I always say there is never a dull day at AFCB and if this is a typical week then you can see why. Not long after we had been celebrating a win against Burton and had the dangling carrot of a Liverpool tie now firmly in our grasp than Wes Fogden leaves the club permanently for Pompey. While the blow had been softened earlier in the week by Eddie Howe's comments, it will be strange not to see the enthusiasm and energy of Fogden running himself ragged around Dean Court. We wish him all the best at Pompey.
Then as if there is no time to dwell on past heroes we find out that there are some familiar faces returning to the club. No less than Joe roach and Carl Fletcher! Again it was not a huge surprise because the news waves had been busy talking of a possible return for the pair but it is great to see that Eddie Howe is building a club with strong characters around him who are good professionals and will do everything in their power to make the club succeed, because they have been and still are AFC Bournemouth through and through. It is hoped that they can share in some of the future success as the club moves forward. I hope the lads in the AFCB Academies realise how lucky they are to have such knowledgeable teachers.
Of course we are all still ecstatic about the next round of the FA Cup and by the pictures of tickets already bought on social media sites, it would appear that season ticket holders are keen not to miss out on the visit of Liverpool FC. While it is just one day in a packed calendar year of fixtures, it will be a day to savour I am sure no matter how AFCB do. And optimism should be high before the Cherries take on the Mersyside Reds, because AFCB have nothing to lose and can really go out and enjoy the occasion which may bring great rewards if they can snatch an upset or a replay.
There will certainly be a buzz around the Goldsands stadium on Saturday for the visit of Watford as well. These are great times to be a Cherries fan and around each corner there seems to be another surprise. Who knows what lies ahead before the end of January, more new players?Stay tuned. UTCIAD!
AFCB fans saw the door open for someone to replace Chris Hargreaves at the club this week and with Shaun Brooks and Paul Groves also leaving there is a ground swell of opinion for the return of Joe Roach. In the last few days the Twitter trending for Roach to come back has been strong and the talent spotting experience and teaching ability of the master trainer is something that Eddie Howe will know all about and hopefully will not ignore.
Having overseen the development of players like Sam Vokes and Danny Ing that are doing so well in the Championship at Burnley, as well as Josh McQuoid and Brett Pitman at AFCB and many others, it is easy to see why Joe is so much in demand by the fans.
This week the Echo reported that Joe Roach was among those being considered for a position at the club and it will be excellent if he does decide that he has unfinished business at AFCB. Joe resigned his position in June 2011, when Eddie Mitchell was chairman, having had more than a decade at the club. I only hope that there is no remaining issues between Joe and AFCB. Hopefully Eddie Howe can speak with Joe and get him on board, because this would be a very popular decision and I believe it would give the structure of the club much firmer foundations going forward with the youth squads playing the attractive football that AFCB supporters have known and become accustomed to.
It is also rumoured that Carl Fletcher could make a return to AFCB, having left Conference side Barnet FC, so it is hoped that there is some good news along these lines next week.
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