Has Rantie something to prove?

Tokelo Rantie wears the No9 shirt and he has been the club's record signing. That sum paid for him is thought to have been surpassed by Callum Wilson's arrival, but the South African is still looking to find away to become a more permanent entry on the team sheet at AFCB. Everyone wants Tokelo to be a success, but is his time best served by scoring goals in the Development squad and by playing international matches?

Has Rantie more to offer?

I like Tokelo as I can see he is a trier. More than that he loves the fans and is very open in acknowledging that he has been given a fantastic opportunity to improve as a player at the Cherries. However, I do wonder if his time could become more difficult in future months if he does not get to play more games. So far Tokelo has made six appearances for the club this season and four of those as a substitute. He did start in the first two rounds of the Capital One Cup, but has not made a 90 minute appearance. TK has also had an injury and came back well against Peterborough in a Development match, scoring four the other week, but I'd prefer to see him knocking on the door of the first team.

While Tokelo has been in the UK for more than a year now he has yet to make the impact that many of us hoped for. Eddie Howe has not looked to let him go elsewhere to learn his trade, perhaps as he feels his game will improve faster at Bournemouth. Yet, with a lack of game time there has to come a point when a loan move might be considered and the next window could be that opportunity, especially if it involved a loan player coming the other way in return. Tom Pope is the footballer in league One that is on many manager's lips, but the Port Vale striker is not going to be easy to dislodge. Eoin Doyle is another striker at Chesterfield who has been among the goals.

For South Africa there must also be some concern that TK is not getting much football, although he seems to be doing well in that environment, scoring in their recent 2-0 win against Congo in the African Cup of Nations. Incidentally, TK could be at the finals of that competition this coming January, which would keep him out of AFCB's squad for a while and would probably delay any potential loan move.

Has TK a more devastating side in front of goal?

But does keeping TK at AFCB as a sub, getting five minutes here and there really benefit him? The personal hardships that he has had settling down may mean that he is comfortable staying at Bournemouth and Eddie Howe is hoping that he has a breakthrough this season. It is a season when he supposedly has less pressure on TK, but I suspect that Tokelo feels pressure to perform just to keep his place in the Bafana Bafana team, and if he can get a run in the Cherries' side he could still turn things really around for himself. 

It's all about taking his chance and for TK perhaps believing that he is that No9 striker that AFCB have always wanted. With Yann Kermorgant out for a few games and a busy time ahead with the Capital One game against WBA, is it time that Rantie can show us what he really can do?

What's your opinion on TK? You can comment below.

If you are wonder what life is really like as an AFCB stats man, make sure you have a listen to all Department's podcast: Peak Performance with Garavan Stewart. Either listen on the All Departments' website or scroll down Cherry Chimes' right hand panel and listen to the sound bar. 

Is McQuoid off to pastures new or staying put?

Josh McQuiod has had a difficult time since coming back to AFCB. He is another player who would have been keen to have played in our final game of the season as an ex-Millwall player but has been out on loan at Peterborough since January. He has been lucky enough to play in the FA Trophy final at Wembley and even scored the first goal on Peterborough's way to a 3-1 victory against Chesterfield. Having helped Posh into the play-off places he could not get them to the League One play-off final. Now his loan period will be up and he'll return to the Cherries. 

Josh still has a year to go on his Bournemouth contract and while he might find that the Posh are interested in him of they get promoted through the play-offs, I believe he still has a shot of playing a part in the Cherries forthcoming season. He was injured for the first part of the 2013/14 season and Eddie Howe has only used him sparingly since Eddie Howe came back to the club, but with Andrew Surman looking like returning to Norwich permanently, Josh may well be given an opportunity to add some of the goals that are needed from that area of the pitch.

Josh will need a good pre-season to push
for a place in the Cherries first team.

It is wise to remember that AFCB do want to try and reduce some of their debts and constantly buying new players while also paying others not playing on their books is a good way of increasing debts. I would hope that Josh would want to prove himself at AFCB and the fans should be generous to give him all the support they can if he lines up again for the Cherries. Josh will only be 25 in December and sometimes we forget how young he is as a player having left and returned to the club. He knows the club inside out and will have been taught be Joe Roach as well as Jason Tindall and Eddie Howe and knowing the club's style of play so well should give him more ammunition than most to be able to get into the side. I don't think that Eddie Howe has felt that Josh has been fully fit for much of the last few months but having got some games in at Peterborough and hopefully got a taste for contributing again I would like to see Josh prove a few people wrong having had a good pre-season.

Can Josh step up his performances?

Finally, the news today is that Stephen Purches is to hang up his boots which is sad to hear but perhaps not that unexpected. We wish him well with everything he does in his coaching capacity with the Development squad and perhaps he can inspire more AFCB players to do as well as he did for the club. 

McQuoid should get the games at Posh

So Josh McQuoid has managed to get a good loan deal until the end of the season at League One side Peterborough. The timing of the loan window is a good opportunity for him though to show Eddie Howe and other interested parties that Josh has plenty to offer. It should be a good move for him playing in a league has experienced with Bournemouth and where did so well. He has had a chequered career in the Championship at Millwall and Burnley and has not been able to break into AFCB's team following his comeback from injury, so I see it as a positive spell for him to get some matches under his belt with a team that are going well, but need more impetuous.

Josh gets a new project until the end of the season at the Posh.

Josh has only made the AFCB squad a couple of times on the bench at Middlesbrough ans away against Wigan and at the recent home match against Huddersfield, plus in the FA Cup third round Burton game and appearance at home against Ipswich Town. Andrew Surman seems to have the vote at the moment to play off Lewis Grabban. So opportunities were really limited for Josh and he probably needs a run of game to try and get some form going. Now that Yann Kermorgant has joined the team and Rantie and Pitman are also vying for a squad place it must have looked pretty hard for Josh to get a chance at AFCB. A good spell on loan though could help him for next season and when you look at the squad you wonder if Donal McDermott and Mohamed Coulibaly may also look to do something similar.

Josh talks to Peterborough and explains his loan move.

AFCB are doing just fine thank you

Eddie Howe has been quick to dispel the doubters in the crowds who feel that his team are not up to mixing it with any team in the Championship. It doesn't matter who the next game is against, Bournemouth will train and prepare to try and win the three points on offer. Playing their fluent passing game has perhaps left AFCB a bit open at times, but the team is winning many admirers from the opposition managers to pundits and rival supporters.



We all want to see Ritchie back on the pitch.



I am also hoping that Coulibaly can show us more of his trickery.



It's no surprise that I heard on the Football League show that AFCB are like the Peterbrough of old. The "we'll score one more than you," attitude if you will. There is no doubt that it is Eddie's philosophy to entertain and winning in style is currently very fashionable with supporters of the Cherries. Because the team has done so well in recent seasons we kind of expect to win with a bit of panache and while that is not easy in this league there are signs that the players can do this. They are looking up the league table and trying to get to the top. There's been no thoughts of mere survival in the league. The position of eighth at this particular time is a great credit to everyone.

You can see why Eddie Howe is eager for more points though. Many of the players he wants to play are still not available even if the bench did look stronger last time out. How much stronger can the Cherries get? We are about to find out how they do against some of the top sides in the next few weeks, but for the moment AFCB are doing very well thank you.