Feel good factor must return to Vitality stadium

The build up to the Aston Villa match was always going to be special. The Cherries need that buzz of excitement and carnival enthusiasm from the home crowd to get the players striving to play the Villa off of the park. The Cherries are in the Premier League now and we need a Premiere crowd that gets the team going and creates an atmosphere that is unequalled if AFCB are going to cause some upsets.

Dean Court has to be vibrant and full of noise to help the Cherries.

So when you come to the ground on Saturday, don't leave your voice at home. We need every decibel to ring out and encourage the lads and make it as intimidating an atmosphere as we can for the opposition. The club has been down in the depths, raised itself through the leagues and won its place in the top tier through skill and endeavour and the fans have to bring their A game as well as the players now. This is no longer a sit on hands Saturday afternoon tea party - AFCB need you to help them be winners.

If we can get a positive start to the season, who knows where the team could finish. Let's build on the momentum of last season and greet the players with a tumultuous welcome. AFCB will be making history when they come out of that tunnel and on to the pitch. We'll never have seen anything like it. It's such a dream ticket to 38 games of sheer excitement and prestige. Now you have the opportunity to play your part and show how proud you are of the team and the town, don't let others do it for you. Pick up your old retro shirts and join in the celebration.

Tommy Elphick stretches out by the Steve Fletcher North stand. 

AFCB will be headline news and we can help makes those headlines by helping the team. I don't subscribe to the feeling that established teams in the Premier League are their to stay in that position forever. AFCB is a team that can start to bring about a new order, a new top table if you like, and if the team can build on some early victories and get some notable scalps, the job for the team and Eddie Howe will be made just that little bit easier. So come on let's help them get off to a terrific start - UTCIAD!

Meanwhile, the York Press reports that Stephane Zubar has signed on a month's loan to York City and he is in the squad to play Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday.

If you want your score prediction for the Villa match up on Cherry Chimes for the game tweet the score to me @PeterBell19

AFCB squad Numbers for the 2015-16 season
Lee Camp is not among the list

01 Artur Boruc
02 Simon Francis
03 Steve Cook
04 Dan Gosling
05 Tommy Elphick
06 Andrew Surman
07 Marc Pugh
08 Harry Arter
09 Tokelo Rantie
10 Max Gradel
11 Charlie Daniels
13 Callum Wilson
14 Tyrone Mings
15 Adam Smith
16 Shaun MacDonald
17 Joshua King
18 Yann Kermorgant
19 Junior Stanislas
20 Christian Atsu
21 Ryan Allsop
22 Elliott Ward
23 Adam Federici
24 Lee Tomlin
25 Sylvain Distin
30 Matt Ritchie
32 Eunan O’Kane
38 Baily Cargill

Transfer speculation goes barmy for Cherries

In the last few weeks you could already have built an entire new Cherries side from the linked players that are supposed to be on the club's radar for summer signings. How many of them are in Eddie Howe's sights is probably very few, but it is intriguing to see how agents feed stories to get their players to the front of the headlines to try and get them a lucrative move and who wouldn't like the challenge of joining Eddie Howe's squad in its first season in the Premier League?

The kind of players that have already been linked range from the young untried strikers to the elderly centre backs that have a Premier league sell-buy date hanging around their necks. So who do you want out of the list of rumours so far - Micah Richards, Obafemi Martins, Sylvian Distin, Kenwyne Jones, Jota, Demarai Gray, Charlie Mulgrew, Eder, Andre Gray, Charlie Austin, Dimitar Berbatov, Jermain Defoe and Artur Boruc - I have probably missed a few more but you get the feeling that just about anyone is being dangled in front of AFCB as they look at the windfall payment that the club now has in its pocket.  I have not been following every lead as more than half will just be pure speculation I am afraid.

If AFCB start spending in the region of £5m for
players in the Premier League they have to play more games
 than signings like TK.

Berbatov is now 34 and is likely to require a salary of £100,000 a week according to The Independent which does not fit the profile of the squad, so I would say such a move is somewhat wide of the mark. Berbatov is also not known for his high work rate and at Fulham he may have been a quality player, but he could not roll his sleeves up to save them from relegation. I am hoping that AFCB are much keener on young talent who want to prove themselves in the Premier League.

Promotion has also cost the club in more ways than you might imagine. Tokelo Rantie has just bagged Malmo FF £0.5m although how much of a help TK was in getting the Cherries up is perhaps more than a little questionable. Meanwhile, Stephane Zubar has cheekily seen a clause in his contract come into being with a year's extension because the club has reached the Premier League, so if you wondered why he was not among the seven released players you now know why.

The Football League Manager's Association is to honour Eddie Howe for the last week of the Championship season and the 3-0 win over Bolton Wanderers. This is the second time that Eddie has won the League Performance of the week award.

Zubar needs to find a club where he can play

While Stephane Zubar did not get a loan move to Crewe I hope he is getting stronger and will find a club that sees the best of his talent soon. When players first get their first professional contract many will believe they have made it and that it will be smooth running from their on in, but that is not often the case. Zubar has much to offer a league club with his knowledge of the game and his control and running power even if he is no longer seen as fit for Eddie Howe's Cherries side.

Having had a few trials at Cambridge, Partick Thistle and Crewe Alexander over the summer Stephane must be wondering if he can get another move. How much the injury he had to his knee playing for Bury on loan in the 2012/13 season has had on his normal game and only he and the physios will know. He has played a few games for the Development squad and surely needs games to get back into top shape.

With a year left on his contract at AFCB he clearly needs a chance to play football again so that he can be in prime position for a regular team place at a club when his Bournemouth contract is up. I wish him the best of luck, because there is no better sight than seeing Stephane bombing up the wing on one of his solo runs.

Meanwhile, Aristide Bassele from the Development Squad has gone out on loan to Welling Utd.

AFCB on loan report

I thought it would be good to catch up with a few AFCB players that are currently at other clubs on loan to see how they are faring. Top of my list were those at Coventry City as I had seen that the Midland's club is only sitting mid-table and I wondered how much game time some of the AFCB players had been getting. I also wanted to see how much news there was on Miles Addison's injury and how Jayden Stockley and Matt Tubbs were doing in League Two and what of Stephan Zubar after his Scottish adventure?

Jayden has been doing well at Cambridge Utd.

Coventry City are one team that you can't help but keep one eye on now if you are a Cherries fan. With Ryan Allsop, Josh McQuoid and Mohamed Coulibaly at the club it is by far the team most supported by on loan AFCB players. Tonight, the Sky Blues will finally play their first game home back at the Rioch Arena. It will been quite an occasion for the home fans as well as for Coventry players and with Gillingham the opposition it was a chance to leap frog them in the league table. Coventry have gained six points before the game and Josh McQuoid is beginning to look the part for them having scored two league goals this season in his forward role against Barnsley and Swindon, plus a goal in the Football League Trophy against Wycombe Wanderers. Keeping out the goals has been a test for Ryan Allsop who has done reasonably okay just letting in six in his first five matches, while he earned a clean sheet against promotion favourites MK Dons. Mohamed Coulibaly has made the subs bench against Swindon, MK Dons, Barnsley and Sheffield Utd but has yet to make his debut for the Sky Blues from what I can see. Maybe he'll get his chance tonight.

Miles is back in the treatment room and may need an operation.

Miles Addisson has had even worse luck at Scunthorpe as he is now back at AFCB receiving assessment after injuring a knee against Walsall which was the Iron's first three points of the season. Miles loan spell was due to end at the start of September but probably would have continued if he had not have got injured. I expect Miles to go back out on loan as soon as he is fit again (perhaps six to eight weeks) and you'd expect Russ Wilcox to have the first say on having him if he is wanted back at Scunthorpe who are really short on numbers. 

Another defender we have not seen at AFCB for a while is Stephan Zubar who was on trial at Cambridge Utd at the end of pre-season and then went up to Partick Thistle for three days to try and get some games. He played for Thistle against Sunderland in a 3-1 pre-season win, but transfer deadline day has passed without any news on a potential move, although he is now reported to be heading to Crewe Alexandria for a trial, according to the Echo.

Dropping down a division it is worth having a quick look at Cambridge Utd and AFCB Wimbledon. Jayden Stockley has been on target twice against Carlisle and has helped united up to ninth in the division. Meanwhile, Matt Tubbs has been hitting form and is already up to five goals, four of which were in the league, so AFC Wimbledon are going to be pleased with him.

Torquay Utd is another club with strong links with the Cherries as the manager their is Chris Hargreaves, former AFCB 1st team coach. Josh Wakefield has just gone to the Conference club and played a few late minutes against Dartford and 45 minutes against Lincoln, but was taken off as Torquay changed their system at half time. A few more matches at that level though should give Josh invaluable experience. It certainly was a good club for Bailey Cargill and Jayden Stockley last season.

Scunthorpe to give Addison a go

It has been a pretty tortuous time for Miles Addison at AFCB. He has been club captain and even got a string of games in the 2012-13 season, but as soon as he got injured he never regained his place in the side and Eddie Howe must be pleased that he can now move him on even if only for a month. 

Miles is back in the frame to play some games, but this time at Scunthorpe.

While it seems Miles has been around for ever, it may surprise some to hear that he is still only 25. Like just about everybody though I always felt he was too slow at the back and Eddie Howe is clearly looking for more agile and composed players on the ball. Yet Miles may find that he is a dominant player at the back for Scunthorpe in League One, where he might have a bit more time and know how to be one step ahead of some of the forwards he will be up against.

There was no real place for Miles at AFCB and a loan deal was always likely and I hope he makes the most of this chance to start a fresh. If he does come back in a months time I wonder how he would feel about Baily Cargill getting the nod in front of him? Football can be a cruel game and I don't think any player expects to be out of favour until it actually happens to them. All you can do is keep your head down and keeping working hard and to be fair Miles is a pro in that respect. A loan will give him the opportunity to enjoy playing again at a good level and should get him in the window for a longer move in January I would imagine.

Both Stephane Zubar and Miles Addison were at the club before Eddie Howe's second managerial period at AFCB and it has taken a long time for either player to play any kind of football even at Development level. It makes you realise that whoever the Cherries sign on long contracts is a risk and that while signings are always craved by supporters home grown talent may work out better and more cost effective if of course you can hold on to that talent or cash in on it at a profit.

The observant ones among you may have seen that there is a new tab on the blog called Kyle's Cups. Following Kyle Cotter's World Cup reports he has kindly offered to follow various cup competitions this season. In his first report he looks at Hull City's Europa League opponents on Thursday - FK AS Trencin 

No new defenders needed - Cargill in line for a spot

I was pleased to find out that Baily Cargill just may have his chance to stake a claim for a first team spot this coming season, as reported by the Bournemouth Echo. The 19-year-old will be the youngest player if he can make it into the first team for the Huddersfield match which is just a few weeks away now. Baily's chance comes after news that Stephane Zubar is to try out at Cambridge Utd on loan in league two. 

It is important that AFCB's Development squad players can progress to the senior squad and Eddie Howe is encouraging other players to make the jump in the coming months. With Cargill's promotion it would seem that Howe is not looking to find another central defender to come in this transfer window leaving him with Elphick, Cook and Ward as the main contenders for starting positions along with Baily Cargill. Whether Joe Partington and Miles Addison go out on load is yet to be made clear.

While Zubar still has a year left on his contract at AFCB it seems unlikely that we will see him play very much more in AFCB colours. Stephane has not been lucky with injuries and by moving to Cambridge Utd on loan he would get plenty of games under his belt perhaps to launch his career again.

The squad is still fairly big at AFCB and while others are keen to fight for a place in the team I expect the club to encourage a few others to go out on loan before the first week in August so that they can reduce the wages. For Cargill though the future looks bright.

I don't want Baudry to be sat on the bench at AFCB

There was speculation that Mathieu Baudry could become available with a release clause in his Leyton Orient contract as low as £200,000. AFCB along with Bentford and Charlton were said to be interested according to the Teamtalk website. While I will be one of the first to say AFCB need some more cover in the centre back positions, I was fond of Baudry when he was at AFCB before and I would hate for him to come back only to sit on the bench again - he deserves more than that. He has proved himself to be one of the best players in a Leyton Orient side that pushed for promotion from League One last season and while I believe he could play at a higher level he struggled to break into the Cherries side when we were in League One and only manage 10 appearances with injuries also slowing his progress.

It would not be such a shock to see him return though if he felt he can work with Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall and he left on good terms with the club in 2012. The French connection could also be helpful to Yann Kermorgant and Stephane Zubar who are already at the Cherries. For Baudry a move to a Championship club would be a step up and a chance to work again with familiar team mates if he came back to Dean Court, but I suspect that he might have more to gain if he were to establish himself at Charlton or Brentford.

Leyton Orient at Brisbane Road in 2013.

I always felt Baudry was a player that was comfortable on the ball and could lead by example when ever he put his mind to it. At Leyton Orient he has been a rock on which Russell Slade managed to get his side to the play-off final at Wembley only to lose after extra time to Rotherham in a penalty shoot out. At centre back he has become a confident player and at AFCB he was more often then not up against different players trying to get a midfield place, so perhaps he is a good option to have. But I can't see him displacing Cook and Elphick or Elliot Ward so he would again be up against stiff competition for a place.

Eddie Howe always says that he wants to add higher quality to the team than it already has to move it forward and for me Baudry does not quite fit the bill at this point.

World Cup Chimes welcomes back Kyle's World Cup Watch with preview of the final - Germany v Argentina. Catch all the best bets for the World Cup at Free Bet Negotiator. Come on Argentina!

De Vere's Urban Village Hotel in Bournemouth are sponsors of Cherry Chimes and are showing the World Cup final. As always there will be some great food available from the Victory pub/kitchen so get yourself down there. Download the complete game planner for the Victory pub and kitchen.

No hanging around for Tubbs, but what of others?

Tubbs is a great loan deal for AFC Wimbledon.

It is clear that Matt Tubbs is not one who likes being a bench warmer and with Eddie Howe already dabbling in the transfer market to bring in more striking power to the Cherries Matt Tubbs is ready to go on loan to AFC Wimbledon, according to SkySports Transfer Centre. That may seem like a waste of talent to some League One clubs who you would have thought would have been interested in the former Crawley Town hot shot, but either his wages were not liked or Matt himself wanted to take the AFC Wimbledon offer in a hurry to get his pre-season off to an early start. Whatever his reasons for going out on loan again so quickly, I hope he does well and enjoys his football. AFC Wimbledon have a player who will score plenty of goals for them I am sure.
We know Matt is not part of Eddie's plans and has not been for some time, but the loan move indicates that it was probably not possible to find a buyer for Matt this summer. Whether AFCB considered trying to sell Matt is not clear and he is expected to move today for an undisclosed fee. Recouping some of the transfer fees that ACB paid for players like Matt Tubbs and Miles Addisson are perhaps not so easy. We have also seen Stephane Zubar back in training this week which is excellent news, although I wonder if Bury who showed an interest in him when he was on loan there will see if they can take him back. I would still like to see Stephane try and get back into the team but I fear that he is well down the pecking order in Eddie Howe's thinking.

Miles Addison will be looking to play his football somewhere new.

Whether Miles Addison also decides to move on loan or permanently we will have to see but it is difficult for these players to reinvigorate their careers at AFCB having been out for so long and it will be great if they can play regularly again somewhere soon.


Word Cup Chimes previews my thoughts on what I hope to see from England tonight and through the tournament - see World Cup Chimes.

World Cup viewing
De Vere's Urban Village Hotel in Bournemouth are sponsors of Cherry Chimes and are getting ready for England's first game. 

Next Carnival Day Saturday 14th June England v Italy
- Live DJ, Brazilian Carnival Dancers & children’s face painting.
- Entertainment commencing from 19.00, kick off at 23.00

Food service extension
- The Victory will be serving food until 22.00 for the entire duration of the world cup with the exception of England’s first game (Saturday 14th June) which will be until 23.00.

Download the complete game planner for the Victory pub and kitchen.

Our big FA Cup day did not disappoint AFCB v LFC

As usual it was going to be a long drive down to Bournemouth from Redhill. It was the early start of 6.30am which we were not so happy about - thanks ITV for the early kick off time! Still, sleepy-eyed we hustled into the car and were soon past Winchester and on to Bournemouth. Stephen and Robert were dressed for the cold but totally buzzing for today's big match. Their aim was to fill their programmes with as many autographs as they could get so first stop was an early visit to the club shop.

Stephen asks where is everyone?

Robert watches young players training.

Stephen along side the Ted MacDougall side of the ground. 

While there was less than 20 people hanging around the front concourse at Dean Court at 8.30am, we decided to hurry into the shop and buy the programmes as quick as we could to ensure a good spot on the barriers by reception for the rest of the morning. We were pleased to leave the shop with a handful of programmes and a joint AFCB/Liverpool scarf - hey I supported both clubs in my youth, so I make no excuse for purchasing a souvenir for the day - it all goes to help out club!

Early on the front ropes, Stephen and Robert set about autograph hunting.

Stephen tries to hide the joy of  getting Ryan Fraser's signature.

Tommy Elphick is loaded up with goods. Not that fair to ask
him to sign with his arms full of stuff - but he manages it.

Then we waited for players and celebrities to arrive. We spotted young Ryan Fraser first and nabbed his autograph. Tommy Elphick was next and I got him to sign my programme as well and wished him luck for the game.

Charlie Daniels with Stephen.

Charlie Daniels signs Robert's programme.

It as at this point we saw a Liverpool fan arrive selling his fanzine magazine which caused the boys to laugh as he had to hold his arm up for a long time with his fanzine waiting for any early pool fans to arrive. Charlie Daniels came in with what looked like his bathroom bag. We then spotted Stephane Zubar by his car but before we could ask him about how his knee was and if he was back training, he was off!

Stephane Zubar makes a surprise appearance. ZUBAR!!!

Jason Tindall was clutching a pair of trainers so perhaps he was hoping to play. Sorry Jason, not this time. By now it was getting busy. The official photographers were about the place and asking us to pose for their respective publications. Chairman, Jeff Moystn arrived in his grey suit and talked to us for a short while. I praised him for his recent interview on All Departments and he thanked us for our support for the club. We wished him luck for the day.

Jason Tindall is keen to get going.

Jeff Mostyn is calm as ever.

The photographers move in.

Brett Pitman gets ready to sign.

Steve Cook - no hanging about.

Lewis Grabban looks forward to playing Liverpool.

Brett Pitman was all smiles as he came over to us. Steve Cook was in a hurry and dashed straight in, but Lewis Grabban was happy to fill the boys programmes up with another signature. Andrew Surman asked us if we were feeling all right and despite our sleepy eyes we said "yes, simply buzzing for the game!" We asked more importantly how he was doing? And he said," Just fine, looking forward to it."

Andrew Surman makes a tour to come and talk to us.

Ryan Allsop spots a regular AFCB fan.

Eunan O'Kane says hello.

Simon Francis - sharp exit right.

Gabriel Clarke was particularly pleased to talk to us.

Elliott Ward - what has he got in that bag?

Laurie McMenamin enters the Main Reception.

Allsop, O'Kane and Simon Francis followed in before we had a little chat with Gabriel Clarke of ITV. We joking said we did not have his picture in the programme but we desperately wanted his signature, so he very kindly came over and said he would do the biggest signature then on the back cover and use all the space up. He even asked the boys names and ensured he had them right and wrote best wishes. Elliott Ward then came in with what we reckon was the biggest man bag of the day. He was followed by Southampton ex-manger Laurie McMenamin - maybe some of his 1976 club luck could rub off on the Cherries I thought. 

Liverpool's team coach arrives.

The Liverpool coach finally arrived next and we got ready with the surge from behind pressing us right up against the ropes by this stage. Off came the Liverpool stars one by one, but it was a shame that none of them stopped to sign anything. The camera men were right in front of us now but we tried to take some video footage of the players coming off the coach (I apologise if you hear any foul language on the videos - I don't have the software to bleep it out). 

WARNING BAD language: Brendan Rodgers, Martin Skrtel and Martin Kelly arrive.
(plus camera man who would not get out of the way!)

WARNING BAD language: More Liverpool players come off the coach at Dean Court including:
Steven Gerrard, Jordan Henderson, Philippe Coutinho, Raheem Stirling, Victor Moses, Brad Jones, Iago Aspas,
Kolo Toure, Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez with drink.

We decided to go around the ground after that to take in some of the atmosphere and goings on as the fans turned up. We headed for the North stand where ITV had constructed their hideaway commentary box. Who should we see but Roy Keane waving and smiling at the fans below.

The ground is filling up now.

Roy Keane shares a joke with fans. Sadly he didn't have his boots with him.

The Ted MacDougall stand. This is as close as e could get.

Further round we were diverted away from the Ted MacDougall stand as only Liverpool supporters with tickets were allowed anywhere near it. The security checks looked rigorous and yet once again away supporters managed to smuggle in a smoke grenade which went off after the first goal.

Steve Fletcher in his nice big coat!

We entered the Family stand and had a quick bite to eat while the players warmed up. We saw Steve Fletcher getting interviewed in front of us with the lady interviewer having to watch her step in her non too clever footwear choice.

Eunan O'Kane speaks to the cameras. 

Eddie Howe does his pitch side interview for the
cameras. It looks like the lady can't keep her eyes open - spellbound by Eddie's good looks.

Teams come on to the pitch at Dean Court. Robert's arm makes a guest appearance.

You'll see all our photographs of the player warm ups and the crowd in our Match Day Gallery.

All Departments' Kangaroo Court of AFCB 0 v 2 Liverpool is live to view at All Departments website or on our side bar.

Can the Cherries succeed without spending big in January?

Eddie Howe has said in an interview on the BBC that he is not sure if he will have any money to spend in January, but that he hopes to strengthen. Be careful Eddie, some managers in Wales have been told to resign or get sacked for less!

While I am not surprised that Eddie is in the dark over any potential available funds he has to be trying to make things work out well with the players he has already. If he and Jason can get enough points with the players we have to ensure that AFCB are in the Championship next season, I would be pleased that AFCB hadn't spent a stupidly huge amount of money this coming January window.

Rantie was Eddie Howe's last big spend and Tokelo is still trying to
prove his transfer fee. Spurs fans know spending is no guarantee of instant success.

I also feel that it may be that Eddie can start to trim some of the squad who he feels will not be in his plans. If AFCB can cut the wage bill a bit it has got to be good for the club. Does Wes Thomas have a long term future at AFCB and are there others who could be on their way?

It hasn't escaped my notice that Matt Tubbs will also find his loan period coming to an end at Rotherham. Stephane Zubar is also still on the clubs books and he told us back in October that he would be due to be starting some kind of training at the end of this year. I hope he is recovering well.

We also have players who have not really featured this season like Joe Partington, Wes Fogden, Donal McDermott and Miles Addisson. We have already heard that Shwan Jalal can leave and it may be that Lee Camp does not get the move he wants to AFCB with West Brom's new manager. It is understood that Eddie Howe has also been looking at Swindon's Wes Foderingham.

The situation seems very fluid with regards players at the moment, which I hope does not have an unsettling feeling on the squad. I am also keeping quiet about the possibility that some players could also be targets of clubs in the January window. 

The question is though do AFCB need to spend? I feel that a player or two will be bought to make the team a little more solid. That could be in midfield or in defence, but I personally don't think Eddie will buy another striker until next summer when better deals are available. I may be wrong but I still feel leaking goals is more of a problem for AFCB than scoring them at the moment.  

Vote for what position you feel Eddie Howe most needs to strengthen the team this January. See the poll on the right hand side of the blog.

Yesterday Cherry Chimes spoke to Owl Alive about the Sheffield Wednesday squad prior to today's match. Check out how Wednesday fans are feeling about their team by visiting Rival Lines.

What now for Miles?

It struck me as quite a surprise to see that Miles Addisson is still only 24. The centre back has already gained such high experience for his years, having played for England U-21 and for Derby County in the Championship as well as at Barnsely on loan.

Has Miles got what it takes to get back into the thoughts of Eddie Howe?

His career at AFCB has rather stumbled of late having sustained an injury last December which saw him miss the second half of the season. While Miles has appeared in a couple of pre-season matches it is no doubt his desire to break back into the first team squad at some point, but his opportunities may well be limited unless injuries to other players give him a chance. While I can't say Miles is the quickest defender on our books, he has good leadership qualities from what I have seen and certainly has a presence when he is on the pitch.

This week Miles played in the 5:0 defeat against Yeovil as the Development squad came up against a team that was more than a match for them. For Miles to get some regular game time before December it is more than likely that a loan move might be sought for him. When he came to AFCB there were several other clubs after his signature. I am sure Eddie Howe would like to let Miles get back in shape by playing somewhere. But we are yet to see how hard the demands of the Championship will be on the squad and perhaps any loan deals would need the agreements for quick release clauses in case of any shortages we have at AFCB.

It is important that AFCB does not leave itself short of players at the back, even if the club might have Joe Partington making his recovery and Stephen Purches remaining available to play. While many fans will be hoping Miles does not have to cover for Cook, Ward or Elphick, it is likely that injuries will happen at some point and that Miles will need to be ready to play his part if required.

Zubar unavailable before January

Cherry Chimes has managed to get in contact with Stephane Zubar who has told me that he has undergone surgery on his knee. Zubar sustained an injury at the end of last season when he was out on loan at Bury. Since then he played in a few pre-season games and it was thought that his knee was not as bad as first thought. However, it appears that Stephane has had a setback and has had to gone under the knife.

Stephane says he will be back training by around January, if things work out okay. We wish him the best of luck and a speedy recovery. Stephane has not had the best of times since he came to AFC Bournemouth. He dazzled and inspired everyone in his first few games and became a favourite with the crowd very quickly. I don't think he has actually played a first team game under Eddie Howe, but if he can get fit again I know that there are many fans that would love to see him back at Dean Court on the pitch. 

I was worried that Stephane's photo had not appeared in the MatchDay programme but perhaps we will see it again in the new year. As Stephane will need to recover and regain his fitness again it looks unlikely that he will be the subject for a move. Over the summer there had been rumours of Stephane going back to Bury in a permanent deal. 

Who has been keeping the bench warm at AFCB?

No one wants to be sitting games out and I sometimes feel it is even more depressing if you are a player that is fit and yet raring to go but have to settle for a place on the bench. As you might expect, king of AFCB's bench warmers so far this season is goalkeeper Darrel Flahavan. He has kept the bench warm on no less than seven occasions, but I guess that is seven times more than Shwan Jalal. Darryl is only on a one-year contract so he must be hoping to get a chance at some point. The FA Cup games may be his first chance to get selected for the first team.

Behind Darryl on five bench visits is Wes Thomas. Wes may well come under more competition to keep that place as well as the forward line is going to be stronger still with Tokelo and Josh looking to play a part in the team. I feel the most unluckiest player to be waiting for his opportunity is Eunan O'Kane. We all know he has the quality and is well able to do as well as any one in midfield, and the signing of Andrew Surman will be an added challenge for him and others. Eunan has been on the bench four times so far.

Flahavan has kept Jalal away from the team but has
not had a chance to play in the Championship. 

You may wonder how come I haven't yet mentioned Tommy Elphick? Well his injuries mean he has only been picked as a sub three times and many other players have been just as friendly with the AFCB bench. In all, I counted 20 players that have been selected to be a substitute so far this season. Eddie is really using the squad with seven players allowed to be put on the bench in league games. The squad of course is bigger than this and there are a few that have not made the bench for the first team yet. Straight off I can think of Partington, Purches, Fogden and Jalal. 

Lots of bench sitting for Donal.

Stephane Zubar is still listed as a current AFCB player as well from all sources that I can find and yet we have had no news of how he has been doing since making some pre-season matches and the transfer to Bury that never seemed to happen. I have not seen Stephane's picture in the MatchDay programme this season, so I am not sure what is really going on with him and the club. 

We don't want Zubar to swap Cherries for Bury

I would like to see Stephane Zubar in an AFCB shirt this season. I make no secret of the fact that I believe he was under used at the Cherries and could have been a mainstay of our defence if the dice had rolled more favourably for him.

It would sadden me to see him exit, but players come and go and I would wish him all the best if he goes to Bury FC. What also impressed me is you have never heard a bad word from Zubar when he has been out of the team at AFCB. He always got on with the job even if he was not selected and he followed a good number of supporters on twitter to show he was united with the fans in wanting to see AFCB do well. Even in pre-season he has been playing against the minor team fixtures to get his strength back up and to improve his fitness levels.

But will Howe have the means to be able to keep Stephane Zubar? Or is he one defender too many? Elliott Ward is supposed to be better than some of the defenders we have at the club already and yet he had a bit of a clanger against Real Madrid for one of their goals. I don't remember Zubar having any bad games for AFCB - quite the contrary.

I am hoping that the addition of Mohamed Coulibaly may provide a bit of a reason to keep Stephane as a French speaker he could help Coulibaly settle in more easily at AFCB. Kevin Blackwell has made no secret of his desire to capture Stephane having had him on loan at the club, at the need of last season. He is seeking quality and Zubar fits into that category for him in league two.

The decision on Zubar may come soon when Eddie decides who is surplus to requirements during August. We just haven't seen Zubar playing under Eddie Howe and I am one who believes Eddie could get more out of Stephane to show us that he is better than a league one player.

Via Tweeter Zubar intimated that he would be "looking forward to it" referring to his expected move to Bury on 15 July, but the deal is still waiting to be confirmed.

If Zubar does leave, the good news for the Cherries would be that we would have cut some of the wage bill and I expect a few more players to also be moved on in August. It intrigues me why more have not left the club yet. Only Jonathan Meades, Charlie Sherringham and Frank Demouge have trode this path over the summer and yet most of us expected a big trimming of the squad.

While rumours have come and gone about Tubbs, Arter and Ritchie being sought out by other clubs there have been no formal offers announced and the side looks a strong one that will enter the Championship.

Eddie Howe has even said that his business might not yet be over so you never know if a sensational signing is still to come to Dean Court.

Thomas and Zubar on show on Saturday

It should be quite something for those going to see AFCB's Development squad play Wimborne Town tomorrow. The fans will get the opportunity to see Wes Thomas and Stephane Zubar amongst others who did not go out with the squad to Switzerland.

I get the impression that Mr Thomas might get an interesting reception but if he comes back to the club with a willingness to perform and if Eddie Howe is pleased with what he does it might not be the last we see of Mr Thomas. That scenario looked very unlikely at the end of April when Wes was at Birmingham on loan and publicly stated that he would like to stay at that club. Well, at the moment it does not seem that Birmingham City are so keen to take him up on his offer and he now faces some very stiff competition for places in the Cherries forward line.

Fans will be absolutely delighted to see Stephane Zubar back in an AFCB shirt. As I mentioned only yesterday he really deserves another crack at his career at Bournemouth as the fans love him and he does have good experience and defensive qualities that other teams are crying out for. I only hope that Eddie decides he might have slightly misjudged Stephane and that Stephane does all he can to impress.

The match at Cuthbury goes ahead at 3pm on Saturday. I am sure there will be some texting going on for those who can't make the game.

Zubar needs playing time

Stephane Zubar is a player that I have always liked and was very enthusiastic about when AFCB signed him. My friend would take me to see quite a few Plymouth games when I was not watching Bournemouth and it was for Argyle that I saw Stephane play. That was a few seasons ago, but I never had any doubts that he was going to be one of the best players on the pitch for the green army, because he always put in 110 per cent effort.

It was then a bit of a shock when he came to the Cherries and we could sing his name out as he ran out on to Dean Court - Zuuuubbaaaar! It was great to see him put in some excellent performances and win man of the match on a couple of occasions for the Cherries. But then everything seemed to stop for him. Eddie Howe had come back and by the time Stephane was ready to take to the pitch again the team was doing so well that there was no need to reintroduce him to the squad. I, like many, was disappointed to see such a talent allowed to go out on loan to Bury at the end of last season rather than have him at the Cherries where he could have helped out when we had those defensive injuries with Addisson, Daniels and Elphick.

Still it was not to be. Even worse, Stephane picked up a bad injury at Bury and was soon out for the rest of the season. Now he is scheduled to be back in training I understand and he faces even more competition with the arrival of Ward and Harte to fit into Eddie's thinking. Yet, I know Stephane will not give up hope and a fresh start may prove that he does have something would see him more involved in the Cherries squad.

My suspicions are that he will be sold or sent out on loan to try and reduce the club's wages if he is not seen to be among the top few or so centre backs of full backs.

If I am wrong though I will be among the first to be clearing my throat to shout out Zuuuubbaaaar, Zuuuubbaaaar, Zuuuubbaaaar when the Guadalupian takes to the field again in AFCB colours.

Fans predict Demouge set for early departure

Well we had some fun in seeing which players Cherry Chimes' readers would select as early departures from the club over the summer and top of the poll was striker Frank Demouge. Twitter has been going mad with his expected move to Roda JC in The Netherlands, but there is no official news of even a bid yet. Frank managed to get 80% of the vote so most of you do not expect to see him at Dean Court next season.

Poll closed - Which players will leave AFCB in the Summer?

Demouge	20 (80%)
Jalal	11 (44%)
Zubar	9 (36%)
Thomas	16 (64%)
McQuoid	4 (16%)
Tubbs	17 (68%)
Addisson	10 (40%)
Other	4 (16%)

Just nudging into second place is Matt Tubbs with 68% of the vote. While Crawley Town has long been linked with Tubbs return, again no bids have come in for the striker from what we have been told. Matt himself has said that he wants to be in the south as his family is settled here so a move to Rotherham seems to be ruled out.

Matt is closely followed by Wes Thomas in the poll on 64%. Current AFCB squad strikers are clearly not in favour with Cherry Chime readers. I have a feeling that there will be news on Wes Thomas sooner rather than later. Watch this space, as they say.

The Bristol City rumours certainly have pushed Shwan Jalal up the rankings for a swift move out of Dean Court and with opportunities being restricted it is possible that he will seek a loan move if he can't get into the squad.

Miles Addisson and Stephane Zubar are really the only others that raise a question with you, but I have only seen a couple of posts that Bury FC maybe being interested in Stephane, while know one has been shouting about being after Addisson's services.

Josh McQuoid may have got away with a low poll as I had a typo there in his surname! Sorry, Josh. Sadly, I can't edit the poll once someone has voted. Lesson learnt for me.

Those who were very observant will know that I could have added a few more star candidates like Harry Arter or Matt Ritchie but I am quite happy to let the rumours about our top players being targeted to die down a little.

You also seem not to have given many votes for others leaving the club although it is possible that such players as Donal McDermott, Wes Fogden or Joe Partington could at least be facing loan moves elsewhere.