Pugh deserves a good new contract

I was looking back at the player contracts and the length of deals that most of the current squad have which are fairly lengthy, but Marc Pugh is one player who may want to have talks with the club again early in the new season if not before. Marc signed a three-and-a-half year contract back in November 2012 and since then the club has won two promotions which is not going to look too shabby on his CV. Marc was 25 when he last signed for the club and since then he has matured into a left winger that not only creates but scores important goals, and he has had to be at his best with young players like Ryan Fraser pushing him for a starting place.

AFCB - give Pugh a top new deal.

Pugh has risen through the leagues with AFCB and that loyalty should be repaid as he could have moved in the past when the side did break up after defeat in the 2011 League One play-offs against Huddersfield under Lee Bradbury. But Marc stuck it out and he has found a new level of performance in the last 12 months that have made him seem like Mr Reliable, and it is now a surprise if his name is not one of the first down on the team sheet. He has been recognised for his fantastic community work as well and I don't think I'm alone in believing that the club is very fortunate to have such a player like Pugh in its ranks. 

When he does sit down to put pen to paper he will have been one of the longest servants to the club in recent years. In a season when we have seen the likes of Steven Gerrard leave Liverpool it is good to see that AFCB have a few players that have been at the club for more than just three or our years. Contract renewals are becoming a habit, but that has been one of the ways in which Eddie Howe has built success by showing players that they can improve under him if they stay at the club. I'll be one fans who will be delighted to hear the day when Pugh runs out in front of the home crowd in the Premier League as he is one of those players who made it possible for the whole team and supporters alike.

Dean Court is the last place Liverpool should want to visit

You have to fear for Liverpool a bit. Coming to Dean Court in a game sandwiched between Man Utd and Arsenal is perhaps not going to be such a simple game as Brendan Rodgers would have hoped for. AFCB are scoring heavily at home even if they are also allowing the opposition some joy as well, in recent matches, in their inability to keep clean sheets. But confidence is sky high among the Cherries squad and Eddie Howe knows that whatever team he puts out against Liverpool is going to be a team that has an excellent chance of winning the game.

I don't believe that AFCB fans have really considered that the team is really in touching distance of a semi-final tie in the Capital One Cup. It is just a great pleasure to play a team like Liverpool once again having enjoyed the spectacle last year. A win though is something that the fans are starting to feel is really possible against Liverpool. I don't even feel that it matters whether it was Liverpool or another team in the Premier League. Forget Liverpool's poor run, AFCB would give in inform Liverpool side a difficult game at home and being an evening match just adds a little more excitement to the tie and a better possibility of a home win in my book as the atmosphere will be something special.

Liverpool players warming up at the Goldsands stadium last January.

I don't think Eddie Howe needs to over complicate sorting out a plot to get the better of Liverpool. The players have already shown that they can dismantle sides when they are on their game and the fact that it is Liverpool in the other half will be enough to get AFCB's players doing everything they can to hit that top form. 

Gerrard and Skrtel may do battle again against AFCB.

Could Liverpool be embarrassed on the night? It is possible and it is what makes this particular game a real marker to see just how far AFCB have come. 

Breaking News: Mario Balotelli is out with a groin strain for this match, says the Liverpool Echo. Perhaps Rickie Lambert will start up front for Liverpool.

Do we want to see Gerrard - yes please?

The national papers have been full of columns devoted to the form and abilities of Steven Gerrard (Stevie G) in the last few weeks and months to be fair. Ever since he hung up his England boots, the media have been questioning how long the Red's favourite son of Merseyside can play two games a week and whether he needs to play further up the pitch or for less time each match. Stevie G has been an amazing servant to Liverpool FC and their supporters should savour every minute of games when he is still giving 100 per cent for them to win games. As a Bournemouth fan it was fabulous to see him play in the FA Cup against the Cherries last season and while he may not feature in the Capital One Cup match against the Cherries this week, I for one will be hoping he can come on if only for a few minutes.

Steven Gerrard is not a spent force yet
and his experience is important while Liverpool
go through this difficult spell.

The day when players have to reduce the amount of games they play for their team is always tinged with sadness, but their have not been enough greats like Steven Gerrard who have been the first thing you think of when a certain club on Merseyside comes to mind. He is the midfielder that many school children in England, and further afield, have looked up to for a generation and we have all been mesmerised by his long passes and forceful runs into the penalty area over the years.

To see him run out against AFCB again is being greedy I know. It is time that younger players for Liverpool showed that they have the quality and skill to be able to takeover from the legend more often now and that is what I expect for Brendan Rodgers to think. Yet, only last week we were reminded that Steven Gerrard can still hit an amazing free kick when he dumbfounded the FC Basle keeper with a stunning goal. I am glad he saved it for that game and hope AFCB learn that around the box, Steven Gerrard can still pick his spot with great accuracy.

Gerrard is a leader and Liverpool player's will look to him when he is on the field.

What scenario would pan out to give us a chance of seeing the great man on Wednesday? I would guess that AFCB would either have to be winning in a tight contest by a goal up and with 10 minutes to go for Steven to be risked. With another big fixture for Liverpool against Arsenal next weekend there is no need for them to make Gerrard play in the AFCB match, but not surprisingly I would be very pleased if the match pans out in the way I have described and we get to see a bit of Mr Gerrard at Dean Court.  

Even if Gerrard does not stretch his legs at the Goldsands stadium but does pen a new deal at Liverpool for next season, perhaps there will still be a chance that AFCB can make the jump to the Premier League, so that AFCB fans can get another chance to see him once more. I'll settle for that.

Hear what Anfield Online has to say about the Capital One Cup Quarter final tie between AFCB and Liverpool by visiting Rival Lines.

Cup Special: Cherry Chimes talks to Anfield Online

Rival Lines
Capital One Cup Quarter Final
AFCB v Liverpool
Blogger Interview: Anfield Online

Cherry Chimes had the pleasure this week of having a quick chat with John Dowling who runs the popular Anfield Online website for Liverpool supporters. It has not been an easy time for the Reds as they go into this quarter final, but the magnitude of the match for Liverpool has probably escalated to quite a high level now even though such a game would usually seen as a regular fixture for the Anfield faithful who have won this competition a record eight times. That should kind of give AFCB fans a bit of a reality check having just reached the quarter final for the first time, but let's see if John think Liverpool fans should be confident of reaching the semi-finals this time around.  

CC: Bournemouth play brave passing football as Brendan Rogers has commented on, ie we won't kick lumps out of your players, so are the Cherries an ideal team for Liverpool to play mid-week considering the League fixtures you have on either side of this Capital One tie?

AO: Liverpool are struggling this season against every type of football. More direct sides have had plenty of joy mainly based on weaknesses at set-pieces and errors from Simon Mignolet. He has been dropped now in favour of our reserve keeper. Teams who play passing football are equally likely to build on errors from our defenders on the ground. Chief culprit in these situations being Dejan Lovren a defender who had a good first half in the first game of the season and has been generally hapless since.

CC: Any ideas on who you think might be in the starting line up for Liverpool against AFC Bournemouth?

AO: Jones is a definite starter currently. The Liverpool manager appears to be choosing favourites on a day to day basis at present. The side chosen away at Real Madrid looked more like a League Cup line up so it is increasingly difficult to choose a team. Rickie Lambert has sat out the last two so could make a return. Balotelli also returned for 45 minutes against Man Utd.

CC: The Middlesbrough match was quite something with 27 penalties I think to decide the tie, but did you feel Liverpool should have finished off the Championship side earlier that night considering how dominant they were in possession?

AO: The Middlesbrough game was a long night at Anfield. The reds showed promise early on - youngster Jordan Rossiter grabbing a debut goal in the 10th minute (before disappearing off the face of the earth from the first team). Our manager is a big believer in possession being an important factor in winning a game - but that game was typical of our inability to keep clean sheets. Boro showed tremendous fight but the game should never have gone to penalties - we just switched off in the final minute of extra time.

CC: You also had a late goal surge against Swansea to go through to the last eight so do you feel the League Cup has been one of the few areas where the team has been able to get a confidence boost this season?

AO: Swansea did have a man sent off just before Liverpool scored that final winning goal so that may have been a help. I don’t think many Liverpool fans think all our problems disappear in the League Cup. With 8 league cup titles it’s clearly been a special competition for the reds. Good fortune and weaker opposition/rested players on opposing sides facing us (at Anfield too) is probably the major factor for our wins so far.

CC: How good are Liverpool's back up strikers - Borini and Markovic?

AO: We haven’t seen a lot of Borini this season. He was Brendan Rodgers’ first signing at Liverpool but was being forced out of the club in August. He hasn’t even been involved on the bench in recent weeks as the club try to force him out in January. Markovic has shown flashes of pace and skill, but his sending off in the Champions League was a sign of his disciplinary problems. Again - he hasn’t been trusted much by Rodgers so far - although he did play away against Real Madrid - arguably Liverpool’s best performance in the 6 games of the group. Many Liverpool fans would like to see more of Markovic and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t start against Bournemouth.

CC: I was impressed by Emre Can when I saw him earlier this season in the Champions League, is he close to getting more starts?

AO: I was impressed too. He played against Real Madrid and Chelsea in the same week and performed well both times - scoring the opening goal against Chelsea. Since then however he too seems to have disappeared off the radar. He looks strong and he has already shown his eye for goal but in Liverpool’s league games he is behind the less creative Joe Allen in the pecking order. I’d like to see him start on Wednesday.

CC: Do you think the addition of so many Southampton players over the summer was a mistake?

AO: Huge mistake. Much was made of Lallana and Lambert’s link up play last season - but at Liverpool they’ve usually been played without the other. Lallana has been the most promising of the trio but has been in and out of the side more than most players. Lovren in defence has been an unmitigated disaster - it’s been some years since I’ve seen a defender at Liverpool making such simple positional mistakes. Lambert was being used for 10 minutes at the end of every games and then suddenly played 5 times in a fortnight. He has managed to score a couple however.

You pay a premium for buying players from within your own league and Southampton have taken our owners to the cleaners.

CC: What do you think of Eddie Howe as a manager?

AO: Certainly at Liverpool there is always a special connection with long serving players and staff going on to become manager. I also believe that a manager who has played in a defensive role has a lot more to offer as a manager - having spent most of their career seeing how play builds up in front of them.

As a young manager he has a pretty impressive record already and I’d imagine he would become an even hotter property if you secure your 2nd promotion in 3 years. The advantage to Bournemouth may be his young age, which may deter other sides attempting to lure him for another few years. It will be interesting to see if he can adapt quickly enough if you are promoted in May.

CC: Bournemouth played Liverpool in the FA Cup last season and lost 0-2, but can you see this match being tighter?

AO: I can see it being significantly tighter. The thought of us keeping a clean sheet and scoring two goals, at present, looks unlikely. Both at Anfield and away. Coupled this with the fact Bournemouth are a side averaging more than 2 goals a game and it’s fair to say not many Liverpool fans are looking forward to this one.

CC: Thank you John for your very intelligent answers. AFCB fans will be relishing some of your words, although AFCB fans know that Liverpool players have lots of pedigree and will be no easy opposition for whatever team Eddie Howe plays. I am hoping that some of Liverpool's big names feature but it is also perhaps a chance for players like Emre Can and Lazar Markovic that they have a real future at Liverpool. As for Brendan Rodgers I wonder how he will be feeling when he shakes Eddie Howe's hand on Wednesday night? They are great appreciators of each other's game, but Brendan probably has more riding on this game than Eddie Howe. If AFCB's players can play without fear or pressure though, I predict that we'll be in for one of the games of the season. Make sure you take a look at Anfield Online where you can get more of John's wise words about the current plight of Liverpool and their trip to Turkish club Besiktas in the Europa League.

Finally, it was brilliant news yesterday to hear it confirmed that AFCB had passed the Financial Fair Play regulations for the 2013-14 season, even though it will be difficult news for fans of Forest, Blackburn and Leeds to have received having failed the test.

Have AFCB got another free kick specialist?

In recent seasons we have seen some fabulous free kicks scored by Simon Francis, Brett Pitman, Harry Arter and Matt Ritchie in particular. Yet is seems that there is a new kid on the block or rather a bit of French flare that has been added to the mix. Yann Kermorgant is some technician and if you thought Steven Gerrard can hit a mean free kick, it make come as a bit of a surprise to Liverpool fans to know that AFCB has a player that can hit top corners from dead balls just as accurately. 

See all the goals including Yann Kermorgant's free kick on the highlights video.

Yann Kermorgant admittedly did not face his free kick under nearly the same pressure that Steven Gerrard was facing in the last 10 minutes of their match against FC Basel, but don't blink or you'll find that Kermorgant will have bedazzled you with a free kick that is equally top draw with anything your stars in the Premier League can do. Following Yann's spectacular scissor kick against Ipswich Town in November, there is mention that Yann could well dominate this season's goal of the season choices if he keeps up his sequence of outstanding finishes.

Pick your spot Yann, top left?

The beauty of Kermorgant is that he appears to play even better when his starting place has come under threat. each of the Bournemouth players are pushing one another along to play even better. As long as Yann is brave enough to keep stepping up for penalties as well, he should reach double figures this season. 

Kop that! - Liverpool again for Cherries

Out of all the possible ties that the Cherries could have got, there was not a lot of talk pre-draw for the 5th round of the Capital One Cup with expectations of getting Liverpool at home again. It will be another fabulous occasions for Bournemouth fans and this time Eddie Howe's side can legitimately feel that they have a real chance of causing an upset against one of the country's top sides. 

Shall we make this a regular fixture?

It will of course be great for us to hear Brendan Rodgers again, who was so praiseworthy of the style of play and bravery of our Cherries when they took on Liverpool in the FA Cup last season. It will be another chance to see Steven Gerrard, Steven Henderson, Raheem Sterling, Daniel Sturridge and of course we may see Ricky Lambert, Adam Lallana and Super Mario (Balotelli). It is more than likely that the full first Liverpool team could be used in this game if the reds are hoping to land the silverware, but they have Man Utd at home the Sunday before and Arsenal at home on the following Sunday! Still, it is a great pre-Christmas present for AFCB fans and the ground should be packed for this one.

No Suarez this time but there will be plenty of other
top Liverpool players to see AFCB go up against. 

Liverpool have been a bit indifferent in terms of form this season but they are still in the top eight and only two points off fourth spot in the Premier League. The fact that they have been letting in a few goals with some problems at the back surely gives Eddie Howe's team a chance of a shock. All the cameras will be on Balotelli and the pressure will be all on Liverpool and I think it is helpful in some ways that Bournemouth have drawn Liverpool as they will have a bit of a familiar style for our team to be up against and should not be feared, but respected.

Welcome back Liverpool fans.

I don't think it will be long this morning before some of my friends are giving me a call to ask if I can get them a ticket. With more Bournemouth season ticket holders now than last season it is clear that less spare tickets will be available for this match and that may be a good thing considering that the club had a difficult time in finding an easy way to sell the extra tickets last time with such huge demand. Somehow I think these tickets will be like gold dust.

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.  

Match Preview: Cherry Chimes talks to Empire of The Kop

Match Preview
AFCB v Liverpool

FA Cup Fourth Round
25 January 2014
Blogger Interview: Empire of The Kop

Cherry Chimes takes a few minutes to talk to Antoine Zammit, who writes on The Empire of The Kop blog, ahead of the Third Round FA Cup tie. As far as this game is concerned, "it's not about history!" as the ITV advert says, but what do Liverpool FC stand for today? Let's find out. As Liverpool are known as the Reds I'm even going to let Empire of the Kop have that colour today as AFCB will be the ones in Red and Black on Saturday.

CC: Firstly can you tell me about your fab blog, how you got started and how you came to support Liverpool FC?

EOTK: Thanks, I have been a Liverpool supporter for over 34 years and quite honestly I don't remember exactly how and why I started supporting Liverpool, It is something that grew over time. When I moved to the US back in 1992 I didn't have anyone to banter with and with the advent of the web I was using chats and forums. This eventually led to me getting involved heavily on Facebook back in 2006 and I ended up with a huge following there. I eventually started Tweeting and the limitations on Twitter led me to have to start my own blog and that is how EOTK was born.

CC: Do you think Liverpool fans will be disappointed this season if they don't win some silverware but manage to finish in the top for of the Premiership?

EOTK: Yes, top 4 is a must this season.

CC: The club has had a special relationship with the FA Cup, but do you feel it means as much to your current players as it did, for instance back in the 1980s - I expect it still means the same to the fans?

EOTK: No, unfortunately the FA Cup is not the same FA Cup of the 80s, The Premier League has overshadowed the competition. The FA needs to make changes, maybe offer a Champions League spot to the winner to give the Premier League clubs an incentive to taking it more seriously. Also the BPL must cooperate and don't congest the fixtures, Liverpool for example are playing Everton only 3 days after Saturday's cup tie.

CC: Brendan Rodgers has bought an attacking style of play back to Liverpool. Would fans have been as appreciative of him if he had brought a different brand of football that was less pleasing on the eye but with a higher win ratio?

EOTK: Liverpool is a work in progress, we are not there yet however we have made tremendous improvement over the last year.

CC: Does Gerrard now need to change his game to give himself more playing years?

EOTK: I guess the answer to this was his first half and second half performance against Villa.

CC: How strong a side do you expect Liverpool to play in the Fourth round of the FA Cup - similar to the Oldham game?

EOTK: Unfortunately the Merseyside Derby is only 3 days after the Cup tie, Brendan will have no choice but to rest key players as our squad doesn't have a lot of depth.

CC: How good is your new No 9, Iago Aspas in your reckoning?

EOTK: Aspas scored in the 3rd round and hopefully that could give him the confidence he needed to find the net more often.
 

CC: Liverpool's youth teams have been doing well in recent years but can you see more English young players getting into the first team under Brendan Rodgers?

EOTK: Yes, more than ever, this season Brendan has already called up Jordan Rossiter, Brad Smith, Jerome Sinclair and Cameron Brannagan to the first team.

CC: Who do you think was the better ex-Bournemouth player to have played for Liverpool - Jamie Redknapp or Nigel Spackman?

EOTK: I happen to remember both of them play and of course I would go with the former skipper, Redknapp :-)

CC: Liverpool are following in the footsteps of Real Madrid in visiting Dean Court. Do you think such games are getting AFC Bournemouth talked about and do you know much about our players?

EOTK: I think this is great that clubs like Bournemouth get to play against the top Premier League club. With that said I wish UEFA would do the same thing in the Europa league, back in the old days European clubs from small countries could play against the footballing giants. The Europa League (UEFA Cup) could regain some luster if UEFA adopted that scheme again.

CC: Is Eddie Howe a manager that you think could manage a top Premiership club one day? - not that we are letting him go anywhere soon!

EOTK: I will be honest with you I don't know much about him.

CC: I'd better ask what you think the score will be in the game and if you a worried about a possible early cup exit?

EOTK: No team should be taken lightly and every club should be respected. I will of course be happy with a win, I really don't care about the scoreline I just want a win.

CC: I think a lot of AFCB fans would like a replay and a chance to visit Anfield are you up for that?

EOTK: No, I would rather we do the business on Saturday. :-)

Thank you Antione for your answers. I hope you learn a little more about Eddie Howe and AFC Bournemouth after this cup tie. I have a feeling that Brendan Rodgers just may know a bit more than we would like about our team and manager. I do hope that you are right though that the Mersyside derby is a more important game for Liverpool and that some of the first team for you are rested because I feel AFCB are playing well at home and may just spring a surprise if they can settle quickly and handle the occasion. With a full strength Liverpool side out though I would expect a much harder game for the Cherries, but as you say it is all about the Premiership top four spot for Liverpool this season. Good luck with the Premiership. Perhaps AFCB's cup final is on Saturday though and we rather fancy an upset or at least a replay. UTCIAD! 

Make sure you visit  The Empire of The Kop see what else Liverpool fans are talking about before the match with AFCB.