Is it wise for AFCB to sell Lewis Cook?

Football Insider has claimed that Bournemouth have put a £15m price-tag on Lewis Cook as Leeds United are said to be interested in bringing him back to Elland Road. This would be a £9m profit for Bournemouth compared to what they paid for him, but would it be the right time to let Lewis Cook go out of the door at Dean Court?

Lewis Cook will surely be tempted to rejoin Leeds Utd.

I believe Lewis Cook would be the perfect English midfielder to help get Bournemouth into the play-off positions next season or even better. He has never let AFCB down and is tenacious in the tackle and insightful at finding through balls. For me, he'd be a player that fits the bill for making Bournemouth a class above many other Championship sides.

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The boot is on the other foot now though Leeds United have the financial clout to meet the asking price and Lewis Cook would surely enjoy a return to his previous club and to keep playing Premier League football.

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For Bournemouth's point of view, they ave to be careful who else leaves from central midfield. Andrew Surman has already been released and you have to worry about Lerma wanting away, while Billing and Gosling are perhaps the central midfielders who we might expect to be part of things at AFCB going forward although Aston Villa are thought to be interested in Philip Billing. S too lose Lewis Cook would leave a bit of a hole and I'd say £15m is not enough to put top clubs off picking him up. Lewis Cook was always under played I felt during Howe's reign and could easily want off himself.

Of course, Bournemouth will have been impressed by what Nnamdi Ofoborh did at Wycombe Wanderes last season, and it could be in JT's mind to give him a run in the Championship. So perhaps the central midfield area is not looking so bad, especially if Lerma doesn't move. I think Bournemouth fans would be pleased to keep one of either Lerma or Lewis Cook. To lose Lerma, Billing and Cook would certainly be a major rebuild for AFCB.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Fixture excitement at the challenge ahead for AFCB

Ramsdale can be expected to be in demand this summer

All the football gossip columns are starting to look to who might move clubs this summer and there are links already emerging that Aaron Ramsdale will be heading the list of several clubs including Leeds United, Tottenham and Chelsea. While Bournemouth's best hope of retaining Aaron is to keep their Premier League status, even then there could still be some keen interest for Bournemouth's top shot stopper.

Aaron may be walking on different turf come the end of the summer.

The rise of Ramsdale has been sensational. It is hard to think of another player that has come into the Premier League and looked so at home so quickly. The pressure that comes with playing in goal is no doubt higher than any other playing position, but you just wouldn't know it with Aaron.

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Shaka Hislop was quoted by the Echo last week that Ramsdale is the ideal replacement for Kepa at Chelsea. But Spurs are also likely to be in the running as Jose Mourinho looks to strengthen his squad, after Hugo Lloris has made some high profile mistakes. Even Leeds Utd, that expect to win promotion believe they can lure Ramsdale back to Yorkshire.

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Where does this leave Bournemouth? I have no doubt that Howe will fight tooth and nail to retain Ramsdale, but he also has another young aspiring goalkeeper in Mark Travers who is also ready for Premier League football. If the club can get a great fee for Ramsdale, he could well go this summer and it would surely propel his way into the full England squad if he was playing for a Champions League club.

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Bournemouth fans should not be disappointed if Ramsdale does go. It means he has been magnificent and done extremely well. It has been amazing how Eddie Howe has managed to keep his best players over recent years, but this keeper could just be too hot to hold on to for much longer.

Cherry Chimes - Charlie Daniels is still raising a smile

Are Cherries about to sign Irish striker?

Preston North End have reported that a Premier League club has come in for their striker Callum Robinson. The Republic of Ireland striker has been given leave to talk to the club that is interested in him having left the Irish training camp.

Will Dean Court see another Irishman join AFCB this summer?

Whether Bournemouth are the club in question is by no means certain, as Aston Villa are also said to be keen on the player, according to the Lancashire Live. But at 24 Robinson would fit the sort of profile that AFCB have been linked with in recent seasons. He has played for England U16,17,19 and 20s and Robinson scored 12 goals for Preston North End in the Championship last season, in only 27 appearances.

It would appear that there is room at the Cherries for another striker to be added to the team, especially as Jermain Defoe is still on loan at Rangers. While Sam Surridge has shown that he is perhaps close to contributing for the first team on a more regular basis, Surridge could be one player who might still benefit from a loan in the Championship first.

I don't see Lys Mousset moving on unless a club comes in with a good valuation for him this summer as AFCB have spent a lot of time with him trying to get him closer to being a more regular Premier League player.

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The decisions Eddie Howe and the recruitment team are making now are probably the biggest calls the club has made in the last five years. It is more difficult now and the competition for players is seeing AFCB go head to head with the newly promoted teams of Aston Villa and Sheffield United, as well as Wolves, for Kalvin Philips of Leeds as well. The challenge now is that other clubs have seen how AFCB operate and what they have done to stay in the Premier League, and they see similar options could work for them.

In other news, Josh King is changing his squad number to number 7 which was Marc Pugh's number.

Will AFCB come calling on Leeds' midfielder?

Leeds United fans must be feeling pretty sick at the moment. They have been dumped back in the Championship for another year and now face the prospect of seeing some of their best players being picked off by the likes of AFCB, who are said to be interest in their midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

Eddie Howe may make more raids on Championship players.

Having seen Lewis Cook already leave for Bournemouth in the past, it would give the impression that Leeds have become a bit of a feeder club for teams like AFCB, who can pick off their young talent with their Premier League funds almost at will. Eddie Howe has made a success of bringing in young Championship players and making them into Premier League starters. The signings are never guaranteed to work, but Howe is set on keeping much of his team British as he starts to replace the older stock that initially got the club promoted to the Premier League.

Phillips has been a major player for Leeds in 2018/19 and is known as a robust defensive midfielder. Bournemouth perhaps need more cover in that area when the likes of Jefferson Lerma are unable to play every game of the season and another enforcer option is certainly going to make AFCB stronger in the middle of the park.

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Bournemouth are scoring enough goals - the best of those outside the top six, but they are letting far too may in. It's time to stop the supply of passes to the opposition attackers. If that means signing players that are not only young but British, and are available for under £15m, compared to prices of double that on the continent, clubs like Leeds Utd have to be worried. It's not just the very top clubs that are able to strip away Championship teams' best talent, as these players desperate to play in the Premier League.

Robbie Savage when were you last in Bournemouth?

Robbie Savage got a real dressing down on BBC 5 Live by AFC Bournemouth fan Jean, when Robbie had been asked to name the clubs he would rather kick out of the Premier League to be replaced by the likes of Leeds United, Aston Villa and Derby County. Big grounds and lots of supporters are what the Premier League should be all about scoffed Savage, but he hadn't reckoned on Bournemouth fan Jean calling in and standing up for the likes of Bournemouth, Fulham and Huddersfield Town, who Robbie would quickly replace.

Mr Savage come and see some top-flight football down in Bournemouth.

While Bournemouth do only have a capacity of some 11,500 at most, the club has fought hard to win its place in the Premier League and the only criteria for staying in the Premier League is winning enough points to stay up, there's nothing about the size of your ground in the rules. Still there are those who would believe the well-supported clubs are the clubs that should be in the Premier League. They forget that the underdog is something that gives sport a special place. People want to see the minnow come out on top now and again and you'd never have that if want to see ManUtd v Leeds Utd every week. Financially, there is a massive gulf even between those two clubs, but using the history card is also something that tripped up Savage. He couldn't escape the fact that Huddersfield Town have won more titles that his beloved Derby County or Leeds Utd for instance.

Jean was pleased to put Robbie right in saying that Huddersfield were a bigger club in their day than many of the clubs he feels are the big clubs of today. Huddersfield may have gone down this season, but there are still plenty of so-called 'small clubs' that are over achieving and keeping themselves above the likes of Leeds United and Aston Villa.

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If awards were given out for the size of support your club had we might as well give up kicking a ball. History changes as well as time goes on, and the small clubs of today can grow to become bigger clubs once they build upon their success.

It did make me laugh that Robbie Savage may also miss his chance to come down and see Bournemouth in the Premier League, as he hasn't been to Dean Court since 1998, when he says he scored a winner for Carlisle United. Robbie get yourself down to Dean Court and sample the atmosphere of a small ground in the Premier League - you may then understand why so many visiting teams find it hard to beat this south coast club. We may have a small crowd, but we make a lot of noise!

Is Grabban the perfect striker to have in the Championship?

Both Nottingham Forest and Leeds United are said to be keen on getting Lewis Grabban into their side for the start of the new season. Other Championship sides might also be looking on enviously about the striker by the Bournemouth Echo has said that Grabban's wage demands could cause a stumbling block for clubs like Leeds Utd.

Lewis Grabban - where will he end up?

What people can't argue with is Grabban's record at Championship level. While he was instrumental in helping get AFCB out of the Championship he was spectacular last season in scoring goals in a Sunderland team that was ultimately relegated without him and also scoring goals on Aston Villa's race to the play-offs.

Is there anything Grabban needs to prove at Championship level? No, he has done it all. Whether he plays in a good side or a struggling side he gets goals, it is just a shame that he hasn't been a player that has been able translate that to the Premier League with Norwich or Bournemouth. It is strange how the Grabban story has progressed through the years. Had he joined Brighton when Bournemouth were in the Championship he might have been a big player for them.

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He has done all he can to win back some of the reputation he had earlier in his career and I hope he gets a good move this summer. I would not be at all surprised if we are talking again, next May, about Lewis Grabban playing in a play-off match in the Championship or even being in a promotion winning side at that level. He is a prize asset for a Championship club but teams like Leeds United and Nottingham Forest also know he will cost top dollar. 

Southgate's World Cup - Day 19 England win a penalty shoot out! 

In other news, Stoke City have completed the signing of Adam Federici. TalkSport has also linked AFCB to defender Marvin Plattenhardt of Hertha Berlin.

A fresh start for Lewis Cook

The loan talk about Lewis Cook going back to Leeds Utd has died down quiet a bit over the last couple of weeks. I am sure Leeds fans would welcome him back in their push for promotion, but Lewis is now at a point where he can see he can find away into the first team at AFCB again.

Lewis Cook will be keen to get his Premier League appearances up.

We did not get to see Lewis at Millwall on the pitch, but the fact that he made it back to the subs bench means that Eddie Howe now has it in his mind to give Lewis some game time soon. While Lewis did get injured early in the season he was a starter for the first game against Man Utd, and I don't think the season has panned out quite how Lewis would have wanted. But he has time now to make a fresh start and I can see him being very important for the Cherries in the second half of this season.

What I like about Lewis is that his passing is very quick and he sees movement ahead of him well. While Jack Wilshere is the genius for AFCB at the moment in such play I'd be intrigued to see both Wilshere and Lewis Cook driving AFCB forwards along with Harry Arter. I think this trio could work better than any other midfield combination at the club. Keeping Andrew Surman out of the side and Dan Gosling is going to be tricky for a new boy though, and Lewis may have to be content with getting 20 minutes here and there for a while. Still, we haven't seen the best of Lewis yet and if I had to pick one player who would have the potential to break into the side in the next month it would be Lewis, as long as he is not sent out on loan.

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The central midfield area has not been great for goals yet and this is where Lewis Cook might just start to edge his way into the team. We have not seen goals from Arter, Surman or Wilshere. It's Dan Gosling that has a couple of goals to his name, but you'll find that's it for the central-midfielders. Lewis Cook does get forward and I don't think it would harm AFCB too much to see if they can try and get this sector of the team contributing more to the goal tally. 

Jordan Ibe can build his career at AFCB

When you consider that a player like Jordan Ibe would have thought he had made it when he took to the field for the first time in Liverpool's first team, it must be a hard decision for him to leave such a huge club. I'd want to think long and hard about moving anywhere if I were him, but Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool did not turn the bid for him down and at AFCB Jordan would find regular football and would immediately be seen as on of the stars of the show. It's still Premier League football and no doubt AFCB will more than match his wages.

The Cherries pulling power has never been flexed as much as it is right at this moment. Leeds Utd fans have been disappointed to see one of their leading lights snatched from their clutches and now some players at bigger clubs are having to reassess what is on offer at AFC Bournemouth. Some are grasping the opportunity like Nathan Aké and Emerson Hyndman and as the Cherries make even more significant inroads into striking a higher position in the Premier League perhaps some of the perceptions of AFCB outside the club will start to catch up with where us fans and Eddie Howe's vision of where AFCB are headed.

On which side of the fence will Jordan Ibe end up - Liverpool or AFCB? 

Jordan Ibe will come to his own conclusions and all I hope is that he has a very long talk with Eddie Howe and can see what a young and exciting squad is being built on the south coast. Small fish, big pond or big fish, small pond? It is something that lots of players have to grapple with and to reach the next level it is no surprise to me that AFCB are reaching out for players that would have seemed beyond their means only a season ago. The money in the Premier League has changed everything and Leicester City have shown that the big clubs can be beaten on a regular basis. It must be unsettling for the Man Utds, Arsenals, and Man Cities - some have already moved by bringing in fresh managers and players that are not performing will trickle down to other clubs.

It's a new era and players like Jordan Ibe I hope will see that embracing a new challenge does not have to be daunting - it can be liberating and joyous when he sees how many happy faces he would see if he steps out at Dean Court.

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Leeds lose their star man - Lewis Cook signs for AFCB

Arguably the signing of Lewis Cook is the most important of the summer for AFCB. Eddie Howe has been chasing him for sure, since last November, and perhaps even earlier but Leeds were keen to hold on to their strong midfielder for as long as possible. In the end, the Premier League beckoned for such talent, and it is quite a privilege that Cook decided that AFCB is the team he wanted to play for as there would have been plenty of other offers on the table. AFCB now have him on a four-year contract and his fee is reported to be £6-7m, rising to £10m with add-ons. What I find pleasing is that some English players are getting a chance to play in the Premier League and some of them are at AFCB.

Official AFCB welcome Tweet image. 

The Daily Telegraph was first in saying that negotiations have been held this week about the Leeds midfielder and that his medical would take place on Friday, and it was a long wait to see him finally sign. While AFCB have been stocking up with wingers and strikers it is in defence and central midfield where the team really needs a fresh injection of talent and I am delighted that AFCB are now addressing this with the signings of Hyndman, Aké and now Lewis Cook. While it may be less pressurised for Lewis to join a club like AFCB rather than a top 10 side, it is hoped that Lewis can help the Cherries make that leap themselves.

Lewis Cook stats 2015/16
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There are now a lot of new players coming through the doors at Dean Court and it will be important to get them all quickly understanding what is required of them. There has not been such a turnover of players since the 2012/13 season if you consider that the Cherries also signed Grabban and Afobe in January this year. While Juan Iturbe has returned to Roma, there is a real sense of a young and hungry squad forming at AFCB.

Last season was difficult, but this next season is make or break for the Cherries. Money had to be spent to give the team the best chance of keeping its Premier League status and this season it has the advantage over the teams that came up in its buying power, but it is right that some players have been sold to recoup some funds and with Lewis Cook about to join there is probably an exit door opening up for one more AFCB players this summer.

Has the money been spent in the right areas though? A central defender or two wouldn't go a miss.

England job Eddie Howe still among favourites for vacant England manager's job with Harry Rednapp, but bookies have more than a few in front of him - Klinsmann more likely according to the Guardian. 

AFCB U21 fixtures announced. Former Cherry Mark Molesley also joins the coaching staff of the U21s.

Opening Man Utd game moved for Sky TV to Sunday 14 August 1:30 pm
and West Ham Away is move to Sunday 21 August 16:00pm kick off. 

Transfer watch
Marseilles winger Georges-Kévin N'Koudou winger is said to be the subject of a EUR13m bid from AFCB

Jordan Ibe is considering his options after AFCB's £13m bid for the Liverpool winger was accepted by Liverpool FC

Is Lewis Cook an ideal candidate for the Cherries?

There has been significant chatter about Lewis Cook since last January and while the 19-year-old Leeds midfielder has signalled his desire to develop at the Yorkshire club it is apparent that Eddie Howe rates him highly and is looking to add more strengthen to the midfield area of the team. 

Being another young British player in the Championship will no doubt raise his price, but Eddie has always talked well of Leeds manager Steve Evans and, if he could drag Steve Fletcher way from him when he was at Crawley, believe me Eddie will be respectfully listened to be Steve Evans, as they both know that Lewis Cook is destined for the Premier League and they may both agree that AFCB is a good place for him to start that education if Leeds can't offer the player that.

We have seen how difficult it is to integrate foreign players into the team in recent season and the home-grown players are stronger in AFCB's side than just about any other Premier League club. The incentive for Lewis Cook is clear if he wants to play at the higher level and the Cherries have been more vulnerable when Harry Arter picks up injuries. 

Eddie appears to be changing the team by bringing in mainly young energetic players now. The players at the club will have had a season in the Premier League and can help those that have not yet experienced that. The next season in particular is the best time to pick the riches of the lower leagues as AFCB's players still have clear knowledge of the difference between League One, the Championship and the Premier League. When you have seen it and done it, it is far easier for young players to take the leap and come on board, and like Dele Alli we have seen that some players can quickly adapt to the top league if they are given the chance.

There is also another factor that I believe makes Lewis Cook tan ideal man for Eddie Howe to go after. It is the dressing room. We have seen with Lee Tomlin that when players fall out of line they are quickly moved on, and there is a better chance of integrating players that want to prove themselves and don't believe they have already made it, just because they are at a club like AFCB. Lewis Cook will hopefully have a long career ahead of him and while Leeds fans won't want to lose another quality player like Sam Byram, who went to West Ham Utd, it will be hard for the player to keep resisting the attentions of AFCB and other Premier League clubs this summer, while Leeds Utd can almost name their price this summer.

Is time already ticking down on Glenn Murray's AFC Bournemouth career? See my latest Shoot article.

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Is Lee Tomlin on the way out?

Earlier in the week, Neil Perrett at the Bournemouth Echo broke the story that Lee Tomlin could be offered in a player/cash deal to attract Leeds' midfielder Lewis Cook to Dean Court. Social media seemed to be driving this rumour though, with Alex Nixon of the Sun only writing that AFCB were renewing their interest with a player and cash for the talented 18-year-old at Leeds. Now the Daily Mail has identified Leeds Utd and Hull City to be definitely interested in the former Middlesbrough striker.

Is Lee Tomlin facing the exit door at AFCB?

Tomlin’s fortunes have not been a big success yet at Bournemouth, but he has only just really come back from injury and has not had a series of games to get match fit. While the signings of Lewis Grabban and Benik Afobe have perhaps pushed him further down the pecking order, he has only been at the club some six months and such a fast turnaround would suggest that Lee is not the player the Cherries expected him to be, if they are not going to give him more of a chance.

Even though Eddie Howe is keen to keep as many of his squad as he can, while hoping to make progress in the FA Cup, as we as bolster options for the Premier League run-in, we have already seen Yann Kermorgant and Elliott Ward depart the club this week and there could be more out-goings this January. 

It does appear that the squad needs trimming, perhaps as much for financial fair play as much as for the wages. While Josh Wakefield is having a trial at Walsall and Filippo Costa has gone back to Chievo with his loan cut short and Joe Bennett returned to Aston Villa, there have not been more than a trickle of players coming off the wage bill. AFCB have spent big already this week and some balancing of the books is probably in order.

While a move up to Yorkshire would perhaps be closer to the northeast and Lee Tomlin's former Middlesbrough haunts, any move for him at this stage would appear to admit that it has not worked out for him moving down south. As a club that prides itself on bring on players and getting the best out of them, I think it would be a real shame if Lee's time with the Cherries is cut short. Yet, if he has been told chances for him will be limited then he has every right to try and get some games elsewhere.

Is Fulham striker heading for the Cherries?

The news that The Daily Mail and Shoot brought about Ross McCormack, 29, being a target for Eddie Howe this transfer window certainly excites me. While Fulham are in a fight to ensure their Championship status, they have brought in Slavisa Jokanovic who got Watford promoted last season and Ross may not be part of the new manager's plans if he himself wants to add new firepower to the Cottagers.

Ross McCormack is Fulham's top scorers on 15 goals and added his latest goal to that total last night with a 4-1 win over Rotherham Utd. While Ross really hit the headlines for his goalscoring at Leeds Utd, he has continued to bag plenty of goals for Fulham and is a goalscorer who has a good range of finishing both inside and outside the box. He is also a Scottish international even though he has not been selected for some time. 

Fulham face a transfer embargo but their websites says that they can still trade within FFP limits.

Ross McCormack would add goals for the Cherries.

Looking at the Cherries front line, they would benefit from a player who is quick with his feet in and around the box and if Charlie Austin is too expensive then Ross would seem to fit the bill to me. While he has not had Premier League experience, he would not demand such a high wage and would be a player that would surely relish the chance to play in the Premier League. 

I think Ross would also be a player that might bring more out of Lee Tomlin as well. Lee has not really managed to get into the side and with Ross liking to have short passes played into him in and around the box it is possible that Eddie might look to play with Lee in the side more often if he wanted to move King back out to the wing. 

You can read my article on Dan Gosling online at Shoot now.

Sacre bleu! Max Gradel finally signs for the Cherries

The pursuit of Max Gradel has been one of the hardest of the summer for AFCB. While the links with the Cherries for the Saint-Etienne winger remained strong since this time last year, and even after approaches last January proved unsuccessful, it has eventually transpired that the pull of the Premier League and the chance to play for Eddie Howe has meant that the Cherries have eventually got there man.  Max now joins the Cherries on a four-year deal for a reported £7 million.

Is Max Gradel a better player than he was back in 2007-8 when he was on loan at AFCB? Well he certainly has a lot more experience now as a Cote d'Ivoire international and his goal ratio is still ticking along very nicely in the French Ligue 1. He scored 17 goals from 23 starts for St-Etienne last season and AFCB had to fight hard to win his services. Last season he played more as a striker own the middle than a winger and it was said on TalkSport this morning that he virtually carried the whole St-Etienne team with his goals.

He has found the net before with other English teams as well, playing for Leicester City from whom he was on loan to when AFCB recruited him in 2007 and also for Leeds Utd, who apparently will get some fee from the deal. So he should suit the English conditions and will perhaps feel that he has unfinished business of playing in the Premier League.

Discussions about his price tag have been reported to be the main hitch in getting Max to sign for a club sooner this summer. St-Etienne seemed to be holding out for £7-8 million but AFCB and others don't seem to have been keen on going any higher than £5 million. At 27 he should be just about to have his peak seasons ahead of him, but fitting him in the AFCB side will only be easy if he can start producing the goods early on. 

Yann Kermorgant is very precise from the spot

When you analyse the Birmingham game the role of Yann Kermorgant may have not seemed that significant at first sight as Callum Wilson was the player who equalised and then won a penalty to set the Cherries on their way to victory. However it was Yann Kermorgant with the clever turn and needle through an eye pass to get Callum away and free for AFCB's second goal and Yann again who hooked the ball on to Wilson to win a penalty which Yann himself made no mistake with.

Crowd reaction in the Steve Fletcher stand as
Yann Kermorgant tucks away the penalty against Birmingham City.

The Frenchman has not attracted so many headlines of late, but he is quietly going about his business and he has to fight hard for his place in the team with Brett and now Kenwyne pressing for a start. 

Yann still has a few more goals in him this season I reckon.

His coolness at the penalty spot is something that certainly has been helping the team to get wins and I don't remember a season when the Cherries have had so many penalties awarded to them. I don't recall Yann doing anything much differently when he steps up for a penalty but he always strikes the ball so firmly that keepers don't seem to be able to keep his shots out from 12 yards even if they work out which way he is going. he has by far the best penalty record at the club and it is a bit surprising that anyone else is allowed to get a  look in. It is also two penalties scored in his last three games having also netted against Middlesbrough. By the way Yann scored the late penalty to beat Brighton back in November. 

In all Yann has put 6 away goals from the penalty spot from his 15 goals which puts him just two behind Grant Leadbitter of Middlesbrough who is the lead scorer on eight, and in the following games his penalty was the decisive goal.

3 March 2015 AFCB 2 v 1 Wolves
1 November 2014 AFCB 3 v  2 Brighton 

Yann has only missed one spot kick at Leeds Utd this season when he hit the bar, but his record is pretty amazing. His game though is more than that as we have seen and he also has a very good chance of being the club's second highest scorer this season as he is one goal ahead of Brett Pitman and just five behind Callum Wilson.

Is it getting harder for Eddie to pick his best 11?

There was not much change to the expected line up last match against Watford. That is until you consider that it has been a couple of months since Yann Kermorgant has started a home match if you discount the Liverpool cup tie. Before that it was Millwall when Yann last started at Dean Court. That demonstrates how hard it is to get back into this side regularly and Adam Smith, Dan Gosling, Elliot Ward, Junior Stanislas, Ryan Fraser and Shaun MacDonald are among those who will have to do something extra special in training to get a glimpse of a starting place.

It's a nice problem to have lots of players to pick from - let's hope it stays that way.

Looking at the team only a couple of matches ago against Norwich and then Leeds you might have said are the players getting tired? The FA Cup match will have helped some of those regulars rest and the zip was gradually refound by the players against Watford as the game progressed. It is a gruelling campaign and you would have thought that it would be advantageous to use the whole squad as much as Eddie can now in the coming games. But who do you drop? And would form fall off if some are rotated now and again? It's a risk if you don't rest players, but also a risk if you don't keep the consistency going.

I think this is really when you need honest players that are able to tell you when they have niggles and know when they need to take some time out to keep the overall performance of the team high. It is clear that some of the players not getting the minutes on the pitch are capable of playing bigger roles, but I am hard pressed to say which of those on the sidelines will get more minutes in February and March. 

Brett Pitman can consider himself unlucky not to play from the start against Watford as he has a perfectly good goal up at Leeds Utd ruled out. The Norwich home game and the way the team played then might have been more in Eddie's thinking of why Brett was left out for the Watford match. Watford was another big game at home and Brett and Callum did not score although Brett was subbed on the hour when Kermorgant had the chance to get a goal against 10 men. In truth I don't think we can go on what we see alone and training makes a big difference to the manager's thoughts. Having you best penalty taker on the pitch is also important and perhaps Yann was sticking a few more away than Brett in practise.

In the past it's been the wingers that perhaps have the best chance of seeing some rotation, but the form of Ritchie and Pugh is more than a bit impressive at the moment. Both look like they have goals in them and their crossing has been superb of late.

How do the Cherries go about Aston Villa?

The FA Cup is always a magical prospect for me. Going to a great stadium like Villa Park is exciting enough as a fan but it must be hyper exciting as an AFCB player. This Sunday is all about the AFCB players taking their 'A game' to a Premier League  and making it as difficult as they can for this Villa side to get any confidence from the start. While the league remains the priority, the league cup has given fans a real taste for cup success and the FA Cup is even more special. It would mean an awful lot to Bournemouth fans to win this fourth round tie and the club has the players to cause an upset.

Judging by the results of the poll that we had on Cherry Chimes (67% wanted the strongest AFCB team to play), it seems that the sample of responses we received want Eddie Howe to go for it in this match. There will be five days of recovery time before the cameras are down at Dean Court for the league match against Watford and it will be difficult for the manager to know how many of the first team to play. While the goal keeping position is certainly a possible change from the Leeds match, I am not worried if Eddie Howe makes changes to the back four. Throughout the side I expect changes as the players that have done well before in the League Cup matches deserve their chance.

Good luck to our heroes today.

Eddie Howe made no secret that he really wanted a home tie in this round as he feels AFCB can beat anyone at Dean Court on their day. While the draw did not go that way, I think most fans are delighted to have the chance to see the Cherries go up against a big Premier League side that is well established at that level. It will be a measure to see how far off or on the pace the Seasiders are against a Premier League outfit, and while the Cherries and their supporters will go into the game with bags of confidence it is about getting results in these games now that make headlines and memories as we all saw yesterday. There will be a hero and a villain.

AFCB have created many such headlines already this season but a win at Villa Park would be one of the biggest and this team is not going to give anything less than 100 per cent to try and achieve that. I hope our players try and forget the names in front of them and play the 11 on the pitch. It should be a great day out and hopefully one to remember. I'm off to the Villa now - make sure you are all in good voice today. We should be able to make some noise with 6000 of us at the ground. UTCIAD!

We are on our way!

Aston Villa Home League Form
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AFCB Away League Form
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Kermorgant can get over penalty miss at Villa Park

It is always possible to miss a spot kick from 12 yards. Yann Kermorgant can ask any Englishman and they'll tell him that. It was kind of even more painful to see Yann see his kick smash against the bar at Leeds having only just seen Tokelo Rantie do the same thing at the Africa Cup of Nations 24 hours earlier.

Yann should get a buzz back if he gets to run out at Villa Park.

This season there have been a few penalty misses, but it shows you that the team is doing something right if they are winning so many spot kicks. I remember the first penalty miss of the season up at Huddersfield that Callum Wilson took. It was good on that day that the team had the lead already, but penalty misses can be costly like we saw against Watford, as AFCB dropped two points. The Leeds miss seems worse of course because of where AFCB are in the table and this miss meant no points at all from the game. Still, I don't think that Yann needs to miss too much sleep over his penalty strikes as he is a confident penalty taker and will just look forward to the next one.

That could of course come against Aston Villa and in a way I hope it does not only as it would give AFCB a great chance of scoring, but it would remove any pain from everyone's mind if the shot goes in. Looking at how well Aston Villa play at the back it might indeed be the only way that the Cherries may find a way through.

I'm backing Yann to have a good game against the Villa.

It would be no surprise to me if Yann starts on Sunday as he has not had the minutes up front of the other two main strikers and he has played his part during the Capital One Cup matches, so I don't see why he would not be used in the FA Cup. If so and he gets the chance from 12 yards, I can't wait to see his celebration.

Rantie Watch
Tokelo will be taking on Senegal with the rest of his South African team mates in their second group game at the Africa Cup of Nations tonight. Hopefully, Rantie keeps his starting place and can have better fortune than in his last match.

Keep competing and the Cherries will be fine

I think the last week has demonstrated just how tough the Championship is to win. Eddie Howe said earlier last week that having the Leeds fixture where it was moved to was not ideal but the best of the options available. I don't think he was getting any excuses in early, but geography does not give AFCB a helping hand at times when they are on the road to other Championship sides.

Sticking together.

A trip to Elland Raod is not that hospitable on a bright, sunny Saturday in March let a lone a snowy and cold winter's night in January. But that is what the Championship throws up at you now and again and for once the test was just that bit too strong for our lads. There is a mental side to the game that Jason Tindall drew attention to as well last week before the Rotherham match, saying that AFCB were enjoying the pressure of being top. Of course you would say that, but there really is pressure at the top and there is also pressure on those behind knowing that they must keep winning to hold on to those that are ahead of them.

AFCB players will be out to bounce back quickly
 with some fast starts in games now.

You can't choose when you lose and so it always comes as a bit of a shock when a string side comes out on the wrong side of a result, but it hasn't happened often this season and I don't expect it will happen that often in the remaining games. Leeds have the double against the Cherries but it will be hard for many other teams to achieve that. AFCB have to prove they are winners and they can only do that on the pitch.

At the end of the season there can be no hard luck stories. The best teams go up and the worst ones go down. AFCB will come back with plenty of fire I hope for their next league fixture and the challenge of beating a Watford side that has eluded them in the past should be a good test for a competitive AFCB side. Watford play Blackpool on Saturday first though and could be just four points behind the Cherries when they visit Dean Court.

It's the performances, not the losses fans should look at

While 2015 could have started better for the Cherries having had two defeats already, it is not because the players are playing particularly badly or are well out of sorts. The side is still the most creative in the Championship and there were plenty of signs of that at Elland Road as well as against Norwich City when points were dropped.

The Leeds defeat is perhaps a sign that it is very difficult for teams in the division to keep these winning runs going. A bit of bad luck is likely to come your way at some point and the thickness of a post and the bar are things that can simply decide games, as well as decisions from officials. You have to look past the score line some times and think about whether the team was pulled apart, cut open or battered. If there was a team that they got a bit lucky it was Leeds on Tuesday night and AFCB just have to hope we get a bit of luck too in the coming games. It happens and as we know it is about bouncing back.

AFCB will look to pull their socks up, but they have never slipped very far down.

To some extent it is now annoying that the FA Cup fourth round comes this weekend as the players cannot quickly change what has happened regarding their points in the league. However, three points from the last nine reminds us how well the team has been playing up until now and that the Championship is a tough league. No team seems destined to run away with it and that is just the nature of it.

The pleasing thing is that AFCB kept doing the right things in the second half against Leeds. The ball was just not going to go in for whatever reason on the night. This league is going to be close fought and with Ipswich slipping up last night it only makes things more exciting with the Watford match looking bigger every day.

All Departments has a review of the defeat against Leeds Utd out, so if you are keen to know more about how it was not quite AFCB's night I suggest you go to the All Departments' website or scroll down Cherry Chimes' panel to the All Departments' sound bar and click on it to listen.

Below par Cherries beaten at Elland Road

Eddie Howe pointed towards the Cherries being rather off their game and below par at Elland Road but that they should have still got something from the match. "We were not our bright and bubbly selves, but it was not everyone," said Eddie Howe.

For once the Cherries did not start that well and when that happens it does sometimes take them a while to get their passing into gear. For whatever reason, Leeds seem very good at bustling AFCB out of their stride and making the game go to their tune. You have to credit the fact that Leeds had a game plan and stopped AFCB from playing well. A single strike from Luke Murphy did all the damage in the 36th minute.

Eddie Howe could not quite turn this match around enough after half time.

"We didn't play as well as we can do but we still should have one the game," said Eddie. "It was nothing to do with systems. We were below par, probably for the first half an hour." 

Eddie thought the team was short of where it should be physically on the night and that may well cause him to rethink what he can get out of the players having had hard games against Norwich and then two away matches in the space of three days.

What is evident though is that AFCB were not overly stretched for much of the second half and they had a day when they found their shooting boots had been left at home. Keeping an average of more than two goals a game is not something that you can rely on and barring one great strike the team would have got a clean sheet on most evenings like this.

 Elland Road was never going to be a place where AFCB were going to find it easy though."It's a tough place to come when you're not at your best," said Eddie.