The Disrupted Season (2019-20) - out next month

If you find it hard to believe the last season of football for AFC Bournemouth you will soon be able to read over it in some finer detail to see how things unfolded. The Disrupted Season (2019-20) captures events as they were happening, as I followed the Cherries through the optimistic first few months and then tried to puzzle out where things were going wrong, as the results started to slide away from the Cherries. Little did we know that COVID-19 would stop the Premier League and that Bournemouth would have a massive fight for survival with a dramatic last nine games.

The ebook is price at £9.99 and
has direct web links to Cherry Chimes.

My second AFC Bournemouth book will be released as an ebook for £9.99 on 12 September on Amazon and it will be in paperback format later in the month. I'll soon be providing links to where you can get hold of the book and will be sharing some of the text to give you more of an idea of what is inside.

Like The Eddie Had A Dream book, I'll be donating 15 per cent of the earnings to the Julia's House Children's Charity for which Eddie Howe is the patron.

When I started writing the book I didn't expect it to be Eddie Howe's last season at AFC Bournemouth. I'd hoped it would be a great season with Bournemouth pushing towards a European place or at least on the verge of the top 10. Fearing the worst was always in the background of the games as they were being played out, and it taught me that as fans we do everything we can to instinctively try and hold on to anything that might turn results around.

There were still plenty of high moments for me during the season, and I'll remember 2019-20 for being a very strange season more than anything else with the impact of COVID-19. There were a lot of arguments over whether the season should even have been completed behind closed doors. Picking over the non-football months were some of the most challenging chapters to write, but this extended season was unique for all of us and my aim was to capture the tensions and sense of hope that things would work out okay.

Bournemouth fans soon found that every game became bigger and bigger towards the end. The pressure on Eddie Howe was felt by all Bournemouth supporters and however raw emotions were on 26 July 2020 when the season ended, I hope the book makes fans look back on the season and feel it was an important season to be recorded.

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I hope you enjoy the book. It gives fans a quick visual picture of the recent past Premier League games. I am sure we will compare last season to this new 2020/21 season and we will surely make comparisons between Jason Tindall's management and Eddie Howe's last year, no matter how hard we try not to. It will also put supporters back at Dean Court and remembering visits to some great football grounds in the country which we have enjoyed over the last five years.

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The main thing is we should be proud of our history and what the club has achieved. A fifth year in the Premier League was just another remarkable rollercoaster season for AFCB fans. We shouldn't forget those days.

You can read more about the new book release here on the blog. Look out for more links to the new book in the next few weeks on Cherry Chimes.

The ebook of the Disrupted Season (2019-20) can now be pre-ordered - click this link

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - How might AFCB line-up for Benfica friendly?

An AFCB compensation claim against Hawk-Eye wouldn't sit well

Yesterday, TalkSport was one of the first media outlets to announce that Bournemouth were considering a compensation claim against the Hawk-Eye technology or the Premier League for being relegated by a point, when goal line technology failed to register a valid goal in the game between Aston Villa and Sheffield United, which would have made Bournemouth safe.

Bournemouth will hopefully accept their fate.

The world of sport is a pretty unsavoury place. We know the Premier League is ruled by money, and for a club like Bournemouth to fall out of it, when 85 per cent of its outgoings go on player salaries, is going to be a catastrophe. But there is honour in the game and sportsmanship which are much better values to uphold, and if Bournemouth did launch a compensation claim, it would reek of sour grapes for many, rather than a valid claim to seek justice.

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There are 38 games during the Premier League season for every team. Wrong decisions can be highlighted in just about everyone of them, even with the level of technology that is employed today. Nobody believes now that the technology is infallible, but all the clubs signed up for its use at the start of the Premier League season, and it is the best added help referees have to try and make the correct decisions. There is injustice in sport and there always will be. If clubs can make claims against wrong decisions, it would open the flood gates.

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Bournemouth must move on and focus on getting back to the Premier League rather than waste their energy on legal cases. They will gain more respect and retain dignity if they accept the decision, when everyone knows that they were unluckily treated, and were a plucky team during their time in the Premier League. There is a legacy of reputation and I don't want that spoiled as many more people have a high respect for AFC Bournemouth now, and that has been hard earned over the last five seasons.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - First goal- itiss - did it contribute to AFCB downfall?

Eddie please stay

Listening back to Eddie Howe's post match interview with Kris Temple on BBC Radio Solent my heart went out to Eddie Howe. It was a tough interview and nobody likes to comment when they have had a major set-back. Bournemouth don't fail very often, but the club didn't have enough this season and Eddie Howe knows it.

Eddie and Jason's work is hopefully not yet done at AFCB

While Eddie Howe will take it on the chin, it is important that he knows that the fans still want him to carry on. The way the team played against Man City and Everton proved to me that Eddie Howe knows how to get the very best from footballers. In the Championship Bournemouth need fighters and a strong squad as well as a leader who can guide them to be competitive.

There is a lot to be decided in the next few days. Eddie Howe has put his stamp on the club, and yet, he knows that there is no legacy yet from the Premier League years. He hasn't finished the job yet, and Eddie Howe will I think look at that and being a competitor will want to carry on. What the club and the management have gained is experience We have rubbed shoulders wit the best clubs in the country and, on many days, have even come out on top. Now it is about feeling good about the club and looking to the future.

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Bournemouth have to get a plan in place to make sure they can build a new stadium and training complex next time they have a spell in the Premier League. There has to be plans for a return. The initial business then will be to sell players and bring in more youth. Eddie Howe loves coaching young players and that is why I also think he'll want to stay at the helm.

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The fans also need to be reunited with Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall as well as the players that stay. It might not be at the start of next season that the fans are allowed back in the grounds, but we will be back in the autumn I hope. There is spirit still in this side in the way they took on and beat Everton in the last game. Now they have to show that confidence in a lower league and prove that their stay in the Premier League should have been longer.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Bournemouth's first away win in 2020 - not enough to keep them up

Fancy watching football in your armchair for another 12 months?

It is 100 days since Premier League football has been suspended, but it's back today. It might be just beginning to dawn on people that the way the Premier League is restarting could be the only way fans will be able to see football over the next year. If we don't get a vaccine for COVID-19, and restrictions are not relaxed for mass gatherings, the 2020-21 season is likely to held behind closed doors, if at all in some of the lower leagues.

Getting up close and personal to players will be possible only from the armchair for the foreseeable future.

This could mean season ticket holders having to wait another year before they could get their booked seat for games, which would be a tremendous loss of income for clubs. For AFCB where the crowd is not so large, the season ticket issue may seem less significant than the TV money, but Bournemouth will only benefit from high TV revenues if they stay in the Premier League.

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While pubs and beer gardens are hoping to return next month, it is not clear how many people will be able to get into pubs with social distancing and watching games on SKY or BT in pubs might be a little more difficult than just rolling up to your local boozer. That means the armchair could be your best bet to keep in touch with the action whether by TV, streaming or radio.

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Whether football needs to look at new ways to get games available to the large amount of fans who won't have access to the coverage with the subscription TV companies is something we might hear about for the 2020-21 season. For now we will get to see a handful of free to air games, but reports on games are likely to be much more sought after as fans want to find out more about how individuals performed if they haven't seen the game with their own eyes.

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So while everyone is dashing  off the the shops this week, put one thing on your shopping list a very comfortable armchair  - you are unlikely to regret it.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - A favourable reaction to new AFCB kit

Some strange things we'll have to get used to for Project Restart

While football is returning, it's not going to be quite the same game on our screens as it was back in March. While the laws of the game haven't changed much, apart from having more substitutions, we could find viewing from home is a very sterile environment.

Football just want be like normal.

I am particularly interested to see how confused players are when the game suddenly stops for a VAR decision. At home, we could be sat back and relaxed watching replays while the players are wondering exactly what the replays are showing. For fans who are usually at the games, it will be a change to get the VAR decisions being carried out live in front of them in real-time with TV commentary. The players on the pitch may be the last to know what is going on.

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Then we are going to be deprived of any physical contact when it comes to goal celebrations. How will the players switch their natural tendencies to celebrate off? Will they file back quickly for the restart and will we see the same dissatisfied reactions from players when they concede? And do we really want the simulated noise of a goal celebration when our team does score?

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Even the simple matter of a corner could well be disrupted with the ball being quickly disinfected before a player places it down to take the kick. We could also see this for goal kicks and penalties. But there will also be fewer if any ball boys around the pitch and players may have to do a lot o their own ball fetching.

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Get ready for some viewing that is a little different from what we have seen before. I will be interesting to see how far fans feel removed form the game and the action, and if Premier League game can hold the attention just as much as they have done before.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - What are Howe's main worries for the start?

Cherries need to take this period as a new beginning

The past has been pretty difficult viewing this season for AFCB fans. It is now time for the team to make this a new beginning. They can right some of the wrongs that they feel have happened in 2019/20, but they have to be stronger than ever as a group to beat some of the best sides in the Premier League and wins are what it is all about now.

Bournemouth have to pick themselves up and go again.

The players and staff know now that football will restart, barring a sudden rise in COVID-19 cases, and if they play to their very best ability they could secure a sixth season in the top league. That would be no mean feet, as Bournemouth are marked down by most bookies to be one of the three teams that don't start the Premier League 2020-21 season in the Premier League.

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It has been many seasons since AFCB have been in fear of relegation. They have climbed so high that it had to come one season when the drop was a real possibility. Now the team has to embrace the challenge and stand up for what they want to cling on to. The team can talk about looking forward to getting matches on again, but they will only be content if they start to win games again.

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I can't imagine how immense the first game will be. The tension will be huge and Bournemouth players will need to be super concentrated. It will set the mood for the following games and if they can beat their opponent, I think the fans will also feed off the win. But if it goes wrong and Bournemouth fall even further back in the race to stay up, it will be hard to be optimistic for a good end to the current season for AFCB. 

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The fixture list might not be so important once we get going, but the players must view this period as a new beginning. They know the task ahead What has gone before is basically irrelevant to how they can look to perform now. They start from 27 points and need to add four wins - it's a big ask but striking a win in the first game would be a huge lift.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Three weeks to get AFCB up and running

Chimes Newsletter - out tomorrow!
Cherry Chimes' June Newsletter brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month. The newsletter has a special story - The wait will soon be over

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Three weeks to get AFCB up and running well

Eddie Howe has spoken out about potential injuries from a lack of fitness training with just three weeks to the start of Project Restart. Eddie wants to get previously injured players back, but is unlikely to push his players too hard if he can make some changes with teh prospect of three games in a week.

Eddie Howe only has a few weeks to work his magic

 and get his team fired up for the last nine games

What we do know is that AFCB will be wearing is a new kit come the restart. The contract with sponsors Mansion88 is over from 31 May 2020 and isn't being renewed and Umbro has designed new home, away and training kits that AFCB were keen to show off on social media yesterday. I think even the kit change may give the players a bit of a lift because the old kit didn't bring many good results.

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The mood with Eddie Howe was clearly a bit apprehensive, as he talked to Kris Temple, in a YouTube Interview yesterday (see video on PC/Tablet side bar of Cherry Chimes). But Eddie seemed up beat about getting back to the test of the Premier League. Getting AFCB up and running at full throttle is what Eddie wants now. They are only starting contact training this weekend and while Eddie Howe wants things to be as normal as it can be, there are many unknowns like whether players will be able to play, whose contracts are up come the end of June.

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What we don't want to hear at the end of nine games is that AFCB just weren't fully prepared of had a disadvantage compared to the other teams in the bottom six. As no one has been in this situation before, it will be hard for Eddie Howe to know if he has got things right until the games start. All we can do is look on and hope that the Premier League means as much to the players as it certainly does to Eddie Howe. They might be considered to be lucky to get the opportunity to play the last nine game story and stay up, now they have to make the most of that chance.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Resumption date agreed for Premier League

Resumption date agreed for Premier League

While the date of 17 June will be met with ecstatic delight on one side of Merseyside, for those facing relegation it is a time of maximum stress, but also a chance to improve their situation. While we wait to see in which order AFCB's remaining fixtures will be, fans will also be desperate to know which games will be free to air and will BBC Radio Solent be back in the stadiums to at least give commentary on the games?

The Premier League is getting closer to a restart next month.

As Bournemouth are in a relegation fight and play probably the hardest fixtures of any club in the bottom six they are likely to be well watched on TV. All matches will be on TV but only a third will be free to watch, from what I understand. If Bournemouth thought they might quietly slip out of the top league, they may find fans look to find some way of communicating their support, be it through social media and forums. The game will not have been played in this way here before, behind closed doors, and it is going to be a strange experience. But we have to let the layers know somehow that we are right behind them and willing them on to do well.

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Friday 19th June could be Bournemouth's first restart match, but more likely Saturday 20 June. At least it gives Eddie Howe an approximate date for the first opponents but the league table is going to change quickly with so many fixtures packed in on pretty much every day after 17 June, as the league looks to complete the fixture list as soon a possible.

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The worse thing for AFCB fans is that we wont be able to celebrate or commiserate with the team at the end of the season. We will have to just send messages of support. But in many ways it will just be a relief to get to the end of the season. There will still be many discussions t be had about 2020-21 and whether games should start behind closed doors in August for that season. Fan revenue is paramount for many clubs, so it will be interesting to see how fans will be looked after, as they will be excluded from taking part in the match experience and clubs need to keep fans happy as best they can in these difficult times. Now you have paid for a season ticket you can't use you may need to spend on some TV games on paying platforms just to see how the season ends.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - AFCB won't need Harry Wilson next season

Do fans want season ticket refunds?

I was thinking myself about whether I wanted to see AFCB offer a refund on the home games that are left this season or whether they would offer something in exchange for the money paid for games that have yet to be paid. Then I saw BBC had a news story on Saturday on how some fans of lower league club fans were needing to support their clubs by donating the money they had paid for remaining games, just to help keep their clubs afloat.

Money to be refunded?

With AFCB it might be a different situation, but the club is by no means making a profit every season despite being in the Premier League. AFCB are not about to go under but they will no doubt be grateful of any revenue they can hold on to because their out goings have been greater than income for the last few years. I suppose you can blame this on the wages they are offering to players and some of the high transfer fees. It is the environment in which they operate, although perhaps other clubs are able to manage their finances better, especially when they have bigger fanbases.

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It will be of interest to see how AFCB approach the question of offering a refund or vouchers perhaps in the club shop or a discount on the 2020-21 games, or anther incentive for them to try and keep the funds that have already been paid. It might well depend on what league AFCB are playing in next season as to what kind of deals they offer, but as we approach June, the clock is already clicking on working out how the club will go about sorting season tickets for the next season, which is still scheduled for an August start as far as we know.

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For fans the debate will depend very much on personal circumstances. Some may have been furloughed and would be very glad of having a refund to which they are surely entitled. But for others who can afford to give the club the five games without asking for a refund, it could save the club hundreds of thousand pounds. And at the moment the club is having to spend itself on getting its social distancing right and changing things around the training ground and stadium to prepare for games.

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AFCB  fans have always been generous and it may just be that the majority decide that the club needs the money more than themselves this season and we hope that prices don't go up in 2020/21.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Where will AFCB pick up enough points to survive?

Bundesliga will set the pace for football's return

While the Premier League still has some squabbles to sort out, the Bundesliga in Germany is firing up its resumption this weekend. Bayern Munich are likely to wrap up another title, but at the bottom it is a fight for survival for Paderborn, Werder Bremen and Düsseldorf. UK fans might not have a favourite football team in Germany, but  there will probably be quite a few of us logging on to see just how close to normal these games are.

Will the Bundesliga's return be successful and lead to the resumption of football in England?

The good point for the bottom teams is that they are getting the chance to try and play their way out of trouble, and that is all we can hope for AFCB. To be relegated without kicking another ball would be awful and whether the authorities looked at points per game or the table half way through the season, there will not be any satisfaction in how the big issues are settled.

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Playing behind closed doors is not going to be particularly exciting for the players but may well remind them of their earlier school or college days, when their matches were perhaps less well supported. It's funny that school children and teenagers have no less enthusiasm for the game when they play and are not shouted on from the sidelines. Getting back to just enjoying football for the game is why this weekend will be well appreciated, not only in Germany, but over most parts of the world that can get to see the games.

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You can also read many opening pages for free on Amazon

It may help the Premier League and Government here look all the more strenuously to get 'Project Restart' finalised. But for Bournemouth watching on TV is going to be just a prelude to the resolution of training, which is due to return next week, although training with no tackling and social isolating is going to be more than a little strange for our AFCB heroes. At least we should see a few new images of the players and hopefully they have a few things to smile about, as they build up to the potential games that are going to decide their Premier League fate in 2019-20.

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In other news, Cherry Chimes contributed to the Daily Mail's Fans' view on 'Project Restart' this week.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Bournemouth's concentration need to be fully on relegation scrap

Bournemouth's concentration needs to be fully on relegation scrap

While we come closer to the possibility of matches resuming, Bournemouth players need to get themselves out of the bubble of thinking about what has been happening in regards to COVID-19 and fully concentrated on the task ahead. It seemed in February and March that the Cherries were building some momentum and were up for the challenge of staving off relegation, despite being in the bottom three now. They played well against Chelsea at home and nearly got a reward at Anfield. But now they have no match form and have to get points on the board as quickly as they can.

Success will depend on how ready AFCB are for the restart.

The first game is going to be massive for AFCB. I am not sure if the league will pick up from where to was originally going in the fixtures, but if so it will be Crystal Palace next at home in front of an empty stadium. At one point it was going to be Wolves away, but whoever it is going to be Eddie Howe will have had time to go over notes on all the remaining nine teams that Bournemouth have to play.

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If Bournemouth can get three points from that first game they will more than likely escape the clutches of the bottom three at least for a week. That would turn things around a lot in peoples' minds and it is the positivity that AFCB need to get some immediate belief back into their campaign. While a defeat wouldn't necessarily be all doom and gloom, it would just make things all the more harder and the pressure would continue to build on the players.

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Getting away from distractions is going to be harder than ever though with so many safety rules and procedures that will be added to the match preparations. That is why it will be vital that AFCB have given their players a clear idea of everything that will happen before they play. If they have that out of the way, they can then commit fully to the game. AFCB should forget about what they can't have an influence on, in wondering whether 'Project Restart' happens or not, and prepare for it expecting to happen. They will then be in the best position to attack those nine games rather than being surprised and unprepared.

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Previous Post on Cherry Chimes - Dean Court may yet host some more games this season

Dean Court may yet host some more games this season

The Premier League looks like it will have to admit defeat over its insistence of playing out the remainder of the season at neutral ground. Talks between the police, the Premier League and the government have resulted in more positive assurances that games can be played behind closed doors at all of the 20 Premier League grounds, reported TalkSport, if 'Project Restart' gets up and running.

Neutral venue idea expected to be to be scrapped.

The neutral venue concept had threatened to cause a big split among the 20 teams and could have resulted in the end of any chance to get football back this season. Now there is a plan in place which at least appeases the bottom clubs. How much it will help them I am not sure, as even playing at home without any crowd atmosphere is going to be quite strange for any team.

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I still think there is a long way to go before clubs give the thumps up to 'Project Restart'. The medical reports still have to be digested and while training will not have any tackling, the game will have to see tackling in matches and that needs no fear from players. Wearing masks and shorter games are novel ideas, but just not appropriate for football and any further moves away from the game, as we know, it is likely to be met with resistance.

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Things will really start moving next week when all Premier League clubs are due to start training again. This week they really have to get the social distance around venues sorted and come up with some rules that are easy for the players and staff to follow. It is just one hurdle at a time, but in many respects it will just be a relief to get rid of this season now.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - The Saints have shown more character than the Cherries