United closed the door on the Cherries

Eddie Howe seemed rather dejected that Man United had managed to find it fairly simple to block the way to goal when the Cherries tried their utmost to get back into the game having gone one-nil down. He had great admiration for Chris Smalling and Phil Jones who managed to master Callum Wilson's physical presence.

Eddie Howe only had words of acknowledgement 
and respect for Man Utd's two central defencders.

Man Utd's defenders also managed to keep the Cherries out by only picking up one yellow card whereas AFCB's discipline went a little with three bookings. The frustration did get to a few of Bournemouth's players as they were getting into shooting positions but not a lot was coming off when they needed that final ball. The spaces were just quickly closed by United's defenders and if AFCB learn anything from the game it should be to defend a little more like United did.

BBC Radio Solent' John Williams had another phrase for Man United's play "boring", although he did admit it was effective. While half of the attraction for people watching Bournemouth is that they like to entertain, there is part of the game that is aimed at destroying and breaking up good play and it is a side of the game that AFCB are still more novice at than some.

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What was impressive about United is that David De Gea was hardly needed. In the end he had to make two saves. But AFCB were not so far behind United in that respect with United only getting four shots on target. 

AFCB have found goals hard to come by this season. They now have a total of 41 goals this season which does not compare that favorably with 55 last season.

A week in the life of a Toronto Cherries Fan

John Lanari has very kindly written another article that he would like to share with readers of Cherry Chimes. 

In a previous article, I described how I became a live-and-die Cherries fan. Peter has asked for a follow-up on how a Cherries fan in Toronto spends game day. I am expanding that a little bit to describe the information that I have available to me – and it is quite a lot.

For context, we get about 75 per cent of all EPL games on cable television with a premium package. That also gets you some Bundesliga games, selected FA cup games, and the like. However, for CAD20 more per month, an enhanced package includes two-and-a-half hours of daily EPL analysis, anchored by Premier League Today, the remaining League games, and more Bundesliga. Some weeks, when the TV schedule is taken over by other sports, the League may be pushed to the networks’ streaming apps. So, I can say that I see every Bournemouth game, live, one way or the other. I was surprised to learn that that is not the case over there. The television coverage exists, so I am at a loss as to why it isn’t broadcast!

You can see the advantages of watching AFCB
from the warm of your own front room some days. 

Premier League Today is exactly what you would see, I suspect. Ninety minute segments include analysis by Matt Holland (ex-Bournemouth), Dion Dublin, Don Hutchison, Phil Neville, etc.. Game coverage uses UK announcers, and I do like it when we get John Champion or Tony Jones. I can also watch games not featuring AFCB, and there is always a rooting interest – typically against a team around us in the table, or better still, the occasional draw. There is no such thing as a relegation battle in North American sports.

Local analysts include names that you would recognize – Craig Forrest, Steven Caldwell, Danny Dichio – typically providing pre or post-game commentary and at the half. Support for AFCB has always been strong, based on the entertaining style of play, the “team first” approach, and the wizardry of Eddie Howe. Some doubt did creep in around Christmas this past year, when the comments went from “they have enough to stay up” to “we hope that they will stay up”. But the Cherries remain quite popular with the pundits and are recognized as “giving us a good game to watch”.

Because we are five hours behind you in the UK, Saturday mornings are especially sweet. Get up, record the 7:30 a.m. game, make a coffee, feed the cats, and listen to BBC Radio Solent for the latest news and starting XI. I especially enjoy John Williams and his take on the team. He was at his finest during the two Wigan games, registering absolute disbelief in what he was seeing. 

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The 3:00 game (over there) is done by noon here, so, at least during golf season, I am at the course by 1:00, boring my golf buddies about the latest Cherries exploits. The typical non-football fan (and there are fewer now, with the evolution of MLS, and especially here in Toronto) will say “how can you get excited about a game that ends up 1-0”. I can honestly reply that very little in other sports compares with the tension of fighting for a goal to get a draw or preserving that lead down the stretch when every point is precious.

Online information is found on NewsNow, Vital Football and of course Cherry Chimes, all of which get at least one visit per day. Through Cherry Chimes, I have located a group called North American Cherries Overseas, for Cherries fans in Canada and the U.S. I will join that soonest. I have registered for Vital Football but have not yet managed to figure out how to post, so if someone wants to guide me, please drop me an email.

The one thing that I cannot get is conversation with friends over a coffee or a beer to discuss the latest AFCB events. And, of course, getting a ticket to Dean Court (the Vitality Stadium) may be nigh on impossible. But I’ll keep hoping!

You can email John at: jlanari@rogers.com

For those not braving the cold Yorkshire air this Sunday, live build up and TV coverage of Huddersfield v AFCB starts at 11.30am on BT Sport

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Surman and Willo are not getting carried away

Andrew Surman was quick to say that the team is not safe yet. It is beating the teams around AFCB that are pulling them away from the bottom three and there is another chance to do that on Saturday against Swansea City. This will be a game where there will still be a lot to play for and the Cherries will be trying to ensure they play as well as they did against Southampton at home.

Surman is still concentrating on the next game.

There are only five home games to go for AFCB and the players will want to improve the record of wins at Dean Court to finish that bit higher up the league than the fans would have expected. While April is seen as the month when AFCB are likely to find wins hard to come by they still have much work to do this month and thinking just about Swansea City has to be the focus.

"We've been going into every game the season believing we can win, we did it today and now we will be looking forward to Swansea. We are just learning as the season goes on. It's the first season for most of the players in the Premier League and you've got to learn quickly."

Willo on BBC Radio Solent equally had no doubt that it was a fantastic result against Newcastle, but he reminded everyone that there is still more work to do. He was also clear that you need to be at least two goals ahead in this league to be comfortable and that will be the same when the Cherries take on Swansea.

"We can't worry about other people. We worry about what we've got and we've got 35 points now I believe," said Willo. " I think 40  is what I have said all along to be safe. We're getting closer, but it's still very difficult."

Score Predictions
What are your score predictions for AFCB v Swansea City this weekend? Send in your score predictions to @CherryChimes on Twitter to be in with a chance to win an AFCB autograph book. It is free entry. Please make it clear the score you are giving to each team.

If more than one person picks the correct score we will draw a winner from a hat and the prize will roll over if nobody gets it right.

10 cup finals for the Cherries to go

It's that time in the season when Willo usually has his first look at the fixtures to come and what might just be achieved this season. I guess he will have a happy smile on his face when he does look at the table and those remaining cup final fixtures that AFCB have ahead of them. In some ways it is the best and worst part of the season, as if you play badly everything can fall away in just a few games, but if you get it right to peak at this time when you're already in a great spot then the rewards are almost unimaginable for a club like AFCB.

The Fulham win was massive for AFCB and now they have momentum.

Planning out the next 10 games though is rather a lot to take in one go and I expect that Eddie will be looking at the games in small clusters of two and three matches and trying not to look too far ahead. The next two matches are perhaps not as likely to be as testing as the upcoming Middlesbrough and Ipswich matches, but they are no less important and Blackpool and Cardiff need to be beaten on the pitch and not in peoples' minds so there is lots of work to do and AFCB can't sit back and think things are just going to happen for them after the Wolves and Fulham wins.

I'm interested to see if some of those who have not played as much can play their part not just in training. The likes of Eunan O'Kane, Dan Gosling, Shaun MacDonald, Baily Cargill, Junior Stanislas, Ryan Fraser, Ian Harte, Elliott Ward and others may just be the ones that seal a promotion and there is every chance that one of them could do something very memorable in the next few weeks. We don't know what is to come but as long as everyone is prepared to excel if given their chance AFCB should be in a very good place. 

UTCIAD!
It is good to see that the AFCB youth team are also doing well under Carl Fletcher and Joe Roach.

The Cherries didn't want to come unstuck

This is the most difficult pint of the season for any team. The league has taken its shape and the need for wins is crucial because any slip ups seem magnified as everything is so tight at the top. I am pleased to say I have not wanted to check every game that Derby, Ipswich or Middlesbrough have coming up as it is all about AFCB now and the performances they put in. That is the beauty of being top of the league.

Okay, no new signings but the squad
has stayed together for a promotion push.

When we get down to the last 10 matches is when Willo traditionally says he looks at the table to see where AFCB might finish. I suspect that he might have already had a sneaky look and I don't blame him for that. The pressure on the players though is high enough. They know exactly where they are and how close they are to creating something very special. It's up to them to make it come true and I think the recent defeats against Leeds and Norwich City have refocused their mental drive to be on it for every game now. The players have seen their league lead come down to goal difference but they'll soon have more chance to widen the gap when they take on Derby at home.

The table could have looked much different had Watford won at Dean Court last Friday. The gap to seventh place is something that Willo said was important, as like all AFCB fans we are always looking at worst scenario first and the team has to try and be sure to at least get at a play-off spot. A few months ago that would have seemed unthinkable for such a club as ours, and yet now six place and a chance to go up through the play-offs is not something that we quite see as the main aim now. By the way Willo, you are busted if you know how many points clear of seventh place AFCB are!

It is the home form that needed to see an improvement for the Cherries, and now that it has I sincerely hope that some wins against the main rivals near the top of the table will see AFCB over that winning line come 3 May.

While some fans will be disappointed that no signings were made apart from Artur Boruc in the January window the important fact is that none of the first team squad was the subject of interest from other clubs and now the squad can concentrating on achieving what they want to this season. It would have been great to add some momentum with a key new signing like Demaria Gray, but sometimes a new player can spoil the balance what you already have. Somehow I imagine that the large amount of money being banded about could also be put towards some important ground improvements over the summer instead. The loan window opens in a week as well so there is plenty of options for Eddie Howe if they are needed.

Finally, let's hope that Eunan O'Kane recovers quickly after sustaining ligament damage in the Watford game.

50 goals up:sparkling Cherries are in devastating form

I bought a new car home on Saturday and was rather pleased with my purchase and yet i won't remember Saturday 20th December for that. There was something gleaming and shiny that was noticeable that day, but it was not something with four wheel, it was the polish with which an AFCB side finished off a Blackpool team that needed points more than any other team in the Championship. 

The Cherries are on target having scored 50 goals already this season.

John Williams at BBC Radio Solent said it all when he commented that: "This is not pretty football, it's devastating football." Bournemouth had just put six goals past Blackpool and in all seriousness it should have been double figures. But how did  Bournemouth get this good? Fellow Championship managers can forget their jibes about finances and this not being 'Little Bournemouth anymore', there is more than just money being thrown at this squad to do well. They are working harder and playing their passing faster and faster as they speed towards their goal. Liverpool showed them how they need to be slicker and more precise in their build up play and that knowledge was consumed and exacted on a Blackpool side that was unable to cope, and by the last 20 minutes of the game the Tangerines hanging on just to keep the score down.

These are very intelligent players at AFCB. Eddie Howe has them playing well but they are the ones on the pitch that are setting their own standards now. While they could have put in a limp performance after going out of the Capital One Cup they used that disappointment to achieve what Eddie Howe himself admitted was probably their best performance so far this season.  

Again there were five different scorers in the team for the second weekend in a row and the total of 50 goals at this stage is a sure sign that 100 plus goals is not beyond reach of a team that is now trying to power its way to the Premier League. Forget about hiding beneath the radar. AFCB beginning to win fans everywhere for their entertaining style, imaginative manager and dedicated backroom staff.  

All Department's podcast is out which reviews the 1-6 win against Blackpool. See All Departments' website or scroll down the Cherry Chimes' side panel until you come to the All Department's sound bar and click on it to listen.

Rantie starts to feel at home - must be the weather!

It was great to hear that Tokelo Rantie have a good evening at Dean Court last night. The value of strikers in this league shows itself all the time. Huddersfield were lacking their main forward while AFCB could bring on their highest costing striker to win the game. At some points during the evening there were worries that the game could have been abandoned, but thanks to some frantic forking before kick off and half time the pitch just about stayed playable.

Rantie breaks his home scoring duck.

The conditions were terrible at the Goldsands stadium last night but it was a battling effort that won AFCB the three points. Huddersfield goal keeper Smithies made three amazing saves in the first half with Ward, Arter and Ritchie especially going close. Marc Pugh was said to run himself into the ground on the wings where it was treacherous under foot. It was Pugh who won the first opportunity to get AFCB on the score sheet and this time there was not many complaints from the Huddersfield players when he went down in the box. The pressure must have been on Grabban more than ever, to take the spot kick having missed his last one. At least this one was at the other end of the pitch in front of the north stand and with him slotting away the kick it looked like AFCB were well on their way to a home win.

TK could do no wrong against Huddersfield and was cheered after scoring.

It wasn't just the weather that was making it hard for the Cherries to get that home win though. Huddersfield are a good footballing side and they were able to strike back quickly through Calum Woods and yet again I had that sinking feeling that it might not be AFCB's night after all.

For some reason Willo who is always confident that TK can do the business was even more sure that Rantie would score when he came on. And surprise, surprise Rantie wasted no time in finding the back of the net with the help of an upright. While it was a battle to the end this win makes a tremendous difference not only to the look of the table but to the players' confidence. Now the home games are starting to bring points and TK is going to feel a lot more at home after this.

Rantie is interviewed after the match.

The Cherries are hitting form

Just watching back the second goal at the weekend that Grabban lashed in against Sheffield Wednesday had commentators Kris Temple and John Williams on BBC Radio Solent more than a little ecstatic. It was not until I could see the highlights that I could truly appreciate the part that Harry Arter played in the build up to the goal. While Kris and Willo explained that the pass was exceptional and played with the outside of the foot to curve back in towards Grabban's run, it was even better than probably Arter could have imagined - it was inch perfect.

Arter's pass to Grabban was a beauty for AFCB's second goal.

Grabban has shown that he is usually good at running the lines to collect the ball, but does not always make the most of such opportunities. But he was like an Olympic athlete at Hillsborough, speeding to the ball with electric pace. His hunger and desire was great to see and even the finish was made to look very simple when in reality he had very little to shoot at, but blasted the ball in at the near post. 

The pleasing things I felt about the whole move was that both Harry and Lewis were on the same wavelength. They knew what they were trying to do before the picture developed and making that kind of space was no fluke, it was part of a game plan to spring Grabban when the opportunity arose. Just a few moments earlier Ritchie also tried a similar pass to Grabban, so the team is looking to play this way.

Grabban on target yet again.

Another good game from Surman. That is three starts in a row now although he was
subbed at half time in the Birmingham match.

Having seen the move back again it was good to see that it was Surman that initially won the ball tackling back to give AFCB possession in the first place, while he also had an assist with the first goal from Ritchie.

It is all very well to say our strikers should be scoring every once in two or three chances but doing it is a different matter. It would be easy for players to have become a bit despondent in recent weeks but as Steve Claridge admitted, on the Football League Show, with AFCB having come through a sticky spell , "they have shown a bit of character and fight to turn things around." I think that's the most praise our players will ever get from Claridge. 

Anyway, AFCB players are starting to show that they can play with grit and determination especially when trying to get that all important first goal. AFCB soaked up the early pressure so well on Saturday and awaited their chance to play their football. When they did, they were clinical, first shot - one nil up!

Is this the springboard now for the Cherries to start winning even more games? I don't see why not. The away form is simply stunning at the moment, even if the clean sheets have not quite materialised. It is possible that the knowledge that Connor Wickham was not playing for Sheffield Wednesday probably gave our players a boost pre-match, but even more pleasing was the way that they coped with a heavy pitch and players that were very much playing for their shirts with a caretaker manager taking keen note in their performance. AFCB were more often than not first to the ball, winning headers and playing with pace and great accuracy despite the sandy pitch. I am hoping that their latest win will remind them a bit of that run they went on last year, because if they can do anything half as good as that it will be a very successful season back at this level.  

What are AFCB fan's expectations for the season?

Eddie Howe pointed towards saying that expectations had been raised with AFCB's good start to the season. However, with only one point from the last three games AFCB fans can quickly see how the table can change and it may be time to revisit what this season's expectations should be for the newly promoted Cherries.

Bournemouth players have given supporters reason to get their hopes up.

Willo at BBC Radio Solent said: "We have to take the rough with the smooth. Expectations have been growing around our place a little too quickly." Somehow I don't feel that AFCB fans should lower their expectations greatly. If we expect to suffer losses against the bigger teams than we probably will. I want fans to get behind the Cherries and drive them as far up the table as they can, just like any AFCB fan.

What I think Willo and Eddie are getting at is that the home support needs to stay with the team. Even if we are losing we should be getting behind our team, they can't do it on their own. I felt sad that the crowd was quiet on Saturday and expected the team to just perform, we have to give them everything we can to lift the team. 

A home defeat to Bolton was not what the bookies were forecasting, and if Bournemouth had not performed a bit below standard, it is not unthinkable that they could have got something from this game or even won it.

My early expectations of finishing 15th doesn't look far out at the moment, but that doesn't mean AFCB have to settle for safety this season. I saw more promise and excitement in AFCB's performances at Leicester and Nottingham Forest than at home against Bolton Wanderers. I thought Bolton were one of the poorer teams to come to the Goldsands this season and yet they took all three points. While AFCB were in this game they could not find the consistency of performance that would really worry Bolton at the back.

What position do you feel is obtainable for AFCB this first season in the Championship and has your opinion changed in recent games? You can tweet me @peterbell19 and I'll post the best replies.

My good friend Michael Dunn has also posted his Kangeroo Court on AFCB v Bolton so visit his site of listen on Cherry Chimes - the side bar has the podcast.

Chasing Cherries could become the chased very soon

There is now a distinct possibility that the Cherries could reach the summit of League One within the next few days or weeks if they can continue on their latest winning run. While Eddie Howe has been saying for weeks that the club is playing catch up and that it hoped to sneak up almost unnoticed into a position where it was in contention, there is no doubt that the club is now threatening a raid on the top two automatic League One promotion places.

Pessimists may wonder would we be we hitting the front too early? Will the team run out of steam just when the ultimate goal of promotion is in sight? In the past I may have had similar concerns, but AFCB is a club that has been dealing with the pressure of being the big spenders in League One and has got to grips with that expectancy of both the home supporters and the fact that opponents see the Cherries as a big scalp these days.

Another factor that gives me optimism is that this team will not be happy to hang in for just a play-off place. They have been doing well against the top teams. A look at page 62 of this weekends' programme for the Pompey game shows that AFCB are ranked No 1 against the top half of the League teams - W6 D5 L5 and when scoring first they are ranked 7 - W13 D3 L1 and even ninth when conceding first W1 D6 L5. You can see why Eddie Howe says the first goal is so important - most games in this league are won by those who score first!
This team is not like the Cherries team that had to hang on to a top six place two seasons ago for a play-off place. They have the ability to push on and make this league theirs in my opinion. The coming weeks will see if they achieve this.

BBC Radio Solent were also asking John Williams on Saturday whether not to finish in the top two places this season and go up automatically would be a failure? Willo replied that he didn't think it would be a disaster if the Cherries did not get promoted this year as the investors had planned for either going up this season or next season. Ten games into this campaign it was hard to imagine that the Cherries could even make the top half or play-offs but they are well in the mix for top honours now.

Certainly a switch in mentality will be required if AFCB do start to sit at the top of the league. They will no longer be the chasers but the chased. It comes with its own pressure as we can see in Tranmere Rover's recent results. Doncaster Rovers too are finding it hard to get away at the top and it remains to be seen if AFCB can get there and focus on keeping a winning run of games.

Make sure you log your predictions as to which three teams you think will win promotion out of League One this season - see poll on the side panel.