, Fraser, Mousset, Afobe

AFCB ratings
Begovic 5, A Smith 6, Francis 6, Aké 6, Daniels 6, Ibe 5, Gosling 6, Surman 7, Stanislas 6, King 8 Defoe 6

Everton

Pickford, Baines, Williams, Holgate, Martina (Kenny 76), Gueye, Schneiderlin, Klaassen (Davies 55), Sigurdsson, Rooney (Niasse 55), Calvert-Lewin

Everton Subs

Stekelenburg, Ramirez, Niasse, Davies, Vlasic, Lookman, Kenny

Referee watch: Martin Atkinson 7/10 - a difficult game for Atkinson with so many free kicks but he kept control well and did not buckle despite the frenzied shouts from the home crowd for decisions.

AFCB's players look to hit top form against Everton

The table does not make happy reading, even if there are not too many games gone, but Bournemouth must do everything they can in this next game against Everton not to let the gap grow between them and the teams just above them. A defeat would have the potential of opening up a wide game to leave the bottom two feeling the pressure going into the last game before the international break, and the Cherries need to be in a better position to take their minds off of the league a bit during that next break.

A win against Everton would change the aspect of Bournemouth's season.

While Everton are not in the perfect place themselves they realise that a home win would pretty much put them back in the right direction, and their record against Bournemouth at Goodison is good enough to suggest that a home win is the most likely outcome. The Cherries need some good fortune as they are now creating chances and have finally kept a clean sheet in the Carabao Cup. Keeping the mood positive is helped by seeing Junior Stanislas and Callum Wilson getting back involved with training sessions and with everyone working towards getting better, Everton should not be a challenge that AFCB can't rise to on the day.

Many of the players have been reflecting on where things have not being going well in their own performances. Ryan Fraser admits he has not made the crosses he expect to make and Josh King has admitted he's been playing through pain. I'd imagine not very thing has been right for Harry Arter, while Steve Cook will be desperate to keep his place after the Carabao Cup win. They all have points to prove and that might be a good thing.

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The factor that is a bit of an unknown is how much that mid-week match of 120 minutes took out of the Cherries? Eddie Howe made nine changes before the match with Brighton in mid-week, and he is likely to make a similar number again to avoid the low energy levels that some players need to recover from. I'd still expect Fraser, Steve Cook and Ibe to start as they did in mid-week, but Marc Pugh could start if Fraser is feeling jaded. It's hoped that the rest that Arter, Surman and Daniels enjoyed will be the boost they need though to give the Cherries a high intensity game.

Meanwhile, the Cherries will be without the services of Tyrone Mings until mid-November after he received a back injury.


Possible AFCB starting 11
4-4-1-1 Begovic (GK), A Smith (RB), S Cook (CD), Aké (CD), Daniels (LB), Ibe (RW),
Arter (CM), Surman (CM), Fraser (LW), King (FW), Defoe (FW)

AFCB possible Subs
Boruc (GK), Francis (CD), B Smith (LD), Stanislas (RM), Gosling (CM), Pugh (LM),  Afobe (FW)

Also check out Cherry Chimes' Match Preview on Ask Fans

Cherry Chimes: Rival Lines: Everton played with more class under ...

Cherry Chimes: Rival Lines: Everton played with more class under ...: Rival Lines Everton v AFCB Match date: 23 September 2017 Blogger Interview: Everton fan Twitter:  @toby_bryant_   I made conta...

What's up with Everton?

Everton splashed the cash this summer in an attempt to compete for a top six place, but things have not gone to plan so far for Ronald Koeman who has looked far from happy at the slow start the Merseysiders have made. At Goodison you would expect Everton to be taking the majority of points on offer, and they have picked up three points up against Stoke City there. It was the heavy 0-3 defeat to Spurs in early September that hurt them.

Can Goodison be a happy hunting ground for the Cherries?

Since then Everton have found it a challenge to score but they did put three past Sunderland in the Carabao Cup, and they should be more confident about home fixtures again. Considering that they have also played Man City, Chelsea and Man Utd it's easy to see why the points have been a bit slow in accumulating for Koeman. He'll be less impressed if Bournemouth take any points off them, a side that has managed to beat them just once in the last two seasons.

Everton have good players and will be one of the best sides that Bournemouth have come up against so far on an away ground. I'd suspect their problem is trying to integrate so many new signings into a team that works together rather than as a group of individuals, but they do have leaders in Wayne Rooney, Phil Jagielka, Ashley Williams and Leighton Baines. When they get organised they will improve quickly and we'll have to hope they are not yet at that point when the Cherries visit.

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The loss of Romelo Lukaku cannot be over exaggerated. He was the main goalscorer and while Gylfi Sigurdsson will score double figures along with Rooney, Davy Klaassen is new to the Premier League and it may be asking too much for him to soon to rack up the goals. Sandro Ramirez also has much to get to grips with in joining an Everton side that is used to getting results at home, and in wearing the number nine shirt he will soon learn from the Goodison crowd if he is not good enough. Patience is what Koeman needs, but he doesn't have that luxury when Everton sit just one point above the Cherries after five games and what is of real concern is the lack of goals - just two in league matches.

What Koeman will need is for the Everton fans to stick with the team, but if they find the going hard against Bournemouth the frustrations of previous weeks could start coming out. Bournemouth are starting to get their game together and it will be a good barometer of how much work Eddie Howe has managed to get done with his side since the early defeats, because the Cherries will need a performance to get anything at Goodison.

Everton's Home form
WL

AFCB's Away Form
LL

Rival Lines: Everton played with more class under Roberto Martinez than this!

Rival Lines

Everton v AFCB
Match date: 23 September 2017

Blogger Interview: Everton fan

Twitter: @toby_bryant_ 

I made contact with Toby Bryant when we both started writing articles for Shoots' fan blogger columns a couple of seasons ago. Things have moved on a bit since then and Shoot might not offer the platform it once did for writers, but Toby is still an Everton fanatic and he has some words of wisdom on what had been going wrong and how it might be put right at Goodison.

CC: Do you feel that the Europa League is damaging Everton's prospects in the Premier League?

TB: I think it’s too early in the season to decide for sure but a lot of teams do struggle with the extra matches. Sadly, at this point in time, I don’t think it’s fatigue affecting our results. Even without the extra European games our squad would still not be good enough to perform at the level expected by Everton fans. In fact, if anything, wins in the Europa League (if we manage them) could be a positive boost to the low morale.

CC: Did you expect a slow start to Everton's season having spent some £130m in the
summer?

TB: Yes and no. I was pleased with some of the signings, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Michael Keane and Wayne Rooney, in particular. However, some, such as Davy Klaassen and Sandro Ramirez looked dead ringers to be flops from the start. Not replacing the presence Lukaku had up front meant we were never going to challenge for the Top 6 but never did I think we’d be in the relegation zone at all this year.

CC: Does accommodating Rooney in the team have the detrimental effect of slowing Everton's game down?

TB: Not at all. I think Rooney is the last person that can be blamed for the lacklustre performances at the moment. Agreed, he is no longer the quickest, but the creative, attacking mind and reliability was the final thing that needed adding to the side. When we had Lukaku that is...

CC: Is Jordan Pickford the best keeper Everton have had since Neville Southall?

TB: It certainly looks like it could go that way. I’m a huge fan of Tim Howard who was a great servant to us and I think Pickford has a way to go to win over Everton hearts like the American did. He’s started the right way though and is one of very few positives so far this year.

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CC: Would you like to see Ross Barkley back in the starting line up?

TB: I think all Everton fans have mixed feelings about Ross. We love a home-grown player and he is a star when in form. For me, at first, the most exciting thing about Rooney arriving at Goodison Park was that Barkley could learn a lot from him and really progress his career, which had flatlined at the time. He then made it quite clear he wanted to leave which was infuriating. At the end of the day, if he doesn’t want to pull on the shirt then we don’t want him too either. Then again, if he’s going to win us some points that is clearly the priority right now.

CC: What have you made of Klaassen since his arrival?

TB: Incredibly average.

CC: You played a lot of the big teams already so is there any need for Everton fans to be
worried?

TB: It has been the hardest of starts to the season in terms of fixtures, that is of sure. For me, the worrying thing is that a few years ago under Roberto Martinez we were still losing the games but at least there was a bit of class about our play. It isn’t the results that are infuriating fans now, it’s the performances. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an Everton side look like they hate their jobs as much as this season and that’s why this season will be an uphill battle.

CC: Most of the goals in the last game against Man Utd came very late in the game so did you feel the team was playing better?

TB: We did have our moments such as when Rooney broke though and probably should have scored - so that was a relief. As soon as he went off the goals went in which shows just how much he is holding everyone together right now. That’s not healthy for the side so, if anything, the disastrous final 10 minutes was another nail in Koeman’s coffin.

CC: Who would you want if you could buy a £50m striker in the January window?

TB: The problem for us now is that everyone knows how desperate we are for a striker. That combined with this summer’s prices unfortunately means £50 million won’t buy us a lot. We need someone big and proven - no more players from small European leagues we have never heard of. There were mutterings of a Diego Costa loan in the summer which would obviously be fantastic, though I don’t see it happening [Ed- Indeed, he's got his move to Atletico Madrid]. Danny Welbeck and Olivier Giroud might be looking for ways out of Arsenal and I’d love either of them at Goodison.

CC:  How do you expect Everton to line up against Bournemouth?

TB: Pickford - Jagielka - Keane - Williams - Marina - Schneiderin - Gueye - Baines - Sigurdsson - Rooney - Ramirez

CC: Thanks to Toby who really knows his stuff in Everton and doesn't hide his displeasure of one or two players who have not been at it yet. It maybe a bit early to pass judgement on Ramirez and Klaassen, but Koeman has made the signings and has to live with what he has until at least January. It could go from bad to worse for Everton quickly if they do start dropping points against teams like Bournemouth, who their fans might expect to roll over. But the Cherries will see how disjointed Everton are and, if they are, Koeman really has need to worry. A defeat for Koeman would make his Sunday none to positive with the journalists just waiting to pen to paper on Koeman's painful explanations.