Fraser, too good to go out on loan?

AFCB fans have not seen too much of Ryan Fraser in the last 12 months, apart from when he appeared in the stands having become injured playing for Ipswich Town. Now he is hoping to play a part in AFCB's second season in the Premier League, but will he get that chance?

Ryan Fraser would be great to see back at Dean Court.

I'd like t think so but the competition for him is stronger than ever now. Lewis Grabban's signing and the form of Junior Stanislas, Max Gradel and Marc Pugh don't leave much space for Ryan, while Ritchie has played on the right in most of the games this last season. If Juan Iturbe is on the way as seems likely then there is a vacancy, but Howe is probably more likely to bring another loan player in if it improves the squad. So is Ryan Fraser about to be disappointed again?

It is interesting that AFCB turned down any thought of Fraser being poached full time by Ipswich Town and hastily drew the young Scotsman up another new contract. There is promise in Fraser's feet and having won the young player of the month award in the Championship in his first month at the Tractor Boys you see he has a lot to his game and is more than good enough to fight for a space in any team at the top of the Championship.

Arguably he has done his time now though at that level. What can he do at the top level? We simply don't know. As an impact player he offers pace and movement that is admirably suited to AFCB's style so it is perhaps his time to do battle again with Marc Pugh and Max Gradel for the left winger's shirt. He can certainly learn much from training with the likes of Gradel and being of similar stature it may well be quite important for his game that he does get some time with Max. 

Sending Ryan out on loan again may well add more game time though to his legs and this will also make him a better player. But Ryan signed for AFCB and surely he wants nothing more than to put on the red and black shirt again.

Who has tired legs?

With just one game remaining you might expect the team that has run the furthest this season might be running out of steam. AFCB have always been up the top of the running charts and Andrew Surman has set the pace for most of the Premier League. He is likely to have played in every game this league campaign as will Simon Francis but the two players are unlikely to be taking things easy against Man Utd.

So who's AFCB legs are these? Think you know? - I'll tell you in the next post later today.

Recovery has been an important part of the game for the Cherries to get right in the top tier. While the intensity of games has not been like the Marathon of the Championship there has been moments when injuries have put a real strain on the squad. Dan Gosling and Andrew Surman have had to do a lot of the hard grind in midfield and are probably two of the fittest members of the team, but it has been evident that in the last few games we have seen some players getting some rest. Matt Ritchie has had a few sub appearances as well as Marc Pugh and Josh King. It seems the defenders have had a bit less rest though with Steve Cook and Charlie Daniels pretty much always being available.

There were some new legs that came in during January but we have not seen a great deal of Juan Iturbe. Rhoys Wiggins also has not had a run out for the team and may have known that that could be the case when he signed.

Meanwhile, Benik Afobe has been prone to making sub appearances rather than getting many 90 minute games and I imagine he will be trying to work out how he needs to improve to get ahead of others for the start of next season.

So when it comes to the last game, Eddie Howe still has options of fresh legs if he really needs them, but against one of the biggest teams in the world perhaps those who have played the best all season deserve their reward with a spot in the final game.

PremierTalk: Sunderland survive.

Transfer News
Jayden Stockley has signed a pre-contract arrangement with Aberdeen and Exeter City miss out.

When did Everton lose their way?

Like many fans of other clubs I quite like the way Everton play. They have some great players and the attacking style assures goals, but there has been a problem in defending their own goal and with the possibility of them finishing outside the top 10 it will be considered a poor season for Everton even if they have made two Cup semi-finals.

I think a lot of their problems started over the summer with the constant attention that John Stones was getting from Chelsea. He's just not come close to the form he had last season and with Jagielka and Baines missing a lot of the season, Everton did not find a solid platform from which to build some strong home form. Who thought we'd be in April and Everton would still only have four home wins? And look at those sides who they have beaten at Goodison - Chelsea in September, Sunderland and Aston Villa in November, and Newcastle in February. It's pretty poor return of wins for such a side that is full of international players.

One of Everton's headaches came at Dean Court earlier in the season
when they were 2-3 up in time added on, only to then find they
would leave the south coast with only a point.  

The form is even more staggering when you consider that Lukaku as scored 18 Premier League goals this season. It must be worrying for Evertonians hearing rumours that he could be on his way this summer. Ross Barkley (8 goals), Arouna Kone (5 goals) and Aaron Lennon (5 goals) are the next leading scorers and perhaps teams have worked out that if you starve Lukaku of service then Everton start to look a more average side.

Against Liverpool at Anfield there was only one team in the game. Funes Mori was red carded in that game so has a suspension to serve, while Gareth Barry was feeling an injury and Stones had a stomach problem. Eddie Howe will be clear in telling his players that this is a game they can win and even Roberto Martinez will know that another home defeat could spell trouble for him.

Everton Home Form
WLLLD

AFCB Away Form
WDWLW

The Cherry Chimes Newsletter will be out tomorrow.

Cherry Chimes' May Newsletter brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month, plus there is a special Newsletter article entitled: Will we see Juan Iturbe play for AFCB again?

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The worst possible kind of start for the Cherries

AFCB have had some quick goals scored against them this season. The Arsenal home game sticks in the memory when the lead was doubled in the period of 72 seconds, but it was rather heart wrenching to see the lads go 1-0 down after just 44 seconds at White Hart Lane last weekend.

Simon Francis and Steve Coook  at White Hart Lane.

The players seemed just as amazed as the fans, but they did not stop trying to play the way the team has all season and that is much to their credit and Eddie Howe's teaching methods. You can drill only so much into a team though and some times they have to stand up to what they face as best they can. I thought all the players were certainly trying their hardest to get some control in the game but Spurs were quicker, stronger and more accurate while their movement was keeping them a step ahead all the time. We have all probably been in games ourselves where you feel you are chasing shadows and that is really how it felt from the start in this game.

AFCB always prepare meticulously for matches. Any team can suffer an early goal. It was the fact that the team found it hard to respond to the first goal, because Spurs were so good that will be more difficult to swallow. The usual rhythm and attacking nature to AFCB's play was simply not allowed to flourish, and when there is no outlet the ball comes back pretty quickly as we saw. Had the team kept a clean sheet and defended well for half an hour it could have become another kind of match where fans thought the big teams are finding it harder to break our back four down. But it wasn't just the back four that was under pressure and the midfield players will have to consider why they could not keep possession for longer periods. I saw Harry Arter trying to understand the instructions he was being given by Eddie to withstand the onslaught, but nothing seemed that clear to understand on the day and the speed of the first goal really destroyed any game plan until the side could come in at half time.

Simon Francis was keen to point out that the players did not want it to be a case of being another chastening experience like the home match when they saw five goals fly past them. It was good that the score did not run up too high. Although at three goals up, Spurs already had what they wanted by then - all the points. AFCB's players do have pride and passion in their performances though and I did see an improved second half performance. Eunan O'Kane and Lewis Grabban were two of the main reasons for that and for players with points to prove this is a good time to get noticed. Let's see if Eunan gets a chance for the Republic of Ireland now that he has the call up.

Loan and International news 
Brandon Goodship has extended his loan at Yeovil Town until the end of the season. While Wales drew with Northern Ireland 1-1, Shaun MacDonald was an unused sub, Ecuador and Paraguay also drew 2-2 but Juan Iturbe was an unused sub and on Wednesday Artur Boruc was an unused sub as Poland beat Serbia 1-0.  Scotland's 1-0 win over Croatia did not involve Matt Ritchie, but he is expected to star on Tuesday against Denmark.

Republic of Ireland play Switzerland today at 19.45 and we hope that Eunan O'Kane is picked to play at Hampden Park.

Juan Iturbe will cause problems for teams

Our little maestro Juan Iturbe is already written into folklore at Dean Court with his own song coming out so quickly. He his a player that the fans can easily get excited about and at the same time wonder if he is going to do something that will cost the team. It was pleasing though to see him start to play with the panache and trickery against Everton that will endear him to even more fans.

Juan Iturbe with Ramario Funes Mori last weekend.

Juan Iturbe might not start many games this season and I can't blame Eddie Howe for holding him back a little and testing his feet in cup games  before the crucial Premier League run in. Juan is a flare player that needs to be playing in a confident side I feel to get the best out of him and I'd like to see him being played mainly when the side are in a good run. That only comes with getting wins though and while his individual skills may get him the odd goal or two, it is asking a lot to see him score wonder goals every week.

Matt Ritchie has added graft and energy to his performances and he is most likely to get the nod to start ahead of Juan in most games. But I see that Juan is an option now that Eddie can use in tight matches where the side need something extra to win the game. The attention that Juan received in the game against Everton was testament to the fact that Juan is acclimatising to the English game and his skill at beating two or three players is going to be a big asset when he is on the pitch. If he can also find the finish as well then Eddie has one heck of a player on his hands, but we have not see that yet in the first team games.

I'd like to think that Eddie has a plan for picking games now when Juan will be best used and games where he thinks he knows there will be no place for him. The more we get to know of Juan though, the more I see a player who very much wants to succeed and if he manages to do that at AFCB it will be one of Eddie Howe's best achievements this season.

Everton knock the Cherries out of the FA Cup 0-2

Match Report

FA Cup 5th Round

20 Feb 2016

AFCB 0 v 2 Everton

Attendance: 11,404

Could AFCB get their hands on the FA Cup this season?

The Cherries  left Dean Court after this game wondering what might have been. A saved Charlie Daniels' penalty in the first half and a Gosling header aimed firmly at Everton's keeper in the second were the best goal chances that the home side had to score. It was not enough to prevent Everton from going through with a looping, deflected, goal from England international Ross Barkley followed up by a smashed in second, from the Toffee's leading striker after AFCB's failure to cleared a corner. It could have been a different story but even with the glorious defiance of Sylvain Distin and some bright moments from Juan Iturbe, this was not an AFCB side that shouted that the FA Cup is a priority.

Young fans capture the excitement of the day.

AFCB before kick off.

Everton put out a strong team.

Lukaku, Barkley and Cleverely.

Tommy Elphick and Phil Jagielka.

There are more photos on Match Day Gallery.

Competition winner

Congratulations to @DrJDray who guessed the first goal going in at 52 minutes. That was the closest guess to the 55 minute goal by Ross Barkley and a pair of AFCB sweatbands are on their way to you.

There was some slimmer of optimism that the Cherries' long wait to break its 59-year wait to reach it's second FA Cup quarter-final could happen. The tie against Everton was at home, but most thoughts of an AFCB win were quickly dispelled when the team line up was announced. Everton were playing a star line up, but AFCB had rested several key individuals and in the end it mattered. 

Of Course, it was pleasing to see Tommy Elphick continue his match fitness regime with another game and the ever-young Sylvain Distin settle in beside him, but with Harry Arter and Andrew Suman removed from the team and no Benik Afobe on the bench, it was going to be asking a lot of the members of the squad who had not played many league games to beat an Everton side who had a grudge to bear after their draw at Dean Court earlier in the season.

Ross Barkley is ready to go.

First Half
Federici was soon in action in the Bournemouth goal as Romelu Lukaku stretched his legs and gave the ball to Ross Barkley on the right side to instantly try and shoot across the AFCB keeper, but Federici made a simple save. The game settled with Everton keeping the ball and the Cherries aiming to play Josh King in on the break. Juan Iturbe soon started to see a lot of the play on the right with Bryan Oviedo his main defensive duties of the afternoon.

Iturbe was playing well and fired in an early chip for King to reach but it cleared over the striker's head. Moments later the Argentine was on the ball again and ran straight towards the box before firing a shot wide on 13 minutes.

Everton were soon back in their stride though and won a corner off Tommy Elphick. While the ball was cleared, Juan Iturbe was caught by James McCarthy who was the first name in the book. Gareth Barry was next to give Iturbe some special treatment to try and slow him down.

AFCB were not holding on to the ball well enough in central midfield with Eunan O'Kane finding it hard to slip a pas to a colleague. Stanislas was similarly finding it hard to get fully into the game, but he managed a shot that flew over.

Everton playing on the break was an even more fearsome sight with Lukaku racing down the left wing and taking on Tommy Elphick, making it into the box and blasting a shot at Federici who blocked somehow with his legs and then saw the ball fortunately land straight into his hands! Ross Barkley was also taking aim and he shot over moments later.

A Bournemouth break had all the merits of a trademark build up with Gosling, MacDonald and Daniels fighting hard before Junior Stanislas had a chance of a shot, but simply failed to get his shot away in time. An even more dangerous move saw Iturbe nutmeg McCarthy and put Gosling in with a run but it was just too strong a pass.

Lukaku was an obvious problem for AFCB's defence but with Distin at the back it was like two heavyweights slugging it out and Distin was winning every round. Then on 35 minutes an AFCB corner was met by the hand of James McCarthy and referee Martin Atckinson point to the spot. The anticipation was tantalising as Daniels took his run and struck his shot. Robles guest correctly to his left and made a comfortable save while the follow up was a bundle with Francis and Iturbe heading the race, but the shot went over off the bar. It was a massive moment of the game and it had gone the Everton keeper's way.

The frustration may have got to Dan Gosling who was getting some stick from one of his former club's fans and he clipped Aaron Lennon to receive a yellow after a few multiple fouls. At half time it was surprising that it was still 0-0 but AFCB knew that the penalty miss was a big moment.

O'Kane and Golsing.

Iturbe and Funes Mori.

Second half - here we go.

Second Half
At the start of the second half Distin made another strong block of a shot from Aaron Lennon to huge applause. AFCB were able to push forward and to win a corner, but when the ball fell back out to MacDonald he could only screw his volley over the bar.

That was the signal for Everton to start upping their play. AFCB struggled to get a tackle in before Lukaku found McCarthy who shot at the side netting on 55 minutes. AFCB did not get the ball out of their half though and Lukaku made a good turn to find Ross Barkley and he played the ball out to the left for Tom Cleverely, before receiving it back and tried his luck from the edge of the box - his luck was in! A mean deflection off of Dan Gosling saw the ball loop up and over the backward stepping Adam Federici and right into the right hand corner of the net. It was 0-1 to Everton.

Very soon after it was almost two as Barkley put Lukaku through only for the offside to go up as Lukaku found the back of the net. Still, it was a good finish past Federici.

A little hope came when King was fouled on the edge of Everton's box. AFCB wanted to bring on Ritchie but they waited until after the free kick and Stanislas almost got the Cherries back in the game striking the wall and wrong footing Joel Robles. Sadly the ball just trickled wide of the goal.

Ritchie came on for MacDonald on 63 minutes and Stanislas moved into the centre. Iturbe had not been seen so much in the second half until he landed himself with a yellow for tripping up Gareth Barry. King followed suit soon after with a challenge that looked shoulder to shoulder to me with Jagielka, but Atckinson was not what you could call a homer. With time running out, Glenn Murray replaced Iturbe as the Cherries looked for the big man to cause trouble.

For a few moments Everton did look unsettled. Murray won a corner and while the ball went too deep, Stanislas recovered it on the right and put the ball back into the box only for Gosling, with a free header, to put it straight in Robles hands!

Josh King was running hard at defenders now and zipped past Funes Mori and pulled the ball back to Ritchie, but he blasted his shot over!

A strong run from Lennon saw him dash from right to left across Bournemouth's box before Barkley shot and the ball was deflected wide off of O'Kane. The corner ended the Cherries challenge as a back heel from Barry at the near post saw the ball run just three or four foot from the goal and while time stood still, just like the ball, it was Lukaku who responded first and smashed home Everton's second on 76 minutes.

Eddie Howe brought on Adam Smith for Dan Gosling and soon after, Everton took off Barkley and Lukaku with Mirallas and Oumar Niasse came on. The last 10 minutes saw shots fired wide by Ritchie and then Mirallas, while Roubles infuriated the home crowd with his time wasting.

The last gasp came when King running down the right whipped in a low cross in front of Stanislas, but Rubles got there first to smother the ball. After four minutes of added time the whistle went and AFCB were out of the cup.

The players after the game with Eddie Howe centre.

Defeat, but a better performance than last home game.

Distin applauds Everton fans in the Ted MacDougall stand.

Summary
While AFCB fans knew their side was up against it from the start we hoped for a competitive game. Everton were stronger and perhaps felt more confident that they could win the game. The penalty save was seen almost as an omen that it was Everton's day and so it turned out to be. Even Everton's first goal could be seen as fortuitous. The failure to clear the ball for Everton's second though was the low point of the afternoon for Eddie Howe. While the cup has gone, it really will be decided in the coming weeks whether it was right to rest so many first team players for this game in order to save the club's Premier League status. Wembley though is one place AFCB won't be headed in 2016.

Distin and Lukaku swap shirts.

AFCB
Federici, Francis, Elphick, Distin, Daniels, O'Kane, Iturbe (Murray), Gosling (Smith)
MacDonald (Ritchie), Stanislas, King

ACB Subs
Boruc, Pugh, Smith, Murray, Wiggins, Ritchie, Butcher

AFCB Ratings

Federici 6, Francis 6, Elphick 7, Distin 9, Daniels 6, O'Kane 5, Iturbe 8, Gosling 6
MacDonald 5, Stanislas 6, King 7

Everton

Rubles, Coleman, Jagielka, Funes Mori, Oviedo, McCarthy, Barry, Lennon, Barkley (Mirallas), Cleverley, Lukaku (Niasse)

Everton Subs
Howard, Baines, Stones, Mirallas, Niasse, Deulofeu, Osman

Referee Watch - Martin Atkinson: 4/10 disagreed with his yellow card for King and thought Iturbe was not that well protected by him.

How does Eddie inject new momentum into the side?

There is no easy solution to AFCB's problems in the Premier League but they can take stock with an FA Cup game against Everton this weekend and try and find a confidence booster by winning through to the sixth round. That would be an ideal scenario and while Everton are a string side, it is a match where the Cherries should be able to play with freedom and composure in front of a home crowd that wants them to go through.

Eddie has to keep the team going forward with his selections.

Building momentum is what this mad football game is all about. The Cherries have come to a grinding halt not only in terms of winning games but more importantly in playing to their strengths. Eddie Howe now has to find those strengths of high pressing, early runs and accurate shooting in front of goal. The difficulty is that the players that were not ready to put in a strong performance against Stoke may not be the right players to play Everton in the FA Cup.

Eddie can play a similar side to that which won through against Portsmouth to reward those players and he could also push some of the players that disappointed against Stoke back into the fray. Eddie does not tend to reward poor performers though, so it should be those who have carried most of the cup games that get the nod to play. It will give players like Distin, Elphick, Iturbe, O'Kane and Grabban a chance to push their case for the first team. Those that work hardest and play with quality are what Eddie Howe wants to see now. The past is past, but the future fixtures are unwritten and any of those in the 25-man squad can do their chance of playing in the run-in a lot of good by having a good performance this coming weekend.

There is no pressure on the players to win this game either. AFCB may be at home but they are not favourites in my mind against an Everton team that is used to getting to quarter finals and beyond. It is a day to try and write some new history in AFCB's cup story and to get a shot at quarter final in the best cup competition in the world. 

I just hope Eddie Howe says to his players - go out and enjoy it! Enjoy the occasion and play your socks off. Take the game to them and hit them as hard as you can and show everyone what a good side you are. UTCIAD!

It's too early to judge Juan Iturbe

There have been reports this week that Juan Iturbe has been sidelined by AFCB perhaps too often and could make a return to parent club AS Roma in the summer. From what Eddie Howe and the club have been saying though it is far too premature to judge Juan Iturbe's future just yet.

In midweek Juan played a very important part in an 8-3 win against a Leyton Orient side in an U21 game managed by Stephen Purches. Eddie Howe was more than pleased by Juan's efforts which included a hat-trick, the second time he has been in the goals in such a match, following on from his impressive showing against a Colchester U21 side last month. So why should articles be suddenly appearing questioning whether Juan is a right fit for AFCB?

Juan is still getting used to AFCB. He needs time to shine. 

Eddie Howe has stated that it will take time for any player let alone a foreign player to come into this side that has been together for several years. He also pointed towards Juan's fitness levels not quite being high enough for him to challenge for place yet, but he has shown in the Development games and in the match against Portsmouth that he can be a threat in front of goal and can be very good on the ball, even if the team is not always giving Juan the ball in the areas of the pitch where he can hurt other teams, 

AFCB have paid in the region of £1.1m for the services of Juan on loan until the summer and it is unfair to expect the young winger to be an instant success. We have seen Tokelo Rantie not manage to get in the squad for the second half of the season and even players that have lots of Premier League experience like Glenn Murray are not first picks every week. Iturbe is having to deal with a lot more than just playing well enough to get into the side and any time in the UK training with Eddie, Jason and Chris is going to benefit him and give him new ideas on his play. It maybe that it is more important to see how well he adapts to the English style of play and how suited he is to it and how receptive he is to what he is being taught than just how many games he plays for the first team at this stage. Nobody is yet shelling out £16m for him, so let's see how he goes.

In a few more weeks we could see a much fitter and stringer Juan Iturbe and at that stage he could be a big asset to the team as the fixture come thick and fast.

Iturbe is starting to see what he needs to deliver

Much of the eyes at Fratton Park were directed on Juan Iturbe. The Argentine play maker has had a tricky introduction to English football and getting him up to pace maybe the coaching squad's mist challenging task this next couple of months. There is pressure on Juan and on the staff to make this loan move a good one and while there is much work to be done we could see that there is potential in Juan to be that star player that AFCB want to deliver to the Premier League.

Juan looked a much better prospect at Portsmouth on Saturday.

Juan was propelled into the cup tie against Pompey in what would be a real test of his fitness and also his aptitude for getting stuck in and holding his own against a side that were not going to give him space or be afraid to put in a tackle or two. To his credit Juan quickly found the pace of the game and much of the Cherries' early good work came through him. He was the sparkle in what was a subdued first half from AFCB.

The moment that almost saw Juan get his first goal for AFCB was a heads up on Juan's technique and quality when he is given a bit of space. Standing on the edge of the penalty box he shifted his feet quickly and hit a very fast shot that had to be saved. It is a shame that it hot the post rather that found the bottom corner but you have to give the keeper the credit for that.

It was other parts of Juan's game though that took me a bit by surprise. He was winning headers, holding the ball up and really taking the fight to Pompey. It was a change from what we saw in his first game against West Ham. Yes, it was a lower level game but I just think this was more like the Juan Iturbe performance that has probably been seen in training and if so then it won't be long before he is pushing for a place in the team. He can track back and he does not hide from the ball. I have big hopes for him and if he can get a few games in the cup as well as coming on in the league matches he could soon start to find his song is sung a little more often from the stands.

The Cherry Chimes Newsletter will be out tomorrow.
Cherry Chimes' February Newsletter  brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month, plus there is a special Newsletter article entitled: Can Grabban be even better second time around?

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Have AFCB done enough business in this window?

This is a question that Eddie Howe and the club's investors must be pondering now as we enter the last few days of the January transfer window. Once the door closes that will be it until May and it is such an important second half of AFCB's first Premier League season that the ability to spend must be balanced with the need to try and build on what the squad has sensibly and not to buy just because the club can.

Already though we have seen AFCB bring in Juan Iturbe for £1.1m on loan, Benik Afobe for £9m and Lewis Grabban for £7m making a total spend of around £17m, which is more than many clubs have splashed out on. Norwich have signed four players (Naismith £8.5m, Klose, Pinto and Godfrey-18-yr-old), Newcastle have brought in two (Shelvey £12m and Townsend £12m), but Swansea have not yet signed a player and Sunderland have signed (Harper free , Kone and Dame N'Doye on loan).

AFCB got their business done earlier but is there one more to come?

What Eddie Howe wants to do is bring in players that are better than what he has already in the starting 11. It's no good having players that are not going to contribute and the 25-man squad will have to cover any injuries. The recent injury to Junior Stanislas has questioned whether Eddie will go back into the market again, perhaps for QPR's Matt Phillips but if Junior is only out for a few weeks I can't see the point of this as we know Junior can play well at this level and bringing in another untested Championship player is costly and untried.

At the back AFCB have Tommy Elphick coming back and the only lack of cover is really at left back for Daniels. But the Cherries have not been linked with any players in this position which is surprising unless we consider Adam Smith playing that role if he comes out of the starting 11 to allow Elphick to come in.

The midfield has been helped by the return of Josh King and Juan Iturbe's signing, while Lewis Grabban can also play out wide if need be. There has been no move for Jonathan de Guzman who now seems a possible signing for Swansea or Capri.

Goals are what the Cherries require more than most and Benik Afobe and Glenn Murray will soon hopefully be supported by a returning Max Gradel some time in February, but I still believe their is a space left for another striker having seen Kermorgant leave and Tomlin go out on loan.

Sadly, it does not look like Callum Wilson or Tyrone Mings will be back this season.

So I see the 25-man squad being something like this at the moment: 

Boruc, Francis, Cook, Elphick, Smith, Daniels, Arter, Ritchie, Gosling, Surman, Pugh, King, Murray, Afobe, Gradel, Stanislas, Iturbe, MacDonald, O'Kane, Grabban, Distin, Rantie, Allsop, Federici and one new signing to come? plus Cargill U21 player.

Plenty of passes - more AFCB chances needed

You can't help but agree with Harry Redknapp that this Bournemouth side plays some beautiful football in games. They are easy on the eye and can pass all day long it would seem, but they do need to have an end product as we have often said before. Against Sunderland there was a finisher on the pitch in Afobe, but the side did not find him easy to find when he was being so well marshalled.

Stanislas and Afobe linked up well for AFCB's goal in the first half at Sunderland.

I don't blame AFCB from playing their passing game and trying to keep the opposition on their heels for as much of the game as they can. Other teams can't hurt you when you have the ball. But many sides this season have found that playing more on the break has been profitable and when Sunderland started to come forward and attack the Cherries more in the second half, I thought it would help AFCB's prospects for winning the game.

Sam Allardyce is not stupid though ad he made his side sit fairly deep and John O'Shea kept a close eye on Benik Afobe for most of the match. AFCB probably needed a bit more trickery and that special bit of magic like Ritchie provided in the home match if they were going to win up at the Stadium of Light. It may be that in future games that Eddie Howe uses Juan Iturbe to try and turn these kind of close encounters, but I don't think there was a great deal more the manager would have done differently up at Sunderland as it was an important game not to lose as it was to try and win.

Picking moments to put certain players on the pitch is a chance to change the pattern of play and to try something different. This was not a game though where Eddie wanted to experiment too much. The side was well in the game and but for one moment could have easily come away with all three points. The possession game was almost a total success and there will be other days when it is more advisable to take more of a risk.

Transfer Watch
Well we did not have to wait long to see where Lee Tomlin would end up. A season-long loan to Bristol City is pretty swift action by AFCB.

Anyone know where Tomlin will be Saturday?

Lee Tomlin has had one of those weeks. I can't say if he has blown his opportunity to play at AFCB again or not, but if the club does not include him in the squad at Fratton Park then we'll know the reason why.

Social media is not always a player's friend these days and if Lee has fallen foul of it he won't have been the first or the last to have misjudged the situation in a rash moment of finger typing. Lee would certainly be a strong candidate to be picked for the FA Cup against Portsmouth if he was fit and was in everyone's good books. He needs games, everyone understands that, but I wonder if he'll be able put his head down now. Josh King was picked for the U21 match in midweek along with Juan Iturbe who rattled in a hat-trick, so with that kind of competition for places Eddie will not be short of options for Saturday's match if Lee is given time out to reflect on matters.

Out of favour Lee Tomlin is already being linked with
Leeds Utd and Hull City of the Championship and now Bristol City as well.

While the FA Cup may be seen as a proving ground for players though I'd like to see some of the other youngsters get a chance on Saturday. Jordan Green or Brandon Goodship could be among those who could make the bench and might get some exciting news this week if they train well. Now that Yann Kermorgant has departed, and Tokelo Rantie was injured at Birmingham, there should be doors opening for others. It is only right that hard work and ability be rewarded and we have already seen Jordan Lee and Matt Butcher benefit from playing in the last round of the FA Cup. We can see that Callum Buckley had a few minutes in midweek against Gillingham's U21 side as well as Keelan O'Connell and Jordan Lee. The big plus points though was to hear that both Josh King and Tommy Elphick came through the game okay.

The management of players is always a key aspect of running a successful football club and while Eddie Howe must reconcile the desire for the club to progress in every competition, he also has to balance that with giving the players that deserve it the opportunity to play. I think the squad selection for the Pompey match will be keenly observed.

Transfer Window swaps!
Just in case you do want chuck a few AFCB players out of the squad, have a go at the betway Premier League 16 Swap Shop. You can Tweet and Facebook your three swaps - not sure about the starting 11 for AFCB or the limitless budget, but it's just a bit of fun.

Gosling frustrated about box decisions

Dan Gosling's interview with BBC Radio Solent after the Sunderland match took on a familiar theme in respect to his clear disappointment at some of the decisions that players were making in and around the box. The players work on that though all the time and, when they are up against international defenders, they must know that they are not going to always find it easy to find a way through.

Dan is focussed on making better decisions in and around the box.

The play makers in the team are the ones that need the quickness of thought and Gosling himself is probably hardest on himself when thinking that there were better decisions to be made at times. My mind goes back to one part of the game in particular though when Junior Stanislas was fed the ball on the edge of the box and might have made one more pass to Arter who was in a great shooting space. Instead Junior shot himself and leaning back put the ball high and wide with a heavy sliced shot. There is no guarantee that Arter would have scored, but players don't get a coupe of seconds to think would it be better if I did this or that. It's more often instinct and on this day some of those instant decisions were just the wrong choices.

The options that Eddie Howe has on the bench included O'Kane and Iturbe, but they did not get a look in on this occasion. Sometimes I do like the directness of Adam Smith and Eunan O'Kane who often just run at the heat of defences to draw fouls and do something different to the switching of play from side to side with possession passing. A little more of that just may open up some of these teams in future games.

I mentioned before the game that AFCB needed to unpick Sunderland's organisation and in the end, it was just a puzzle that slammed shut. The team can find the answers though in future games.

My latest Shoot blogger article is now out - Cherries miss Tommy Elphick.

Is Juan Iturbe ready to scrap for his place?

The first sight AFCB fans had of Juan Iturbe was a second half appearance against West Ham which did not turn out as well as he or AFCB would have liked. Juan managed to have a few runs and had a shot turned round the post, but if Eddie Howe sees him as an impact player that can conjure up a goal with a moment of magic, it will be very interesting to see in which games Juan is played.

Juan may find he gets to play ball with the Black Cats this weekend.

Juan has much on his plate in having just moved to the town and having a new club to get used to, as well as a strange language and a new way of playing to learn in this AFCB side. It was perhaps a risk to drop him in at the deep end against a top six side like West Ham, but it may make it easier for him in away. It could arguably more difficult to see a new player find his feet in what will be a real scrap up at the Stadium of Light where there will be no hiding place. He'll find that he won't get much time on the ball and it is the pace of the English game that I believe is the hardest thing for foreign players to adapt to straight away.  

I had to laugh a little during Juan interview when he gave his first impressions of Bournemouth as a town. He noticed that in January it is cold on the south cost and was looking forward to the summer. I just though he might get a bit more of a shock when he visits Sunderland this weekend. He may feel it's not so bad training at Dean Court after all.

Eddie Howe certainly likes to have many wingers at the club and I guess Juan will have a big scrap himself just to get selected in the squad when players such as Max Gradel and Josh King are back fit. It is vital though that loan signings do contribute to the team I feel as unless they get minutes at the club it will make it harder for other loan signings to feel that they will get a chance when signing for AFCB. We have seen Joe Bennett and Christian Atsu, perhaps for no fault of their own, find it hard to make an impact on the pitch even if they trained and in Bennett's case was so often unused sub. 

I was watching Juan Iturbe on Saturday and wondering what was going through his head as we were coming up to 80 minutes or so when he was warming up with Shaun MacDonald. On this occasion he was not going to get the signal from the bench, but this Saturday could be different.

New AFCB Wallet up for grabs.

Score Prediction competition
Win yourself a new AFCB zipped wallet just by predicting the correct score line of the game between Sunderland v AFCB. Tweet your prediction to @PeterBell19 and follow.

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Transfer Watch
AFCB may be moving away from their interest in QPR's Matt Phillips with the Daily Mail now linking them with Motherwell winger Marvin Johnson.