There is no getting away from it. With a good pre-season and the right players brought in, AFCB want and perhaps need to have a tilt at the top seven places next season or certainly the top 10 to believe they have continued to progress. Nobody wants the Cherries to go seeking glory too quickly for the whole club to come tumbling down though, and it is a steady progression of getting the better of teams in tight games that would make the difference.
Eddie Howe says Bournemouth were more in games this last season. Perhaps 90 per cent of the games were close and only Spurs, Man City, Liverpool and Huddersfield really gave the Cherries a thorough beating. Most of the games did see AFCB create chances to score and while the goal count was fewer than in previous seasons, there is no disappointment in winning games 1-0.
The final match against Burnley really underlined where AFCB want to go. They are a club that also has a small ground, but with players that work extremely hard. Bournemouth fans may be disappointed not to be where Burnley are, but sometimes you need to go back to go forwards as Burnley had done and a rethink about some positions might lead to a big improvement for Eddie Howe's side.
Southgate's World Cup - Day 23 England exit
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| Do AFCB need to spend on three or four defenders to challenge higher up the league? |
The final match against Burnley really underlined where AFCB want to go. They are a club that also has a small ground, but with players that work extremely hard. Bournemouth fans may be disappointed not to be where Burnley are, but sometimes you need to go back to go forwards as Burnley had done and a rethink about some positions might lead to a big improvement for Eddie Howe's side.
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Europe though is not going to be given to the Cherries unless they really want it. Listening to Callum Wilson after the Burnley game you could tell he wanted it and was perhaps slightly envious of Burnley, but by beating them on their own ground it was making a statement that AFCB could become a team that could have a season like Burnley. Whether it is too soon for next season we will just have to wait and see.
Southgate's World Cup - Day 23 England exit
There won't be any chasing Europe if the overall quality of the team isn't substantially strengthened in this window. Eddie Howe is on record admitting that this window is vitally important in that respect. Ignoring the Brooks transfer which is another 'one for the future' there has been no movement towards immediately improving the squad. There has been plenty said about how difficult this window is, yet all other teams are having no problems in signing upgrades. Now we have a report that the club have financial problems and that Eddie Howe has lost a battle with the BOD to keep a much valued and experienced coach because the club cannot afford to employ him!
ReplyDeleteAlso instead of these trips abroad, the club would be better off arranging to play 'sleeves rolled up' pre-season wars against the likes of Tony Pulis or Mark Hughes teams instead of the 'tippy tappy' meaningless 'get fit' stuff that foreign teams employ which certainly didn't do much to help us for the start of last season when full on competitive premiership 'reality' eventually kicked in!
yes! next question....
ReplyDeleteWith the addition of DeFoe, I thought the Cherries would reach 50 points last season, the first significant step toward Europe. With King playing back and a porous defense (right side especially), it felt as if the team was stagnant, or even regressive. How frustrating was it to watch our Cherries claw to stay above the relegation zone the fisrts half of the season, losing matches at critical times against vulnerable teams. There have been many feel-good articles about the club this off-season, but nearly nothing about substantial positive changes on the pitch. What have we done to overtake the four teams ahead of us? Look how aggressive the Hammers have been this off season. Standing pat could be perilous when everyone around you is improving.
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