Wilshere brings quality to the Cherries if he can stay injury-free

The toing and froing with the Jack Wilshere transfer saga had him heading to Crystal Palace and then to Roma, while AC Milan even tried to come in at the last minute, so how come he finally sped down at Dean Court for a season-long loan? It is a massive coup for the Dorset side that has landed a full English international player on its books for the coming season, and it appears that Benik Afobe and Eddie Howe had an ear-bending influence on the central midfielder's final decision.

Jack and Eddie last night - image tweeted by SkySports Mark McAdam,
who was detailed to watch any incoming signings at Dean Court on Transfer Deadline Day.

The Arsenal link with Benik Afobe certainly will have given AFCB a bit of a head start on the other teams chasing Jack Wilshere's signature. The way AFCB play and the attraction of working with Eddie Howe were certainly other aspects of the decision that would have been pull factors, as well as the preference for staying in the south of England with his family. Jack may have seen Crystal Palace as a bigger club, but London may have been a distraction for him, whereas it will be football all the way down at Dean Court.

What AFCB fans have to worry about is whether Jack can stay fit for a whole season and if so, who will he keep out of the side? The competition for places will be much stronger in midfield and it has already enabled Eunan O'Kane to depart for Leeds Utd. Whether Harry Arter finds he is not an automatic pick is something I can't quite get used to, but with Lewis Cook and Jack Wilshere in town it is going to be a midfield that will be set to rival more of the mid-table Premier league sides. It can only improve the learning experience of Surman, Arter, Hyndman and Lewis Cook to have Jack around.

Eddie Howe will also get the chance to train one of England's most recognised and gifted international players, even if he is not currently in Sam Allardyce's squad. It will be as inspiring and encouraging for Eddie Howe as it is for Jack to come to Bournemouth. The fans are in for a treat and Warren Cummins' testimonial against AC Milan now takes on even more interest for the world's media and AFCB fans, if Jack is asked to make his AFCB debut then.

You may have missed that Baily Cargill went out on loan to Gillingham, while AFCB signed Mihai Dobre for the U21s. Sam Matthews and Brandon Goodship went to Braintree Town on loan and Sam Surridge is on loan at Poole Town.

The Cherry Chimes' Newsletter is out today!

Cherry Chimes' September Newsletter brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month, plus there is a special Newsletter article entitled: Simon Francis' form is crucial this season and you can also find out why I have gone off Paul Merson!

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Tokelo Rantie heads to Turkey - is O'Kane also on his way out?

This morning I awoke to the news that Tokelo Rantie had completed his transfer to Turkish side Genclerbirligi yesterday.  While Tokelo has had his problems at Dean Court it is probably a relief on all sides that his move has finally gone though - although on Tokelo's side I expect there will be a lot of disappointment that he never really fulfilled the potential that the club believed he had. A fresh start for him may ring him the success he craves and I hope he does well for himself. His transfer fee was not disclosed but it is likely that the club recouped a reasonable amount of the £3m he was originally signed for as English clubs had been interested in him who did not get a look in at the end.

Tokelo's departure is likely to be followed up by another out-going transfer as Leeds Utd and Wigan have been reported to be after Eunan O'Kane. The Irishman has not featured greatly in the first team of late and his appearance as a right back against Portsmouth could be his last start for the Cherries even though he was on the bench for the match against Valencia.

Tokelo Rantie gets his move.

Making room for players to move is necessary for the players that are no longer in the manager's plans. The squad has grown significantly and it cannot have been great for Tokelo to know that his football career was stalling at AFCB, while also having to recover from injury in South Africa. 

Arter and O'Kane will watch Euros from the sofa

It was touch and go whether Eunan O'Kane might have squeezed into Martin O'Neil's squad but there was no hope left for Harry Arter in the end with a thigh injury that cruelly ruled him out just 24 hours before the squad was to be named. While both players had been on the fringe of the Republic Ireland team it had seemed that Arter would have done enough had he kept fit.

Eunan is also out of the Euros along with Arter.
If he had decided to be a Northern Ireland player as
 he was in his youth, it is likely that Eunan would have
been in high demand north of the border.

It has been a hard season though for Arter and perhaps the rest will not be such a bad thing for his body. Having been struggling with the Achilles problem for a while it was maybe not the ideal preparation for him in any case.

There was less questions about Eunan O'Kane's omission from the final cut. Eunan has not played that many games for AFCB with 20 appearances and 10 of those from the subs bench. While Eunan made his debut for his country first, he has not managed to secure a prominent role yet and he will have more work to do next season to push for a place in the Bournemouth team if he is to have a bigger international career.

That does not leave AFCB fans with much excitement for the Euros. Artur Boruc could play a significant role for Poland but there won't be any out field players on show from the Cherries and who would have thought that back in March or April?

Meanwhile, Roy Hodgson has been picking the England squad and you can see my views on that group of players by heading over to the Euro 2016 tab - Ray Hodgson papering over the cracks.

Who is for the chop at AFCB?

There has been no announcement of which players are not going to be wearing an AFCB shirt next season but we can guess that one or two are more than likely packing their bags in anticipation of a sharp exit.

Top of the pile has to be Lee Tomlin who has done really well since he went out on loan in January to Bristol City. While there was the complimentary acknowledgement that Lee announced that he wants to prove himself at AFCB, he has probably seen a great opportunity melt away at AFCB. Lee has shown that when he concentrates on his football that he is a player that can do the business, at least at the Championship level and Fulham or Newcastle might well be in need of his services.

I don't think there will be too much delay on Glenn Murray also hanging around as he did not join the Cherries to miss out on match day squads or to sit on the bench. The signing of Benik Afobe really sent out a signal that his days are numbered and I wonder if he will entertain a return to Brighton where he did so well before.

The interesting striker who AFCB may have trouble in shifting is Tokelo Rantie. There was talk last winter that Malmo might be interested in having him back, but a string of injuries and non-appearances will make it hard for the club to demand a fee for him even though he still has a year on his contract to run. Maybe Russell Slade at Cardiff City will take him as he is said to be an admirer but Slade himself is linked to the manager vacancy at Blackburn Rovers.

Lee Tomlin probably tops the list for most AFCB fans to be sent packing.

There has to be a question mark over Bailly Cargill as well, because he needs to bring into the first team and to play regular football. With Simon Francis moving across to centre-half there is one less space available and it may enable Championship sides to consider trying to make a bid for the talented AFCB Academy graduate. I hope Bailly continues to fight for his place, but another long season on loan is surely on the cards for him. And what of Rhoys Wiggins? He has singed a two-and-a-half year contract but is he going to play any football at Dean Court? As soon as Tyrone Mings is back in full health surely Rhoys Wiggins will be looking for a fast train out of Bournemouth.

While Ryan Allsop has been on the loan track it is getting harder to see an improvement in his performances and it could be a parting of the ways this summer. Personally, I'd like to see at least one new keeper. Sylvain Distin had retirement already on his mind before coming to the south coast and I can't see him wanting to bench warm for another season down here. Juan Iturbe we can add to the list with his limited number of appearances that should alert clubs of the calibre of Malaga waiting in the wings. 

My gut feeling is that Eunan O'Kane and Shaun MacDonald will manage to stay around but still find it more or less impossible to get int the side, especially if Howe strengthens this area as expected. As mentioned before though in previous posts, there could be a surprise release from the squad that has served the club so well if Eddie Howe can find higher quality players within his budget - so watch out Elphick, Federici, Wiggins etc...

Euro 2016 - England trundle along with no organisation against the Turks

Early goals are still causing problems for AFCB

It is strange that the first goal has such a dramatic affect on how the Cherries go on to play in matches. We now they are a team that are usually great early starters, but when that does not come off and they give away easy goals they don't seem able to recover - at least not against to top quality teams.

Eunan O'Kane among others found it hard going against Man City.

The defeats against Spurs and Man City in themselves are not so unexpected on paper when you look at the relative league positions, the history of the clubs and the cost of the players on the pitch and what they are playing for. AFCB have been playing the top sides at the most decisive part of the season and we knew this fixture list would be tough in April. It is the softness of some of the goals that ave allowed these big teams to get ahead in games that is striking though and something that the players know is not good enough. Still Fernando's early seventh minute goal from the City corner was well taken and Boruc was struggling to get anywhere near it because it was that well placed.

It has happened in most of the games against the bigger clubs and I don't think it's all down to the quality of the opposition. As Eunan O'Kane said in his post match interview: "I think we brought a lot of our own problems in the first 20 minutes. We've talked before, especially the last time at City and the last week at Spurs when you concede so early it's such an up hill climb for you...You can't do that. You can't concede so early in games to the big teams or any one in this league so early in the game and give yourself a mountain such as that to climb.

"We came up against some of the best players in the world today and, you know if they beat two or three of us and stick one in the top corner you can say all right, fair enough but to hand them goals, you know the way we did is frustrating."

Frustrating is a word that we have heard a lot of late and getting past that is something that the team has usually managed to do in patches. This current run does include some very big teams but the chance of a breather against Villa next weekend should not be seen as a given as it will take a performance to get a result, and more focus will be required to ensure the team gets over the 40 point line in a game like that. No body wants to have to sweat out over the remaining games wondering what is happening beneath them in the league. 

You can listen back to the excellent All Departments Podcast to work out where things went wrong for AFCB against Man City by visiting the All Departments website. Michael Dunne is joined by Geoff Barlow.

Ritchie is catching the eye

You know you must be a mad AFCB fan when you decide it is better to record the England International and sit back, and relax, rather to see how Matt Ritchie does live in Scotland's international against Denmark. Matt has always been a player that has excited fans and now he is doing it on the bigger stages and sadly for AFCB fans his quality is being recognised by some of the big clubs like Man Utd and Tottenham according to reports in the local press.

While there is not a lot the Cherries can do about the increasing interest in their right winger, it is now that the players and the fans will really see how far this team has come when the players attract bids from major clubs. If Eddie Howe thought last summer was difficult to hold on to players, he will know that it will be even harder this summer.

Matt Ritchie is still impressing when he puts on the shirt of AFCB or Scotland.

Watching Matt Ritchie take on Denmark you could see why he is already becoming central to Gordon Strachan's future plans. He has already won eight caps and is surely going to win many more. Playing in front of a half full Hampden Park, Ritchie put his first cross in from the left surprisingly but it underlined how he is confident enough to move around in the international side. Then he pounced in the seventh minute to give Scotland the lead, benefiting from the mix up between Daniel Agger and Kasper Schmeichel. It was typical Ritchie in that he was not getting the ball very often but as soon as he anticipated a chance he was there to make the most of it. Ritchie almost got his second in the 77th minute but while he met Iketchi Anya's cross with plenty of power, Andreas Christensen made a great block. Matt still received great applause when he came off in the 82nd minute, which is a bit different from the fan reactions he got after his first couple of Scottish games.

Creativity is not something that there is a lot of in the Scottish team and that is why Ritchie is a key element for Strachan. Teams like Man Utd may see that they could welcome such a player as Matt as well though and Eddie Howe is likely to have a battle to keep hold of Mr Ritchie who is one of the players who has just got better and better since joining AFCB.

Meanwhile, Max Gradel also had a good night netting for Cote D'Ivorie against Sudan. Eunan O'Kane also put in 66 minutes for the Republic of Ireland in their draw against Slovenia, while Tokelo Rantie was stretchered off in South Africa's match against Cameroon.

Eunan O'Kane is fighting hard to get to the Euros

I was delighted to see that Eunan O'Kane was rewarded for his AFCB performances with a substitute appearance and first full cap in Republic of Ireland's 1-0 win over Switzerland yesterday. It has been a difficult season for Eunan who has not been able to win a regular place in the Bournemouth starting line up in the Premier League, but he has put in some sterling cup performances of late and is now a contender to go to the Euro 2016 competition, which is an excellent achievement.

Eunan could be walking into Martin O'Neil's thoughts

after his appearance against Switzerland.

In the match last night Eunan came on in the 62nd minute for David Meyler of Hull City and while the team had to withstand a fair amount of pressure from Switzerland, they managed to hold out for the win after Ciaran Clark's second minute headed goal. Eunan also came close to scoring in the 90th minute when he hit a right footed shot from just outside the box that missed to the right of the goal. But it showed that Eunan was not overawed by the occasion and could play his natural game at international level. He will now need a strong finish to the season and with his good second half appearance in the match against Tottenham last weekend, he will certainly be looking to try and push for Eddie Howe to include him in as many of the remaining league games as possible.

Of course, one of the players that may just be an obstacle for Eunan making as many appearances as he would truly like is fellow Irishmen Harry Arter, who had to pull out of Martin O'Neil's squad. No doubt the two of them have had big discussions on the possibility of both of them may be playing in one or more of those games in the summer for their country, and it would be amazing for AFC Bournemouth fans to see the two of them playing in the tournament. As it is, I suppose Eunan has a slight advantage at the moment with his national team, and with the fixtures in the Premier League including some of the bigger clubs now, it may be that a five-man midfield gives Eunan more chance of getting some more AFCB game time.

Eunan gets ready to come on against Spurs.

The stats man will tell you that Eunan has played 19 times for the Cherries so far this season but 10 of them were as a substitute. If he can more than 21 or 22 games I would think that he is in a great position to go to the tournament in the summer, and if remains injury free. Martin O'Neil cold also reap the benefit of Eunan not having played as many games as some others in his squad, which means he 's be fresher than most.

Johan Tribute
I can't leave today's post without saying what a great tribute to Johan Cruyff in Amsterdam as The Netherland's took on France. Certainly one of the greatest players ever. I imagine every young football loving school boy and girl has had a go at doing one of his famous turns more than once or twice, as have many other players, but there is something majestic about the way Cruyff beat opponents and just watching his clips back again this week you have to marvel at the skill of the man. He'll be a great loss to all football fans all over the world.

The worst possible kind of start for the Cherries

AFCB have had some quick goals scored against them this season. The Arsenal home game sticks in the memory when the lead was doubled in the period of 72 seconds, but it was rather heart wrenching to see the lads go 1-0 down after just 44 seconds at White Hart Lane last weekend.

Simon Francis and Steve Coook  at White Hart Lane.

The players seemed just as amazed as the fans, but they did not stop trying to play the way the team has all season and that is much to their credit and Eddie Howe's teaching methods. You can drill only so much into a team though and some times they have to stand up to what they face as best they can. I thought all the players were certainly trying their hardest to get some control in the game but Spurs were quicker, stronger and more accurate while their movement was keeping them a step ahead all the time. We have all probably been in games ourselves where you feel you are chasing shadows and that is really how it felt from the start in this game.

AFCB always prepare meticulously for matches. Any team can suffer an early goal. It was the fact that the team found it hard to respond to the first goal, because Spurs were so good that will be more difficult to swallow. The usual rhythm and attacking nature to AFCB's play was simply not allowed to flourish, and when there is no outlet the ball comes back pretty quickly as we saw. Had the team kept a clean sheet and defended well for half an hour it could have become another kind of match where fans thought the big teams are finding it harder to break our back four down. But it wasn't just the back four that was under pressure and the midfield players will have to consider why they could not keep possession for longer periods. I saw Harry Arter trying to understand the instructions he was being given by Eddie to withstand the onslaught, but nothing seemed that clear to understand on the day and the speed of the first goal really destroyed any game plan until the side could come in at half time.

Simon Francis was keen to point out that the players did not want it to be a case of being another chastening experience like the home match when they saw five goals fly past them. It was good that the score did not run up too high. Although at three goals up, Spurs already had what they wanted by then - all the points. AFCB's players do have pride and passion in their performances though and I did see an improved second half performance. Eunan O'Kane and Lewis Grabban were two of the main reasons for that and for players with points to prove this is a good time to get noticed. Let's see if Eunan gets a chance for the Republic of Ireland now that he has the call up.

Loan and International news 
Brandon Goodship has extended his loan at Yeovil Town until the end of the season. While Wales drew with Northern Ireland 1-1, Shaun MacDonald was an unused sub, Ecuador and Paraguay also drew 2-2 but Juan Iturbe was an unused sub and on Wednesday Artur Boruc was an unused sub as Poland beat Serbia 1-0.  Scotland's 1-0 win over Croatia did not involve Matt Ritchie, but he is expected to star on Tuesday against Denmark.

Republic of Ireland play Switzerland today at 19.45 and we hope that Eunan O'Kane is picked to play at Hampden Park.

Should Howe go with five in midfield?

There were only two big defeats this season to date for the Cherries and they were against two of the top four sides, one of them being Tottenham. It was that pounding and the one against Man City that really focussed Howe's thinking of playing five in midfield. Once the confidence and results returned though, and the personnel up front were boosted by the arrival of Benik Afobe, it has not taken long for AFCB to revert back to 4-4-1-1 or 4-4-2.

The formation that Eddie picks does not often stay the same throughout a game, so I don't think it is that crucial when we see the starting line up that it means that is how things are going to be for the 90 minutes. Against Spurs I do expect there to be a tweak of the system despite the winning run of the last three matches. For one it is firstly about how AFCB are playing. Benik Afobe is finding it difficult to keep having the impact that he had when he first joined the side. I am not sure if that is him still learning where to be to have the most effect or whether it is the opposition that have been doing their homework on him, which is something he'll have to get used to.

Spurs at Dean Court earlier this season.

With Benik may be not likely to impose himself enough on the game it may be that Josh King is asked to play alone up front and the midfield could be packed then with Arter coming back and Gosling looking to support King, while still having Andrew Surman in behind to shield the back four. However, I believe Harry Arter might not be risked and Eunan O'Kane could well get another chance to boost his Irish Euro 2016 claims by starting this match. Competing with Spurs' midfield is going to be the difficult part of the battle early on and with five men in there it should give the Cherries a chance to try and keep the ball against a very good side. 

It is seen by some as a negative move to only play one up front but the pace that AFCB have on the wings can quickly make their shape more of a 4-3-3 when in possession. Adam Smith will be one to look out for as he has every reason to want to show a few people at Spurs that he could have made it there. Playing on the break has been part of the Cherries' game that has been strong away from home, while free kicks and corner kicks have also provided a good platform for goals. AFCB have to be patient though in these kind of games. Staying in the match is what it will be about just like it was at Chelsea earlier on in the season. As the game progresses the pressure will build on Spurs if they can't score and that is when the opportunities will come for AFCB and perhaps a hungry Benik Afobe, who might have been sitting on the bench, or an equally keen Lewis Grabban could find themselves in with a chance of being the match winner.

So for me, I'd like Eddie to keep it tight and go with the five in midfield - at least at the start. It is also a game too soon for Callum Wilson but he has tweeted this morning that he has done a full week's training with AFCB!

Possible AFCB line up
Boruc, Smith, Francis, Cook, Daniels, Ritchie, O'Kane, Gosling, Surman, Gradel, King

Subs
Federici, Elpjick, Distin, Pugh, Iturbe, Grabban, Afobe

Score Predictions
Get your score predictions in for Tottenham v AFCB. Simply Tweet your score by clearly identifying AFCB and Spurs with their score to @CherryChimes. It is free to enter and the person who gets the score correct will win an AFCB autograph book. If there are more than one person with the correct score the winner will be pulled out of a hat.


Thanks to our sponsors NatterjackVets, Altamira and Broom Hill Gardens for their support this season.

Another great day for AFCB

While AFCB fans can look happily at the Premier League table it has taken an awful lot of hard work from the team and staff to get where they now are now. Some of you, I am sure, never had any doubts what this season would bring, while a great number have probably been shocked by just how well Eddie Howe's team has taken to the division. But when the players celebrated their recent 3-2 home win against Swansea City there was a distinct realisation that this win was worth celebrating with clenched fists and big grins as the Cherries are now well established in mid-table on 38 points.

The games are running out perhaps sooner than some of us might wish. The Cherries will be looking to finish the season strongly from here, but whatever happens in those remaining games we can certainly say that the town has a team that it can be highly proud of. Not only has it recovered from having huge injury setbacks and some harsh lessons in the early part of the season, but it has emerged as an equal to many of the sides in the Premier League and even better than a good many too, and Eddie Howe has done it by keeping to his football passing principles.

Eunan O'Kane played his part in another great win for the Cherries.

You kind of felt that this was going to be a big day with the club already having announced its plans for the stadium expansion over the summer. The club is already looking to the future. Yet, there is still work to do Eddie Howe insists and I'm in agreement that we don't want to see the season fade away with any lacklustre performances now that the Cherries are in this situation. For the moment though the fans can rest easy and look forward to those games. The win against Swansea has taken the Cherries on another 19 points from what they had on Boxing Day in the first half of the season, which already shows what a strong second half of the season they have had up to now.

The win against Swansea did not come easy. In some ways that is also quite pleasing as it is a game that AFCB probably would not have won earlier in the season. Different players have been able to come into the side and fill places when others have got injured and I think a special mention should be made for Eunan O'Kane who had not played a lot of football of late, but was able to cover for Dan Gosling once he had come off. It is that kind of desire to do well that has stood the Cherries in such good stead.

All Departments' latest podcast reviews the precious win against Swansea City in full - just go to the All Departments' website to listen in.

Eunan O'Kane can put his Everton days behind him

Eunan O'Kane was no doubt hoping that one day he would run out at Goodison as a fully-fledged first team player. His time on Merseyside during the David Moyes years was not all joyous though at the academy and he left in 2009 to join Torquay Utd before being spotted by the Cherries three years later. Eunan has not had too many opportunities in the Premier League but the Cup games have been something for him to look forward to and I'd not be surprised if he puts in a big performance against Everton this weekend. 

Can Eunan play well enough to take the team into the fifth round?

The talented Irish midfielder is a very intelligent player that has been unfortunate to find himself only making 16 appearances for the Cherries so far this season. Half of those appearances have also been as a sub and Eunan has not really had a strong run of games to get his form up. The Norwich away game was perhaps his most disappointing game and he has struggled to get back into the side since. His trademark is his dribbling runs and his scampering running style that usually end with a shot at goal. When he is playing well he can be a real handful for defences and he does like scoring on the big occasions.

To play against Everton is something that would surely mean a lot to Eunan. He was on the bench for the home game this season against the Toffees but he never got on the pitch. As long as Eddie picks a consistent FA Cup side though he will be involved in one of the biggest FA Cup games in AFCB's history and he can settle a fact or two by getting on the score sheet and telling Everton fans that he is a Premier League player now.

Along with Shaun MacDonald, Eunan O'Kane has reason to want more from this season than just a few Premier League appearances and the FA Cup gives these players a dream that can be realised. While Everton are a top team, they are not unbeatable and Eunan O'Kane among others can make a name for himself if he can find some more magic like he did against Wigan back in 2013.

Gosling frustrated about box decisions

Dan Gosling's interview with BBC Radio Solent after the Sunderland match took on a familiar theme in respect to his clear disappointment at some of the decisions that players were making in and around the box. The players work on that though all the time and, when they are up against international defenders, they must know that they are not going to always find it easy to find a way through.

Dan is focussed on making better decisions in and around the box.

The play makers in the team are the ones that need the quickness of thought and Gosling himself is probably hardest on himself when thinking that there were better decisions to be made at times. My mind goes back to one part of the game in particular though when Junior Stanislas was fed the ball on the edge of the box and might have made one more pass to Arter who was in a great shooting space. Instead Junior shot himself and leaning back put the ball high and wide with a heavy sliced shot. There is no guarantee that Arter would have scored, but players don't get a coupe of seconds to think would it be better if I did this or that. It's more often instinct and on this day some of those instant decisions were just the wrong choices.

The options that Eddie Howe has on the bench included O'Kane and Iturbe, but they did not get a look in on this occasion. Sometimes I do like the directness of Adam Smith and Eunan O'Kane who often just run at the heat of defences to draw fouls and do something different to the switching of play from side to side with possession passing. A little more of that just may open up some of these teams in future games.

I mentioned before the game that AFCB needed to unpick Sunderland's organisation and in the end, it was just a puzzle that slammed shut. The team can find the answers though in future games.

My latest Shoot blogger article is now out - Cherries miss Tommy Elphick.

Everton are riding high

There was a time last season when Roberto Martinez was under real pressure at Everton. He is a manager that has strong ideas on how his team should okay and is now getting the very best out of them. It is almost unbelievable that the toffees ever wondered if Roberto Martinez was the right appointment when he arrived from Wigan Athletic. He has lasted the course and he now has some young players under his guidance that are really amongst the best in the Premier league.

Everton are flying high, but the Cherries will try and pull them down a peg or two.

At home Everton have been irresistible. The 4-0 demolition of Aston Villa sets them up nicely for the south coast meeting with AFC Bournemouth side that have been humbled in recent weeks by some of the heavyweights of the division. Kone, Lukaku and Barkley are just the start of the problems for the Cherries. The performances of Funes Mori on the right and the marauding qualities of John Stone, playing out from the back are something that Bournemouth's players would do well to emulate in time. They also have Scotsman Steven Naismith to come on if they are struggling to open teams up.

For all Everton's strength though they have been prone to falling short of maximum points away from home and AFCB have to make it as difficult as they can for the toffees. That will mean trying to wrestle possession away from them at every opportunity. Everton will be one of the teams that will come and play at Dean Court and it is up to the Cherries to raise their game for the challenge.

Everton have scored in their last three away games and they have already kept clean sheets in away games at Spurs, Swansea and Southampton. It is a big ask for the Cherries to get something from this game, but I really hope that both Dan Gosling and Eunan O'Kane are involved as their determination to do well in such a fixture could yet help provide an unlikely result.

Everton Away Form
WDDWL

AFCB Home Form
DWDLL


Possible AFCB team
Cherries team: (4-5-1) Federici (GK), Francis (RD), Cook (CD), Distin (CD), Daniels (LD), Ritchie (RM), Arter (CM), Gosling (CM), Surman (CM), Stanislas (LM), King (FW)

Bench: (GK) Boroc, Bennett (LD), Cargill (CD), O’Kane (CM), Pugh, (FW), Kermorgant, (FW), Murray (FW)

Depleted squad means some players will have to fill holes

The Cherries are fairly well stretched at the moment. They have players that are injured in every section of the team now, and so we may well see players filing in positions that they are slightly less familiar with, and the team will have to change a round a little just to give some players a rest.

We saw that at Man City Matt Ritchie was moved to the left to accommodate Adam Smith on the right wing. While Matt had a good game, I wonder if AFCB will get the best out of him there? The move probably had more to do with what Man City were likely to do than about how AFCB wanted to attack, but as the squad is now being fully-utilised there could be some surprises in where players pop up on the team sheet.

I'm sure it is not how Eddie wants to go about setting up the team. He'd rather pick a side that has the most potential for scoring goals and causing problems for the opposition rather than trying to nullify their threat on goal. Adapting the team too much though is not helpful. A settled side is what everyone will want if results are to pick up. There have not been many occasions when so many positions have been a bit of a question mark, but the injury list is adding to the selection issues and picking the best side is becoming a more difficult part of Eddie Howe's week now.

Joe Bennett is probably itching to play his part on the field on match day
even if he has been a great help already during training. 

It is possible that he might hit upon something that works in training that he can bring into the team, but I'd almost rule out nothing now as he looks for some solutions. It is clear that the utility players are becoming more evident in the team. O'Kane, Smith and MacDonald are getting game time now. Cargill, Bennett, Rantie and Atsu have not yet experienced the Premier League with AFC Bournemouth, but they are probably just seconds away from it now and it is going to be important for them they start well when they do get involved.


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Murray is fitting in well

Two goals in two games. It's not a bad start for Glenn Murray. Who said that the Cherries would be toothless in attack without Callum Wilson? While Glenn is a different type of striker he has shown that he is a powerful Premier League striker and is capable of getting the goals that the team need to pull them up the table.

Glenn has two goal in his last two games.

Glenn's goal against Man City came a bit unexpectedly. At the time the Cherries were 2-0 down and had been punished for their mistakes, but they were still playing their strong passing game and that is what really led to the goal. Some of the sweeping passes from Surman and then O'Kane just opened up the run on goal for Murray. It was one touch football and very crisp and clean movement that punches a hole in the Man City defence. Glenn still had plenty of work to do and ran strongly towards the box before hitting his powerful strike past Joe Hart who was beaten by the pace and accuracy from about 20 yards out. 

There was certainly a lot more balls hit early up to Glenn during the game and he is starting to look more at home in the team. That is a really big thing for the team to grasp hold of now. They know that they can hurt teams with Murray's finishing and he can finish in various ways with head and feet. Getting him into the positions to hurt teams is what Eddie Howe will be working on and it looks like Josh King is going to have to find a way of making the partnership work especially at home.

In some ways I am hoping that Glenn's form is encouraging for others. I'd also like to see a Christian Atsu or a Tokelo Rantie get some playing time running off of Murray. It is a bit early for that yet but we could well see that at some point this season. 

Shoot has released an article of mine on Harry Arter, possible Eddie Howe's best ever signing. You can read it at Shoot's website.

Will Eddie change the formation for City match?

I watched the last 20 minutes of the match against Watford wondering if the formation I was seeing would be that which took on Man City in a couple of weeks time. Josh King had just been subbed and Eunan O'Kane had entered the fray, which just left Glenn Murray on his own up front. It was not a usual way for the Cherries to play at home and yet I began to think it was giving Eunan O'Kane match time, and giving the team a session with five in midfield. Ideal preparation for City?

Well when Eddie Howe took his troops up to Anfield he decided not to flood the midfield and kept to his 4-4-1-1. Of course he had Callum Wilson available to him then and sadly he won't have that luxury in the City game. Having seen the Sky Blues rip Newcastle to shreds 6-1 at the Ethihad it would seem wise to come up with a game plan that might attempt to ensure that the Cherries are not similarly overrun. The skill will be to get the balance right. He won't want to stop the attacking qualities of the team from having a chance to give Man City problems and that would mean keeping some pace in the team to quickly support Murray if he does indeed play up front as a lone striker.

Will Stanislas get a recall as part of a pacey five-man midfield?

If he goes this way, don't be surprised to see Junior Stanislas getting a starting role on the left to give more forward energy to the team there, although King could be moved to the left having only played 30 minutes in midweek against Italy for Norway. In the middle there would be a place for Eunan O'Kane to try and stop the runs of Samir Nasri, now that Aguero is expected to be out. O'Kane could effectively try to man-mark like he did with Courtinhio in the Liverpool match. It would mean a lot of work for the three players in the middle with Gosling and Surman likely to partner O'Kane. We could see them alternating when it comes to forward runs to support Glenn Murray, but the main thing is they would have to be in and around Murray to pick up and possession. I also have my fingers crossed that we could see Harry Arter on the bench if his training has gone well this last week and the 60 minutes against a Colchester U21 side may have given him the sharpness Eddie is looking for. 

Man City will be strong out wide though with Stirling and De Bruyne pushing up, and we could see Francis and Daniels holding their positions further back than we are used to. If Man City's wingers don't track back though there is a possibility that the Cherries can get forward in the channels. Somehow, I suspect this is a game where AFCB will have a strong game plan as a point in this match would not only be seen as a success, and it would give the players a tremendous boost in confidence.       

My predicted AFCB line up:
(4-5-1) Boruc, Francis, Cook, Distin, Daniels, Ritchie, Gosling, O'Kane, Surman, Stanislas, Murray

Subs: Federici, Smith, Bennett, Arter, Pugh, Tomlin, King   

No place for Kermorgant for me, unless Tomlin or King has had a knock in training.

Refocussing on the positives

AFCB have had a tough last few weeks. The games have been close affairs but the points have been hard to win and while eight points from eight games keeps the Cherries on course There is a feeling that if they had just had a bit more luck it could have been 10 or 11 points for them at this stage.

The international break will give the team more of a chance to work out how they might best take on some of the big heavyweights in the league in the coming weeks. Man City and Spurs will be followed by a League Cup match against Liverpool and a derby against Southampton. I don't think I can remember a more exciting run of fixtures for the team and the challenge is really to progress in the cup and to get some points out of these games which are amongst the hardest on the calendar.

Everyone is going to have to be at a peak level in these matches and being a set of games that will see the Cherries be away from the Vitality Stadium in the main there will be a need to try and make the team play better when they don't have the ball and to be more reliant. On the road the team has been less able to reduce the goals against and clean sheets have been absent unless we count the League Cup match against Hartlepool. I think that has to be a firm objective that the players can try to improve on. A point away against either Man City or Southampton would be a good result and by keeping a clean sheet that can be obtained. 

Eunan O'Kane was back in action against Watford having missed out against Stoke.

The team selection also becomes a bit more of a challenge now as there are so many games coming up in just a few days. The whole squad is likely to be used and that could mean that we see a great performance by one of the players who has been on the sidelines a bit of late. I am hoping that we may see something of Joe Bennett as well as perhaps the return of Harry Arter.

Despite the injuries, the players have been committed to attacking teams and it is good to see that the mood is still positive in camp and that everyone is supporting each other. I had a word with Tommy Elphick just before the Watford match and while he said he would be out for longer than two months it was clear that he had accepted his own position and that he was just motivated to get back as soon as he could and to help the others. It is only the Norwich match that really saw the Cherries slump from their high standards, and if they can pick up some points in the next few matches we should see that gap from the bottom three start to grow.  

Who would be a keeper?

We'd better get it out of the way. Well Artur Boruc would like to clear up something. Sadly, he can't go back again though and clear up the ball that was presented to him at his feet last Saturday. He can't really blame a bobble on such an immaculately kept flat surface. A lapse in concentration and a far too casual approach to the situation was surely what scuppered Artur's mind when the ball came to him from Distin's back pass.

Artur simply made a mess of it and if you are a goalkeeper it will happen to you at sometime. The concern that Howe may have though is that Boruc's kicking game is not the best at any time and it is an area where we have seen him make some errors in the past. I don't believe you can legislate for such moments. They simply happen or don't but rather than pick on a silly moment it would be better for Boruc just to work on ways to help him think clearly when being closed down and to get used to just doing the simple thing if he feels pressured - row Z.

Put your foot through it Artur.

We have seen players like O'Kane lose the ball on the half way line and similarly get punished by the sharp finishing of Norwich. The game is cruel at this level and when you are the very last line of defence there is even more likelihood that by losing the ball to the opposition in front of goal there will only be one outcome. If it happens in a game when the team is cruising by three or four goals it may not matter so much but in these tight games it is a heart breaker. No one will be able to console Boruc for his mistake but it was helpful that he made a strong save from Anya in the second half that will give him something to take from the game.

AFCB need Boruc to continue to be confident and be bold as he come for many crosses to relieve pressure on the defence and he has steadied the defence. AFCB are in this together and Boruc will have better days and I am pleased there is a strong goalkeeping network at the club to push Boruc on to some great performances in the future.  

I think Artur will put the ball out of the stadium next time.

Out today is the All Departments' podcast that reviews AFCB 1 v 1 Watford. To listen in visit All Departments' website.

PremierTalk also has a view on Two managers out already

How quickly can the Cherries improve?

We've seen the Cherries have set back before. They don't tend to be for long although they have not been playing in this kind of company before. Getting over defeats is part of the growing pains that were likely to come AFCB's way at some point. Not making it a run of defeats is the aim now.

There were some parts of Saturday's game where I felt the swagger was there for the Cherries and during the first half they were setting the pace for periods once they had gotten past the first 15 minutes. Taking the game to other sides though needs players to cover positions and watch out for breaks and problems when the opposition have a quick turnover. It's something that AFCB did not do well enough last game.

Eunan has been rather in the line of fire but I believe he
will get to grips with the Premier League.

Making bad decisions and perhaps not creating the best movement ahead for passes to be made contributed to a loss of ball retention on occasions. Everything seems easier though if you can get the first goal and believe that you are playing the better football. It has been hard though for the Cherries to get leads in games with only two out of the five so far seeing AFCB getting their noses in front.  

Yann Kermorgant saw a bit more action against Norwich having also featured
earlier in the season against Aston Villa and Hartlepool.

An early goal against Sunderland is what will get the team back on a positive keel. The players know that they have to be at the top of their game. They'll know that they could have done some things better at Norwich and that their home form has to be improved upon. For that reason the match against Sunderland probably comes at a good time for the Cherries as it has to be considered a winnable game. UTCIAD!

Surman did not find it a simple return to Carrow Road

Out of all the players in AFCB's team it will have hit Andrew Surman harder than most that the team failed to get a result at Carrow Road. He'll know that when he plays well AFCB tend to play well and that kind of stable factor was absent for much of the match against Norwich. Out of all the grounds in the Premier League the match at Carrow Road will have been the one where he will have wanted to have shone as a former canary.

Andrew Surman at Dean Court.

Surman has had to do a lot of work keeping the Cherries pushing forward and looking for the penetrative passes that give the team that edge. WIthout Arter next to him he is perhaps taking on more responsibility but he'll no doubt be happier when he can team up with AFCB's number eight again. While Surman has been able to control some of the games so far he did not have all the answers to slow Norwich's advances and he'll be wanting to put that right in the next game.

It seems that Surman has to be the dominant player in midfield
at the moment for AFCB to get wins.

AFCB can't dwell on one performance that was just that bit below the high standards that they have set themselves. Sunderland are now the team that stands in front of them. Whether Surman continues his partnership with O'Kane or not, Surman will be the one that has the play maker role. Some sides may have worked out that by stopping him the Cherries are less effective as a unit and Surman will have to find ways to ensuring that he is getting on the ball and having an impact on the game.   

If the Cherries are going to step up, then Surman is one of the players that Howe will need to see having a big game. We know he can boss a game and this Saturday is a good opportunity to do that. UTCIAD!

Meanwhile, The Bournemouth Echo reports that AFCB are close to signing former Inter Milan midfielder Alessandro Cannataro (20) with Leicester, Crystal Palace and Watford also chasing him. Alessandro has been training with AFCB's Development squad.

I also noticed that the AFCBDirect shop is back online and looking a lot smarter.