Harry Arter can't allow Pulis to get to him

We know that Harry Arter has a hot streak. He does his best to contain it and channel his enthusiasm and commitment the right way but sometimes it boils over. I don't blame him for that. Professionals put their careers on the line every week when they put on a shirt to entertain us, but he knows he has to consider that players on the other team are in exactly the same position. No body goes out there with the intent to hurt people and Tony Pulis knows that the game is faster than ever these days and what is a red card in his book might not be the same in the ref's mind.

Harry Arter, so often in the wars.

I can't say that Harry's tackle on Darren Fletcher in the second half against WBA on Saturday was a good challenge and I'll not say it didn't warrant I higher punishment than a yellow, but it is what was handed out. Sometimes there is needle in a match and I think at times on Saturday the game could have become more of a grudge match had Mark Clattenburg not kept it in control. Arter had also reacted poorly earlier when Gareth McAuley had left stud marks on his thigh and Tony Pulis was incensed at this, too.

Harry mustn't let things get to him though. I want him to play with the freedom to go into challenges wanting to win the ball and to do his best for the team. His passion is something that AFCB fans admire about him and if he loses that we lose more than 10-15 per cent of what Harry Arter is. The side does not have enough ball winners in my mind so it is essential that Harry keeps playing that role well if the team is to get as many turnovers as it does during matches.

James McClean was similarly lambasted after his challenge on Adam Smith up at the Hawthorns earlier in the season and perhaps WBA hoped that things would even themselves up if Harry Arter had been dismissed in this return match. Harry can be content that Clattenburg saw it from his side and that should be enough for him. Harry can move on - let Tony Pulis worry about why a red card wasn't shown.

The Back of the Net podcast is out today - Episode 11 Supa, Spua Fletch
In transfer news Aberdeen are also set to join Exeter City in a race to sign Jayden Stockley.

Beating a Pulis' team would mean a lot to AFCB fans

Tony Pulis may have played for the Cherries and managed them but his brand of football is far removed from what Eddie Howe has been doing at Dean Court. Pulis has many years of Premier League management behind him and that experience is invaluable to a team like WBA, but the gap to Bournemouth in the league is not so great now and Eddie Howe's men are eager to close the gap further now.

I remember at the preseason BBC 5 Live forum down at Dean Court that Tony Pulis was a guest and had a few words to say about how Bournemouth would lose games. He perhaps is not always wise to speak his mind and the AFCB fans won't forget that. Visiting the Hawthorns will be a major clash in styles and could well result in a stalemate with both sides knowing that a defeat would land them back in trouble.

AFCB v WBA in the 4th round of the Capital One Cup in 2014-15

WBA's home form has stabilised with recent performances against Spurs and Arsenal bringing them four points out of six, but before those games they did concede six goals against Leicester and Everton with a 1-0 win against Sunderland sandwiched in between them. Hard to beat has been the saying that goes hand in hand with Pulis' teams and yet this one has a bit of endeavour about it as well. You don't beat sides like Arsenal without having a goal threat and even when Berahino does not play, the power of Jose Rondon is something different for defenders to cope with. Rickie Lambert has not featured much for them but he also has a goal in him and the Cherries will not find the physical side of WBA's game easy to deal with.

It is in midfield though where AFCB will have to try and wrestle control of this game. West Brom are packed with combative midfielders like Darren Fletcher, Brunt, McClean and Gardener. Getting past this line is going to need AFCB's intricate triangles and wing play to be super slick and yet if they can get ahead and find the finish, AFCB's new improved defensive strength could prove more than a match for what WBA have going forward.

WBA Home Form
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AFCB Away Form
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Check out my latest Shoot article - Have the pundits got it wrong about Bournemouth?

Later Today you'll also be able to see my interview with Albion Til We Die on their site. I will have a Rival Lines with the WBA site tomorrow.