Are AFCB capable of Liverpool FA Cup shock?

This is the question that we all want to know the answer to - after all it could be important for our accumulators this weekend. While financial incentive may be all that is behind some fans desire to see the game won by one side or the other, there are some of us who actually think there is a chance that AFCB can do something special like in 1984 against Man Utd. 

Okay, the game is being played at 12.45pm and not at night under the floodlights. There is no Harry Redknapp urging the team on, although QPR don't have a game this weekend and I reckon he'll be at the game. Milton Graham or Ian Thompson may not be around to stick the ball in the for the Cherries either, but we have some pretty good players who could make a name for themselves.     

Tommy Elphick will lead AFCB against the favourite team of his boyhood.

Tommy Elphick will be very proud to lead the Cherries out and he'll know that this is the biggest game of his life. His routine won't change pre-match and we should see him clinging on to that goal post, but at the end of the game we could see him do some mad celebrations if things goal according to plan for Eddie Howe. Lewis Grabban has been doing the business in regularly getting on the score sheet and AFCB's midfield players of Marc Pugh, Ryan Fraser and Matt Ritchie are starting to find the back of the net as well. It will be about these players playing at their maximum potential if AFCB are to progress. 

The cameras will be at the ground and they are only their for one reason - they want to see if their can be a shock. I hope Eddie makes the players aware of that. The cameras should be seen as the players friends, because the neutrals will be behind the underdog in every bar and lounge in the country where the game is being shown, with very the big exception of the city of Liverpool. Oldham showed last season that Liverpool can be beaten away from home so let's hope that AFCB can make it difficult for the Premiership giants.

The Ted MacDougall stand will be packed with Liverpool fans.

Getting Liverpool to defend and face their own goal will be the battle that AFCB have to win. With the pace of the Cherries front players they will be looking to give the Liverpool defence a thorough testing, but the time to score in this game is going to be crucial. Score early and Brendan Rodgers will surely put more of his senior players on early to recover the game. Keep things tight and get a goal in the last half hour and things could get interesting.

With Liverpool facing Everton in the Merseyside derby on Tuesday night there has to be a chance that Brendan Rodgers will leave Suarez and Gerrard on the bench, but he could chose to rest other players instead. We know that Lucas is out following injury against Aston Villa and I also heard that Glen Johnson is out injured, but it hardly weakens the Liverpool squad for this game. Mohamed Sakho or Jon Flanaghan are likely replacements at right back. 

I believe AFCB will need Rodgers to leave out three or four top players to be able to boss this game. On any day AFCB can play some sublime football and this is the day to try and do it and show that they could be a Premiership outfit one day. A win would not only be good for the town and the players own confidence it would give them the belief to do even better in the Championship. If you fancy that flutter I believe AFCB are about 9-1 against.

A cup exit would not be the end of the world for the Cherries, but it must be the aim of our players to test themselves against quality opposition. Even if Liverpool play a slightly weaker side from their best team, AFCB players should not be disappointed but see it as a chance to cause an upset. If the attitude is right and the performance is good, it just could be a very exciting day. And that is what we love about the FA Cup.  

It's Liverpool or Oldham for AFCB or Burton in the FA Cup fourth round

If AFCB manage to get passed Burton Albion in the third round of the FA Cup they will have a potential glamour tie against Liverpool or Oldham in the next round. Martin Allen and Paul Allen made the draw live on ITV. The games will be played on  25th and 26th January.

Other highlights included:
Southampton V Yeovil
Arsenal v Coventry
Stevenge v Everton
Derby or Chelsea v Stoke City
Blackburn or Man City v Britsol City or Watford
Birmingham or Bristol Rovers or Crawley v Man Utd or Swansea.
Sheffield Utd v Norwich or Fulham.

Full draw at ITV


AFCB face Burton Albion on 14th January in the Third round. The Vitals website has news of AFCB fan David Whitebread coming up with the idea of a donation scheme to help Burton Albion fans to fund a coach for their supporters after the first game was rained off. The link if you would like to donate visit the link here.

End of season mind games, they've begun

Eddie Howe has been quoted as saying that he will be out to attack against Oldham today to try and get the three points the team desperately needs to climb the league. Well, I guess that is what we all want to hear him say, but why say it now? Does he believe that Oldham will come out flying at the Cherries if he says this, leaving gaps at the back that can be exploited? Will it change anything in what Oldham set out to do during the 90 minutes? I'd say Eddie Howe's words probably won't have any immediate affect on the final outcome of the match, so are managers making such comments just to give the media something to say?

Its easy to say words, but managers have to set teams up in a way that they feel will get a result and the players have to carry out coach's instructions to the best of their ability while adapting to whatever situation arises during the game.

A red card in the first five minutes of a game can throw out a week's planning in a couple of seconds. It happens. Hopefully, not to us in any of our remaining matches this season.

All the Eddie can do is look at Oldham's resent performances and how they like to set up for home games and pick a side that combats their threat, while giving the Cherries plenty of possession and opportunities to cause problems at the other end. It's easy to be a manager you may say. But the pressure is really on now and some times managers make comments just to try and keep any momentum they have after a victory still going.

Just look at the problems Eddie has to cope with. The official club site says Daniels and Elphick will still probably not be available. Is Matt Ritchie fully recovered from his head injury he sustained in the week? Well, Howe said Matt would have played on but for the fact that the team couldn't wait 15 minutes for him to be stitched up. 

Then there's Arter. He gets a lot of groans from home fans when he gets yellow cards or doesn't find his team mates, but he is undoubtedly the heart beat of this team. He sets the pace and the last few games with out him have shown how he is missed. Its Arter that disrupts the opposition's midfield and wins the ball in dangerous areas. If he is only 90 per cent fit, I am sure that Howe will start him. 

I'm also pleased to see that O'Kane is also starting to show similar aggression when he goes forward as shown in the Stevenage game.

 Any way, by taking thoughts away from the injury worries Eddie can concentrate on the positives and get the team thinking of winning the game.

I expect Howe to play with two upfront and this is also what I he is probably inferring when he says he is going to Oldham to attack. I have no doubt that the number 40 shirt will be one of the strikers, but who will play with Pitman? Is Grabban about to be dropped? I don't expect so, he is our leading scorer and by giving him at least 60 minutes, Howe will be giving him confidence. Of course if we are three down and he misses a few chances, Tubbs will be raring to go.

As for the mind games, I am sure that psychology plays a big part in manager's and player's preparations. Eddie wants the team to play on the front foot and to go and earn the points by playing to their strengths. He's telling the team they can do it and he has confidence in them. 

My team is as follows:
Allsop, Francis, Cook, Seaborne, Ritchie, Fogden, Arter, O'Kane, Pugh, Pitman, Grabban

No real surprises there, but what about the bench?
Jalal, Hughes, Macca, Fraser (if fit), McQuoid, Tubbs.

Can you see a different line up?

If you are going to the match and can send in a picture after the match to Cherry Chimes please do. It's great if people can get involved in improving the blog and if you have something to say don't be shy.

Also, if you have any score predictions tweet them to peterbell19

Oldham await the Cherries at Boundry park

Since Oldham parted with manager Paul Dickov, after the Walsall game, on 2nd February, the Latics have won two and lost one of their home games. They did not have a mid-week match that would have been against Hartlepool because of a frozen pitch. A narrow defeat against Tranmere Rovers last time out has seen Oldham situated in the bottom four on 36pts from 35 games. Individual error have been the cause of Oldham's recent defeats. The FA Cup run that Oldham had means that they have a couple of games in hand on those just above them in the table and they will be looking to get away from the drop zone, which will make this a hard match for the Cherries.

Oldham have been looked after by caretaker boss Tony Philliskirk (48) since Paul Dickov's departure. Tony joined Oldham in 1998 when Andy Ritchie offered him the Youth Team coaches job. He was assistant manager in 2003 when Ian Dowie went to Crystal Palace and Tony managed the team for one game in the 2004-5 season. He had been Youth Team coach before his recent appointment as caretaker boss.

Jose Baxter is the team's top goalscorer on 12 and Matt Smith is likely to be his striking partner on Saturday, while Lee Barnard who played for AFCB earlier this season, is also at Oldham on loan from Southampton. I thought Lee Croft who plays on the right wing had a good game against us down at the Goldsands Stadium in the reverse fixture even though he was on the losing side that day in November. He'll be one to watch out for.

The Cherries will be watching the progress of their injured players and if any of them will be fit for this game. The list is long with Charlie Daniels and Tommy Elphick being joined by fresh injuries to Matt Ritchie, Ryan Fraser and Harry Arter in the mid-week game against Stevenage.

League Form
Oldham at Home:LLWWL

Cherries Away: WWLLW