Bournemouth reach sixth round of FA Cup beating Burnley 0-2

Match Report

Burnley 0 v 2 AFCB

9 February 2021

FA CUP Fifth round

Billing excels in Bournemouth's 0-2 win away at Burnley

The Cherries reached the sixth round of the FA Cup for only the second time in their history (the first time was 1956-57, even I'm not old enough to have seen that game) with a 0-2 win at Turf Moor. Jonathan Woodgate had little to be disappointed about, as Bournemouth kept a clean sheet and forged ahead in the first half with a beautifully crafted move with an overlap from Stacey who found Sturridge for the finish. The Cherries had to soak up lots of pressure in the second half but Billing and Pearson were great at snuffing out Burnley's chances and when Stanislas was brought down with just a couple of minutes to go, Stanislas made sure from the spot that Bournemouth would progress t the quarter-finals in the FA Cup.

Bournemouth made lots of changes with Stacey replacing Adam Smith, Rico came in for Kelly, Pearson made his debut replacing Lewis Cook, Billing was picked ahead of Wilshere, while Stanislas came in for Danjuma and Surridge took Shane Long's starting spot. Long was cup-tied. There was also a debut on the bench for Christian Saydee.

Burnley made eight changes from their last game.

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Match Description

Burnley played their usual 4-4-2, while Bournemouth set up in a 4-3-3 formation, that was a 4-5-1 when they didn't have the ball. Both teams had trouble keeping the ball early on. Vydra is caught offside.

Carter-Vickers is having to do some defending. Stanislas into Brooks, and Stanislas drives a shot wide of goal on nine minutes.

Burnley win a free kick on half-way. Stacey is looking dangerous on the overlap. Gudmundsson makes a pass back to Dale Stephens who shoots well over.

Bardsley shoots from rage but Lerm blocks it. Stanislas down the side to Surridge and Billing who has put it wide! 

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Chances at both ends. McNeil plays it into the area and Stephens shoots well wide. Rico goes long. Surridge in the area goes down from Long's challenge but there is nothing given. VAR is checking. It remains 0-0.

Billing puts it into Stanislas who turns and drifts the ball up to Brooks. He is away and Stacey overlaps and it's Surridge who puts it away 0-1 to Bournemouth just six yards out. 20 minutes gone. It's a slick and silky Bournemouth goal, great movement pulling Burnley apart.

Bournemouth are pushing forward. Pearson getting well involved. Options ahead of him. It's wide to Brooks and Stanislas back to Brooks, but he's lost it. Stanislas and Brooks are running the show.

McNeil wins a corner for Burnley off Pearson. Begovic punches away and the danger is cleared. 

Gudmundsson is the player Bournemouth need to look out for. Surridge again. Bournemouth look much better. Rico into the box but he loses out.

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The flag is up for Burnley who have a player offside. Long ball and Dale Stevens' header is almost an own goal but it's saved by Peacock-Farrell. Is it a penalty? Billing went down. No. Why not? Billing was flattened.

Gudmundsson crosses but Glennon is beaten by Rico. Burnley are pressing here. Steve Cook gets the ball away. A minute to be added on.

Benson comes forward. Dunne pumps it forward, Vydra and McNeil and Carte-Vickers gets in and Pearson is fouled.

AFCB Possession 46%, Shots 4, Shots on target 1, Corners 4
Burnley Possession 54%, Shots 4, Shots on target 0, Corners 1

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Second half

Bournemouth are slow coming out for the second half. Mepham is on for Jack Stacey. Carter-Vickers has gone to right-back. An awful cross from Rico goes out of play. Vydra is away and gets a shot off, but Begovic turns it around the post for a corner. Benson heads over at the near post.

Billing has a free header and puts it over from 12 yards. Bournemouth found the ball breaking to Brooks, he shoots from teh edge of teh box but it's driven over.

McNeil shoots from distance and Begovic makes a great save to his left, corner. Rodriguez misses from six yards. Dunne gets down the left, Vydra misses the ball and Rodriguez got right underneath Burnley's best chance.

Carter-Vickers concedes a corner. Bardsley shoots just inches wide. Begovic looked beaten. Another Burnley corner, but Bournemouth clear. Lewis Cook replaces David Brooks on 63 minutes.

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Westwood replaces Benson on 65 minutes. Cook runs well and Stanislas can't quite find Surridge. Pearson gets an important foot in. Lerma into Stanislas who chests it down but Surridge can't keep it down, corner. Carter-Vickers free header but puts it wide.

Billing concedes a free kick. Gudmundsson is off for Lowton,  Barnes is on for Rodrigiuz and Mumbongo is coming on for Vydra. Stanislas gets around Long and wins a corner.

Just 10 minutes to hold out. Surridge is offside. McNeil is booked for pushing Lewis Cook. The ball goes in for Billing who lets it roll of his back and Surridge edges down - penalty! Junior makes it 0-2 on 88 minutes.

Bardsley is booked for a late challenge on Pearson. Three minutes of added time. Lerma takes a booking.

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Summary

Bournemouth have found their new manager. If Woodgate isn't announced by the weekend, I'd be shocked. The pleasing fact about the game for me is that the players were not daunted by the task in front of them and they handled Burnley at arm's length. Begovic had a very quiet night and Billing's newfound confidence was a pleasure to watch. We are in the hat for the next round which is all you can ask for, quarter-finalists. Bournemouth now need to carry this form into the league campaign. The only disappointment was to see Jack Stacey injured.

AFCB line-up

AFCB Subs: 40 Dennis, 33 Zemura, 5 Kelly, 6 Mepham,
10 Danjuma, 16 L Cook, 26 Kilkenny, 32 Anthony, 65 Saydee.

Burnley
15 Peacock-Farrell, 26 Bardsley, 28 Long, 34 Dunne, 45 Glennon, 7 Gudmundsson (Lowton 74), 16 Stephens, 41 Benson (Westwood 65), 11 McNeil, 19 Rodriguez (Barnes 74), 27 Vydra (Mumbongo 74).  

Burnley subs
2 Lowton, 5 Tarkowski, 6 Mee, 10 Barnes, 18 Westwood, 25 Norris, 31 Nartey, 45 Driscoll-Glennon, 46 Mumbongo.

If Woodgate beats Burnley, he deserves the job

I have been looking over Jonathan Woodgate's CV with a fine eye. I was one of the first to ask, is he up to taking the first-team coach job at AFCB? But I've been impressed by his interviews and the way he is trying to simply get the job done. That job is winning games. He may not want the job and may just be open to whatever happens, but he's got AFCB's interests at heart and if he could manage a win in the FA Cup against Burnley tonight, doesn't he deserve the job? And perhaps, if he doesn't win the game, he still could be best placed to turn things around for AFCB. Perhaps the Middlesbrough job was a test he didn't come through, but he will have learned from the experience and clearly wants to be a winner.

The FA Cup returns

With managers like Frank Lampard and Scott Parker at Fulham ruling themselves out in media reports, it is quite possible that Bournemouth won't be overly furnished with lots of applicants. They may well have the right man already at the club. Beating Birmingham City who have been at the foot of the Championship table might not be a passport to a new manager's job but beating a Premier League club away from home would be impressive enough. I'd really like to see Woodgate manage another league match before a decision is made, but time is never on the Board's side and they'll want to name a new manager asap.

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The players need to know where they stand and the club needs to move forward. If Woodgate keeps saying the right things and winning games, it's hard not to see him given the position if he does want it. Good luck to him if that is what happens. But Burnley are in good form having beaten Liverpool and dominated the game against Brighton. They will see Bournemouth as easy pickings, so it is going to need a Herculean effort to get Bournemouth playing well enough to beat Burnley. The return of Stanislas is a plus point, but Solanke still looks unlikely to make the squad. On the plus side, Woodgate has experience in Shane Long and he'll be better more settled than in his first game and more used to the players around him.

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Bournemouth have a bit of an up and down record against Burnley. The connection of a rivalry has been there even before Eddie Howe's time at the Lancashire club, and the physical nature of Burnley has never gone down that well, although Burnley have taken players like Ben Vokes who we were happy to have in the side while he was at Bournemouth. It's not about individuals though for Woodgate. He needs a team performance and if he gets a win against Burnley and gets through to another round of the cup, he will already sit higher in the fans' estimates.

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Every manager has a honeymoon period. That is what I worry about. Will the results fall away as soon as Bournemouth appoint a new head coach? Two games is a short trial and yet if Woodgate seems right to the Board they will surely move quickly. A defeat in the cup would not be the end of the world, but Woodgate would have to choose his words well about the performance and be honest with what he thinks of the players from what he has seen both on and off the training pitch and match day performances. I think Woodgate will be honest and isn't afraid to say if somethings aren't right, like he did over the quiet dressing room. That kind of leadership might be what Tindall didn't raise enough with the players. I am open to be converted to a Woodgate supporter if he keeps getting results and keeps saying and doing sensible things.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - A win is a great win for Woodgate

Birmingham are just as desperate as AFCB for a win

Birmingham City are sitting right above the Championship's relegation zone and maybe feeling they are in with a great chance in this game when look at how Bournemouth have been playing in their last few games. Aitor Karanka would love to get a win over Jonathan Woodgate, who he tutored while at Middlesbrough, and he'll know that a defeat could leave Birmingham in the bottom three. Bournemouth will know that if they can perform to somewhere near their best, this is a game they should win, but a new manager, new signings and a lack of confidence could make lead them to further turmoil.

Will we see a new and revitalised AFCB?

Birmingham have brought in a few new players in January. They picked up Rakeem Harper and Yan Valery on loan, while Keyendrah Symmonds and Sam Cosgrove have signed permanent deals with the Blues. Birmingham have been having trouble scoring goals. Jeremie Bela is top scorer with three, along with Scot Hogan, but Lucas Jutkiewicz could keep his place up front, while Jon Toral could play just in behind the main striker.

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A 0-0 draw against Wycombe Wanderers away in Birmingham's last match might seem like AFCB have nothing to fear. But Bournemouth will be doubting themselves with the run of results that they have had. You have to go back to 16 December to find Birmingham scoring more than one goal in a league match and even then they lost 3-2 to Cardiff City. Their last away win was against Middlesbrough on 16 January, but then you have to go back to 9 December when they got a great 1-2 win over Reading. Yet, if Bournemouth had to pick a side to play next, I think Birmingham would be pretty high up in their wish list as they have only won one of their last 10 games.

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Bournemouth themselves have a couple of injury concerns with Solanke a doubt and Stanislas, who has an ankle problem. It may mean that Shane Long is given a start and Brooks and Danjuma might take up the wing positions if Stanislas is struggling. It seems that Cameron Carter-Vickers was putting himself about in training and he must fancy his chances for replacing Chris Mepham who had a shocking moment last game to give Sheffield Wednesday their opening goal. Midfield could also see a change or two with Ben Pearson perhaps given a start after the flat performance of Wilshere last game when he was subbed at half-time.

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Everybody should start with a clean sheet with a new manager, but I am sure Woodgate will know Bournemouth's main players well enough to ask them for a reaction rather than make too many changes. Tindall couldn't make them perform, what can Woodgate do? We'll have a good idea after this game. He'll boost his chances of becoming permanent manager enormously if he can find what is missing in this Cherries side. Here's hoping, as it seems a long time ago when the Cherries last won a game.

Birmingham City Away Form
WLDWD

AFCB Home Form
WWDLL

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Terry, Vieira, Howe, Lampard - is Woodgate really top choice?

Possible AFCB line-up

AFCB Subs: Dennis, Rico, Mepham, Smith, Billing,

Wilshere, Riquelme, Surridge, Anthony 

Terry, Vieira, Howe, Lampard - is Woodgate really top choice?

The last few days must have been like a whirlwind move for Jonathan Woodgate. At first, he is coming in to be a first-team coach at a new club and the next moment he is thrust into being the favourite to take over the manager's position and is named interim manager at AFCB. Last time Bournemouth's board didn't look much further than their own backroom staff, but could things be different this time?

Who can get more out of this squad of players?

Woodgate has a good CV as a player. He has played for England, Real Madrid, Leeds Utd and Spurs as well as Newcastle and Middlesbrough and a few others. Looking at his managerial career though, it's clear that he has only just had his first taste of management and was perhaps lucky to be in the right place to get the Middlesbrough job in June 2019. He had Roy Keane as an assistant manager and perhaps the good cop, bad cop, duo appealed to Middlesbrough with Woodgate a local lad. But it backfired within a year.

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It's true that Woodgate had to make a huge cull to his player list and many players were released or left on free transfers in July 2019. John Obi Mikel, Jordan Hugill, Steven Downing, Randolph, Flint, and Martin Braithwaite all left the club and were not replaced. Woodgate was sacked with eight games of the season to go as he failed to inspire the players who fired with relegation. At the time Boro were only above the relegation zone on goal difference. Middlesbrough ended up finishing 17th, but the team was supposed to be going for promotion.

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It was a heavy blow for Woodgate as it was his home club. He learned under Tony Pulis and wanted to change the way Middlesbrough played by getting them to play from the back, but Woodgate has admitted that they didn't have the players to do it. So does this make Woodgate a good fit for Bournemouth? I think he'll learn more about playing out from the back, but I don't see him as a good choice to be the first-team head coach or manager. He is not a leader yet and found the Championship hard going in his first managerial job. To add the pressure that Bournemouth have to win promotion is a step too far in my reckoning for Woodgate.

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Woodgate needs to learn the ropes. I hope he does well and wins games while he is the interim manager but he needs time and guidance and a senior figure to learn from. It's funny that Bournemouth legend Tony Pulis was the man to bring Woodgate on as a coach and Woodgate has ended up at Dean Court - it's probably no coincidence. But Bournemouth fans won't want to see the Cherries taking on a Pulis style again. It may be that Woodgate has only a very short stay at the club if Bournemouth do look elsewhere. Looking at Woodgate's record, the board has to ask themselves what has changed since Woodgate was the manager at Middlesbrough and is he full of the same kind of passion, enthusiasm and ideas as a young Eddie Howe was? if the answer is no, might the board still take the risk? They really need to find an experienced manager for this job who is good at getting teams promoted from the Championship. Of course, ironically Middlesbrough has one of those now in Neil Warnock. 

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And for those who say bring back Eddie again, let him move on. Eddie and Jason may pair up again to prove to themselves that they can get another team to the Premier League - that is their unfinished business. The Burnley record is what sits uneasy with Howe.

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But finding a new saviour for Bournemouth could land the board wondering if they take a chance on John Terry and Patrick Vieira. I think Vieira might be great manager potential, but it is more a popular media story than anything else. It would be a media frenzy as would Frank Lampard, and either choice would probably of little help to the players. I suppose we should be thinking how far AFCB have come to be linked with such playing greats as possible managers, but such a move would be a short-term gamble on big names that would only see AFCB as a stepping stone. I'd like to see Gary Monk or a similar type of manager come to Bournemouth. Monk taught so much to Edie Howe when he got started. Perhaps Woodgate could work under a manager like that.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Bournemouth had to make the change - but who is next?

AFCB's brave point will revitalise the team

There will not be many more hard earned points than that won at the Riverside yesterday. While going 0:2 up would seem like it was going to be a comfortable afternoon for the Cherries, bad luck and a dogged fight by the Middlesbrough team made it a very difficult 90 minutes for AFCB in the end. The fact that Boro did get their noses ahead 3:2 and looked like winning the game is what Bournemouth can draw on for inspiration in future games. They came from behind in the end and salvaged a draw.

Eddie Howe thought it was a very brave performance. "It was an excellent performance for us even if we had got beaten. We came here with a game plan to try and pass the ball and we needed to be brave and we certainly did that, some times probably too much... We went toe-to-toe with a really good football team and tried to out football them," said Eddie. "We had a great start and they showed their quality by coming back into it and then we showed great character to get a leveller.

"It is easy at that stage of the game to feel sorry for yourself." said Eddie Howe. "Be unlucky losers...everyone says unlucky and we go again, but the players showed great character from that point on we were the dominant team. We had a second wind in effect and scored a deserved goal."

The amazing thing is that that AFCB's third goal was more or less earned by Elliott Ward's presence in the opposition's box and his calm manner when being closed down. We have run a poll in the last week to ask who will be AFCB's first defender to score and most of you plumped for Elliott and he so nearly delivered, although the final goal was as an own goal by Jonathan Woodgate. To me it doesn't matter. The ball crossed the line and Ward had made a nuisance of himself up front as far as the opposition was concerned when the game seemed all but lost for the Cherries.

Eddie Howe could only shower further praise on the former Norwich defender: "He showed real quality and he's done that a few times when he has marauded forward and he's shown real quality. It was a really good goal, really well worked. A lot of our football was really brave today. We received the ball deep in our half under pressure and  that pleases me more than anything as we really have to be different. We really have to try and break the mould  to be successful this year an the players have certainly taken that on today.