Who will be AFCB's goal saviour?

The task of saving Bournemouth from relegation will fall heavily on all the players, but the biggest pressure will surely be on the strikers. They are the players that will need to score the goals to win games, and this time there is no second chance. Bournemouth either have the goal scorers or they will fall short.

Callum - this can be is moment.

The team will automatically look towards Callum Wilson as the main man. He has perhaps had one of his weaker seasons in the Premier League, but he is capable of getting on a goal run, and AFCB will need him to do just that when the games resume. Callum has been focussed when Bournemouth have been up against the odds in the past, but if he gets the goals to stave off relegation his value will rise significantly. I believe he has the ability to rise to the occasion, and if the team need anyone to be at the very top of their game when they do come back, it is Callum.

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While Callum will want to take responsibility for much of the goal scoring, Bournemouth will also rely heavily on Josh King and Ryan Fraser. The Cherries have not seen as many penalties as they might this season, but King needs to be practicing like mad not at slotting away those 12m shots. At least he can do that with a set of goal posts in isolation. Repetition is capable of making an task easier, and King like Fraser will want to get familiar with hitting the back of the net. It is worrying that Fraser has only felt that scoring thrill once this season, but he could leave AFCB having known he was part of the reason why they staved off relegation this season. It's going to be hard for Fraser just to snap into form, but he has this time to focus on the task and regain his belief.

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While we could see goals from Harry Wilson as well helping the team, it may be down to David Brooks to really be the secret weapon in the remaining games. While Brooks has hit great heights in the Premier League, he is still probably one of the players in our team that has had the least games against other Premier League opposition, 30 in all. Some teams won't have worked him out totally yet, and that could give him the advantage over others to get those all important goals.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Will AFCB feel pressured to train soon with other teams already starting?

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AFCB injury crisis shows no sign of slowing

According to a report in the Bournemouth Echo, the Cherries have been hit with another two injuries before the start of the season. David Brooks has suffered ankle damage from the match against Brentford when he was subbed on 71 minutes and Lloyd Kelly is said to be out after suffering ankle ligament damage in training. Where does this leave AFCB?

Brooks out for three months!

David Brooks is likely to undergo surgery which could keep him out for more than two months, while Kelly is expected to be out for a shorter period, but will miss the opener against Sheffield United. Eddie Howe will be reshuffling his player options ahead of the first match now with long-term injuries to Simon Francis, Junior Stanislas, Lewis Cook, Dan Gosling and Charlie Daniels. Steve Cook has also not played in pre-season yet.

It makes a mess of AFCB's preparations but Howe will have to come up with a plan to fill the holes. It is probably good news for Jack Stacey who may get to play in his preferred position of right-back while Adam Smith could be shifted to the left-back position as he was for several games last season. The right wing position is now most likely to be filled by Jordan Ibe who at least has looked sharp in pre-season, but wouldn't have expected to be in front of David Brooks. How far off Charlie Daniels is from being ready we may find out this weekend.

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In some ways it might be lucky that these first two games are against two newly-promoted sides but only if AFCB get the wins. If the injuries make it more of a level playing field then it could be a tough start with, who knows, more injuries, which would put extreme pressure on the players. Those like Harry Arter who might have expected a permanent move or a loan move may find that they options are cut short now with the problems that the mounting injuries are providing for selection. One player that won't be recalled is Brad Smith who has been able to continue his loan in the MLS with Seattle Sounders.

In other news, the Bournemouth Echo claims that AFCB are closing in on the signing of Dutchman Arnaut Danjuma of club Brugge rated at £13.7m and the Sun claims AFCB are preparing a £25m bid for Liverpool's Henry Wilson. AFCB may well have been forced in the last few day to consider Henry Wilson, knowing what we now do about David Brooks is out for so long.

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Cherry Chimes' August Newsletter brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month. It's out tomorrow, with special story - Have AFCB got enough quality?

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