A crucial goal from Pugh

There was a big change in the West Ham game when the 51st minute came up and Josh King was withdrawn for Marc Pugh to come on. It meant a change in position for Max Gradel as well as Pugh coming in on the left side. Gradel played much of last season up front and while he was excellent on the wing in the first half he added a new dimension to the Cherries playing with Wilson and also won a penalty. Yet, the factor that Eddie Howe says gave him great pleasure in the second half was Marc Pugh's finish for his first ever Premier League goal.

Pugh just keeps getting better.

A few moments before Marc had scored he had another great chance from the centre of the box but didn't catch it quite as he wanted and saw his shot go straight at Darren Randolph. I was intrigued that afterwards Pugh was talking to himself and looked really annoyed that he hadn't done better as he bounced the ball in frustration on the sideline to my right. Whatever he said to himself did the trick, because the next moment that he was in he took his time when other might have shot early and took it around the defender before preparing to shoot wide of Randolph. Time almost stood still while he was making those moves for me. I had expected Pugh to blast it past the keeper, but the earlier miss seemed to want him to make absolutely sure that he was going to produce a text book finish. Knowing that he had to be that much more precise is now something that should stay with him when in that position again and I'm confident that Pugh will again be one of the club's high scorers this season.

Pugh has continually defied the odds by keeping his place on the left wing and I hoped he would get time in the West Ham match having not started at Liverpool either. It was a game that I thought would suit Pugh as he has always performed well having been kept out of the team. I also thought that the fact that Darren Randolph was playing would be good reason to get Marc on the pitch as the thought of Darren facing the hat-trick man in the 0-8 demolition of Birmingham last season would surely have a slight impact on how West Ham's keeper would be feeling. Marc's personal record against Randolph is looking pretty good at the moment, perhaps he should play believing every opposition keeper is another Darren Randolph waiting to pick the ball out of the back of the net!

Ian Harte retires
It is a sad day today to hear that Ian Harte is hanging up his boots having left the Cherries in the summer. We wish him all the best in the future. There is an audio track from him talking to Talk Sport on the side bar of the blog.

Could Albanian left back be Harte's replacement?

Eddie Howe is going to have to find another left back to fit into the squad now that Ian Harte has been released. There are many aspiring British left backs that Bournemouth could seek out now that they have money to spend in the Premier League. Upcoming Championship stars include Tyrone Mings at Ipswich, Jake Bidwell at Brentford and Declan John at Cardiff, but what of Bournemouth's scouting overseas? 

The search to replace Ian Harte is on.

Eddie Howe was in Italy last week at Empoli FC and I was interested to see that on their books is a young 21-year-old called Elseid Hysaj who has been talked about as one of the best young players in Italy at the moment. He has now made more than 100 caps for the Serie A side and has amassed 11 caps for Albania. Priced at around £3m, he would be a valuable addition to the Cherries who need to push Charlie Daniels in the left back position.

The Empoli FC full back is cool under pressure when going forward and scores some great goals himself as you can see in this YouTube clip where he scores the second goal. A plus point for Elseid is that he can play at both right and left back and he is well known for his short passing which fits into AFCB's style of play. His contract at Empoli is said to run out in 2016.

Okay, Albanian Serie A players might be just a bit optimistic but at least the club has more ability to look further than just the home leagues now. Eddie Howe has long stated that he wants to buy British but the cost of some of the players he may want could force him to look abroad, and while language could be a problem for many foreign players coming to the club, there is no doubt that AFCB are looking for quality players in the top flight. Current favourite to come in at left back is probably Everton's Luke Garbutt but AFCB face competition from Swansea and Watford.

How much the club spends though is also being kept very quiet and while we saw AFCB make a £5 million pound bid last January for Demari Gray, anything over £3 million would be a record signing for the Cherries in the summer. There may still be some bargains about though. The Premier League release list comes out soon. Last season AFCB brought in Dan Gosling and Junior Stanislas on frees - watch this space! 

The Championship Run-In sees Norwich book their place in the Premier League.

You can't reach the Premier League without investing

It is clear that clubs have to invest to make it to the Premier League and AFCB have had a helping hand with the financial backing of Maxim Demin. While the Daily Mail has reported that the Russian owner has stumped up around £25m in the form of loans the club was far from being a major spender in the Championship in the 2013-14 season. AFCB met the necessary Financial Fair Play regulations set for the Championship and a loss of £10.3m in the 2013-14 season will be swallowed up by the successes of the 2014-15 season, although further outlay will have been made in the second return season to the Championship. 

Dean Court has seen much improvement, but to reach the Premier League the club
needed to invest in players, training facilities and infrastructure to compete with the best teams.

Some will have seen Maxim's support as a gamble, but with the talent of Eddie Howe and his coaching staff and the quality of the players that are at AFCB it was more of a shrewd business decision to back a football club that was headed in the right direction. In the last season there has been player investment with Artur Boruc and Kenwyne Jones joining the club on loan and there have been wages to pay for last summer's free signings of Junior Stanislas and Dan Gosling. It has been sensible investment though and the sale of Lewis Grabban and funds from the Adam Lallana move from Southampton to Liverpool have to be noted as well for bringing finance into the club.

Moreover, Eddie Howe and Jeff Motsyn have reiterated how the club could not have got where they are now without the support of Maxim Demin. AFCB still has to operate according to its means and player recruitment we have already heard from Eddie Howe will not see him spending 'silly money', which is not his. It is now important as it always has been to bring the right players in for the right amount of money and the club has announced today that seven players are being released by the club - Ian Harte, Josh McQuoid, Benji Buchel, Joe Partington, Mohamed Coulibaly and Miles Addison, while Darryl Flahavan has asked to seek first team football elsewhere. 

Maxim Demin's financial support will not be forgotten by fans just as the club will not forget the fans that gave all they had to keep the club in business during the dark years. This is a new era and AFCB have the opportunity to secure the club's future. The wage bill is going to be bigger in the Premier League, but as long as the club structures its spending and keeps within its means I expect to see some additions in the next couple of months that will give AFCB every chance to fulfil its next dream of surviving and possibly thriving in the Premier League.

Finally, a big thanks to those players that are being released by the club who all made contributions to the team and all the best for the future.

Subs not needed for Cherries

I heard a bit of disquiet about the non-use of any of the subs in the last match against Charlton. It is not often that Eddie does not choose to replace at least one of his wingers, or a striker during a match, but with a tough match against Reading to come, and a run of seven games in just 22 days, it might have been sensible to make a change, but the game was finely balanced at 1-0 against Charlton and Howe did not want to take that risk. 

Ritchie was full of running.

I saw Eddie Howe motion to Matt Ritchie with about 15 minutes to go to see if he was okay to carry on and he sharply got the thumbs up in reply. So it is not that Eddie did not consider bringing on Ryan Fraser or Adam Smith, and it can be a negative to change things when you have the upper hand. The last 20 minutes were handled fairly well by the side and considering that the players not involved in international games have had two weeks without matches, there must have been a feeling that some full game time was needed in this match. Against Reading things may be a little different and the subs are likely to get a run out as two games in four days might start to take its toll.

Fraser will be hoping to be part of the game on Tuesday night.

Of the subs named in AFCB's side against Charlton I would expect Ryan Fraser to be the most likely to get a run out at some point on Tuesday night. Ian Harte may well be pressing a claim to have some minutes against one of his former clubs, but Adam Smith is perhaps the one who will be able to add an extra bit of energy if the Cherries are in need of a boost. Dan Gosling can also consider himself unlucky at not being able to get into the side, and he may still be saved further for the Capital One match as he has done so well in that competition. Shaun MacDonald and Eunan O'Kane seem to be the ones missing out though of late, and their task of getting back into this squad should make training competitive.

Ian Harte has seen Charlie Daniels start the last few matches at left back.

We can also assume that Tokelo Rantie might get a few minutes in the Reading match as he should be fully recovered from his travels by then and an evening game would be a good way for him to draw on the atmosphere and to have a few bursting runs that will hopefully lead to a goal or two. I don't see too many changes though from the team that ran out against Charlton as everyone did their job well.   

Will Bolton win prove to be the catalyst for AFCB's season?

The immediate reaction to the win at Bolton from the manager was to hope that such an important result might inspire the team to get on a consistent run. The performances have been stop and start and, at times, the Cherries have looked one of the best and at others, one of the struggling teams when throwing away leads. Yet, for all the problems the Cherries find themselves only six points outside the top six and few good results would see the team start to impose itself higher up in the league.

All thoughts on Charlton now as AFCB prepare for their next league match.

It is the positivity that Eddie Howe will look to hold on to after the Bolton game. A defeat would have kept the Cherries down at around 15th, so the win has done a lot to lift the spirits. No team is running away with the Championship yet and the Cherries have a set of games coming up that could propel them back towards the pace-setters. Home wins will be essential and the team has to start getting the goals at home.

The strength of the squad is starting to pay dividens as Charlie Daniels and Ian Harte are both pushing each other and we still have not seen much of Dan Gosling or Shaun MacDonald yet. Eddie Howe is still playing much of the same team as last season and it is up to those on the edge to force their way into Eddie's thinking.

Whether more points on the board now give the team a chance to play with more confidence is up for debate, but the Cherries are putting themselves back in the running and while there are improvements to be made I think supporters can feel optimistic as we go into the winter period of games.
  

I am half way through reading Roy Keane's book and have just a released a new football News Hub story this week entitled:
'Roy Keane and Andrea Pirlo - understanding the midfield maestros'.

There's a struggle just to get on the bench now

While Steve Cook may be 50:50 to make Saturday's game it appears that players are queuing up to get a run in the side now. Tuesday night saw several players get some minutes who have not had much of a run at all this season. That can only be good for a Cherries side that is now looking to improve its league position and should have plenty of quality to bring on when Eddie needs to make some changes.

Shaun MacDonald has been patient with his recovery. 

Shaun MacDonald was back in the fold and he always gives his best when he wears an AFCB shirt. Playing in Wales would have no doubt pleased him, but he must keep the pressure up just to try and win a place on the bench at the moment. I have already talked about Dan Gosling who now looks attuned to AFCB's play and should be a starter in the near future. Whether Ryan Fraser was being rested on Tuesday or has a knock I am not sure, but I also hope we see more of him in the coming months.

Tokelo will want to get involved, but Pitman and
Kermorgant are probably ahead of him.

The hot position to call though for me is the left back position. Charlie Daniels has been the preferred choice when he is fully fit and while Ian Harte has played well (we will forget the penalty at Watford) I get the feeling that Charlie will be back in the first 11. He showed he has his running game back against Cardiff and getting a goal certainly will add to his confidence. It was nice to see that Ian Harte was equally enthusiastic about Charlie Daniels scoring - he certainly is a team man. 

Penalty dramas

AFCB have only won three penalties from what I recall this season at Huddersfield, Blackburn and now Watford. In a way, that the first penalty miss of the season had an effect on the third spot kick also being missed at Watford. Ian Harte has taken plenty of penalties in his time and it was a surprise that he did not score at Vicarage Road, but any one can miss from 12 yards. At least Ian is big enough to take the responsibility and he will move on from it very quickly. I think he was doing a favour in taking the kick rather than seeing Callum Wilson and Junior Stanislas standing there and having a bit of a discussion over who should take the kick.

The usual penalty taker is of course Yann Kermorgant, although he was only on the subs bench along with Brett Pitman, the scorer of the second penalty awarded this season at Ewood park in a 3-2 defeat. In fact, Yann has not taken a pot kick this season as he made way for Callum Wilson to see his shot saved at Huddersfield. While I remember Grabban having a spot kick saved against Watford at home last season, we have almost taken it for granted that when a Bournemouth player steps up to the spot he invariably scores. That is much credit to Grabban and Pitman who have been the most regular penalty takers over the last two seasons. Now it is all change and I hope the next spot kick is put away, or there will be more heartache for the fans to suffer.

Ian had the misfortune to miss a spot kick at Watford
but he had a good game otherwise.

The Watford match was also a match that could have seen some other penalties given in my view but Oliver Lanford waved away any further discussions for penalties. While Bournemouth themselves might have got away with one possible clumsy challenge in the second half from Francis on Anya, I certainly felt Wilson was unlucky not to see another penalty awarded after he went down for a second time in the first half. At least the Cherries are getting the ball into the opposition's penalty box and are causing problems and Callum Wilson is using his muscle and power to hold off challenges and create space for shots much better now. 

I don't think Harte's miss had a bad effect on the team apart from having the knowledge that could have been 1-0 up at the start of the game. Any disappointment was shaken off quicly and I liked the way the team just got on with things in another strong first half performance. Maybe next time Yann Kermorgant or Brett Pitman will be on the pitch to take the kick?

Stopping crosses on AFCB's left side

Charlie Daniels may have to do some more work on positioning to stop crosses over the short international break we have before the Championship picks up again. While the cross that came over for Nottingham Forest's winning goal against the Cherries had already seen Charlie beaten and it looked like Pugh was the last one to try and stop the cross, at Norwich it was Daniels who was left isolated and could not prevent the ball coming over to the near post for Grabban to head home. So the left side of AFCB's defence has been in question for a couple of recent goals, and it is something that the manager will have noticed.

Charlie Daniels did not play as many games as he would have expected last year and Ian Harte was on hand, as he is now, to come in when Eddie Howe wants to change things around. I still think that Harte has a lot to offer going forward from set plays, even if he may not have the legs to do quite as much as Daniels. If Ian can show that he is also stopping more crosses from coming in then he might get the vote sooner rather than later to start some games.

I'd like to see Charlie stopping more of those crosses
 from right wingers on the left side of AFCB's defence.

Daniels has to get more experience at Championship level as well though and while the team strives to keep a clean sheet it could well be one of the other defenders that makes a mistake another week. A slip, for example, by Steve Cook let in Jordan Rhodes for Blackburn's opening goal. Individual errors are usually just put down to bad luck most of the time, but when defenders are unable to track wingers and stop crosses or hold up play, centre backs become vulnerable and the Norwich game really exposed Steve Cook with Grabban sneaking in for that first goal. In essence, the centre backs need a bit of time to get in place and AFCB were caught out. But the art of blocking shots and crosses is probably not so heralded by onlookers for most of the time and it was interesting to see that Kris Temple of BBC Radio Solent was quick to say that Gosling and Arter were almost inseparable for man of the match at Norwich, and I am guessing that was more for their blocking play than what they could do going forward. 

AFCB need defenders to defend first and perhaps Ian Harte will be able to show soon that he still has plenty to offer in that respect.

What is happening with AFCB corners?

It may not take you by that much of a surprise to hear that the Cherries managed to stack up 17 corners against Nottingham Forest in their recent match with only two corners gained by the visitors in the whole 90 minutes. Still it is quite an incredible stat and it does ask the question what are Bournemouth doing wrong when it comes to corners, because they aren't scoring from the at the moment (I say this before the Blackburn game not know how that went).

Ritchie needs to start delivering some great corners.

Against Forest it was junior Stanislas and Matt Ritchie who took the majority of those corners, while Pugh and Fraser will also have contributed on occasion. We saw quite a variety of short corners, far post and penalty spot crosses but the likes of Tommy Elphick, Steve Cook and Yann Kermorgant could not get the kind of header in at goal that they would have liked to. Cook probably came the closest but was never close enough to trouble Karl Darlow in the Forest goal.  

So what are the Cherries missing? There is one very obvious thing. It is the kind of accurate delivery that we saw so well towards the second part of last season. But the player who made a lot of those crosses from the corner areas was Ian Harte and he is currently on the bench. It is a trade off for Eddie Howe whether he picks Ian Harte or Charlie Daniels as they both defend tenaciously and offer different things in the opposition's half. So far I have not seen Daniels at the kind of level that I know he can produce but whether that is getting back to play match after match or something else I am not sure. But I do hope that if Ian Harte is still making the difference with deliveries in training that Eddie considers him for some games as he could just be the missing ingredient to converting some of those ideal positions to score from corners. 

Not everything is going Howe's way this summer

While Eddie Howe usually has a lot of optimism and encouragement to give others I sense a shade of worry to his voice this week and perhaps a feeling that he is getting supporters ready for some possible disappointments regarding players down the line. How far talks have already been progressing with some of the players is starting to surface. We know Darryl Flahavan has signed up for another year along with Ian Harte and many of the players are on long term contracts. But we also know that bigger clubs could be in for some of them at any time and it appears that the Cherries are bracing themselves for a series of possible bids from other teams for some of AFCB's best players.

A few headaches are mounting for Eddie. 

In previous seasons it would probably have been greeted with some enthusiasm for a cash stretched club but when you are trying to build the team it is frustrating and disappointing to see what you were building being slowly taken apart. I already sense that the loss of Grabban is being felt more than was first signalled by the club mainly because signings like Callum Wilson are proving far more difficult to land than might have been expected. If the club loses Steve Cook and Eunan O'Kane as well then we are into a rebuilding project.

With Wolves sniffing around Cook it is important
 the Cherries offer him a salary to keep him at the club if Howe believes
he is the best man for the team at centre back. 

While some may worry about those potentially favourable for a move away it is noticeable that no other signings have followed Dan Gosling yet as we move ever closer to July and the pre-season friendlies. Not everything is perhaps going the Cherries way off the pitch and turning the transfer window into a successful summer is going to need lots of hard work.    

The fixture list posted yesterday was another difficult hand played out to AFCB with just about the toughest August line up they could have imagined. "We are playing a number of fancied teams in the opening month with three long trips in there as well," said Eddie Howe. Some good news would be nice to hear soon. 

All quiet regarding Eunan at the moment, but let's not talk about him too much.

It's crunch time tonight as England take on Uruguay. World Cup Chimes warms up by assessing what Roy will do with Wayne Roonie. If you are confident of an England win then check out the odds at FreeBetNegotiator. 

Is Daniels set to have a bigger impact next season?

Charlie Daniels did not play as many games as he would have expected last season. This summer is going to be important for him to get into the kind of shape that sees him playing more games for the first team. In the last couple of seasons there has been a bit of a worry whenever Charlie has got injured and has been set for a spell outside the team but his long term foot injury seems to be on the mend and now it will be games that he needs to be in tip top form.

AFCB fans now know though that Ian Harte can do an excellent job at left back if Charlie does have problems again. That kind of strength in depth is something that Eddie Howe always wanted to bring to the club. Still it will be good to see both players battle for the place in the team and with each of them offering a little something different there will be occasions when they are both needed.

A settled back four though is what I  would like to see. That may mean a bit more luck being required on the injury front, but when the team is settled it can really challenge as we saw at the end of last season. The linkage that Marc Pugh and Charlie Daniels have is also a key asset to the Cherries game when they are both on form and the club will need to get right up the top of the table early next season if it is to push for a higher finish.

Can Daniels add more zip to Bournemouth's play next season?

I would not say that Charlie is the most vocal of players when he is on the pitch but he certainly gets the team playing on the front foot. I believe the best teams are attack minded and that way your are always giving the opposition a need to worry - attack is the best form of defence as they say. I can't see the Cherries holding back next season. The best games last season involved our wing back pushing up and overlapping and getting that early momentum in a game is something that Daniels is particularly good at doing. Remember the FA Cup tie against Liverpool when he sped up the left wing countless times in the first half. We could just do with Charlie putting in many more performances like that next season.

Right then. My World Cup fantasy league did not get off to a big start today as I typed the name of the league for you all incorrectly!! Great one Peter! Any way you need to complete your team first at the FIFA/McDonalds' site and then search for - Chimes fans - in the league search to join up with other AFCB fans hopefully so we have a mini league. Best of luck, see you there. 

Are international call ups for some Cherries just around the corner?

We have had a few guest articles on Cherry Chimes and today I have another one for you. I was kindly asked by Irish-based AFCB fan Kyle Cotter if he could write a post to be featured on Cherry Chimes as he aspires to be a football journalist. I am always keen for other supporters to get their points across to other fans and so I am pleased to hand over to Kyle today. Here is Kyle's article.

Eunan O'Kane is already catching the eye of top teams.

After such a successful season back in the second tier of English football, we look at the players who could push on and make it for their countries. AFC Bournemouth have 8 full internationals in their squad already and I would love for these players to add to that and see other players get their dream call-ups.

A quick look at the Irish lads' records shows that O’Kane and Arter have both been capped at teenage level for the Republic and U20 and U21 in the case of Eunan O'Kane, but neither have yet to be called up by Martin O’Neill to the full international squad. For Ireland's friendly against Serbia Eunan was put on the stand-by list but never met up with the Irish squad. Earlier in the season we saw the Irish assistant Roy Keane visit the Goldstands Stadium for coverage of the FA cup game against Liverpool, in which O’Kane picked up the MOTM award and no doubt impressed the four times FA cup winner. The other Irishman, Harry Arter may have a more difficult task to get into the plans off Martin O’Neill due to him not being involved with his country since U19 level in 2007, but the amount of game time he’s getting under Eddie Howe can only help his case and at the age of 24 he has plenty off time to play for his national team.

Harry Arter is consistently raising his performance and improving his discipline.

Ryan Fraser is already ahead of most players at his age.

The curtain on Ian Harte’s international career closed at a time when he still had so much to give but at 36 years old now he will need something very special to break back into the Ireland set-up. It may also be something that he no longer needs if he wants to prolong his club football career.

Ryan Fraser is really beginning to pile the pressure on Scotland manager Gordon Strachan, he played 41 times for this season for the Cherries and with his youth and experience, he would be a great addition to the Scottish squad heading into the Euro 2016 qualifiers. Another player looking for a call-up to one of the home nations is Shaun MacDonald who has one Welsh cap to his name, but with being far from the first name on Eddie Howe’s team sheet Shaun could struggle to add to his tally unless he nails down a starting spot at club level. 

We're going to stay with the home nations and talk about Lee Camp, after representing England at U21 level he switched allegiance to Northern Ireland, whom he has 9 caps for but is no longer first choice. However, having played in all the matches for AFCB since 2 November 2013, with the exception of the Burton Albion FA cup match, when Ryan Allsop deputised for him, Lee Camp has been ever-present as the Cherries no.1 keeper and may just force his way back into international reckoning again.

Lee Camp could well get an international recall.

Shaun MacDonald could well have a part to play
in Wales' forthcoming European Championship qualifiers.

The only Cherry who has international caps outside of Europe is Tokelo Rantie, with 17 caps in two years, Rantie looks set to add to these caps for South Africa and keep the goals flowing for his country, which can only be good for Eddie Howe and his men.

Our last international is Benjamin Buchel, with 6 caps for Liechtenstein since 2008 he hasn’t exactly claimed the no.1 spot for his country, like Camp, Buchel needs to be playing regularly at club level to do the same for his country. Buchel has spent the season out on loan at Poole Town and will most likely have to leave Bournemouth on a permanent basis to gain first team football regularly.

If Eddie Howe can get this club to push on from last season and reach the play-offs or better, the rewards for these players could be endless.

Well, thanks Kyle for a good review of potential AFCB players who just might make full international for the first time or regain such an accolade again in the case of a couple who have fallen out of favour at international level. As an Englishmen Cherry Chimes is now off dream of seeing some AFCB players wearing the full England shirt, I suppose some will say Adam Lallana is a product of the Cherries' youth system and perhaps Danny Ings at Burnley could break into the England squad soon, if he does well in the Premiership next season. Who knows what the future holds? Keeping the international theme going, you can catch up with a preview to England's clash with Ecuador on World Cup Chimes - Florida's pressure cooker for England. 

Getting near the final rounds

We are approaching the final games of a great season for AFCB. Eddie Howe hopes the team can finish on a high and I think the supporters need that too after the games against Yeovil and Sheffield Wednesday have dented play-off ambitions. But even in these final weeks of the season the club is still progressing with the extended contract for Ian Harte and the possibility of one last surge to try and make it into those play-offs. 

There have been many sunny days at Dean Court this season.

In a way it is good to see the disappointment reflected in the player interviews after the Sheffield Wednesday match. We can see how much every game means to them and they can still look to beat two very big teams in Ipswich and Nottingham Forest, that would put a smile back on everyone's faces. That has been what the season has been about - beating the teams that a lot of us never thought possible and doing it with style and pride. It will be a shame when that final whistle is blown, but we will have had a good party and lots of shared memories.

Instead of looking down the table we are still looking up and the future for AFCB has never looked brighter than it is today. The team may feel like boxer who has given their all and is about to face the final three minutes, but as supporters we are still getting right behind the team and hoping that we can land one or two more big punches. The Ipswich defeat at the weekend has given another chance to all the teams chasing Brighton and there just could be a chance for AFCB to steal that sixth place.  

I am certainly not ready to throw in the towel yet and I hope you are not either because the Cherries deserve out support right to the end. We have our infltables already packed and we will soon be heading for Portman Road in good voice. UTCIAD!   

Is Daniels the man to make the difference?

Charlie told me he was fit and ready to go last night so it is
up to Eddie Howe now to decide when it is right to
bring him back to the team

Charlie Daniels has been out of the team since the 2-1 home win against Huddersfield Town in January. He is back now and training hard, but can he get straight back into the team in the last four games? I believe that he could have the energy and intensity to help AFCB reach the play-offs and has proved in the past that he can be one of the leaders on the pitch with his dynamic runs up the wing.

I would particularly like him to play in the Ipswich game when AFCB are going to have to be at their very best to pin back Mick McCarthy's team away from home. If that is to come true though Charlie will need to get some minutes in the Sheffield Wednesday game and getting into the team at the moment will be tricky. Eddie Howe will be balancing up the dead ball specialities of Ian Harte against Charlie's energy and Adam Smith's crossing and you could easily make a case for any of the three.

Will we see Charlie tomorrow? I expect him to play some part in the game.

But Charlie has been Eddie Howe's main choice for the last two seasons and barring injuries he has easily held down a place in the team once he has been given the chance of a run. The Cherries have not has a clean sheet for a few games now and if Charlie can put more emphasis on the team going forwards then perhaps the opportunities for the opposition to have a go at our defence will be more limited. It is just possible that Charlie's return is perfectly timed for having a stab at a top six finish. 

Speedy Smith - will he come into Eddie's thoughts now?

Adam Smith gave me and perhaps Eddie Howe something to think about when he came on for Ian Harte in the last half hour against Yeovil. He instantly made an impact with his running and intensity which no other Bournemouth player had managed to do in the first hour. It may be that Adam was hyped up and really bursting to play having been on the sidelines for so many games, but he played so well that he may have given Eddie Howe a reason to think about making more use of him now.

Adam has always been a quick player who likes to get up the wings and deliver his crosses. He put in a great one against Yeovil that had their defence in trouble with Webster questionably handling the ball as he tried to make a clearance. I like Adam's direct style and it was his introduction in the game that really saw the Cherries rally for the first time at Huish Park. Before that it was all a bit pedestrian and the urgency that he gave the team almost sparked an even better result. Ian Harte has performed magnificently for the team this year and it will be very interesting to see if he has the opportunity to play in all the remaining games. His delivery from corners and free kicks have caused teams so many problems and I thought his position would only be threatened by Charlie Daniles return, but now Adam Smith has come into the equation. I expect Ian to keep his place but we could well see more of Adam Smith in the second half of games from now on.

Adam Smith at Huish Park. Can he make an impact at the end of this season?

Pitman's magic minute!

Brett Pitman did not have much to do you could say on Saturday against QPR. A few stretches on the touchline and a warm up before the game and half time, followed by a lengthy sit on the bench with the other six subs. But to get called onto the pitch after 94 minutes is something that is almost impossible to prepare for fully. You must be thinking that's it for today, perhaps I'll get a go next week. Not so, you're on Brett and you have a job to do!

Brett only had a minute on the pitch, but what a minute!

Brett has always been a valuable team member despite his lack of time on the pitch this season. He is one of the few Bournemouth players who had experience of the Championship before this season and that knowledge will have been shared with his team mates. While he was the main man in form at the end of last season it hasn't really happened for him this season. It cannot have been easy for him, but he is still willing to do what he can when he gets a chance.

The way he sprinted onto the pitch in that final minute was good to see and he even tapped a couple of players hands as he made his way into the box. He and his team mates were keen to see him on the pitch and if you watch his movement, he made an intelligent move back onto the goal line when he could see that corner from QPR was going right onto the head of Richard Dunne. He must have had his heart in his mouth for a few seconds as he could see the ball coming towards him. It was not a moment to be indecisive though as an error would have surely meant a goal. Instead Pitman stayed calm and headed the ball safely away from danger only to get completely mobbed by his colleagues who had registered yet another major three points in the Championship. UTCIAD!

Ian Harte, you can't keep Ian quiet for long.

Finally, it was good to see Ian Harte pick up his player of the month watch yesterday. He is another player that is relishing every minute on the pitch at the moment.

Should Birmingham's second half goals give any cause for concern?

While AFCB won the game at St Andrews fairly comfortably in the end it was clear that a clean sheet would have been preferred. Birmingham showed that they had not given up on the points and once they had scored a goal they really came at AFCB hoping that the Cherries might crack. It didn't quite happen for the Blues but our defenders will not have enjoyed Frederico Macheda's excellent double strike.

AFCB players at St Andrews.

To be fair the game was won in the first half hour. Yet, a team must try and keep the form going if they are not to let the opposition have an opportunity to get back into the game. Ian Harte's goal would have finished off most teams but at this point in the season I don't think you ever fully kill off a team that knows that every point could mean the difference between staying up and going down or getting it a play-off spot or not.

Lee Camp almost had a horrid moment in the first half, after 10 minutes, when the ball
bounced against the post as Kermorgant tried to clear a corner.

I did not think that Lee Camp had much chance with either goal and as a whole Bournemouth defended well and played on the counter for most of the second half. I am not sure how much energy it takes up to play the way they have done in the first halves of the last two games, but it is asking a lot to tell the players to keep that going for all of the 90 minutes. In any case, once you have a few goals in the lead it is only natural that the players ease back a little.

Two goals against AFCB in the second half was a bit surprising considering how well the team had been doing but I don't feel it is a massive concern. Macheda looked a much better player than Zigic and worked well with Novak. If anything it gives Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall something to work on during the week and it's a reminder that no team is really out of a game until that final whistle goes. Getting back to keeping clean sheets will be critical against the next two opponents though. QPR and Reading will be more difficult opponents and AFCB may look to play a little differently against such strong attacking sides. 

It is worth looking out for tonight's Championship results as Wigan in fifth play leaders Leicester and Blackburn 12th host Bright who are just one place ahead of the Cherries. 

A great performance by the Cherries but the next
two games become even bigger now. 

All Departments gives AFCB fans another chance to think over how well the team played at Birmingham. You can tune in by going to the All Departments' website or by scrolling down the right hand panel to the All Departments' sound bar on Cherry Chimes.

Well done to those who spotted the Ian Harte April fool gesture to donate a pair of his boots to Jordon Ibe in this morning's post on Cherry Chimes. If you didn't spot it I am going to get worried about you lot!

Ian Harte off the mark

Ian Harte has opened his account then by scoring against Birmingham last weekend. I sent a message to him for the previous game hoping that he would score against Leeds, one of his former teams. He didn't quite manage it then but wasn't it good to see him do the business against Birmingham.

Ian gets his first AFCB Worldie!

The way the goal came to Ian was not quite how I would have expected him to score. It was a dead ball situation that I thought would give him the best opportunity. But the way the corner came back out to him gave him the time to move around a player before coming back inside to steer a curling shot with that magic left peg of his past Randolph into the top left hand corner of the net.

Heading practise for Ian and the other defenders.

It was typical of Ian to also offer Jordon Ibe a pair of his boots after the game having seen the Man Utd loanee have his problems with footwear during the game, when the first goal went in. I'm not sure if the former Wycombe player was always a fan of Ian's but hopefully he has the same sized feet.

In the last few games I have felt that Ian has certainly been playing his best football. The run of games he has had in the team has helped Eddie Howe to get the best out of him and we are now seeing why he has been a quality left back for the last 15 years. He has the ability to beat a player with some ease and he has been doing that on the half way line as well as around the box this season. But the real damage he causes is with that special left foot - too hot for him to touch was the message after he fired AFCB 0-4 up against Birmingham. He looked like he is loving it here on the south coast and I have already been pleading with Eddie Howe to give Ian another year's contract.

AFC Bournemouth released this YouTube video over the weekend. 
If you have not seen it, Ian Harte is in play-off talking mood.

While Charlie Daniels will soon be coming back into contention we hope, I would say that Ian Harte's contribution to the team has been more significant than many of us have seen. He has been there contributing to the clean sheets and he has been very solid in his performances. Keep it up Ian, Cherry Chimes is a big fan.

Look out for Michael Dunne's All Departments Kangaroo Court podcast this morning which reviews the win against Birmingham. Visit Michael's All Departments site, I'll put the sound bar on Cherry Chimes as well later today 

Birmingham swept aside by Cherries’ dazzling display 2-4! (video)

Match Report

Birmingham City 2 v 4 AFCB

30 March 2014

Attendance: 13,875 (including 1182 AFCB fans)

AFCB in white jackets soon revealed their Darth Vader black away kits.

Having seen Leeds blown away in half an hour at Dean Court in mid-week Bournemouth fans wondered whether Eddie Howe’s team could put on a display anywhere near as convincing against Birmingham away. They needn’t have worried. AFCB not only sparkled in the first half, they played glistening football that would have been seen as graceful and elegant in any European league. The fact that it was in the Championship is something that opposition teams can’t seem to cope with and it is pushing the Cherries towards their highest ever finish in English football.

Even I could see who was in the team for once.

However, I do give some credit to Birmingham who dusted themselves down after a first half battering and with a couple of substitutions made it much more of a game. But it was simply too little, too late. Eddie Howe’s team had swept them aside in a first half that was a real treat to the eye.

Does anyone actually want to play football?

AFCB made only one change to their mid-week line up with Eunan O’Kane stepping in for Andrew Surman. Meanwhile, Birmingham stuck with their 11 that have given them an away win against Millwall in mid-week. 

More pictures can be seen on Match Day Gallery.

First Half

Birmingham kicked off towards the away supporters’ end with Elphick and Francis in the early action against Ibe. Yann Kermorgant soon played Pugh into the box but Caddis cleared. It was clear that Ibe on the left wing would be Birmingham’s main ball out to start off attacks so it looked like a busy day for Francis.

Birmingham won the first corner after two-and-a-half minutes but Francis headed clear. Arter then fouled Shinnie on the edge box. AFCB put three players in the wall and Reilly and Shinnie lined up next to it only to break away when the kick was taken, but Caddis fired wide of the left post! It was close enough for the Birmingham supporters to think it had gone in.

AFCB went straight on the attack. After a quick move with Pugh, Grabban and Kermorgant involved, Ritchie came back on his left foot to fire wide of the left post after five minutes, although it must have been deflected as AFCB won a corner. After Grabban’s back kick AFCB win another corner this time on the right, but Pugh was offside.

Grabban was next to be flagged offside, but AFCB were getting a grip of proceedings and while Grabban fought with Martin, a throw led to Francis and O’Kane playing the ball up to Ritchie who crossed high and over the goal.

Birmingham won a corner on 10 minutes which O’Kane disputed. The kick from the left caused a panic in the box as Kermorgant clipped it backwards towards goal and a combination of post and Lee Camp almost pushed the ball into the goal but a big boot, probably Francis’ cleared the danger. Things were not exactly going AFCB’s way as Kermorgant fouled Ibe, but the ball in was too strong for everyone.

The ball out from Elphick then started what has to go down as another sublime goal by the Cherries. Bournemouth fans were shouting olays while Birmingham fans were booing the seasiders possession which switched from O’Kane to Gabban, to Pugh and Harte on the left and back to Grabban before a left sided cross to Ritchie, who fired in a shot that rippled the back of the net as he speeded in from the right. It was like a practise ground move. No Birmingham played got near the ball and AFCB were 0-1 up having stroked the ball around effortlessly before passing it into the net on 12 minutes!

Birmingham must have been a little stunned but they fashioned a move of their own that saw a right wing cross make Elphick scramble a header that fell to Ibe in the box but he crewed his shot over from about 8 yards out. That was a good chance.

While Yann Kermorgant received an injury he was soon back up. Arter was getting caught in possession, but Zigic was luckily offside. But it was just about to get worse for Birmingham. Spector’s header fell for Elphick and the ball went via Kermorgant and Arter over to Pugh on the left wing and his cross on 19 minutes was met by Grabban, who basically walked it into the net with Randolph sprawled at his feet 0-2. It had been laid on a plate for Grabban and he was up to 18 goals for the season.

Birmingham were not able to deal with the pace and penetration of Bournemouth’s forward play. It was lightening quick stuff and it happened again on 26 minutes when O’Kane and then Francis battled with Martin before Kermorgant released Grabban and with only the keeper to beat it looked like Grabban would go round him until Randolph brought him down – penalty! Where was the red card? It didn’t matter up stepped Grabban to smash his 19th goal of the season home high and to the keeper’s left – 0-3.

By this time AFCB fans were in full party mood and their glee was almost extended further when Ritchie shot wide on 28 minutes. The Cherries were not quite perfect as Francis also hit a cross too long, but otherwise you could not grumble with the cutting-edge that the team now has.

Kermorgrant was coming in for most of the punishment as Martin dumped him on the floor, not for the first time. Birmingham’s best hope seemed to be in getting the ball to Zigic, but even when he had it on the right wing his cross went straight across goal with no one there to put it away.

Shinnie was subbed on 32 minutes and Frederico Macheda came on for Birmingham. Arter picked up a foul while running at full speed on 35 minutes as AFCB looked to further dominate the game. AFCb wona corner a minute later and Kermorgant headed over. The next meaningful attack saw Yann cross to Grabban who went for a spectacular volley on the edge of the box but he did not hit the target this time.

Birmingham were starting to put more pressure on AFCB by bringing Blackett more into the game on the left. They were not having much luck on the right side because Ian Harte was having another good game as AFCB’s left back. There were a couple of handball shouts on the half way line first against Kermorgant and then against one of the Birmingham players, but time was clicking towards half time. That’s when Caddis won Birmingham a corner and from it Robinson rose well and I waited for the ball to land in the net only to see Camp make a last second save at full stretch to tip the header over! So at half time it was 0-3. 

Half time and all we can do is applaud - fantastic performance by AFCB.

Wow - what a great half.

I think Lee Clark was pleased it was only three!

Second Half

I expected a bit of a drop off in the standards set in the first half and while AFCB would not want to ease off you guessed that it might happen a bit. AFCB won a free kick in the 46th minute, but things remained fairly quiet. Both Grabban and Arter put in crosses that did not worry Randolph in goal. Cook won a free kick as play neared 50 minutes, but then Birmingham’s resistance went again. Francis won a corner and while Zigic headed out, Ian Harte took hold of the ball on the left again and as he stepped inside he hit a shot that curled superbly into the left hand side of the goal to make it 0-4 on 52 minutes.

That was about the last of the action for the big Birmingham forward who was subbed on 55 minutes for Novak. Kermorgant fouled Ibe on 56 minutes and Robinson took the kick from around half way. Kermorgant got a head out, but moments later Ibe put a header across and  Macheda got the ball under control and hit a fierce shot passed Camp – 1-4! Birmingham were off the mark.

The goal inspired Birmingham to win a couple of more corners and start to push AFCB back. Elphick was now heavily involved in winning headers as AFCB played on the break.Arter almost played Pugh in as he raced with Martin on 63 minutes but Martin was just strong enough to hold Pugh off.

Burke was next to go close with a shot that went just wide. Birmingham were winning free kicks and doing all they could to get back into the game. A trip on Kermorgant by Blackett bought some rest bite on 67 minutes.

AFCB then made a sub with Fraser replacing Pugh on 68 minutes. Ritchie had made his way over to the touchline and looked a bit surprised that he was not the one coming off. Grabban immediately won a free kick against Martin for shirt pulling and Fraser then had a battle with Blackett before shooting just past the left post on 70 minutes.

Two minutes later and Birmingham were celebrating again as Elphick’s clearance fell nicely to Mached and he hit a firm shot past Camp to make it 2-4.

Birmingham were not done there either. A good cross first from Burke and then by Spector was headed just over AFCB’s goal.

Grabban then missed a great chance to kill the game off as he chose to round the keeper instead of shooting straight away and his shot was blocked for a corner.

Bournemouth made another sub, changing Kermorgant for Surman on 77 minutes. Fraser then had a shot well saved by Randolph and Birmingham took Martin off and threw the dice by bringing on Lovenkrands on 78 minutes. Camp had to make a smart save to his right low down a minute later as Birmingham sought an unlikely comeback.

Fraser was getting caught offside frequently while Arter was doing his best to get on the score sheet. Ritchie was meanwhile defending well and when Arter was tripped by Caddis on 84 minutes, Harte played the ball wide to Ritchie to fire a shot just wide. Caddis was actually given a yellow card – I though the ref had left his cards in the dressing room for most of the match, although Grabban and Randolph had also been shown yellow during the game.

Apart from a Grabban break that won a corner, having seen him hold off a couple of challenges in the box when he could have gone down there was not much more incident. Six minutes of extra time seemed a bit over the top, especially as many of the Blues fans had already left.

Still, we played on and Elliott Ward ran out as Arter was subbed. Final score 2-4.

Eddie Howe's Barmy Army!

Summary
If you were planning an early summer holiday in May you just might want to hold off a bit if you’re an AFCB fan. The football that they are playing at the moment is exhilarating stuff. The presence of Yann Kermorgant on the pitch with Grabban is already turning into a dream partnership . Moreover, the team build up play for the first goal in this was exquisite. Ritchie is back scoring and even Ian Harte opened his AFCB account.

There is a game afoot – AFCB are playing catch the leaders and the momentum is building. At the moment you just want this season to be extended if you are a Bournemouth fan and with a bit of luck it just might be.

Francis clenches his fists in victory.

Is this a team that is even better than we think?

Eddie says - that one's for you away fans.

AFCB
Camp, Francis, Elphick, Cook, Harte, Arter (Ward 92), Ritchie, O,Kane, Pugh (Fraser 68), Kermorgant (Surman 77), Grabban

AFCB Subs
Allsop, Ward, Fraser, Smith, Pitman, Rantie, Surman

AFCB Ratings
Camp 8, Francis 8, Elphick 8, Cook 8, Harte 8, Arter 7, Ritchie 8, O,Kane 7, Pugh 7, Kermorgant 8, Grabban 9

Birmingham
Randolph, caddis, Blackett, Reilly, Martin, Robinson (Lovenkrands 78), Burke, Spector, Zigic (Novak 56), Shinnie (Macheda 32), Ibe

Birmingham Subs
Macheda, Lovekrands, Novak, Doyle, Lee, Ferguson, Rusnak.