AFCB make loss of £32.4m in annual accounts ending 30 June 2019

The accounts for AFCB make poor reading with a financial loss of £32.4m n the accounting period ending 30 June 2019. This is on top of a loss of £10.9m in the previous financial year. While much of the investment has been spent on player signings, which rose to £94.2m last year compared to £55.8m the year before, it does indicate that the Cherries have spent more than they perhaps should have to be competitive in the Premier League. This kind of spending is unsustainable in the long-term and AFCB are again playing the roulette wheel in my opinion. 

AFCB need to get their finances in order.

The player and staff wages have risen significantly at £110.9 compared to £101.9m in FY18. The club did not disclose how much money was paid to agents during the period. The income of the club was largely dependent on their league position finish which was  14th and landed the club with £131.1m in FY19 down from £134.9m on FY18. But non-Premier League revenue was virtually stable at £15.5m.

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The club's Chief executive Neil Blake stressed that £22.6m profit did come into the club shortly after the accounting period closed on player sales, but even that would still show AFCB has been prepared to take a loss of over £10m for the past two seasons to keep its Premier League status. 

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What happens if the club goes down to the Championship with a parachute payment and a need to recoup funds with player sales? The club did not reveal whether it is in debt and if so by how much, but most of its assets are on the playing field and we could see many players need to leave if the club is relegated. The only problem is that those market values won't be as high as if the club remains in the top flight.

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Spending big might have kept the club growing, but this season it hasn't resulted in better results. The signing of Dominic Solanke, Philip Billing and Lloyd Kelly in the last 12-18 months and the sale of Lys Mousset doesn't bode me with great confidence about recruitment and player sales, even if the purchase of Jack Stacey and the sale of Tyrone Mings can be considered better decisions. The direction of player spending perhaps needs to change very quickly. That is why the new training complex is vital to bring players through and to reduce the player transfer fees. The model AFCB has works okay when the big money continues to come in, but it could leave the club having to face the music next season if things don't go according to plan on the pitch. The new stadium idea certainly looks a distant pipe dream with these kind of financial results.

NB. I am self-isolating at the moment having picked up a chest infection and high-temperature. I'm over the worst but I advise others to self-isolate if they feel any flu-like symptoms as soon as they can for the sake of the elderly and those with underlying conditions. We'll beat this. UTCIAD!

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Howe can only concentrate on his players and preparing for Newcastle United

Rival Lines: "We've seen players take big leaps forward under Wilder," says Bladespodcast

Rival Lines
Match Preview: Sheffield United v AFCB
Podcaster Interview: Blades Pod
Twitter: @bladespod

Ben at Blades Podcast was kind enough to spare a few minutes to answer some questions ahead of the game on Sunday. I wanted to find out why Sheffield united fans felt they had been doing so well and if they were prepared for what lies ahead- top six finish, European football, FA Cup glory! It's not a bad time to be a Blade is it?

CC: What do you think has been the real secret of Sheffield United's great season?

BP: There's a number of factors but a lot of them come back to the manager and backroom team. Our fitness levels this season have been sensational and we've avoided any serious injuries (touch wood). As to our manager and assistant, we've tweaked our formation and style for the Premier League and reaped the benefits of becoming a team that can live without the ball and break quickly. At the same time, we've retained (and improved on) the skill levels we had in possession last season, allowing us to break presses by playing out from the back against even the top teams - but now we have the pace of Mousset or the target of McBurnie to give us something different if we need it.


CC: If the club got into the top six do you think it would be ready for European football or could it be problematic for the club in the Premier League next season?

BP: Honestly no way of knowing. We were told we didn't have the depth for the Championship, then the Premier League, and now here we are. The club has spent some money in the last couple of transfer windows and we're not slow to move players on and find better versions of them, even in positions where it might not seem urgent to do so (eg, a fifth centre-back). We've also seen players take big leaps forward under Wilder in their second years with us, so I'd expect a few of the newer players to do that next year and suddenly emerge as genuine first-team players rather than fringe ones.

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CC: Are you worried that Chris Wilder is getting linked to new jobs now more often than Eddie Howe?

BP: No - it couldn't be much rosier at the moment. A messy ownership dispute was settled a few months ago, Wilder recently signed a contract until 2024 and the club just broke its transfer record for the fifth time in seven months. Plans are in place on and off the pitch for the continued progress of the club and I just don't see a situation where Wilder leaves unless there's a job he truly can't turn down - and teams like Man Utd are too myopic to consider him. With respect to someone like Everton, what do they really have that the Blades currently do not?

CC: Which game do you think has been Sheffield United's best result and why?

BP: On paper, the 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge, coming back from 2-0 down, is probably the standout. But I thought our dismantling of Burnley - a "proper" Premier League team - was just an incredible performance. We were 3-0 up at half-time and Burnley seemed utterly shellshocked at the speed and incisiveness with which we attacked. Their left-back was hauled off at half-time and we should really have made it 4, 5 or 6 in the second half.

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CC: Do you feel you are in with a big chance of getting to the latter stages of the FA Cup and does the competition interest fans as much as the Premier League?

BP: It is a very, very good opportunity to have a run. Reading away is about as winnable as you could ask for at this stage, and then you're into the last 8 where only Man City are probably a "no chance" opponent (I'm assuming Liverpool will continue to play half a team, at best). The 5th round doesn't take place until early March, and we're 99% likely to be safe by then if we're not already, so we can afford to take it seriously. I think a lot of fans weren't bothered for the first few rounds but our league form has meant we can suddenly look at it with a bit more interest.

CC: What have you made of Lys Mousset?

BP: Amazing. We can't believe how good he is. There was a lot of rubbish written about this being the "worst signing of the season" when he joined but he immediately looked fantastic for us. He's so fast, plus his touch, finishing and strength are first-rate - he scored with his first five shots on target with us, and has set up plenty of goals himself. The only issue is his fitness - he's still not good enough for much more than 60-70 minutes. If we can get him to peak fitness this summer... wow.

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CC: Which of your players were you most worried about losing in the transfer window just past?

BP: I was confident none of them were going anywhere, although I do think someone will severely test our resolve for Jack O'Connell in the summer. The left-sided centre-back is not only a superb out-and-out defender but is superb on the ball and going forward. We can't understand how Tyrone Mings is in the England squad ahead of him, put it like that.

CC: Have you any injuries ahead of the Bournemouth match?

BP: David McGoldrick has missed the last few games but may be back for this one - we tend to take our time with injured players which is part of the reason we don't have many recurring injuries. Other than that, everyone sounds like they're good to go.

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CC: What would you tell Bournemouth fans to look out for if it is their first trip to Bramall Lane?

BP: The beer. Sheffield is a brilliant city to visit as an away fan, particularly if you're going to Bramall Lane rather than the other lot. The Sheffield Tap is on Platform 1 of the station and well worth a visit, and then you're a short stroll from a huge range of pubs and bars - all within about ten minutes' walk from the Lane.

CC: What is your score prediction?

BP: 2-0 Blades, which would probably finally stop some United fans fretting about relegation...

CC: Which three teams will be relegated this season from the Premier League?

BP: Norwich are too far gone, West Ham have a brutal run of fixtures coming up and a poor manager/no home advantage whatsoever. The third one is harder - I think Watford will be fine, and Villa seem to squeak out a result when they need it. From the outside, it feels like a lot of things are going against Bournemouth with the injuries etc - you've picked up some important results recently, but if you end this month in the bottom three (or close to it) then it could be a rough end to the season with the fixtures after that.

CC: Have you followed Aaron Ramsdale's career since leaving the Blades and do you think he could potentially be England's number one?

BP: I have followed his career with Bournemouth, it's been good to see him playing in the Premier League. It was a move that made sense for us at the time as we were a League One club. As to playing for England - he's probably the next man up after Pickford, Pope, Heaton and Henderson, would be my guess. 21 is still incredibly young for a goalkeeper so he has plenty of development time ahead of him - playing in the Premier League at such a young age can only help that.

CC: Excellent answers from Ben at Blades Podcast. I have to admit, Sheffield united were not one of the teams I expected to see in the top 10 let alone the top six at this stage o the season. They have been particularly hard to beat but Bournemouth must find a way past them this time unlike i the first game in the season that ended as a -1 draw.  Slip up here and we know Bournemouth could find themselves back in the bottom three.

Backs to the wall time for Cherries

Steve Cook said it all when he spoke to BBC Radio Solent after the match against Wolves, "It's backs against the wall time." Indeed, AFCB's players have to be counted now and while the results in the last two games have been narrow defeats, it's the performances that will really nark fans.

Can Bournemouth get back to inning games?

Bournemouth will lose games in the Premier League and the fans will know that, but what we don't want to see is games thrown away and it's hard not to think that the points were really handed on a plate to Newcastle and Wolves in the last two games. There was pride in getting three clean sheets a short while ago and now that kind of mentality has completely deserted the players. Switching to a back five was perhaps ill-advised by Eddie Howe as he tried to match up with Wolves' system. It seems clear to me that the players are just not settled with playing that formation and at home the fans want to see the side go at teams, not sit back and try and hit on the break.

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Callum Wilson just isn't getting any support, and if King is not available, Bournemouth need another player to play up with Callum up top. It appears that Solanke pulled a muscle in the warm up and so he could only sit on the bench and could not be used in the second half, but not having another forward to pick is another failing of the club at the moment. They let Mousset go, who is doing well and have not yet replaced him.

Every player has to look at himself now and ask are they really a Premier League player that wants to get this club into the top 10? They are not playing with the heart and pride of players that are in the Sheffield United team for example, and I don't believe that Bournemouth's players are any less talented than that side. It's all about going out on the pitch with a determination not to get beaten and a pride in your performance. Of late there has not been enough application and they'll need to find some of that when going to some tough ground in the next few weeks.

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Did AFCB get it all wrong with Lys Mousset?

It is hard as a Bournemouth fan to see how well Lys Mousset is doing at Sheffield United and how he struggled to get any time at Dean Court. The player had talent, we could see it. But he never looked fully fit at Bournemouth and perhaps wants to give that extra 10 per cent at Sheffield United where Chris Wilder has him under his wing. So, did Eddie get it wrong with Lys?

Mousset has been doing it at Sheffield United but why didn't he do better at AFCB?

I believe there is a pecking order at AFCB. While Eddie does bring young players on, they have to earn the right to get in the team and to play up front is perhaps the hardest position to break into this Bournemouth team. Callum Wilson and Josh King have had the prime spots since Bournemouth got to the Premier League and we have seen players like Glenn Murray, Benik Afobe and Jermain Defoe not manager to break through so should we have expected any better of Lys Mousset? Probably not and Dominic Solanke is going to find it just as hard.

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What we can see is that when a player is happy in his environment, clubs get the best out of them. Lys Mousset was probably not that at home at Bournemouth and whether that might have been no fault of his or the club, he is absolutely thriving at Sheffield United and it makes me feel that he did the right thing in moving from the Cherries.

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Sometimes players don't fit into the package that Eddie Howe wants to create. It could be said of several players that have come and gone in recent years, but when I looked at the subs bench against Wolves last weekend, I thought what I'd give to have a player like an eager Lys Mousset ready to play and prove himself in a red and black shirt. It's crazy how football is like a jigsaw and some times the parts don't work at your club, but they are a perfect fit for others.

Premier Talk - The new plucky kids on the block

Chimes to Camera - AFCB 1 v 2 Wolves

Danjuma's first start could have been so much better

I wondered how Arnaut Danjuma felt when he stepped off the field on Saturday to be replaced by Harry Wilson. He had just completed his first start for his new club and knew that he could have been a match winner, if he had just reacted better, when Josh King had laid on an exquisite pass for him, across the box, that he would surely normally have knocked in.

Danjuma has o take his chances when in front of goal.

The day started brightly enough at Watford for Danjuma. He was perhaps criticised a little by Jason Tindall for not getting back and helping out Diego Rico enough, but Pererya was causing problems all afternoon for Bournemouth and all the players were wondering where he would pop up next.

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Once Danjuma had got his passing better, he did get into some great positions, and there was no better one than at the end of that first half, when he looked certain to score. It looked like he had made up his mind early to keep the shot low, as Foster came rushing out. It was a shame, as if he had lifted his head and just chipped the ball, he probably would have given AFCB a half-time lead.

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Now he will look at this week wondering why he didn't do that. He will be fighting for his place again and he'll have to show some sharp shooting this week in training, if he is to retain his place. I have been pleased that Danjuma is making the right kind of runs and is creating space for himself to get shots away, but he just needs to find more accuracy and confidence that he is going to score.

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It's strange how confidence and surroundings can make such a difference. Look at Lys Mousset now,. He can't stop scoring for Sheffield United, but he's still the same player he was at Bournemouth. But having people believe in you makes a lot of difference.

The Cherries have to stop an excited Sheffield Utd

It will be a debut season for Chris Wilder in the Premier League and he brings his Sheffield United back to the Premier League for the first time since 2006-07. The Yorkshire club has been preparing with an active transfer window that has seen seven players arrive and 12 moving out of the club.

What has Lys Mousset got in store for AFCB on Saturday?

For Bournemouth fans, the player that will be most anxiously watched will be Lys Mousset who joined the Blades in July. He has had a on/off record at Bournemouth, but never really managed to hold down a place for more than a couple of games, and while we know he has a fearsome shot on him, his endeavour and busy style will also be very evident as he tries to prove that he should have been given a better chance at Bournemouth.

Sheffield have also brought in the experience of Phil Jagielka rather like the way Bournemouth picked Sylvain Distin up from Everton in their first Premier League season. Other players include Luke Freeman from QPR who is a striker, along with Oliver McBurnie another striker that cost £17m from Swansea City, Ravel Morrison from Ostersunds - who used to play for West Ham in midfield, Ben Osborn who signed from Nottingham Forest and Callum Robinson a striker from Preston North End who scored 12 goals last season in the Championship.

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Chris Wilder has gone for goals with midfielders and strikers his target, but there are no new defenders or goalkeepers at the club. Sheffield United fans might be very happy just to survive in the Premier League this season, but every game needs to be fought for so they will come to Bournemouth knowing that if they can get something against the Cherries it will be the first step towards their season's ambition.

They have a difficult task though. The omens might not be in their favour with Bournemouth having seen three of the four teams it has played in its first game of the season be relegated with only Man Utd surviving the fixture jinks. Bournemouth lost three games to each of the new Premier League teams last season and it is a statistic that could have landed the club in more trouble if it had not made the good start the club did. We now need to get behind Bournemouth to see that they make a good start against this very excited Sheffield United team.

In other news, Cherry Chimes took part in Easy Odds' Premier League season review.


Cherry Chimes also contributed to Sky Sports' review of the top 20 decisions that fans would like VAR to review from past seasons.

TOP 20 DECISIONS FOOTBALL FANS WOULD MOST LIKE VAR TO REVIEW

1. Liverpool - Vincent Kompany is only yellow carded after a lunge at Mo Salah. Manchester City win the game and the title. (3 January 2019)                 

2. Arsenal - Wayne Rooney wins a penalty for Manchester United and Arsenal are denied a 50th game unbeaten. (24 October 2004)
3. Liverpool - Raheem Sterling's goal is ruled offside against Manchester City. Liverpool lose 2-1. (26 December 2013)

4. Manchester United - Didier Drogba scores the winner in a 2-1 win over United. But was Drogba in an offside position? (3 April 2010)     
5. Manchester United - Johnny Evans is sent off against Manchester City and United go on to lose 6-1. United then lose the title on goal difference. Should Evans have been sent off? (23 October 2011)
6. Tottenham Hotspur - Tottenham were winning 2-0 when Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo won a penalty. United went on to win the game 5-2, but did this turn the game and was there contact? (25 April 2009)   
7. Manchester City - Ashley Young brings down Sergio Aguero in the Manchester derby but no penalty is given. Manchester Utd win the game and City must wait to win the title. (7 April 2018)  
8. Tottenham Hotspur - Chelsea beat Tottenham 2-1 with a last-minute goal from Kalou. Replays suggest it was offside? (30 April 2011)
9. Aston Villa - Ryan Fredricks stamps on Jack Grealish but the referee takes no action. Villa go on to lose the game 1-0. (Play-Off Final - 26 May 2018)
10. Bournemouth - Charlie Daniels is 'karate kicked' by Eric Bailly but no penalty was awarded. Lukaku the scores a fourth for United that looks offside. (December 2018)
11. Manchester City - Willy Boly's goal for Wolves means City take just a point from the game. Was it handball? (25 August 2018)
12. West Ham United - Sadio Mane's goal meant that Liverpool escaped the London Stadium with a draw. But was James Milner offside in the build-up? (4 February 2019)
13. Aston Villa - Nemanja Vidic concedes a 5th minute penalty which Villa score, but Vidic is not sent off. (League Cup Final - 28 February 2010)
14. Sheffield United - Liverpool are awarded a penalty which allows them to share the points. Replays show there may not have been any contact. (19 August 2006)
15. Bournemouth - Tyrone Mings is sent off for an alleged stamp on Zlatan Ibrahimovic. (4 March 2017)
16. Burnley - Arsenal are awarded a stoppage time penalty, which they score to win the game. But was there an offside in the build-up? (January 2017)
17. Norwich - Andy Johnson wins and scores a penalty for Crystal Palace. Was it a dive? Norwich are relegated just weeks later. (16 April 2005)
18. Norwich - Cameron Jerome's spectacular overhead kick against Crystal Palace was ruled out for a high foot. Should it have been? (8 August 2015)
19. Sheffield United - Luton Shelton latched on to a through-ball and Manchester United's Gabriel Heinze's only cause of action was to scythe him down. Replays suggest that he got nothing on the ball. (17 April 2007)
20. Burnley - David Dunn scores a stoppage time winner for Blackburn. But was it offside and should it have been given? (28 March 2010)

AFCB's French striker to join Blades

It came as a surprise yesterday that AFCB had agreed a price of £10m for Lys Mousset to join Sheffield United rather than Celtic, according to BBC Radio Solent. The Frenchman has found it hard to get playing time at AFCB, but it must be a gamble for Sheffield United to hope that Lys can become a big star for them in the Premier League.

Lys Mousset could soon be in Sheffield United colours.

For the Cherries, Mousset is another young player that Eddie Howe and his coaches have worked hard to try and improve. The transfer fee seems reasonable for Mousset and what he has achieved so far, and the extra money that AFCB are starting to accumulate is starting to look like some good business depending on what they do with it.

Of course, Mousset could be lining up against the Cherries on the first weekend of the new season. if this deal goes through as expected. I always felt that Mousset had some natural talent and an eye for goal, but that he didn't win over Eddie Howe. That's just my opinion looking on. Mousset may say he did everything he could to get into the team, but for whatever reason he wasn't making much progress at AFCB, and with the arrival of  Dominic Solanke last January, Mousset's time at AFCB as always likely to be up soon.

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It wouldn't surprise me if Mousset did well at Sheffield United and we saw a player that we haven't really seen at AFCB. He has an incentive to do well. A fresh start at a club that has the main aim of staying up and if he can score goals he'll soon become a hero. That would excite me as a player much more than being reduced to being a sub for most games at AFCB, so I wish Mousset all the best of luck. He is prepared to take up a new challenge and perhaps the Premier League will be better for him at Sheffield.

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.

Incredible new plans for AFCB's training complex

AFCB have submitted their revised plans to the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council for their training complex at the former Canford Magna Golf Club site, we were told on the AFCB website yesterday. I think the images from AFL Architects show an amazing complex, and with nine full pitches as well as an indoor pitch and additional facilities, it should be a fantastic place to visit let alone train in.

AFCB will hopefully soon have some new premises
to show everyone where the whole club can train.

The timescale was not mentioned by the club apart from wanting to start work immediately the plans are approved by the council. But any building is going to take some time to construct, and I just hope AFCB are still in the Premier League when the complex finally opens.

Of course, as soon as the training pitches are available there will be calls for a new first team stadium as well, and we are still at the beginning of making AFCB into a club that has its roots firmly in the top tier of English football. Each step is another part of the jigsaw and the order in which it is being done makes sense for the players and the staff to give them the encouragement to progress. The speed of the process has been challenging though.

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When you look at what training facilities AFCB have got it is a wonder that they achieve such good results. Once a club stats feeling that it has the best things that are on offer though, it starts to feel more comfortable and that further ambitions can be reached. AFCB is still in a growing phase and the next few years should be memorable to see more infrastructure added.

The TV and worldwide audience is growing all the time for the Premier League and it will be good for this audience to also see that AFCB are trying to close the gap to what the best of the Premier League clubs already have.

Transfer updates
Meanwhile, The Bournemouth Echo reports that Former Dundee player Kyle Gourlay, 20, is to undergo a goalkeeping trial at AFCB. The Daily Mirror has also reported that Lys Mousset is being tracked by Goztepe of Turkey, having earlier been a target of Celtic. Olympiacos of Greece and Celtic are also looking at attracting out of favour AFCB keeper Asmir Begovic, and Huddersfield are said to be looking at a loan move for Aaron Ramsdale.

Is the jury still out on Lys Mousset?

Lys Mousset signed for Bournemouth in 2016 on a four-year deal which means he has just one more season to make his mark before his contract is up. Eddie Howe faces a decision whether to renew the contract or let Mousset go on a free transfer, unless a team comes in for the player this summer. But do we really know if Mousset can cut it in the Premier League?

Is Lys Mousset coming to the end of his AFC career?

I was astonished to see that Mousset has made 50 appearances in the Premier League. Okay, not many of them are starts, but he has been stacking up the minutes on the field. But as a bit-part player, there is a sense that Mousset is not going to amount to anything more. He has been in and around the first squad for three seasons and for me that's just not good enough if AFCB were making the signing on potential that would eventually turn into a first team regular.

But is that Mousset's fault or AFCB?s I don't know enough about Mousset's character to know if he puts everything into his training and his professional career. We can only judge by what we see on the pitch on a match day, and getting on for 10-15 minutes is difficult at the end of games. If Eddie Howe doesn't see Mousset as the best player to partner with Wilson or King, then it is hard to make a case for keeping Mousset beyond his last year. Solanke is already going to give Mousset a problem in the pecking order and Sam Surridge could also be better than Mousset, if Surridge doesn't go out on loan.

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Whether it is good business to hold on to Mousset is perhaps the question we should be asking. AFCB could reinvest his transfer money on a more prolific striker. Mousset has simply not developed far enough to excite and I fear it is another foreign signing that just hasn't come off for AFCB.

In other news, the Bournemouth Echo reports that Joe Partington has rejoined AFCB in a position at the Academy while still playing part-time for Eastleigh.

Victory over Spurs could have been bigger

Bournemouth found it very hard to get the victory over Tottenham. I expect that some of that was because of the mental knowledge that Spurs were not a team that they had beaten before as well as how well organised the eight outfield players were for Spurs. But if the team had played for longer in the second half like it did in the last 10 minutes it could have been a better win.

Bournemouth had everything in their hands to win the game. They had reduced Spurs to nine men and they had their best strikers on the pitch, and even added Lys Mousset for more fire power when Ibe started to fade. The shots went up to 20 from Bournemouth after 90 minutes but only six of those were on target. I didn't feel that Bournemouth played with enough directness or speed after Sours had received their second red card, and almost expected an opportunity to present itself rather than look to stretch Spurs with their pace of attack.

A 1-0 win over nine men is a massive win for AFCB.

In the end the goal came from a set-piece. Simpson would have perhaps been the player I'd most expect to get a header in on goal, but Aké has been in the right area for grabbing the odd goal and he was delighted to get the late winner. After all the playing from the back and main strikers being on the field it was a surprise that Bournemouth would only break Tottenham's defence with a header from a corner.

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While Bournemouth didn't pepper the Spurs goal continually, there were moments when Fraser and Ibe looked like they would outstrip Tottenham's back line and it would have only needed one good cross to find King or Wilson in space. The covering that Spurs did was exceptional and their players got back into position very quickly. Bournemouth will have to learn from this experience that they have to push on when their opposition has a player or two sent off and really make the most of that advantage.

Bournemouth have something to prove against City

At some stage AFCB's players have to stand up and put on a performance that makes them proud. The match against Man City is one of those opportunities. The pundits won't give Bournemouth much hope of stopping City, despite Bournemouth's home record, but beating the odds is what it has always been about for the players who run out at Dean Court.

David Books could well make a return against City.

There are a few things Eddie Howe could do to the starting 11 following the Arsenal defeat, but I hope he doesn't change too many players. His selection problems have been made clear, but the only way some of the players will learn and get better is to take on teams like Man City, and do things well enough not to get a drubbing like they did at Arsenal.

Experienced players have a hard time against the top six teams and we can't expect AFCB's young players to get an easy ride. But they need to pick themselves up after the Arsenal game and show that they can get a result against one of the best teams. Bournemouth need more fight and more tenacity in their game. They should rightly be angry by what happened to them in the last match and the lucky players will have the opportunity to go again. It is how AFCB respond that is important now.

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For all the disappointment of conceding five goals in the last game, Lys Mousset had a start and got his goal. Now he might have a bit more to smile about than most. If he can believe that he is going to score against Man City as well he could feel that he has taken his chance. Chris Mepham should have the target of getting a game where he helps the team get a clean sheet. Howe has to pick players who have a point to prove in this game and he should make it clear to them that he wants results - it doesn't matter that it's Man City. Let's give them a game they don't like - UTCIAD!