Sheffield Wednesday are in the bottom three but it's Bournemouth's form that is dire

Bournemouth will need to find away to get back to winning games. It has been a shocking run of results in January that has put Bournemouth on the verge of falling out of the play-off places having been in an automatic promotion place in December. A change of face and voice may be a help on the training pitches as Graeme Jones' position has been taken up by Jonathan Woodgate.

AFCB desperately need a win - will it come tonight?

Sheffield Wednesday are just the sort of team likely to be a problem for the Cherries. They have already beaten Tindall's team at Hillsbrough back in November 1-0 and the odds of them doing the double should not be that large. The Owls have won three of their last five games losing just one, but their points have come from home matches. On the road they are suffering more than Bournemouth with one point from their last five games.

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Bournemouth in comparison have hit rock-bottom in their form. Even at home they have just picked up one point from their last two games. The goals have also been in short supply with just two goals in their last four league matches. Tindall can't afford to be afraid of making changes now. Bournemouth have been floundering. He has to pick a side that is going to work hard and generate far more chances than of late.

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It is likely that Ben Pearson will get a debut at some point during the game against Sheffield Wednesday, but Jack Wilshere may be thrown straight in at the start. I'd like to see him paired with Lewis Cook but Tindall may prefer a bit more height in the team, so Lerma will likely be kept in the side. I'm expecting Junior Stanislas to start having scored last game. It's perhaps time for David Brooks to rest for a game. Bournemouth need players that are hungry for a win. I still feel Surridge has been underused and yet I expect it will be just Solanke upfront with two wingers in support. Well, that was my feeling until last night when Shane Long was signed from Southampton on loan.

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What Tindall does at the back is also up for grabs now. I have a feeling that things will stay the same though as the back four in the last game. Steve Cook seems undroppable, but with Mepham and Carter-Vickers available, it is still likely to be Mepham that gets the nod to join the captain. I'd like to see Jack Stacey also start again on the right ahead of Adam Smith. On the left side it has to be Rico and Bournemouth need him to find his crossing form that was once so good.

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Bournemouth's Home Form
LWWDL

Sheffield Wednesday's Away Form
LLLDL

Possible AFCB lineup

AFCB Subs: Dennis, Smith, Carter-Vickers, Pearson,
Brooks, Riquelme, Billing, Surridge, Long

In other news, Nnamdi Ofoborh has joined Wycome Wanderers on loan for teh rest of the season. Jack Simpson has joined Rangers on a permanent deal, Josh King has completed his long goodbye by joining Everton for £5m and Shane Long has joined Bournemouth on loan until the summer from Southampton.

Rangers could step in for AFCB players

While Bournemouth await further interest in their players, Steven Gerrard has not hidden his desire to bring an Bournemouth defender and midfielder north of the border to Glasgow Rangers. The Glasgow Times reported that Gerrard thought he might be too late to scupper Jack Simpson's move to Cardiff City, while he admires Nnamdi Ofoborh, but thinks it might not be realistic to get him to Rangers after the interest from English clubs in the player.

Jack Simpson's future is still up for grabs.

It looks like Bournemouth's fringe players are going to be prime targets for clubs looking to swell their numbers. How many players are let go by Neill Blake is what nobody knows, but I think we can expect Jack Simpson and Nnamdi Ofoborh to be two players who are likely to move in this window. Simpson has already had a fee from Cardiff City accepted by AFCB and with Charlton Athletic and Rangers looking to secure Ofoborgh's services, Bournemouth could soon be whittling down their squad.

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That might not be a bad thing if players are not getting games and it is leading to unrest in the dressing room. But getting a fair price is perhaps what AFCB need to be most concerned about. The players that are being targeted are very young and that may well concern the club as if they sell a few of their under 25-year-olds it does start to push up the average age of the group again which is something AFCB worked hard to get down in the last couple of seasons.

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Of course, we could see Tindall being given funds to go and get replacements. Somehow though I doubt there is much desire for the club to start spending at the moment with the possibility that it might not get in the automatic promotion places, and it could be gearing up for another year in the Championship. If that happens, AFCB may have to shed many more high-earners this summer. My worry is that by selling the young players now and keeping hold of the more experienced players, it will be the players that have been sold this January that AFCB really need in 2021-2 if they don't get promoted. We can be positive and hope for promotion, but when AFCB want to bring in more young players, we can expect selling clubs to ask high prices knowing AFCB's recent past.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - AFCB - simply 'not good enough'

Surridge is hyped for Oldham reunion

Sam Surridge had a long loan spell at Oldham Athletic and did rather well in netting eight goals in 15 games during the 2018-19 season. It really put Sam Surridge on the map as a player that could do well at a higher level, and he secured a loan spell at Swansea City on the back of it. Now he might well lead the Cherries as the main striker in a cup tie that Bournemouth are keen to progress in.

Sam Surridge is set for striking Oldham out of the FA Cup.

While Sam has had to fight hard to get time on the pitch for Bournemouth this season, there is no doubting his quality from what I have seen. He is a natural goalscorer and has a knack for timing his runs exceptionally well. Jason Tindall probably wanted to play Josh King and Dominic Solanke more often than not this season but, Sam has done well when he has come in and fully deserves his place in the team now.

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Whether Sam gets his start against Oldham we will have to wait and see, but I'd expect him to start and or Bournemouth to play two upfront. It may be that Dominic Solanke starts with Sam but there could well be an opportunity for Jaidon Anthony to come on. Jake Scrimshaw played for Walsall in the first round against Bristol Rovers, so I would expect him to be ruled out of this game. Infact, the club has just announced he has signed for Newport County on loan. 

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We may see Jordan Zemura, Nnamdi Ofoborh and Rodrigo Riquelme. Jason Tindall needs to see if some of these players are making progress and it will be a good opportunity for them. But also it will be a handy game perhaps to see Dan Gosling and Arnaut Danjuma back in action. There may be a couple of regular starters who are also just up for the cup, and Jason should put a few experienced heads in if he wants to make sure he can win the game.

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Moving the game to Dean Court does make it a bit easier to negotiate, but Bournemouth have to play well if they are going to be at club that knows every penny it makes in the cup will make life easier for them, and give them more chance to bring in better players in the future.

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Previous post in Cherry Chimes - Oldham have cup pedigree

Lerma will hope not to miss games

Jefferson Lerma has until Thursday to respond to a 'biting' charge during the Sheffield Wednesday match in November. Lerma is on a charge that he broke FA rule E3 by attempting to harm an opponent - Josh Windas - an allegation Lerma 'strenuously denies', says the Bournemouth Echo.

Lerma could be on the sidelines.

Bournemouth have not been too lucky when defending such charges in the past. I remember the stamping incident with Tyrone Mings and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, in 2017, when Mings was subsequently banned for five games. Football is a physical game and there is a fine line between playing with a lot of aggression and pushing things too far. Retaliation is something that can happen on the pitch, but it's hoped that referees deal with any incidents at the time. Now it is more of a spectacle, which isn't fair for players.

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We will see whether Jefferson Lerma's case is dismissed or not. If he is not acquitted he could see a lengthy ban of a few games. That could mean Lerma misses games in early January. It is never a good time to lose such an influential player, even if Bournemouth do have a good number of central midfielders to cover in that area.

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It may be that Gosling simply comes back into the starting line up, but let's hope that Lerma is innocent and can carry on playing. Nmandi Ofoborh will also be hoping to get some game time soon and he could be given his chance against Oldham in the FA Cup. It is a busy period coming up and Bournemouth will need their best payers on the pitch.

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Lerma is undoubtedly a player that Jason Tindall will want to play as many games as he can this season. While a rest may do him some good, I have no doubt that Lerma would rather be playing.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - It's a Boxing Day wipeout for the Cherries

Penalty dramas in AFCB Carabao Cup win

Carabao Cup

Second Round

AFCB 11 v 10 Crystal Palace

15 September 2020

 
AFCB doesn't do dull cup games. Sam Surridge had netted in the first half but was judged to be offside when he netted in the first half. The decision might have been different had VAR been available in the Carabao Cup. This game against Crystal Palace may have had a 0-0 scoreline after 90 minutes, but most of the drama was still to happen with a penalty shoot out that went right up to 11-10. Begovic thought he had lost the game when he took the Cherries 11 penalty which was saved only for Palace's keeper, Hennessey, to also miss his spot-kick. It was left for Milivojevic to have his penalty saved, by Begovic, to see Bournemouth through to play Man City in the third round. 

Begovic plays a major part in AFCB's penalty shoot out.

AFCB brought in Harry Arter and Asmir Begovic for the Crystal Palace match, along with Sam Surridge upfront. Meanwhile, there were first caps Nnamdi Ofoborh and Jordan Zemura. David Brooks also played just behind Surridge as the top of the midfield diamond. It was also a big night for Lloyd Kelly who was made skipper for the night.

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AFCB's match highlights from AFCB website
Zemura makes his presence known on his professional debut as he clatters the ball against Palace's Nya Kirby, winning a goal-kick. The wing-backs Stacey and Zemura are holding very high and wide positions when the Cherries have the ball, creating gaps for David Brooks to work in.

The Welsh international has got on the ball on both sides of the pitch in the early stages of the match and is trying to dictate the tempo. The corner is just about cleared by Palace but the likes of Lewis Cook and Harry Arter refuse to give up the chase and win the ball back, the latter hitting it from distance. A comfortable save for Hennessey.

Meanwhile, Milivojevic needs treatment after a 50/50 but the Palace captain is good to continue.

A solid opening 20 minutes so far, AFCB on top. Save by Begovic! Palace win the ball in the Cherries half and Eze looked set to get a shot off in the box, but for a great tackle by Billing who made sure he tracked back.

The ball falls to Kirby who shoots on the turn and strikes it fairly well, forcing Begovic to push the low effort behind for a corner. Surridge heads away the corner.

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Meanwhile, Zemura makes a great run past two players into the box, he finds Surridge who tries to flick it into his path again but gets it slightly wrong. Simpson heads wide from a corner, our seventh of the match so far. He won the flick on at the near post but couldn't get it back enough to hit the target. The Cherries thought they were ahead as Sam Surridge tucked home from inside the box but the offside flag was up.

AFCB won the ball in the Palace half, Brooks ran towards the box before slipping in Surridge who opened up his body to side-foot past the 'keeper. The replays showed it was tight, proven by the gasps in the press box. Brooks and Surridge are linking up well.

The former finds Surridge running down the channel. He's dragged across two players as he ran towards the box, opening up space for Brooks to hare into. The pass from Surridge is too powerful though as Brooks is only able to direct it at goal and it ran narrowly wide.

Palace send a ball across the box that Kirby can't divert towards goal. Close - Zemura has been really impressive on the left and he uses the run of Billing to cut inside and clip a great cross towards Surridge, the forward just unable to connect with it.

Google HT stats
AFCB 59% possession, 5 shots, 2 shots on target, 285 passes, 85% passing accuracy, 6 corners, 4 fouls

Palace 41% possession, 1 Shot, 1 shot on target, 205 passes, 79% passing accuracy, 1 corner, 5 fouls

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Second half
The second half has started much like the first, the Cherries have dominated the ball and won a corner. Brooks' shot is deflected behind. Simpson rises above Hennessey but the Welshman manages to touch it against the Cherries defender to deflect it behind. Good defending by Palace stops Jack Stacey from getting a second goal in as many games.

The Cherries have played some lovely stuff in this second half, Brooks at the centre of everything as the likes of Stacey finding great areas. It has forced Palace into two substitutions: Jeffrey Schlupp and Sam Woods replaces by Jordan Ayew and Mamadou Sakho.

Surridge is fed the ball on the half-turn in the box but is tackled. It drops to Stacey who cuts inside to open space but a great block stops him firing into the net. Close! It was that man Stacey again. Hennessey maked a good save that just avoids Brooks for the rebound. It's the last action for Stacey as he's replaced by Jefferson Lerma. Brooks clips in a free-kick from the edge of the box and a defensive header drops to Harry Arter. The midfielder connects sweetly enough but can't keep it down.

Jack Stacey's replacement, Jefferson Lerma, has dropped into the back three, featuring as the right-sided centre-back. That has pushed Ofoborh up to right wing-back. Andros Townsend comes on for Nya Kirby.

Begovic is tested for the first-time in second half as he's forced to catch the ball in the Cherries box. It is a much more experienced Palace line-up on the field now and they are starting to get their foot on the ball more as a shot from distance flies high and wide.

Lewis Cook is replaced by Dan Gosling for the final 20 minutes. Gosling comes on for Lewis cook. Dominic Solanke replaces Harry Arter for the final minutes. In his first Cherries appearance in 972 days, Arter has impressed.

Asmir Begovic shouts 'keep it' from goal as the Cherries manoeuvre around the pitch. Solanke shoots which is blocked, it falls to Brooks to touches it to Ofoborh in a good position but he skews his shot wide of the near post.

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Zemura lifts the ball over the defender and races away, in a dangerous move for the Cherries. However, Martin Kelly brings him down and receives a yellow.

Google stats
AFCB 17 shots, 3 on target, 63% possession, 572 passes, 85% passing accuracy, 7 fouls, 10 corners

Palace four shots, one shot on target, 37 %, 349 passes, 78% passing accuracy, 10 fouls, 2 corners

Penalties: Brooks scores 1-0 AFCB, Milivojevic scores 1-1, Surridge 2-1, Batshuayi 2-2, Billing makes it 3-2, Townsend 3-3, Kelly makes it 4-3, Come on Begovic! Eve makes it 4-4, Yeah Solanke scores 5-4,  Ayew 5-5, Simpson 6-5, Come on Begovic make the save, Meyer 6-6, Long Night this - Man City must be anxious who they are going to get. Gosling 7-6, Sakho 7-7, Lerma 8-7, Kelly 8-8, Ofoborh 9-8, Inniss scores 9-9, Zemura 10-9, Jach make sit 10-10, Begovic has his kick saved!! Hennessey misses still 10-10. Brooks 11-10, Milivojevic 's penalty is saved! Bournemouth win through to the next round to play Man City.

AFCB line up

AFCB Subs: Travers, Lerma, Gosling, Kilkenny, Anthony, Solanke 

Crystal Palace
13 Hennessey, 34 Kelly, 35 Woods, 45 Inniss, 33 Jach, 37 Kirby, 7 Meyer, 4 Milivojevic, 25 Eze,15 Schlupp, 23 Batshuayi

Palace Substitutes
9 J Ayew, 10 Townsend, 12 Sakho, 19 Henderson, 22 McCarthy, 27 Mitchell, 40 Pierrick

Time for AFCB youth in Carabao Cup?

Jason Tindall says he wants to play a strong side for the Carabao Cup first-round match against Crystal Palace. There are a couple of players that missed out on the league match on Saturday who could come into contention, like Diego Rico, Asmir Begovic. The team doesn't need to be that similar to what we saw on Saturday. Several youth players could do a good job for Bournemouth.

Rico could be one of those players drawn in for his first start tonight.

I am particularly keen to see Sam Surridge and Jaidon Anthony. It is likely that Sam will get a runout but that Solanke would be on the bench ahead of Jaidon. While Bournemouth needs Solanke to start scoring goals I could see the value of JT picking him to be involved. Perhaps Surridge and Solanke even need to try and build up a partnership which will surely be helpful for other games this season. Josh King is not due back to training yet.

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The middle of the park is very likely to see changes. Philip Billing wasn't used on Saturday to any great degree and Dan Gosling could also get a start. I think it is less likely that we see Marc Pugh or Harry Arter, but you never know. Kris Temple says Arter is training just like everyone else and he is a Bournemouth player. Ofoborh could perhaps be a sub and it would be good to see him get some minutes. There may be a place for Gavin Kilkenny on the right-wing as well at some point if it is best to save David Brooks, or Junior Stanislas for the weekend. JT may have more trouble in asking Danjuma to step aside and sit on the bench as he seems to want to be involved in every game, which I think is positive with the form he is in.

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There is also room for maneuvering at the back. While Rico is surely going to get the nod with Daniels still looking to improve his fitness the centre-backs could also be a new pairing. Jack Simpson and perhaps Chris Mepham are most in need of time on the pitch. Asmir Begovic also faces a fitness test but looks like he might beat Will Dennis to playing. In some ways, it might be clever to ask Mark Travers to play just to get the Blackburn same out of his mind. So there are a few cards up JT sleeve, but he has to think about the Middlesbrough game for this match. With Man City in the next round of the cup, the league is the priority. The difficulty Is that JT doesn't want a bad performance and to lose the momentum from the winning start.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes – Tindall's attractive football pays dividends in the first game

In other news, AFCB apparently fail in a bid for Peston North End defender Ben Davies

Six weeks to get ready for the Championship

AFC Bournemouth don't have time to dwell on what might have been. The Championship preparation needs to be in full swing with games due to start on 12 September. The launch of ticket sales is the first sign that AFCB are getting their campaign ready for 2020/21, and we hear in the local press that several senior players contracts are up and decisions as to the future of Charlie Daniels, Simon Francis, Andrew Surman and Artur Boruc need to be decided.

Who will remain for the Chamionship?

I also imagine we will hear a statement from Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall to stay if he is committed to leading the Cherries in their endeavours to get back to the Premier League. Preparation is key and until we know who is leading the team, player decisions have to wait.

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Personally, I'd like a clean sweep of some of the players that are coming to the end of their careers. It is time to make new stories and see if some of the players in the U21 like Gavin Kilkenny, Nnamdi Ofobargh, Corey Jordan, Jake Scrimshaw and of course Sam Surridge become regular names in the first team squad. Jack Simpson should also get on the team sheet now. While Bournemouth can have U21s and U18s that they look to sell on, it is even better business if some of these players can force their way into the first team and with some high profile names likely to leave their could be opportunities for one or two of the younger lads.

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What will be on the minds of the management though is that the Championship is a very tough league. The players will have less time to play their patient build-up football and physical strength will be required in many of the games to prevent being unsettled by bigger physical teams. It is a different test. The skill levels might be slightly lower and teams might not be punished quite as much for mistakes, but it is 90 mile an hour football and Bournemouth will have to get used to that again.

Bournemouth are back in training on 12 August and while we may see players leave before then we might not see much rebuilding until the latter part of August.

In other news, it has been reported by local and National Media that Nathan Akee has been sold to Man City for £41m.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - It's hard to know what AFCB season ticket holders are signing up to

There's much to like the Championship

While Bournemouth fans might be hanging on in hope for a reprieve on Sunday and another season in the Premier League, I thought it might be prudent to see what life in the Championship might bring and some positives about football in the lower divisions.

A bit more of this will be okay.

The first thing I'd say is that there is more chance of success in the Championship. There are three promotion places up for grabs and the season always goes on forever, with 46 games and the play-offs to keep teams interested into May. We can balance that with the fact that three teams are relegated, but hopefully Bournemouth would be more occupied with the other end of the table.

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While the Championship will no doubt consider adding VAR, it is not there at the moment and the problems that we have had this season may well defer it for another season in the Championship. Goal line technology was introduced to the Championship since 2017-18, so we'll still get that I'd imagine. The other decisions will be left up to the referee and assistant linesman, so we will have plenty of chances to get angry at the officials again!

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There will be some reasonable local rivalries to play as well with Reading, Bristol City and Millwall on the away ground lists. We might also get some London teams staying in the division. QPR will definitely be there and Brentford and/or Fulham could be on our road maps, even if we won't be visiting Chartlon Athletic, unless it is in one of the cups.

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There is also the chance to visit old cauldron's of dislike, such a Nottingham Forest, the windy unpleasantness of the Bet365 (Britannia stadium) and lengthy trips up north to Preston and Middlesbrough. What is not to like?

We may well see many more new and young players who haven't cost the earth and it could be that we get to see more emerging talent from the academy, like Sam Surridge, Gavin Kilkenny and Nnamdi Ofoborh.

Okay, the Premier League has been an exciting home for five years and Bournemouth might not get back there if things don't work out on Sunday. But Bournemouth have created some history in the Premier League and we have enjoyed our time there I think. Wherever the team is next year, there will be plenty of football to look forward to. I have probably only scratched the surface of reasons why the Championship is a great place to play football, so by all means add your own reasons for liking it in the comments.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Ramsdale has been unbelievable this season

Rico's big opportunity

I have not been the biggest fan of Diego Rico. He has had enough time to be competing for a first team place, but has always looked a little below the level needed in the Premier League to date. The Carabao Cup tie against Forest Green Rovers is his big chance to show he is ready to fill Charlie Daniels boots, and to provide more of the top calibre of crossing and defending that we want to see from him.

Top defender required - can Rico deliver?

The final ball has always been Rico's problem from where I sit. Not enough of his passes make it to other Bournemouth players and when he does cross there needs to be more assists. Whether a run in the first team will help him at this stage is what we probably should be hoping. He is expected to start on Wednesday night and if he can have a good game it will set him up for the next league match against Leicester City.

Eddie Howe hasn't a lot of choice on the left side with Charlie Daniels and Lloyd Kelly out, but he always has the option of moving Adam Smith over to the left and bringing in Jack Stacey at right-back. That is why it is so essential that Rico has a good game against Forest Green Rovers. The speed he has and the desire to get back are admirable, but it's the simple things that he has to start perfecting and Eddie Howe is going to have to be reliant on the likes of Rico in the next few weeks when AFCB need to keep accumulating points.

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We have seen players do well in the cup and progress. Tonight is a chance for some of the younger players like Kilkenny, Ofoborh and Simpson to get 90 minutes in a game and impress Eddie Howe in front of a good crowd. But for the first team it is probably even more important that we see Rico and hopefully Lewis Cook get some minutes in a game.


Chimes to camera: relive the tension of AFCB v Man City

Who plays next to Lerma?

The central midfield area is a little light for the Cherries. Now that Gosling is out of the picture and Harry Arter is probably up for grabs in the loan market this week, it is more or less a straight choice between Andre Surman and Philip Billing to take the space next to Jefferson Lerma, although Nnamdi Ofoborh has played really well in the games I have seen over the summer and there are reports that AFCB could be in for Spurs' Victor Wanyama.

Philip Billing will be hoping to be picked for the first game against Sheffield Utd.

The match against Lyons gave us a good opportunity to see what Billing could do. He spread the ball very well to the wide areas and was not afraid to play the off long ball which was accurate and put Bournemouth on the front foot. He did find himself chasing back on the wrong side a couple of times against Lyons' quick breaks, but it was a solid enough performance for a player that hadn't been with the squad more than a couple of days.

Eddie Howe knows what he is getting though if he chooses Andrew Surman to play next to Lerma. The senior statesman of the team has been carefully worked through pre-season without playing too many games. He looked as tuned in as ever against Lazio on the Friday night, and it is interesting that Surman played next to Lerma in this game. It could be the way Howe is thinking of going at least against Sheffield United.

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Lerma is a shoe-in as far as I can see. His goal against Lyons just sealed his top pedigree and it is for the others to get up to a similar standard. What will be good to see is whether Billing can get in the team early on instead of Surman and then what happens when Lewis Cook returns to fitness. It should be quite a contest and Ofoborh is learning quickly from being around these players.

Personally, I'd like to see Arter kept until January to make sure Bournemouth have cover for any more injuries. Sadly, I expect Howe will want him out on loan or sold in this window, because an unhappy Harry Arter on the bench is not perhaps not good for the team. Harry will want to play and if Howe can't give him that guarantee of a chance then Harry will want to play for a team that will give him playing time.

The real unknown is whether Bournemouth could land Victor Wanyama who is 28 and picked u a knee injury in the Audi Cup recently, says the Sun. If Bournemouth were to splash out on this signing it would be a big name to bring in and a bit of a jolt to the kind of players that Howe usually goes for. I have been crying out for a quality signing and Wanyama would be a super signing to give more protection to their leaky defence.

In other news, AFCB are said to be in talks with Liverpool for a loan deal for Henry Wilson according to the Daily Mail and Liverpool Echo. Meanwhile, Swansea are hoping to take Sam Surridge on loan.

Ramsdale ensures 0-0 scoreline for Cherries at WBA

Match report

WBA 0 v 0 AFCB

26 July 2019

Aaron Ramsdale plays well at WBA and impresses fans.

AFCB knew it would be tough playing away at WBA. They put many of their star players out in attack with Fraser, King and Wilson taking the fight to the Baggies, but it was the saves of Aaron Ramsdale and the work of the midfield that impressed against WBA.

Match description
First half
Matt Philipps had an early shot for the Baggies but drove it wide. Ramsdale was quick to hit a long ball up towards Wilson as AFCB looked to get on the ball.

Arter was doing well winning the ball high up but Fraser couldn't find the finish to make a goal. Meanwhile Philipps was keeping Simpson and Kelly alert with another shot drilled wide.

AFCB had a good opportunity with Adam Smith pounding bound the right wing but he couldn't find Josh King. Ramsdale almost got caught out with a back pass after nine minutes but he managed to escape the moment of panic.

WBA were dictating the game and keeping the ball well on the big pitch. Steve Fletcher was giving some good insight on pre-season on the commentary.

WBA had a corner after 13 minutes with Adam Smith having to put the ball out. There was a lot of space for WBA when they were in the ball. Bournemouth were happy enough to play on the break.

Arter was given some one-to-one advice by Eddie Howe during a stop in play for Ryan Fraser. Ofoborh was showing his quick feet and range of passing. It was a relaxing game but the touch and skill levels were looking better than earlier games on pre-season.

Josh King was causing problems and won a free kick on the edge of the box on 23 minutes. Simpson couldn't get the header down though. It was good to see King and Wilson trying to work their way through the WBA defence.

Phillips turned Kelly with ease and Livermore go though but couldn't get a shot away. A better chance fell to Livermore a moment later, but Adam Smith scrambled the ball away with Ramsey out of the picture.

Dobre was forcing the play down the left and King and Wilson were linking well to win a corner. The corners kept coming for AFCB, but they weren't getting shots on target. Kelly was strong at the back holding of Zohore.

Arter and King almost walked there way through WBA's defence but the ball was soon stripped away and WBA went on a breakaway. AFCB's organisation was good though in defence.

Dobre gave a way a free kick right on half-time, but the half ended 0-0.

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Second half
The Cherries were unchanged for the second half with Howe looking to give as many players 90 minutes as he could, looking at the relatively unexperienced bench. 

Kieran Gibbs had come on for WBA along with Oliver-Burke. WBA were picking their game up with Edwards finding his way past the midfield. 

Dobre won a free kick on 50 minutes. Fraser fired one into the near post, but the keeper beat Wilson to it. AFCB didn't look at full-throttle yet. The warm evening was perhaps an extra challenge for the players' fitness.

Fraser almost stabbed a ball through for Wilson after a long ball from Arter. Both teams were bring a bit loose with their passing. It was being turned over too quickly. Ramsdale still had little to do, up to this point.

Robson-Kanu replaced Edwards on 61 minutes and WBA had a good chance from the following corner, but did not connect well. Ofoborh looked to find the top-corner but pushed his shot wide.

Steve Fletcher was great offering knowledge on VAR and the various things that could arise. Brunt and Field came on for WBA after 65 minutes. Harper went off.

Ofoborh had been the only AFCB player to do more than 45 minutes before this game. So getting to 65 minutes was good preparation for the players.

Robson-Kanu put in a powerful cross that Ramsdale smothered. Bartley and Phillips went off for O'Shea and and Leko to come on after 69 minutes.

Robson-Kanu made a slick pass to Burke but Ramsdale got down well. AFCB brought on Surridge on 75 minutes to replace Josh King. Ofobroh won the ball well and put Arter in the box, but Surridge couldn't finish.

Jordan blocked a shot from Leko well. Arter was remonstrating with the assistant referee and thumping the ground - it's only a friendly Harry.

The game was stretched now. Adam Smith made a good tackle just when WBA looked to shoot. The next minute Smith went through the back of Leko.

Surridge went down in the box but didn't get the penalty decision. Ramsdale then made a great save from close-range on 82 minutes from Gibbs.

Ryan Fraser was subbed for James Anthony. Wilson on the charge couldn't take the ball much past half-way before getting caught.

Ferguson took a ball down well on the right and Leko's snapped shot was well saved down low by Ramsdale on 85 minutes.

Kelly was forced to concede another corner with Ferguson getting in behind on the right.  A good flash header at the near post from Ferguson just looped past the goal.

Sam Sherring replaced Ofoborh with a minute to go.

Summary
A good exercise for the Cherries and a clean sheet. Eddie Howe will be pleased that the team didn't run out of steam, but he'll have Aaron Ramsdale to thank the most for the scoreline. The strikers have to do a bit more in front of goal but the shape of the team when defending was a bit stronger in this game with Harry Arter and Nnamdi Ofoborh offering good protection. 

AFCB
Ramsdale 12, Smith 15, Corey Jordan 11, Simpson 25, Kelly 26, Dobre 54, Ofoborh 38 (Sherring), Arter 88, Fraser 24, King 7 (Surridge) , Wilson 13

AFCB Subs
Dennis,  Cordner, Sherring, Anthony, Surridge

WBA
Johnstone, Ferguson, Bartley, Ajayi, Townsend, Livermore, Harper, Krovinovic, Phillips, Edwards, Zohore

WBA Subs
Bond, O'Shea, Fitzwalter, Furlong, Gibbs, Field, Brunt, Leko, Tulloch, Burke, Robson-Kanu