BBC Radio Solent Forum opens up Dean Court rent debate

On Wednesday there was the annual BBC Radio Solent Forum from Dean Court raised the question of why AFCB had not gone ahead with its expansion plans on the south stand. It was a question that Jeff Mostyn could not duck and he firmly put the reason for the delay being a matter of the rent for Dean Court being unrealistic if the expansion went ahead. The question is how long would AFCB be prepared to wait for talks to progress? I fear that the line in the sand has been drawn and it won't now be long before AFCB are looking in earnest for a new home.

That does not mean that it would be an easy decision but the pressure of needing to offer a ground that is worthy of the Premier League status of the club, it must be in the owner and chief executives' head that the situation needs to be resolved in the next 12 months. Jeff used some very strong words on the Forum about not wanting to have "a gun pointed at their head because they are a Premier League club" and the message to Structadene did not sound like the amicable relationship was likely to be easily mended after what had gone on over the last few months.

Can we squeeze anymore in?

"The ambition of the football club is to provide first class facilities to Eddie and the team and all of our supporters," said Jeff. "That's what we are here for. At the end of the day, your coming here to see a team hopefully winning and continuing to make progress and I have every confidence that this will continue to happen. It is a frustration for everyone associated with this football club that only 11,300 people in round figures can came and watch our games at home."

That's the bottom line. The club has out grown Dean Court and the economics and finances will decide the destination of where the club plays its games in the future. Just a simple look at the other stadiums in the Premier League or even the Championship points to the fact that Dean Court is not large enough to support the club in the long term at this level and the quicker the capacity can be increased or a new venue found the better for the club and the fans who are unable to see the games. While it would take a couple of years or more to build a new stadium and would cost a substantial outlay from the the Premier League coffers the club has received - maybe £100m, it is time to think of the long term and I get the sense that while one more approach might be made to the landlord the vision of a new purpose-built stadium is starting to loom large on the desks of AFCB board members.

It has taken a long time for the club to come clean on this matter, but I suspect that the club still wants to leave the possibility of negotiations open.

Other good news to get off the club's chest was the Angers SCO last minute fixture notification, which was stated to be down to agreeing a suitable venue - it seems choosing where AFCB play is a very hard problem these days!

Transfer News
Josh King has renewed his contract with a new four-year deal.

New permanent stand will change the feel of Dean Court

The unveiling of the new South stand plans and ground expansion at Dean Court have been welcomed and it is another bit of recognition that AFCB are moving forward. Having almost had a first full season in the Premier League and not yet having improved the ground, it is the next step that we have all waited to hear and work is likely to get going as soon as the whistle is blown at the last home fixture against WBA.

AFCB photo: New look south stand - computer generated. But you can expect
to see it in reality at the start of the 2016-17 season.

What the pictures don't tell you is what it is going to be like sitting in a stadium with one end enclosed at the corners. It is going to make a difference to the noise and the atmosphere and that should be for the good. Dean Court will be seen to grow up I suppose for fans who have dreamt of the day when the capacity was lifted well above the current 11, 464 seats. It will certainly beat sitting in the old three stand stadium when the wind blew right through you! On Thursday AFCB fans will be able to take a closer look at what the South stand might look like and it is tempting to wander what the future might bring in terms of ground development if the extra seats are quickly filled, which I imagine they will be.

Would you like to see another tier on the Main stand or a redeveloped North stand? It is difficult to know what might be possible with building regulations at Dean Court and of course there are near by local residents, as well as the local council and freeholder views that have an impact on what a future Dean Court might look like. While development seems the way forward at the present it has quelled any immediate thoughts of a ground relocation. But some infrastructure considerations might be the next challenge if more fans means more cars and better access from the ground is required.

AFCB have publicly stated that the current leasehold situation suits the club and while more money will come into the coffers it may not be of much benefit for the club to own the ground if it sees no hurdles being put up against ground expansion. Who knows what level of spending clubs will do in the summer with the new TV money coming into the Premier League and how much AFCB will need to invest just to stand still in this league.

For those that scoffed though at AFCB being unable to compete in the Premier League with such a small ground they have been proved well and truly wrong. Big stadiums do not always go hand in hand with success - ask fans of Wigan Athletic and Coventry City, etc. Still, I think it is a positive move for more fans to see the games and hopefully more season ticket holders will result that will close the match day financial gap a little in terms of revenue on some of the smaller clubs in the Premier League, even if the Cherries still have some way to go before reaching a capacity of 18,000, which is probably possible in the next few years.

There is a Twitter poll on the ground expansion - see @CherryChimes tweets to vote.

Where is that home winning formula?

The home supporter of any Premier League team this season might not have seen many wins yet and with the Cherries only having played two home matches there is now a real onus on the team to deliver at the newly named Vitality Stadium. I don't think Eddie Howe and the Cherries have forgotten how to win at home, it's just that it is a lot harder to win any game at this level. Everything has to go right and that starts with the match preparation of course.

The crowds will be gathering at Dean Court again this Saturday.

This week I was hoping to be lucky enough to go down to Dean Court to see a bit of the build up to the game on Thursday, when the club was to hold its press conference. I wanted to have a few words with one or two of the players to see how quickly they get over a bad result. But suddenly it was all change though and the players were given a rest day on Thursday with the press conference moving to Friday, which I could not make. It is easy for us fans to think that all the team has to do is turn up on Saturday and perform well but all through the week things are changing and players can get injured and the routine can be changed.

The Vitality Stadium will hopefully preside over a first home win today.

Hopefully the extra days rest is just what the players need to be fresh today. I hope to cover a press conference later in the season and report how it unfolds on the blog. In the meantime, it is the players that matter and will always come first. Getting them to play with the confidence and to the best of their ability is what we all want to see now. The team has not forgotten how to win at home, but it needs a few things to go right in the build up and on match day. It's up to us to keep Dean Court a happy place and a full of encouragement for our players. 

The next sequence of game will include the Cherries taking on both Sunderland and Watford at home and if they can get six points from those two games life in the Premier League will be looking a whole lot better for Eddie Howe's Army.

From the press conference yesterday it is clear that Charlie Daniels is more likely not to make the squad than to make it as he is still struggling to be quite match fit. That should see Adam Smith retain his starting place at left back while Joe Bennett is expected to be on the bench for the second game in a row. UTCIAD!

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

AFCB add some Vitality to their game with a new Stadium sponsor

The Cherries will hope that they will be full of vitality for their games in the Premier League and if they needed any inspiration then the newly named Vitality Stadium will hopefully provide them with some luck as well as financial benefit along the way. The need for sponsorship and for companies who want to be associated with such a high profile team like AFC Bournemouth will have fantastic benefits for both parts of the deal. It is not easy for fans to latch on to the new names straight away, but I am sure we'll soon hear that news announcers are quickly saying, "And now to the Vitality Stadium where there's been a goal, and the home supporters are jumping up and down with excitement!"

No more Goldsands, now it's The Vitality Stadium.

Of course, it will always be Dean Court though to fans, no matter what name is given to the stadium for sponsorship. While the big sponsorship deals are fast being completed I still expect that the club will be looking to see what else it can put up for sponsorship - I don't think the new pavilion that is being built will be nameless for long. The club is one of the most successful not only on the pitch but also in marketing itself and it's a very different picture to the commercial scene of the club only a few years ago. Now it is in a position where it is attracting big money and I applaud them for turning the club around.

I am sure Vitality will be pleased with their exposure on and off the pitch having struck this deal and from the pictures that I have seen of the pitch it is already looking magnificent. It is clear that their association with several other clubs gives them a strong football identity and I imagine that AFCB will be a club that will be in the headlines perhaps more than the average Premier League club in 2015-16 seeing as it is the club's debut season at that level.

A new era - a new name. Let's hope it brings success.

UTCIAD!