Showing posts with label Chris Mepham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Mepham. Show all posts

Monday, 18 January 2021

Why have AFCB agreed price for home-grown defender to join Cardiff City?

Bournemouth have reportedly agreed that Jack Simpson can join Cardiff City for the knockdown price of £0.75m, according to SkySports. While Middlesbrough, Stoke City and Derby were checking the 24-year-old for a loan move, Cardiff seem to have jumped ahead by looking to buy the defender outright. Simpson's contract was due to end this summer.

Jack Simpson doesn't look part of AFCB's plans going forward.

Simpson has made six appearances in this current campaign for AFCB and his place was under pressure from the return to fitness of Cameron Carter-Vickers and well as the possible return soon of Chris Mepham. Looking ahead there didn't seem to be much opportunity for Simpson if these two players were going to be ahead of him, even if Bournemouth played three at the back.


Simpson's form was called into question at times with recent defeats and while he was dropped after the 1-1 draw with Millwall, Bournemouth's form hasn't improved. The decision to sell Simpson may be more about the club looking to bring income in than a desire to let the young home-grown defender go to a Championship rival.

If Bournemouth don't get promoted this season it might seem a strange decision to have parted with such a defender who could be a central figure in a Championship campaign going forward. The salary that Simpson was on is unlikely to be equivalent to many of the other more established players at AFCB, so there won't be a great saving there for the club.

It does point towards Bournemouth looking to keep hold of the other defenders they have which might be good news for senior players like Steve Cook and Adam Smith who have been at the club a long time. Academy players may also be close to making the first team come the summer. Anyway, it looks like Jack Simpson only has to agree terms with Cardiff to complete the deal if SKySports has the details right.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - 10-man Bournemouth come a cropper against Luton

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Saturday, 16 January 2021

Stanislas might be out but AFCB have players back for Luton game

The match against Luton couldn't have come at a much better time for one of AFCB's winger that comes to mind. With Junior Stanislas being out for a month it is perhaps an opportunity for Danjuma or Riquelme to get a run of games.

Tindall may change his defence for this game.

Jason Tindal was keeping his cards close to his chest on whether Chris Mepham or Arnaut Danjuma would be back for the Luton game. Cameron Carter-Vickers, Jack Stacey are also possibly in contention to be in the squad. But it is noticeable that Jason said Josh King was looking sharp in training. That could mean that Bournemouth start with King and Solanke if Danjuma is perhaps not quite ready.

With Dan Gosling being out for another week at least, there is still interest in getting Jack Wilshere to sign, but Tindall hasn't said much apart from he'd like to do a deal.

Tindall felt that it didn't matter that Bournemouth had played against Luton recently. While he talked of the tough schedule when the team played Luton last time, the pitch at Kenilworth Road wasn't great and Bournemouth ran out of ideas to some extent. That can't be repeated now. Bournemouth should have more awareness of Luton's weaknesses.

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The Disrupted Season (2019-20) completes the story of Eddie Howe's reign at AFC Bournemouth 
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Bournemouth's problem is still consistency. The team needs to settle down a bit more in the names being picked and the performances have perhaps been better than the points accumulated. With only three defeats and nine draws. It's the draw that have been damaging compared to Swansea and Norwich who have drawn fewer games. Tindall will feel he has done. good job. The reality is that he needs to get AFCB into the automatic promotion places and the players will be aware of this.

The early part of the season has seen the introduction of lots of new players which is great as they can now be turned to if needed. But Jason should know his best team now and I want to see it on the pitch and delivering solid performances. I am not sure that all the best players are yet available though to Tindall.

Possible AFCB lineup

AFCB Subs: Dennis, Simpson, Stacey, Billing, Danjuma,
Kilkenny, Riquelme, Surridge, Anthony

AFCB Home Form
WLWWD

Luton Away Form
LLDLL

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Bournemouth can't afford to drop more points against Luton

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Wednesday, 25 November 2020

Bournemouth look supreme in 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest

Match Report
AFCB 2 v 0 Nottingham Forest
24 November 2020

Bournemouth played the kind of football we dream of seeing them play in the first half. They took just three minutes to take the lead, when David Brooks picked out Junior Stanislas' run right down the middle and the former Burnley man made no mistake, putting Bournemouth 1-0. Nottingham Foret had to work incredibly hard to keep the score at 1-0 especially at the end of the first 45 minutes, when Brooks weaved in behind and pulled the ball back for Stanislas, who saw his shot cleared off the line. The game looked secure when Solanke went down from a challenge from Jack Colback and Stanislas grabbed his and Bournemouth's second from the penalty spot. Forest tried everything to get a goal, but the closest they came was a header from Yates that went over. Solanke might have been tripped for a second penalty right at the end, but it didn't matter that it wasn't given. This was just the 90-minute performance that Jason Tindall had been demanding.

Junior Stanislas scores his first goals of 2020-21 and helps Bournemouth to a 2-0 win.

Bournemouth made two changes with Adam Smith and Chris Mepham starting the game, while Diego Rico moved to the bench and Jack Stacey dropped out of the squad. Philip Billing also returned to the subs bench. It was also Steve Cook's 350th appearance for AFCB. Bournemouth also welcomed back Harry Arter and Lyle Taylor to Dean Court.

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Match description
Forest start well and attack, Arter shoots over. Bournemouth have hit back straight away with Brooks finding Stanislas and he scores in the corner on three minutes. Stanislas came from deep and ran right between the two centre-halves and put the ball past Samba, very cooly. Bournemouth go 1-0 up. It looked like one of the centre-backs slipped, but Stanislas took full advantage, latching on to Brooks pass and scoring his first goal of the season.

Yates goes right through Lewis Cook. Cook is taking a long breather. Lyle Taylor has forced a corner for Forest on 11 minutes. Lerma on the break and Brooks is up with him. Forest have it back.

Kelly loses the ball to Ameobi and Arter has a shot blocked. Christie puts a great cross in and Taylor gets ahead of Mepham but heads over. 

Danjuma turns well away from Christie, and has his shot blocked by Samba at the near post. So close to 2-0. The short corner doesn't come off and Lewis Cook fires wide from distance.

Bournemouth have so much time on the ball. Christie puts a cross in but Steve Cook clears. Ameobi has a shot right at Begovic. Stanislas is working well across the midfield, getting Danjuma and Brooks involved. 

Bournemouth are buzzing around the Forest box, like busy honey bees. Ameobi has a shot blocked by Steve Cook. Lewis Cooks plays it forward to Brooks and Brooks turns and fires wide.

Ribeiro fouls Brooks. Stanislas robs the ball well for Bournemouth. Ameobi gets a good ball in but Arter heads wide. 

Lewis Cook is being given far too much space in the middle. Solanke goes for a long shot but gets no power in it.

Bournemouth are caressing the ball beautifully around the pitch. Forest are standing off too far and are not really pressing Bournemouth.

Forest get some good possession but Christie's drilled cross is stepped over and finds its way safely to Begovic. 

Solanke wins a corner. Yates is fouled by Lerma. Two added minutes. Brooks along the byline and Stanislas has a shot cleared off the line, the follow up is also cleared. Scott McKenna beat Solanke to the ball on the line.

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Second half
Ameobi has fouled Lerma. Solanke keeps the ball well under pressure. Brooks, in the box, pulls it back for Stanislas but the shot goes wide. 

Adam Smith concedes a corner. Solanke goes over in the box and Jack Colback brought him down. It's a penalty. It was a tangle of legs. Bournemouth's first penalty in the Championship this season. Stanislas puts the penalty kick away 2-0 on 51 minutes. Stanislas sent the keeper the wrong way.

Danjuma wins a corner. Stanislas pulls a shot well over the bar. Danjuma then hits a shot over from distance.

Lolley passes across to Yates who soots well but Begovic makes the save, getting everything behind the ball.

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Forest have a corner taken by Arter but Brooks has it. The pass to Stanislas is overhit. Bournemouth clear another Forest corner. Lolley is subbed by Anthony Knockaert on 61 minutes.

Arter has won a corner. Great header out by Solanke. Ameobi gets a deflected shot away, corner. Ameobi goes for a shot from teh corner of the box but it's a good height for Begovic who saves and concedes the corner. Knockaert hits a ball to teh far post and Yates head over in the six-yard box. 

David Brooks comes off and Gosling is on after 71 minutes. Danjuma picks up a corner.  Arter is replaced by Guerrero on 76 minutes. 

Rico is on for Lerma on 79 minutes. Gosling is carded for a foul Knockaert.

Bournemouth have a free kick in Brighton's half. Stanislas is taking it and hits the wall. Lewis Cook picks up a yellow card.

Riquelme replaces Danjuma on 90 minutes. Three additional minutes. Solanke goes down but there's no penalty. Colback clipped Solanke's heels.

Summary
Bournemouth are really slipping into their top gear now. As an attacking force, they look so confident that they are lining up to score goals. The movement and creativity is clear to see and with a clean sheet as well in this game, things are going well for the Cherries. At home, the Cherries remain unbeaten. What I liked most though about this performance is the way Bournemouth attacked on both flanks and looked equally dangerous on each side coming forward. Solanke is getting even better at holding up the ball and players are finding forward runs that are difficult to track for the opposition. Finally, it was great to see Junior Stanislas get off the mark with two goals and he is working well with Danjuma.

AFCB line-up
AFCB Subs: Travers, Rico, Simpson, Ofoborh, Gosling, Billing, Riquelme, Anthony, Surridge

AFCB player ratings: Begovic 6, A Smith 6,  S Cook 7, Mepham 6, Kelly 6, Brooks 7, Lerma 6,
L Cook 6, Stanislas 8, Danjuma 7, Solanke 7

Nottingham Forest
30 Samba, 2 Christie, 5 Ribeiro, 6 McKenna, 22 Yates, 8 Colback, 31 Arter (Guerrero 76), 11 Ameobi, 23 Lolley (Knockaert 61), 33 Taylor

Forest Subs: 12 Smith, 6 Mbe Soh, 16 Jenkinson, Cafu, 19 Guerrero, 28 Knockaert, 44 Ionnou, 48 Swan 

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Forest's former Cherries must be sent packing

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Sunday, 25 October 2020

Mepham scores an added-time goal to hold Watford to a draw 1-1

Match Report
24 October 2020
Watford 1 V 1 AFCB

Bournemouth found themselves going behind for the first time this season with Stipe Perica scoring after 12 minutes. The Cherries had most of the possession but couldn't get in behind Watford who defended well first half. Begovic had to make a good save to keep Bournemouth in it from Sarr in the second half, but in added time Bournemouth found a way to break the Watford defence when Lloyd Kelly saw his shot turned in by Chris Mepham to keep Bournemouth's unbeaten record going. It will feel like a win for the Cherries because they were moments away from losing the game.

Chris Mepham gets an added-time goal to save Bournemouth a point at Watford.

Jason Tindall revamped the side after two draws with four changes. In came Josh King for his first start this season, Phillip Billing and Lewis Cook started in midfield and Lloyd Kellly came in at the back. Out went Dan Gosling, Dominik Solanke, Junior Stanislas and Adam Smith

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Match Description
Bournemouth flew at Watford with Stacey getting a couple of early attempts at crosses. Lerma put a great ball in for Stacey but he couldn't control it. 

Lloyd Kelly is booked for a bad foul on Sarr. Lewis Cook is fouled in the middle by Chalobah. Bournemouth are getting good early possession, but are not quite getting the slick final pass in. Billing fouls Garner. Watford have a corner.

Bournemouth break, but Lerma loses out. Watford are getting a few more pieces together now. Cathcart plays along diagonal ball to Sarr and he crosses from the right, and it's a tap in for Perica who scores on 12 minutes against the run of play. Perica ran off the back of Steve Cook and just stretched out to finish. Rico was too high up and Sarr had stolen a yard in behind him to get the cross in.

Sarr shoots wide from distance. Watford are knocking the ball around now with much more confidence. Bournemouth are standing off.

Lerma is going off injured with a hamstring pull and Solanke is coming on after 18 minutes. Stacey is offside. Danjuma down the left wins a corner for Bournemouth. Mepham heads wide. Watford win a free kick but Begovic catches it.

KIng's cross is caught by Foster. Billing wins the ball well and Garner is carded. Bournemouth have a free kick on the right side. Rico takes and Foster catches. Rico wins a corner. Rico wins a free kick now.

Solanke makes room for a shot but it's straight at the keeper. Stacey is fouled. Danjuma and Stacey puts a cross over and Rico wins a corner. Billing's cross is blocked, corner. Billing's long ball goes out of play.

Kelly blocks for a Watford corner. Danjuma is clipped right on the edge of the box by Troost-Ekong. Rico or Danjuma to take. Bournemouth put four players in from of Watford's five-man wall. The ball hits the Watford wall.

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Mepham fouls Perica. Danjuma for Solanke. Danjuma now, Lewis Cook blasts over. Stacey charges into the box but a poor lay-off from him. Solanke wins a corner. Billing Rico and Solanke puts a limp header towards goal that Foster catches.

Perica clashes with Billing and is receiving treatment. Cleverly is down now. Billing caught him high above the knee. Lewis Cook is fouled by Garner.

Bournemouth possession 61%, 6 shots, 2 shots on target, 5 corners, 8 fouls.

Watford possession 39%, 2 shots, 1 shot on target, 2 corners, 10 fouls.


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Second half
Capoue is on for Garner. King is offside. Now Sarr is offside. Sarr is found on the left and Begovic makes a big save to keep it at 1-0. Billing shoots wide.

Rico wins the ball back. Solanke tries to find Danjuma but the pass is too strong. Sarr goes down against Kelly but nothing is given, it was outside the box. Stacey down the right, Solake line sit up for King who blasts it over the bar.

Yellow card to Cleverly for a foul on Stacey. Stacey crosses but it's weak. Lewis Cook out to Stacey. Cook again, Billing to Slanke who shots from outside the box but Foster saves well to his left, corner for Bournemouth. Good quick feet from Solanke.

Solanke is fouled. Lewis Cok takes it. Danjuma is robbed. Bournemouth are not making much headway. Rico is booked for a foul on Sarr. Cleverly is subbed for Quina. Watford put a ball right across the box, not sure what Steve Cook was thinking to let it go.

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Solanke goes for goal but the ball is deflected wide. Great run down the middle after Lewis Cook set him free. Sarr has twisted his ankle. Diagonal ball to Stacey. Rico puts it up but Foster catches. Ngakia puts a deep cross in that beats Begovic but is wide of the goal. 

Rico fouls Sarr. Last 20 minutes.  Sarr volleys wide. Danjuma and Stacey loses it. Danjuma is coming off for Stanislas on 73 minutes. Lewis Cook's cross is caught by Foster. 

Quina shots from range and Begvic shovels it away for a corner to Watford. Quina and the ball bounces across the Bournemouth box until Rico clears. Perica is down.

Pedro is coming on for Perica on 82 minutes. Quina shoots from distance and Begovic saves. Riquelme replaces Rico on 88 minutes.

Seven minutes of added time. King wins a corner. Headed back across goal and Watford get an offside decision. Free kick to Bournemouth. Steve Cook heads on and King's header is punched over by Foster.

From the corner the ball is punched out by Forster and Kelly hits it back in with Mepham on the line making it 1-1.

Summary
Bournemouth will be more pleased with this point than the last two points they picked up. Watford were stubborn and looked like they would take all three points until a moment of fortune from a corner in added time saw Chris Mepham get his first goal of the season and Bournemouth's equaliser. It was far from a dominant display by Bournemouth but they kept plugging away and fighting. Begovic made a great save as well from Sarr at the start of the second half that kept Bournemouth in it. The Championship is hard and now Bournemouth have two home games to try and get back on winning ways, the unbeaten run goes on.

AFCB Ratings
Begovic 8, Stacey 7, S Cook 6, Kelly 5, Mepham 6, Rico 5, L Cook 5, Billing 4, Lerma 5, Danjuma 5, King 5

AFCB Starting line-up
AFCB Subs: Travers, Simpson, Gosling, Stanislas, Riquelme, Solanke, Surridge

Watford: Foster, Ngakia, Troost-Ekong, Kabasele, Cathcart, Sema, Chalobah, Cleverley (Quina 64), Garner (Capoue 45), Sarr, Perica (Pedro 83)

Watford Subs: Bachmann, Wilmot, Joao Pedro, Murray, Quina, Capoue, Sierralta

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Wednesday, 14 October 2020

How ready will AFCB be for QPR?

It has been a long two-week international break and while several players have been on international duty some have not been away at all. The transfer window has also added anxiety for some players who are expected to move this window and with the club also looking to bring in new players, minds will have to focus very quickly on the next challenge of QPR.

Steve Cook may have an anxious few days wait to
see if he continues his AFCB career

The biggest thing overhanging Jason Tindall is probably the sale of Josh King. Once Josh has left the club, the players that are remaining will be more confident about those left around them want the same things. We expect King to leave, but it could cause major problems if he doesn't get the move he wants by the end of this week.

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The Disrupted Season (2019-20) completes the story of Eddie Howe's reign at AFC Bournemouth 
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It has also been a strange week for our Welsh internationals with David Brooks playing just 15 minutes for Wales against the Republic of Ireland and Chris Mepham being sidelined after picking up a knee injury against England at Wembley. The Mepham injury could be a concern if Steve Cook is the target of a bid in the final days of this window, but it probably makes it less likely that Bournemouth would sell Steve Cook. The player that is probably lined up if Cook did go is probably Tottenham's Cameron Carter-Vickers. Jason Tindall has already spoken out this week though that Bournemouth won't overpay for any new signings.

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Meanwhile, Asmir Begovic has decided he doesn't need to travel to just be a reserve in Bosnia-Hersegovna's international team and has returned home, according to Sports Witness. That may be good news for Bournemouth as Asmir is looking to keep his number one shirt at AFCB and seems reignited with the challenge ahead in the Championship.

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The focus really needs to be on QPR now and getting a positive result. Things can change very quickly if Bournemouth begin to drop off from their high-levels in the Championship, and I am hoping we hear some better news about long-term injury concerns Junior Stanislas and Charlie Daniels as well as Lloyd Kelly.  

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In other news, AFCB and the Cherries Trust to discuss fan concerns

Previous post on Chery Chimes - An extract from the Disrupted Season: Don't let this be the last time we beat Man Utd

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Sunday, 11 October 2020

Is Mepham able to step his game up?

Watching Chris Mepham play for Wales against England was a hard watch. He was on the big stage and hasn't had that many games for Bournemouth since returning from injury. He was up against some great forwards in Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Danny Ings and found it hard going, but he has played against some of the best Premier League strikers many times before and has to start finding his best game now. 


Chris Mepham could be the main man for the rest of the season at the back for Bournemouth

What I like about Mepham is that he is such a natural defender. He is calm and brings the ball out of defence with such a smooth and classy rhythm that he looks effortless. In some instances, it looks like he isn't fully switched on enough, but I imagine it is just the way he is. Where his game has to improve is watching players making moves on the turn and running off of him. He lost Calvert-Lewin on Saturday night and was immediately punished for the first goal.

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The Disrupted Season (2019-20) completes the story of Eddie Howe's reign at AFC Bournemouth 
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It will be interesting to see how he does in the Championship this season if he can get a good run of games. If Steve Cook is sold, then Mepham will have every opportunity to be the senior centre-back. Mepham has played at this level well before and he should feel confident that he can be the voice at the back, but I haven't really seen it in him yet. He has been at Bournemouth long enough to be a main figure on the field and I hope he finds that by playing games he does get better at stopping forwards are looking to manipulate him.

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It is really a fresh start for Bournemouth and for Chris Mepham and he has to quickly stake his claim in Jason Tindall's side. Playing three at the back should give him more confidence that he can rely on others helping him to not miss anything. I think a back three really suits the way he plays. But we really need Mepham to bring his A-game now, and I still think he has quite a way to go even though he has it in him to be a big player for AFCB.

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Saturday, 10 October 2020

AFCB may well have trouble holding on to their captain

The Sun is suggesting that West Ham are after Bournemouth defender Steve Cook as well as Josh King. Steve Cook has been a central pillar at Bournemouth since the League One days, so it would be strange not to see him in a Bournemouth shirt, but would his sale leave a big whole?

Steve Cook is now in demand

I think it would be a major loss because with Steve Cook you don't just have a defender but a captain and a player that others look up to. Having let Simon Francis go and with the sale of Nathan Aké, it has meant that Bournemouth have been shedding defenders with lots of experience. Losing another such defender may leave Bournemouth a bit light at the back for stature and leadership. But in other ways, it is time that Jack Simpson was more involved in the team, and with Chris Mepham and Lloyd Kelly, Bournemouth would be left with a very young group of centre-halves.

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The Disrupted Season (2019-20) completes the story of Eddie Howe's reign at AFC Bournemouth 
- it's available now for £11.49 as a paperback - visit Amazon to order

Jason Tindall may well have to weigh up whether it is good to have a fresh start. If Steve Cook does go, then many of the defenders that were criticised for not doing well enough in the Premier League will have left the club. With Adam Smith and Diego Rico also possible targets for Premier League clubs, Bournemouth's backline could be very depleted come the end of 16 October.

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It will put much more importance on the performance and leadership of Chris Mepham who found it hard going at Wembley the other night. He and Lloyd Kelly would most likely be the centre-back pairing that Jason Tindall would turn to if Steve Cook does depart. A new partnership may work well, but there will be some uncertainty with how Bournemouth will do without Steve Cook. We have perhaps become too used to seeing the same faces and we know their game inside out. 

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It does seem strange though that players that were not good enough for the Premier League are being snapped up to play in the top flight again. While Tyrone Mings found that a club move did his game the world of good, perhaps Steve Cook will also find another level to his game if he does move.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - An extract from the Disrupted Season: Not even VAR could stand in AFCB's way



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Monday, 14 September 2020

Tindall's attractive football pays dividends in the first game

While Bournemouth fans might not have been too certain about how Jason Tindall would like to see Bournemouth play, fans got a real taste of how the Cherries will look to go forward watching the match against Blackburn Rovers. It did seem a case of we are going to score one more than you, and the enjoyment for the fans will be the attacking nature of JT's team.
Bournemouth brings goals to their game.
There might not be so much pleasure in watching Bournemouth defend this season. At times they do make poor decisions and let teams have shots from distance. That is fine when the goal is well covered, but Mark Travers made a mistake in this first game and it could have dented his and the team's confidence.

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It was very important to win. The fact that it was a narrow victory didn't matter, Bournemouth had shown their superiority first half, and Blackburn had battled their way back into the game well. It took a lot though for Bournemouth to go and get the winner in the last 10 minutes and with that, we can safely say the new era of Jason Tindall is well under away.
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Fans can now look ahead with the first win under the Cherries belt. The goals came from three different goal scorers and we should have known from last season that a defender was likely to get Bournemouth's first goal on the first day of the season. Playing with Kelly, Cook and Mepham at the back really does look formidable on paper, but there is room for improvement at the back. Upfront we still need to see consistency from Solanke, but Danjuma and Stanislas are the creative players that are opening teams up and could have big seasons.
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The optimism is back and the doubts about Jason Tindall may well fade quickly at this rate. He has let the handbrake off the team and the players have responded. Whatsmore, he has done it without needing to play David Brooks or Josh King from the start - that's brave for the new manager. 
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Sunday, 17 May 2020

Training has to be inspiring for Cherries

Well the football players are heading back to training before the schools will be opening their doors for reception, year one and six as well as key workers' children at the start of June restart. Things might not be ideal, but they are happening and pushing forward. AFCB players have to find training inspiring and fun, and it is probably going to be harder than ever to find some the right training programmes to get players up to speed in just a month.
Back together but there will be social distancing.
While Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall will have to treat this like a small preseason, it will be Dan Hodges who will have the most to do next week, I would think, in checking just how fit the players are individually, and who has more work to do over the coming month. It will be good to see a big squad training, even if they are doing it while self-isolating. The addition of players like Chris Mepham and David Brooks should at least please Eddie Howe, who will have a bigger selection issue than he has had for some time.

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Fitness will no doubt be the key word next week. The speed and touch for players will soon need to follow though. While the players are used to playing together it will be quite a reality check when they realise they can't do what they perhaps took for granted in the past.
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The goalkeepers are probably going to get to see a lot of action as at least players can take turns in shooting from distance. It will be good for Ramsdale and company to get back measuring their distances between the sticks and getting used to catching again, even if they won't see a crowded penalty box. The players may well have a bit more force and accuracy behind their shots than Aaron's father, bless him. The main thing is that the players will come together in a field and will be able to communicate with Eddie Howe getting his central message ahead for the coming month. Preparation has to be exceptional now. There is a small window to get things set up right. Before we know it the games will come thick and fast. There won't be many second chances now, every point will be vital.

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Thursday, 16 April 2020

It's been a tough season for Chris Mepham

I have a lot of time for Chris Mepham. He has been the quiet man at the back who has filled in at times of crisis. He has surprisingly only made 11 appearances this season, mainly because of injuries, but scoring on the first day of the season has probably been his highlight in 2019-20.


Chris Mepham will hope for a bigger season in 2020-21
While Chris has only been present for one of the clean sheets for the Cherries this season, I think he is one of the defenders who actually likes to be making blocks and being in the thick of the action. Where I think he has been exposed is against pace. We really saw that against Leicester City, when he took on Jamie Vardy, but there is no shame in losing out to him in a flat race.

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What Mepham has to improve is his starting position and thinking two steps ahead of some of the strikers he is facing. That comes with experience and if you are only getting about a dozen games a season, it must be hard to pick that up just from training sessions. I mean in the Premier League you have some of the world's best strikers lining up against you.
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What I do like about Mepham is his relaxed style and long leg stride. He purrs over the ground and I am sure it is what drew him to AFCB's attention. If Nathan Aké is snapped up in the coming months, we will really come to see the value of Chris Mepham and I get the feeling he is a much better player than some of us appreciate at the moment.

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