Can AFCB end the bad moment they are in?

Eddie Howe said that AFCB are in a bad moment. The problem is that the next few games will take in many of the best sides in the league, and if Bournemouth didn't get points against teams below them, how are they going to manage it against even better sides?

AFCB can't afford to keep losing games.

The Christmas period has been good to the Cherries in the last few seasons and it needs to be good this season as well. The rut that AFCB are in has not been helped by the team changing constantly. Eddie Howe will probably shuffle things again tonight. Adam Smith will hopefully be back although Eddie hinted that he was glad to have Simon Francis back which may mean Francis is going to get the nod. Certainly Howe must be counting the days until he can put David Brooks back in the team.

But it is the defence that he is likely to be most concerned about. At times they were all at sea against Tottenham and it could have been an embarrassing scoreline. While the team showed fight, they still got nothing from the game and the league position is starting to suffer as a result. Bournemouth will be past, if they can't find away to get back to earning some clean sheets.

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The Crystal Palace game is a good opportunity to pick up points. Palace are good on the road but not always on top form at Selhurst Park. Bournemouth tend to enjoy evening games and it may just need a change in the environment for Bournemouth to knuckle down and get a result when they are not expected to. To get out of the bad moment, they need to play with better intent and creative play around the opposition box. It sounds easy, but of late Harry Wilson has looked the only player that has his focus fully on scoring.

I'd be happier if Josh King is back but I fear he won't be ready in time. Philip Billing is likely to get chosen over Lewis Cook, but Dan Gosling could also be in the shake up if Howe wants to radically change the starting 11. After all, AFCB haven't won any of their last three games and one of their last five away games. 

Crystal Palace Home Form
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AFCB Away Form
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Don't expect too much from Brooks too soon

The signing of David Brooks has a lot of the local media going a bit hyper about the youngster having broken Sheffield United's transfer record. While I am as hopeful as any AFCB fan that Brooks is going to be a great success at Dean Court, a bit of realism is needed before people get carried away. The midfielder has not played in the Premier League yet and it will take him a little while just to get used to his new surroundings on the south coast. 

David Brooks is the first summer signing for AFCB.

It would be great to find out a little more about what Eddie Howe sees as Brooks' role. If it is going to be a similar signing to Lewis Cook, then we can expect David to spend much of next season on the outskirts of the team. But Brooks is already a Welsh international player and he know doubt has aspirations of getting straight into the Bournemouth team to get that Premier League experience.

I get the feeling that much of Brooks first year at the club will be about learning from just being around players like Andrew Surman, Lewis Cook and Dan Gosling and trying to get up to their speed as soon as he can. Last season was Brooks' first season in the Championship where he played 30 matches. He had three goals and made four assists and it is asking a lot for him to immediately jump up another level again so quickly. 

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What we can see is that he has a bit of attitude and gets stuck in with his five yellow cards last season. He'll need to have no inferiority complex when he steps out at Dean Court, because he'll be up against some of the best players in the world. The likelihood is that Brooks will get his taster in the first couple of rounds of the League Cup and I don't think that is a bad thing.  


In other news, Mikael Ndjoli joins Kilmarnock on loan and the Sun links Lewis Grabban with £5m transfer to Nottingham Forest.