Can the Cherries take advantage if Utd rest some players?

I get the firm impression hat Jose Mourinho has got his team playing reasonably well, but not as good as he wants at the moment. The win against Southampton in the League Cup final was something he can put on his mantelpiece, but he is really driving his players on to get into the top four and that is a big problem for Howe's players on Saturday.

Man Utd at the opening game of the season.

If we had any doubts over whether Zlatan Ibrahimovic was top-class or not, we surly have seen the evidence this season. He has mastered the English game and is enhancing his reputation all the time. United look half the side without him but luckily for them he hasn't missed many games. I also will be not liking the prospect of Juan Mata's name being on the team sheet as the hard working midfielder always pops up with goals and is excellent at timing his runs to tear apart defences. It should of course be Paul Pogba that sends shudders down AFCBs' players spine and yet he has found it harder to live up to his potential, although I am sure he is getting closer to what Mourinho ants from him.

I can go on looking at the possible scorers and yet I have my fingers crossed that Mourinho spares AFCB all of the first team squad at Old Trafford with important games coming up for the Red Devils against FC Rostov and Chelsea. Eddie Howe is probably looking at who didn't play against Southampton for Man Utd in the Cup final last weekend and one name kind of stands out - Wayne Rooney. Yes, he may have been disappointed not to play in that game, even if he did get to lift the cup as club captain and he probably wants to show Mourinho that he's still got it! AFCB are lucky to have a Wayne Rooney coming towards the end of his career potentially lining up against them though than a young terrier who used to gobble up any mistake a team made at the back.

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Add in players like Michael Carrick, Mario Fellani and Daley Blind who also did not start the cup match and just perhaps there is a possibility that Mourinho will take a bit of a gamble in this next game against the Cherries, leaving some of his big hitters on the bench. It may seem little relief to AFCB as they get ready for this match, but it is going to stop any Man Utd team playing at Old Trafford the week after they have won the first domestic cup competition of the season.

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AFCB's fans wait for transfer market to spark into life

This is certainly the calm before the storm. When Sun journalists are keen to follow Eddie Howe to town to see his wife buy a coffee you know that news is thin on the ground in the transfer rumour mill. At least we will no longer be linked with Jermain Defoe who has signed a new three-year deal at Sunderland and if Michael Carrick was a target he has escaped Eddie Howe's clutches for another year. But should AFCB fans be worried by the lack of activity?

Don't be fooled. Neill Blake, Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall will be extremely busy in trying to get bids for players ready. When you consider that Ronald Koeman has more than £100m to spend this summer and the likes of Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp will probably spend even more it is probably a waiting game that many teams are having to play at the moment until the big guns start splashing out. Whispers are that even Arsene Wenger may open his purse! Still, AFCB usually like to get their business done early so that players can be integrated during pre-season so I don't expect it to be long before the Cherries start to get some bids in.

How many new additions will AFCB bring into their squad this summer?

Of course, Eddie Howe may not want to bring in as many players as the fans might hope for this summer. He has after all spent a lot of dosh in the last transfer window and if the basis of the side can be kept together he won't have to find too many new stars. There is of course some anticipation over which players can secure lucrative transfers from playing at this year's Uefa Euro 2016 competition and it seems crazy but AFCB is a Premier League club that would have the kind of purchasing power to attract players that are performing at that level.

It is the British players though that I expect rate highest in AFCB's tick list for inbound transfers. The club has had mixed success in attracting foreign players that have flourished and unless they are U21 or full internationals it is hard to see how players can force their way into the side now. That means spending big bucks and the risks are greater now than they were in League One of the Championship. It is not about leaping first, it's about getting it right. UTCIAD!

Euro2016: Will Euro 2016 opener be a cracker?

Can we expect to see Roy Hodgson at Dean Court soon?

Eddie Howe made a pretty strong recommendation that Mr Roy Hodgson could do worse than take some time to visit King's Park in the next sixth months a few months to check out the potential of Andrew Surman as an addition to his full England squad. It has been a fairly regular occurrence to see Roy Keane among the watchers at the Vitality stadium to see Harry Arter and Eunan O'Kane going about their work, but it kind of makes me read a sentence twice or more when AFCB's players are being linked with the England national side.

Andrew Surman - is he getting closer to a England call up?

We see other club managers herald their players all the time and while Eddie believes in all the players at the club it is rare for him to speak so directly about what Roy Hodgson should be doing. I can't argue, as Andrew Surman has been a consistent cog in the fortunes of the Cherries' progress. The England set up has a fast and pacey attacking line up, but it is possible that the role of defensive midfielder is still up for grabs with the likes of Wilshire still injured and perhaps questions over Michael Carrick and Jordan Henderson looking to regain match fitness. With Surman near the top of the Opta stats for passes this season in the Premier League he deserves to be mentioned with such players.

It is possible that if Roy Hodgson did take a closer look at what is happening on the south coast he could find reason to keep track of the progress of one or two others as well. Junior Stanislas has made a few appearances for the England U20s and U21s but is certainly playing some of the best football we have seen him produce since his time at the club. I've heard others mentioned by fans as worthy of call ups like Charlie Daniels and Adam Smith, although some will look at the number of clean sheets that the Cherries have had, and I expect Hodgson would like to see that improve before he would consider the two flying full backs.

Still, if the Cherries can mount a strong challenge up the table in the second half of the season it would not be so surprising to see Mr Hodgson, Ray Lewington or Gary Neville - I'm sure we could squeeze them in somewhere.