Picking an AFCB starting line up just got more difficult

The beauty of the signings that AFCB have been making this summer is that it makes the starting line up much more unpredictable for games next season. You can have your favourites but there are reasons to believe that Eddie could swap players in and out of the starting 11 from a 25-man squad without having any sleepless nights about the standards dropping because of a player not being available.

The attacking line up at AFCB's disposal is now frightening. While Callum Wilson and Josh King have started to build reputations as being the first line of attack, there is little worry for an AFCB if you see Benik Afobe or Junior Stanislas coming in the field. Now there is even more pace with Jordan Ibe and Lys Mousset in the club's ranks and I haven't even mention Max Gradel or the trickery of Marc Pugh yet. If Ryan Fraser, Lewis Grabban and Tokelo Rantie look unsure of how they might fit in, they are probably right to be wondering how far a 25-man squad will stretch.

Pick your starting 11 - it's not easy.

What could be beneficial is that there are a few players - Jordan Ibe, Lys Mousset, Lewis Cook, Emerson Hyndman and Baily Cargill that are U21 players and can be additional to the 25-man squad. Wriggle room suddenly looks a bit better doesn't it and I think it is a big reason why Bournemouth have been buying young and especially home-grown players when they can. Up to 17 of the 25-man squad had to be home-grown last season and AFCB is one of the few Premier League clubs that has no trouble in managing that.

So the squad might be larger than 25 in number, but those over the age of 21 will count as one of the 25. Still, even when Eddie has those 25 and the U21 players, it is going to be hard to decide who gets first crack at the games. He may want to be loyal to some regular starters but I expect in pre-season he'll mix and match a fair bit to see what combinations get him most excited.

So my team to play Minnesota United FC is based on a bit of experimentation with one team for the first half and almost another for the second - I've also gone for two 4-4-2 set ups as a basis for each half.

Team 1

Boruc, 

Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels, 

Stanislas, Ake, Surman, Gradel, 

King, Wilson

Team 2

Federici,  

Butcher, Cargill, Cook, Mings, 

Grabban, Arter, Cook, Pugh, 

Mousset, Afobe 

Extra Subs - Allsop, Wiggins, Gosling, Fraser, MacDonald, O'Kane, Ibe

Eddie Howe will know if Mings, Arter and Smith are ready yet or not to play a part and he may well rest any of those depending on their fitness levels. I think he'd want to see the new signings although Ibe may be a bit too late out to be fair to him to feature. Even the extra subs might be given time in this game as the aim must be to give players minutes on the pitch more than anything. The game kicks off at 1.00am Thursday morning UK time/ 7pm Wednesday evening US time.

Some of the Development squad no doubt also travelled Like Matt Butcher and Baily Cargill, but I am not sure exactly who. Tokelo Rantie is not out in the USA though.

AFCB's U21s take on Fulham as well today.

The Cherries must keep spirits high

AFCB have not been the hardest hit club in the Championship with injuries before this week with Elliott Ward being the only long term injury among the frequent starters. Now that a double blow has hit the same position, and the striker role, there is a worry that it could have an effect on the squad's confidence. Having seen pictures though of Tokelo beaming with a smile on his face I am keeping my fingers crossed that the players just take this in their stride and look to play even better to give those who are on the sidelines more encouragement to hurry back.

TK went for a big tumble but we want him back on his feet soon.

No injury is ever welcome but managers have to know that they can occur and usually do at the most inappropriate moment. Last season most of the injuries seemed to come in pre-season with Matt Ritchie and Tommy Elphick having to play catch up, but the Championship was bound to test the depth of AFCB's squad at some point.

While the team is strong in wide positions, the central spine of the team is not where you want to have big problems. If the team spirit has been high in recent weeks, the players know that they really have to pull together now to keep things going well without the help of  TK and potentially Callum Wilson for the Milllwall and sevreal more. I expect we will hear more about Callum's pull or strain in the week and if it is just that he needs a bit of rest after a hectic start to the season he may just make the miraculous recovery in time for the Millwall match. The fact that Eddie so quickly came out with thoughts of going into the emergency loan market takes a bit of pressure off of Callum I suppose to come back that soon. While he was clearly injured on Saturday we know that Callum won't want to miss a minute of the season if he can help it.

TK is hopefully still in good spirits.

Positives vibes are important though and if  Eddie has to bring some one in I am sure he will but tomorrow is the deadline. The mood in the camp needs to be good going into the Millwall game and a good result in that game will focus minds on what looks to be a big month for the Cherries.  UTCIAD! 

Finally, well done to the Development Squad and their 8-3 win against Cambridge! Both Jayden Stockley and Harry Cornick bagged hat-tricks. Stephen Purches' thoughts on the game are on the side panel of the blog.

Has Rantie something to prove?

Tokelo Rantie wears the No9 shirt and he has been the club's record signing. That sum paid for him is thought to have been surpassed by Callum Wilson's arrival, but the South African is still looking to find away to become a more permanent entry on the team sheet at AFCB. Everyone wants Tokelo to be a success, but is his time best served by scoring goals in the Development squad and by playing international matches?

Has Rantie more to offer?

I like Tokelo as I can see he is a trier. More than that he loves the fans and is very open in acknowledging that he has been given a fantastic opportunity to improve as a player at the Cherries. However, I do wonder if his time could become more difficult in future months if he does not get to play more games. So far Tokelo has made six appearances for the club this season and four of those as a substitute. He did start in the first two rounds of the Capital One Cup, but has not made a 90 minute appearance. TK has also had an injury and came back well against Peterborough in a Development match, scoring four the other week, but I'd prefer to see him knocking on the door of the first team.

While Tokelo has been in the UK for more than a year now he has yet to make the impact that many of us hoped for. Eddie Howe has not looked to let him go elsewhere to learn his trade, perhaps as he feels his game will improve faster at Bournemouth. Yet, with a lack of game time there has to come a point when a loan move might be considered and the next window could be that opportunity, especially if it involved a loan player coming the other way in return. Tom Pope is the footballer in league One that is on many manager's lips, but the Port Vale striker is not going to be easy to dislodge. Eoin Doyle is another striker at Chesterfield who has been among the goals.

For South Africa there must also be some concern that TK is not getting much football, although he seems to be doing well in that environment, scoring in their recent 2-0 win against Congo in the African Cup of Nations. Incidentally, TK could be at the finals of that competition this coming January, which would keep him out of AFCB's squad for a while and would probably delay any potential loan move.

Has TK a more devastating side in front of goal?

But does keeping TK at AFCB as a sub, getting five minutes here and there really benefit him? The personal hardships that he has had settling down may mean that he is comfortable staying at Bournemouth and Eddie Howe is hoping that he has a breakthrough this season. It is a season when he supposedly has less pressure on TK, but I suspect that Tokelo feels pressure to perform just to keep his place in the Bafana Bafana team, and if he can get a run in the Cherries' side he could still turn things really around for himself. 

It's all about taking his chance and for TK perhaps believing that he is that No9 striker that AFCB have always wanted. With Yann Kermorgant out for a few games and a busy time ahead with the Capital One game against WBA, is it time that Rantie can show us what he really can do?

What's your opinion on TK? You can comment below.

If you are wonder what life is really like as an AFCB stats man, make sure you have a listen to all Department's podcast: Peak Performance with Garavan Stewart. Either listen on the All Departments' website or scroll down Cherry Chimes' right hand panel and listen to the sound bar. 

Development squad slip to 2-0 defeat against Poole Town

The second pre-season friendly between AFCB Development squad at Poole Town with guest players Darren Anderton, Warren Cummings and Shaun Cooper playing for the Dolphins. The testimonial for Taffy Richardson was certainly Poole Town's night as his side recorded a 2-0 win with both goals coming the second half. A crowd of approximately 500+ (unofficial) saw the game at the Tatnam ground. Here are the official AFCB tweets on the game.

AFCB Development team starting XI: O’Flaherty, Muleba, Harfield, Addison, Butcher, Carmichael, Walsh, Worthington, O’Hanlon, Goodship, Mbenza

AFCB subs: Zubar, Kaye, Gilkes, Whitfield, Stockley, Bassele, Jordan, Buckley, Coulibaly, Murphy, Holmes (g/k).

Poole Town starting XI: Hutchings, Clarke, Whisken, Jerryn, Walker, Dibba, Martin, Lowes, Emmerson, Elliott and Preston.

Poole Town subs: Pettofer, Devlin, Brooks, Borbridge, Taffy Richardson, George Richardson.

AFC Bournemouth tweets

01: @Goodship94 & @JoshOHanlon9 kick-off and the development squad's second pre-season friendly is under way. #afcb

23: Midway through the first half & @JoshOHanlon9 has just gone close with a glancing header. #afcb

36: @Goodship94 sees his goalbound free-kick tipped over for a corner. #afcb

Half-time: Poole Town 0-0 Cherries. #afcb

#afcb XI to play @PooleTownFC second half: Holmes, Jordan, Zubar, Kaye, Buckley, Gilkes, Whitfield, Coulibaly, Bassele, Stockley, Murphy.

54: Steve Devlin scores from the spot to give Poole Town the lead. #afcb

64: Morgan Turner doubles Poole Town's lead with a close range finish at the backpost. #afcb

Full-time: Poole Town 2-0 Cherries #AFCB

Improving Development players is slow but worthwhile

While Premiership teams ponder over Greg Dykes Team B Division 3 league proposals, teams like AFCB in the Championship are said to be not effected by such ideas at this stage and yet even Bournemouth have a group of Development Squad players that need games and experience. How these players are best served is a question for Stephen Purches and Joe Roach and Eddie Howe, but the fact that players are keen to come to Bournemouth in their teenage years means that the club is attracting young players that it needs to develop and integrate into the first team.

Ryan Fraser stands out well ahead of other
young players at AFCB at the moment.

While there are some league, cup and friendly games for the Development squad there is little opportunity to give youth their chance in the Championship. What I do like is the opportunities they have to play in and around the first team especially when first team players are recovering from injuries and need to come back steadily by playing in some Development Squad games. It must be great as a non-first team player to get the opportunity to be an equal on the pitch with some players that have already made it and to learn from them. Ryan Fraser has shown that if you have the ability you will be played at Championship level, but getting a train of players through the system is what the Cherries need if they are to keep their costs down on player transfers and develop players that are ultimately good enough for the first team.

It is clear that the club wants to take as many players forward as it can and if Development players are to be given new contracts that gives some indication that the club is pleased with their progress and there is a chance that some of them will make the grade either at AFCB or at another club if they are sold for the right price. The potential sale of Adam Lallana with a 25 per cent sell on clause coming to AFCB shows one of the merits of having an academy even when we see players finish their development elsewhere. 

The loan system currently seems the best way though for many of these players, like those pushing for first team action such as Jayden Stockley and Sam Matthews, for example, to get some regular competitive football. But even then it is important that AFCB put such players with clubs that play in the way that improves development. I must admit I would have liked to have seen more players come through in the last five years at AFCB, but I am sure we will eventually get more players like Danny Ings and Josh McQuiod on the conveyor belt.

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Building a new era

The success of this season cannot be allowed to be a small moment of delight in the history of the cub. It should be a watershed moment that heralds a new period in AFCB's history when it continues to grow and enters a sustained period of football in the top two divisions. I see know reason why that is now not possible with the financial backing the club has from Maxim Demin and his partners and with the current team and management. As we can see from yesterday though the finances are crucial to development and it is likely that the spending can only really be supported by bigger gates.

Continued success is not going to be easy to do but it is surely easier to build on some success. The foundations are in place for AFCB to have the kind of success now that they have not seen before. The feel good factor seems to get stronger every season and it is undoubtedly a great time to be a fan at the club. The gates are now pushing 11,000 most weeks and with careful marketing and more seats in future seasons the support should continue to grow with the entertaining football that is now on show. Of course ground expansion would also need funding and just keeping the squad together is likely to see cost escalate, so I don't think it's an easy period for the owners or the club.

 Sam Matthews (standing behind Purches) is trying to

 make the transition from the Development squad to the first team.

Other teams have had good first seasons in the Championship only to see that fall away in subsequent seasons and it is important that any success does not go to people's heads too much. The values of hard work and high standards must not slip and I don't think that they will with Eddie Howe remaining at the club.

Much of the future success will depend on how well the Development squad can bring players into the first squad. At the moment this is a slow progression, but I really hope that this becomes a regular feature as the club moves forward. It will be of interest to see how Josh O'Hanlon and Jonathan Mleba who were signed in January can make their mark in some of the pre-season friendlies.

AFCB's Development squad strengthened with Muleba (video)

It is not just the first team squad that AFCB are strengthening this January window. I was joking at lunch time with a colleague of mine who is a Chelsea fan that they surely have some players that they might want to off load to a club like AFCB in the Championship. While the Cherries are a little down the pecking order to attract the likes of Juan Mata, there was no problem in picking up Chelsea's U18 captain Jonathan Muleba.

Muleba can play anywhere along the back four, according to the official AFCB website, and the Chelsea youth team have been winning a lot of games in their Premier U18 league as you might expect. Here is a short video in which Muleba gets a few mentions but doesn't quite get on the score sheet, as Chelsea U18 take on Aston Villa's U18s.

With Josh O'Hanlon also joining the Development squad this week I am hoping that there are a few more games for the team to play. Jonathan has a two-and-a-half year contract.

Josh O'Hanlon looks a good prospect for AFCB (video)

I had a sneaky look at the video on Josh this afternoon to see what had excited Eddie Howe about this youngster from Longford Town. He has good close control and is not afraid to take on difficult shots from what I have seen. As an 18-year old I would think that he would be trying to make his mark in the Development squad first under the teaching skills of Stephen Purches, while I am sure Joe Roach will take a look at him having done so well with AFCB strikers' development.

While it is good news to see the first squad doing well it is important that the Development squad gets some games so I would not be surprised if Josh goes out on loan at some point if there are not enough matches arranged. I heard that Harry Cornick went out to Dorchester on loan earlier this week and that the Development squad had a good 5-0 win against Portsmouth with Coulibaly scoring a brace as he looks to get some game time.

You can see the Josh O'Hanlon video here.

Donal: Express yourself...come on and do it!

Irishman Donal McDermott has not been talked about too much of late. He featured quite heavily early on last season in the squad and yet did not get seen often when the team managed to put its strong run together that eventually got the Cherries promoted. Donal made 8 first team appearances in 2012/13 and 6 of those were as a substitute.

Donal with Fletch and Tubbs during the warm up before the
Colchester away game near then end of last season.

I was encouraged when we signed him permanently in January 2012 from Huddersfield Town, but that excitement over his dribbling and shooting ability as well as his creative spark is not something we have seen of late at Dean Court. This coming season he really needs to climb the ladder and get himself in front of Eddie and Jason and prove to them that he is the player that so thrilled us all during the end of the 2010-11 season, and the play-off games we had against Huddersfield when he scored that terrific goal in the 1st leg at Bournemouth.

What do we want Donal to do? 'Express Yourself' as the lyrics in NWA's 1980s hit would say. I would love to hear AFCB fans chanting 'Express Yourself, ...Donal...Donal... Do it .. Do it well'  Express Yourself, Come On, Come On.. Donal do it well.' You can see I'm a lost in the 80s child!

Having not played a great deal, I do suspect that if Donal cannot get into the first team or win a place even on the bench, he is one that is likely to be encouraged to at least go out on loan. At 23 he is still very young and it must be frustrating for him not to be playing more regularly. The Development squad does not have as many games or play at the same kind of intensity as the first team and Donal is good enough to play in the Championship in my opinion. I don't want him to be sold if he can make the grade, because he can be so exciting on the ball.

Hopefully, he is coming back to the Goldsands Stadium with the attitude to get his head down and really do everything he can to impress Eddie and Jason. He is not alone in being in his situation, but I believe Donal can step up his game and become a player of better value at AFCB. The friendlies offer a good opportunity for him to impress.

I would like to see him get a chance at some stage to play in midfield, possibly even centrally behind the front two. The competition is really tough for him, but it's up to Donal to give the management that option by regaining some of his past form and showing it to them on a regular basis on the training ground. Express yourself Donal!