Showing posts with label Newsletter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Newsletter. Show all posts

Tuesday, 31 January 2017

Palace can ill-afford a battering from the Cherries

Crystal Palace come to AFCB on the back of a crunching 0-3 home defeat to Man City in the FA Cup. It was not ideal preparation for Sam Allardyce's side, especially as he played a good number of his first team side in the fourth round of the cup. The league is what matters though for Allardyce and Palace this season and they may find this game comes too quickly for them.
Palace are likely to have a few different players from last time the two teams met.
I was looking through the Palace line-up against Man City and was a bit surprised to see Crhsitain Benteke, Andros Townsend, Joe Ledley and Jeffry Schlupp on the filed from the start. That seemed to back fire as Schlupp was taken off with a hamdtring pull after 76 minutes. They did make some other subs too, as the game moved away from them. Consistency is something that Palace have been struggling with just like the Cherries and on the road the Eagles have just had two win this season at Middlesbrough and Sunderland, plus a couple of draws.

The Watford away game they had on Boxing Day s the last time they scored away from home and they are still waiting for their first Premier League point of 2017. So is this a good time to play Palace? Absolutely, the Cherries must take advantage of this opportunity. There have been some close games with Palace, but this is a side that will play only one way against AFCB - it will be a long ball, height and set-plays for AFCB to defend. Howe knows what is coming and he needs to get a plan in place to nullify the physical side of Palace's game. Cabaye is there best play-maker, but if he is kept deep, then AFCB can get the upper hand in this game.

Benteke is the striker that will need the most looking after. He has eight goals now and is starting to look like the only man who is going to get them out of trouble with his ability to score goals on a regular basis. But it is the supply routes that AFCB must cut off. Wilfred Zaha is back from the Ivory Cup of Nations, the Ivory Coast having been knocked out and he didn't play in the FA Cup match fourth round which indicates that he will be available for this game. Spurs are said to be lining up a bid for the young winger and that could also be a reason for his absence from the team last weekend.

An under-performing Zaha though or one who is not quite on it may also be something that AFCB can exploit. Palace are reinforcing their side though having bought defender Patrick van Aanholt from Sunderland for a fee that could rise to £14m. Allardyce is still chasing two more signings as well, according to BBC reports.

Palace know it is now or never for them this season now. So AFCB can't be at all fragile in their defence which is going to have to improve for this match.

Crystal Palace Away Form
LLDDL

AFCB Home Form
WWLDD

Possible AFCB line up
Boruc (GK), A Smith (RB), Francis (CD), S Cook (CD), Daniels (LB),
Stanislas (RM), L Cook (CD), Surman (CD), Fraser (LD), Wilshere (FW), C Wilson (FW)

AFCB Subs
Federici, B Smith, Mings, Gosling, King, Ibe, Afobe ( Arter, I just feel might be rested)


Premier Talk - 
Why oh why is it transfer deadline day with matches going on?

Transfer News

Marc Wilson is linked with WBA and Hull City are still trying to get Max Gradel to sign. Glenn Murray is also ready to sign to Brighton & Hove Albion for £3m, according to Sky Sports.
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The Cherry Chimes' Newsletter is 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: Are AFCB just making up the numbers?

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Wednesday, 30 November 2016

Just because we have Wilshere et al, don't expect Sturridge to sign

Daniel Sturridge has his critics at Liverpool and is arguably the striker that will be most in demand come the January transfer window and yet I can't see AFC Bournemouth as being his ideal club to come to just because he is missing out at Anfield. Yes, the attraction of Eddie Howe, Jordan Ibe, Brad Smith and Jack Wilshere may make strong reasons for Daniel to consider AFCB as a potential project, but don't forget why Liverpool are not playing him regularly - he does not have a high pressing work rate, which is something Eddie Howe is trying to encourage his team to do.
Callum and Josh are good enough to get the goals.
I rate Daniel Sturridge as a top finisher just as many fans do, but he is not the answer to AFCB's modest goal count. Eddie Howe will want to improve the side in January if he can but not at a cost that pushes aside the progress that Callum Wilson and Josh King have been making. While bringing in a A class finisher would help them to learn and develop their game it is playing time that they most need and that would be cut short. While last season Glenn Murray came to the club to give experience and know how of the Premier League, the side is not at the same stage now and ideally AFCB will be looking for more strikers that are young and showing promise. I rather like the potential back up behind Sturridge at Liverpool - Divock Origi. That is the kind of player that I imagine appeals more to a side making it's way in the Premier League and looking to develop talent.

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As long as Eddie believes he has enough goal power at the club, he may not be so desperate to bring in another striker. Benik Afobe and Max Gradel will be absent while they are at the African Cup of Nations, but it is hard to know how long they will be away for and if they will keep injury-free. Other clubs will also find themselves short as well during this period and the prices for players will be high as many clubs will already be concerned about the prospects of relegation. Striker prices will be at a premium, so it may be more stringent for Howe to look at other areas of the pitch where he could strengthen.

While many AFCB fans complain about the lack of shots from the team it is intriguing to see that AFCB are 12th in the number of shots they have taken and as for goals outside the box they are at the lofty position of 8th, even though they have only scored twice from distance. In essence the team is not doing badly and in terms of the defence the team is ranked 5th for clean sheets - well ahead of the next visitors Liverpool - by the way.

Perhaps Eddie has already picked the players he has admired at Liverpool and will choose to look elsewhere come January.
The Cherry Chimes' Newsletter is out tomorrow.

Cherry Chimes' December 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: It's not been all-out attack from AFCB

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Saturday, 30 April 2016

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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Tuesday, 1 March 2016

AFCB have to bring their away form home to Dean Court

We know the points have not been coming at home. It is a shame but the team has to get a win under its belt at Dean Court and there is no better team to do that against than a side like the Saints. As a derby game and a team that the Cherries find very hard to get wins against, a big result in this game would push them a long way towards safety and that has to be the goal.

Sometimes matters are just over thought a little too much. Eddie will send the players out in this game saying go and get the three points they are there for you and if you can do it there will be an even bigger prize awaiting, the knowledge that you have beaten a top, top side that has for many seasons been well ahead of the Cherries in terms of league position. To the fans a win against Southampton would be almost as big an achievement as any of the other this season as it is a match that rarely comes around and when it does the Saints all too often just churn out the result.  

The home fans deserve something as well. On the road the Cherries have been a good team, but not at Dean Court apart from in flashes. It has not really caught alight yet at home and there is no reason why it shouldn't happen. That would make this season complete in my eyes. Southampton are a far better side than Stoke City though and we have seen that every team has players that can take a game away from the Cherries very quickly when they are given too much freedom. The Saints know that this is a game that AFCB are desperate to win and so they will be hoping that there is a mistake of two that they can exploit.
Can Afobe find his scoring touch again?
I want the Cherries to be brave and to put the Saints under the kind of pressure that has them fretting over what to do. The Cherries have some excellent attacking players and they are the ones that we want to see on the ball at home. The message has to be lots of shots as well. While Afobe was a quiet figure at Watford he needs to be the dominant player in AFCB's front line at home and I'm expecting a big performance from him.  

The Cherry Chimes Newsletter is out today.

Cherry Chimes' March 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: Afobe underlines lower league quality.

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Monday, 1 February 2016

Coping with being favourites

Visiting Fratton Park may have seemed like a daunting experience only a few seasons ago but the atmosphere last Saturday was more like a celebration of southern football than a place where a giant killing was about to take place. Many Pompey fans seemed genuinely pleased that the Cherries are now in the top flight and while they wanted to beat AFCB on the day there was a reasonable amount of grudging respect that I found quite strange.
Eddie wants to keep making history and get
further than the club has before in the FA Cup.
Eddie Howe made it known that Bournemouth players would have to get used to going to places while being seen as favourites to win games and that it is something that they are still trying to get used to. Coming into the FA Cup in round three is a big leap in itself but to be playing teams that were formerly much higher in the leagues over a longer period that AFCB is still not easy to comprehend for some of us long time fans. Sure, Pompey have a much bigger fanbase and a great heritage, but the Cherries are still making their story in the big time and who knows what will happen in the future.

"I spoke to the players on numerous times in the week about on what we'd be facing today. I knew it would be a really tough game," said Eddie Howe. "Any cup tie here is difficult. The crowd, being a south coast derby, the tempo of the game was always going to be high and we didn't deal with it very well."

There is a confidence about AFCB though that has been seen in both round three and four of the FA Cup this season. In both games the Cherries were not massively on top for any long period and yet there was a belief that in time the quality would come through and win the day. Against Birmingham there was a good deal of good fortune in having penalty missed and at Fratton Park the team might have seen a penalty awarded when Josh King made a clearance. You need luck in the cup and I don't want to speak to early but AFCB are starting to get the rub of the green in this competition. They have been doing it the hard way as well in having to win games away from home and drawing a big team becomes a little harder when you are already a Premier League team.

Eddie Howe spoke about how he never prepared a team to have to try and avoid treading on a banana skin. "It's new for us. I've never prepared a team to be the scalp. I don't think we dealt with that very well in the early stages of the game today. They almost seemed to catch is by surprise," he said.

Being favourites though is not something that should make AFCB's players go out any differently into games. "Portsmouth were very good. You have to give them a lot of credit for how they played. They pressed us, they out passed us which is something I have not said at Premier League level. I know we made a lot of changes today but still I'm disappointed with that first half," said Eddie. "A lot to earn from it, a lot to improve in it."

Let's hope the players can put the lessons learned into a good win against Everton in the next round.

Enjoy Transfer Deadline day today!


All Departments podcast is out and talks over the major points of the Cherries' 4th Round FA Cup win against Pompey as well as transfer news - visit All Departments' website for ways to listen in or scroll down Cherry Chimes' right-side web panel to the All Departments' sound bar.

The Cherry Chimes Newsletter is out today.
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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Sunday, 31 January 2016

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?

To sign up for the newsletter just complete the form below - like all good things it's free:








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Friday, 1 January 2016

More to come from the Cherries

Happy New Year! AFC Bournemouth can be very pleased with what has been achieved in their first Premier League season to date. They have  been beaten by some good teams but they have also won against Chelsea and Man Utd along with others, so I can't say the Premier League has been a bad fit for the Cherries. I know most of the supporters have been enjoying it and there are still some highlights to come like visiting White Hart Lane and Old Trafford to name but two, but it is watching the team play with confidence and passion that most excites me about 2016.
The AFCB squad will need a couple of new recruits to
give them a boost in the second half of the season.
The forthcoming year is likely to see more huge changes at the club as well as some new faces and some departures. Nothing stands still at Dean Court and I expect that Eddie Howe will have some surprises for us all in January. It is important that the club get this transfer window right though with such a huge amount of money rinding on a successful outcome to the 2015-16 season. A few wins in January would take the pressure off a little but I like the positivity around the club and the message that everyone wants to improve.

While the team has seen some changes among its line ups of late, there should be more strength coming into the side and that gives me confidence that this second half of the season will see the Cherries make more progress in establishing itself at this level. The team has been in the bottom three and has shown that it can get out of it. While the onus will be not to fall down the table that far, there is only a three point gap to eighteenth and if the Cherries can avoid slipping down there at any stage now it will breed confidence.

Home games offer a great way to gain safety and with five more wins probably the minimum requirement there are certainly plenty of opportunities to get those points. I am happy that the players really want this and I think that will get them over the line before we all meet at Old Trafford in May.   


All Departments has a double podcast reviewing the Crystal Palace and Arsenal games so listen in by visiting the All Departments' website.



The Cherry Chimes' January Newsletter is out today and brings you the best stories on the blog in the last month and the thoughts behind them, plus there is a special Newsletter article entitled: Can't wait for the 2nd half of the season?

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Score Predictions - competition
If you send your score predictions to @PeterBell19 and Follow on Twitter this week, you can be in with a chance of winning an AFC Bournemouth 2016 diary. 

It is free to enter and if more than one person has the correct score we will draw a winner out of a hat. If there is no winner the prize will roll on to next week.

Saturday, 31 October 2015

Koeman will feel he has the edge on Howe

Ronald Koeman may not have been at Southampton nearly as long as Eddie Howe has been at Bournemouth, but the Dutchman will feel he has the experience to keep his near rivals at arm's length and come out on top. Having managed at teams such as Ajax, Benfica and Feyenoord amongst others, Koeman has a great grasp of the continental game and with a distinguished international playing career himself he is a heavyweight among managers in the modern game.


Eddie will look t beat one of the best football
brains in the game when he takes on Koeman.
So what chance might Eddie Howe have of toppling the Saints and getting one over Ronald? You can't knock Koeman's pedigree and the Saint's talented crop of players. Eddie certainly has a hard task and sometimes us fans don't acknowledge that he is also learning this season in the Premier League as well as his players. Each bit of information he can tap out of playing these teams though is going to give him ideas to work on, and while we have seen the Cherries well beaten in some games it is those kind of matches that will enable Eddie to find something to add to AFCB's style of play. Anyone of those ideas could become a successful one and he'll be looking to set his side up with some extra motivation against the Saints.

Koeman's time at Southampton has been on an upward curve. While he has not won a cup he has led taken them into Europe and won the Premier League manager of the month title twice since his arrival in June 2014. He has seen some top players leave the Saints, but has brought in fabulous quality like Jordie Claise, Saido Mane and Duscan Tadic.

At the moment Southampton are six points ahead of the Cherries in eighth place. The gap seems much bigger than that between the two clubs. However, a win for Eddie Howe's side would be a massive achievement not only for the team but also for Eddie Howe personally. Eddie's record against Southampton has not been strong and that will already be grating on him. Beating Koeman would be a big boost for him and having already beaten one Dutch manager this season he could already make it an early double Dutch. 

Later this morning I'll be putting a Rival Lines' post up with Southampton Blog - George Weah's Cousin as we build up to the derby match. 


Look out tomorrow as well for the Cherry Chimes' November Newsletter which brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month, plus there is a special Newsletter article about whether AFCB should set a target: 17 points by Xmas?

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Thursday, 1 October 2015

Can Rantie now play a part?

Okay, we have probably been dismissing a man that could yet have AFCB fans smiling again. Yes, I'm talking about Tokelo Rantie, the striker who has probably been well protected at AFCB as he has tried to develop and ready himself for the English game but who has not yet shown the consistency to earn himself regular game time. But Tokelo is in the 25-man Premier League squad. He is a different kind of player to King, Wilson, Tomlin and Kermorgant and he may yet have a role to play.


We have seen Rantie fall down the pecking order fairly rapidly in the last few months. While it looked likely that he would go out on loan I don't see any chance of that now. Having renewed his visa by flying out of the country to Dublin last week and re-entering I wonder if he could make a return to the first team match day squad in equally quick time? Rantie has not got the physicality to his game of Wilson and may seem a little lightweight for the Premier League, but it is his speed that the team may find quite useful now.


Rantie may yet have more to contribute.
Josh King has really been the player that has slipped in ahead of Rantie in Eddie Howe's thoughts, but to be frank Josh has not inspired the fans greatly yet. Rantie would get AFCB fans excited and on the edge of their seats as he can do the unexpected. Having Rantie on the bench against Watford would be a good move now in my book and he has surely got to have something to add to the team if Howe feels he is worthy of having a place in the 25-man squad. Still I expect Junior Stanislas, Lee Tomlin and Yann Kermorgant are more likely to lineup n the bench for this game. 

Rantie has been at the club for long enough now to understand how his goals could be very important and that he could repay Eddie Howe very quickly with a good run in the team. I don't think the door has closed on Rantie yet and we may find that he is a player who still has to wait his turn behind King, Kermorgant and Murray. But in an instance he could become a match winner and with the injuries the club have he is now closer to getting an opportunity and if he does the whole of Dean Court will be willing him to show the sensational Rantie that we know is there and waiting to come out. 

Out today - Cherry Chimes' October Newsletter brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month, plus a special Newsletter article entitled The chase will never be the same again.

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Captain Elphick can be a big influence

Tommy Elphick is not thought to be facing a major injury crisis. He visited a specialist last week over his ankle though which indicates that he might not be as confident about playing a part in the team for a little while yet. He'll want to come back strong and not having any worries so it is right that he gets the best treatment he can and with someone he trusts. But how much will the team miss him not being on the pitch at this time?
Tommy will hopefully be back holding on to the goal posts
 at some point but before then he can still be a big asset to the
club behind the scenes.
Normally I would think that as long as Tommy is around the lads will be okay on the field, but with Wilson also now injured I hope that Tommy can ensure that he does still get his team talks in and reinforces his message of concentration and being first to the ball. A captain needs to be around his players and with so much changing with the injuries the outlook has to be one of building a fortress as the league has not been kind to the Cherries.

While Distin and Cook will be looking to improve on the two goals that they could not stop at Stoke, we start to see how important it has been for Baily Cargill to have been building his game experience in recent seasons. He is now on the edge of being involved for 90 minutes in the team and as a sub he could be needed at any time. Seeing him preparing for the Stoke game, where he would be the sub for the centre backs, I thought this is another significant step for the young defender. This weekend could be an even bigger week for him if he makes a Premier League debut. That's why I am sure that Tommy and Sylvain will be reassuring him that he is ready.

Out today - Cherry Chimes' October Newsletter brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month, plus a special Newsletter article entitled The chase will never be the same again.

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Friday, 1 May 2015

Are Watford any better than the Cherries?

We won't be able to say for sure who is the best until results come in on 2nd May, and while AFCB sit second in the Championship table there is more than just a little bit of me that would not mind taking some of the grins off the Hornets who I still remember giving the Cherries a hard time of it last season at Vicarage Road. Walking out of Vicarage Road was pretty hard when you team has been given a lesson, but the great thing is that AFCB grew from that and just got stronger.

At the time, many AFCB fans perhaps wondered if the team was good enough to survive a season in the Championship. True, a 6-1 defeat was pretty heavy. Still the sides' stories have been a bit different this season when they have met and when you look at the overall stats for the season does one team perhaps have a few more number ones in its stats?
Could Mr Deeney and co have an off day?
I came across a site that some of you might know called WhoScored.com which has some excellent stats on all the teams in the Championship among many other leagues (they use Opta stats), but it was AFCB and Watford that I was keen to have a closer look at. The goal record of both teams is what fans can probably see has got them both promoted and AFCB's 61 goals coming in open play tells you a little about how Eddie Howe's team plays, but it is more than matched by Watford in percentage terms. AFCB score less from set-pieces but are well ahead in the penalty stakes 11 successful attempts to five.

Bournemouth lead the possession stats with 58 per cent compared to Watford's 51 per cent in games. Pass success rate is also exceptional at the Cherries where they have a 79 per cent rate compared to Watford's 76 per cent. Shots per game are also higher with AFCB 5.9 compared to 5.5. Defensively too the Cherries appear stronger with 11.5 shots conceded per game compared to the Hornet's 14. In the air too AFCB have the advantage with aerial duals won hitting 21.3 per game to Watford's 16.6

When it comes to interceptions though it is Watford that are ahead on 15.8 a game compared to the Cherries' 15.2. Tackles are similarly a strong point of Watford with 16.9 per game compared to AFCB's 16.1. 

You can have some fun looking at all the different parameters on which to judge the two teams, but in the end it just comes down to who gets the most points and this Saturday we will find out. All I can say is congratulations to both teams on great seasons and it will be fantastic to be able to sit back and watch the play-offs to see who joins them in the Premier League.



Cherry Chimes' May Newsletter is out today and features the top stories from the blog in April to recall how AFCB reached the top flight. Stories include 90 minutes away from the Premier League and Fairy tales really do come true.

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Wednesday, 1 April 2015

Eddie has been looking for balance

After the match against Middlesbrough, Eddie Howe said that he had been looking for the right balance and that he felt that he had found it for that match. It was a surprise for many supporters that Brett Pitman was not starting after the last few games he had been involved in but whatever weaknesses Eddie saw in Middlesbrough, the team were able to exploit it with stunning effect.


Crowd reaction to the third goal going in against Middlesbrough.

It is not always easy to drop a player that has been doing well. But it is the overall team on the day that has to be the most important consideration and Eddie Howe has never been afraid to go against what people expect to get a result on the pitch. I am sure some of his independent thoughts together with collective decisions with Jason Tindall have carried AFCB to the very top of the division and you can't argue with that. Against Middlesbrough he chose Yann Kermorgant and he put away the first penalty well, while Brett still got his opportunity later on from the spot.
Yann has been in and out of the team of late, but if Callum
Yann fit he tends to be the preferred partner.
The balance of the team against Middlesbrough seemed stronger to me on the left though for once and Charlie Daniles and Marc Pugh were pretty sensational that day. Simon Francis was not as prolific up the right wing as he has been and he had to be alert to the breaks by Middlesbrough, especially when Lee Tomlin was drifting and trying to get in between AFCB's defence and midfield.

The balance of the team could well be altered again for the Ipswich match. I have not heard news about Marc Pugh yet but I am sure we will soon find out how he has been doing and if he can take part in the matches over Easter. Callum Wilson looks out though having not trained in the last two weeks. All those on international duty will also need to be assessed and some of the players out in Dubai just might have caused some rethinking with their form. I would not think that Kenwyne Jones will get many training sessions in with the squad before Friday and yet he may well have to lead the line.

Whatever the selection for the Ipswich game, it is going to be bigger than the last game in terms of pressure I feel, but the players have shown that they can deal with that. Being away at Portman Road one would imagine that the pressure on Ipswich will be equally as high and even higher if they find AFCB can get off to a flyer.

You can vote on our poll in the side panel which asks if you think Kenwyne Jones will have a successful loan period at AFCB - the poll closes at 10pm.

Cherry Chimes April Newsletter - is out now!

Cherry Chimes' April Newsletter picks over the top stories from the blog in March.

You can read extra posts as well that are not on the blog entitled: 'The scrap for the title is on and the special newsletter story: 'Is Pitman under-rated by fans? All you need to do is sign up here if you don't already receive the newsletter:

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