Forget team selection some just didn't perform for AFCB

Everyone will have been disappointed with the FA Cup result for Bournemouth. While Eddie made lots of changes, the players that did turn out for Bournemouth were totally out performed by a Wigan side that wanted to win every ball. The AFCB players that were selected may have been disappointed themselves in being in a second string team for the FA Cup, but when you represent your club in such a historic competition you expect to see passion and skill. So where was it?

Some fans may point the finger at Eddie Howe for selecting a starting 11 that did not feature many of the players from the win against Arsenal. But as has been the case in the recent run of matches. Bournemouth just don't start well anymore. It doesn't seem to matter which players take to the field, AFCB always need a comeback and there has to be something wrong in what AFCB are doing to build themselves up for games at the moment.

Come on Benik. That wasn't good enough was it?

The prime culprit for many of the chances will be the strikers as they need to slot away chances when plenty have been created for goals. Afobe in particular has had a bit of a nightmare and for him the only good thing is that it happened in an away game. But he is not getting any better and AFCB have to find an answer to his lack of goals. Whether he is replaced or told to shape up I'm not sure, but he has to have some pride in his own performance and must himself admit that what he has given is not enough.

Other senior players were also at fault. What was Andrew Surman doing in losing the ball so frequently? It's not been just in this Wigan game but in a few matches this season. Meanwhile, Harry Arter reverted to his old frustrated self and showed the side of his game that all fans hoped had been subdued. These are experienced heads and to be honest they let Eddie Howe down and more than that they let down the travelling 497 Bournemouth fans down.

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Of course the defeat seems even worse though after being in such a high, having beaten Arsenal. But if this defeat brings a reaction that sees Bournemouth play every remaining match with performances more like the win against Arsenal will an early FA Cup exit be forgotten? It might have been in previous seasons, but I think twice in the last two years mean that the squad depth just isn't there yet for AFCB to play two powerful sides in League and cup and as many as four to six better players are needed to make a cup side for AFCB string enough to get through ties like this.

But well done Wigan Athletic for fully exposing AFCB's weaknesses.

Does cup defeat make Premier League survival any easier?

The big discussion during the BBC's coverage of the fifth round FA Cup match between AFCB and Everton was whether it was right for Eddie Howe to field a weakened side. In hindsight, Eddie may feel that he would have liked to have given some other players a place in the side seeing how tight the game was, but would winning the game have been a big hindrance to AFCB's plans for staying in the Premier League? After all, it is only three extra rounds and the possibility of one replay after the fifth round.

Put away the FA Cup signs for another season.

You might ask Tony Pulis if he was pleased whether AFCB went out to Everton in the Cup. I am sure he would have hoped that the Cherries had continued their run and lost their way in the league. None of the other bottom clubs were through to the fifth round so it is an even fight from here on you would say between the bottom seven clubs for survival. I write this just as Crystal Palace have beaten Spurs in the cup, and while some will say Palace can afford to flirt with the FA Cup being nearer to safety, I say good on Pardew for having a go to try and win it. 

Tommy had a good game on Saturday, but he will now want success in the league.

Does it really become a distraction though? The prime example was Wigan Athletic that won the cup only to get relegated in the 2012/13 season. It was an unusual result and for them to beat Man City I the final was a great achievement that will stay in the thoughts of their fans for years to come. 

I was asked by an Ipswich fan who is a friend if I was disappointed about AFCB going out of the cup this season having been so close to getting to the quarter-finals. I shook my head and said no. While it would have been great to get to Wembley, I had not let myself get carried away with thoughts of Tommy Elphick lifting a trophy two seasons in a row. To see AFCB get well beaten by sides like Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City this season who still have eyes on the FA Cup there is not much need to get carried away with AFCB reaching the last 16 I suppose. It has been good though be involved in the cups and to get past a few rounds, but if I am honest I'd have been prepared for Eddie to play more of the U21s against Everton, if the ticket prices could have been kept down to £15 for adults. Paying £32 though was steep when many first team players were missing. Was he disrespectful to the cup? I guess it depends on whether you feel that the first team is a 25-man squad or an 11-man team with two or three subs. The game has changed in terms of importance and the FA Cup has certainly slipped.

Alan Shearer may well be mystified by why Eddie Howe selected to rest some players, but if one or two of those players had been injured in the game against Everton then they would potentially be unavailable for some of the remaining league games. The focus is clear now for the team. They have one objective and 12 games to get as many points as they can. It is a mini-season that can provide a platform for several years in the Premier League and Eddie Howe was not going to risk that for one FA Cup match when the rewards for staying up include another crack at the cups next season. 

These decisions are made between manager, owners, chairman and the boardroom, but it is a shame that the club does not feel in a position to field it's best team to get to an FA Cup quarter-final.

Survival See my view on AFCB's hopes for staying up in the Observer along with other fans' views from the bottom eight in the Premier League.

Podcast heaven!
I can't believe how lucky we all are at AFCB to have two podcasts coming out this week. The first is already out at All Departments and the second will be out later this week when Back of the Net releases its first podcast.

Cherries can feel satisfied as home form picks up

It has not been an easy start to the season. The Cherries have not blown everyone away at Dean Court and yet you sense that the team has turned the corner of late and is now finding ways of winning at home. The match against Charlton was not the struggle that has been so evident in many of the other home matches this season. The team were without the talisman of Yann Kermorgant, and yet the players were hungry and energised in a way that gave the impression that they had no doubts that they would win this game.

There's plenty of things for Eddie Howe to be smiling about.

The satisfying point for me was that AFCB won the game having created many chances and not facing the last 20 minutes with all outfield players rooted to the defensive last third of the pitch in front of AFCB's goal. The game management that Eddie Howe so often talks about was carried out with more precision, and intelligence, and the home fans were in good voice, which I am sure helped the players to feel that they could go on to keep the clean sheet and win the game. 

For once I was not concerned that the Cherries could only score one goal. They came close to a second on a number of occasions and Charlton have not conceded many goals all season. AFCB kept going forward though even when the Addicks went three at the back with 12 minutes to go and put Bikey Amougou up front. Both Cook and Elphick defended without too many difficult moments on the day and with Boruc you know that there are not going to be any spills or lapses in concentration from him.

Having won against Wigan, Bolton and now Charlton, the team is closing in on the top teams and on hearing that much hard work has been carried out during the two week break, fans can feel satisfied that the Cherries are moving in the right direction.

The new All Departments' podcast is out now. Just scroll down the right side panel to the sound bar or visit All Departments' website to listen to the review of AFCB 1 v 0 Charlton.

Not the new boys next time around

Having now completed a season in the Championship, AFCB will not of course be the new boys anymore. The benefit is that our players have now been to most of the grounds and their feelings about those places should be fairly positive after last season. At home there will not be much change and the South stand is something that they will also be used to playing in front of now. In many ways I believe the most difficult games will come against Wolves, Brentford and Rotherham Utd.

It's not that the Cherries have not played these teams for a while but more due to the fact that the new arrivals will be buzzing having got back into the Championship and we know what a lift it is for players and supporters. For teams coming up, every game has to be viewed as a potential three points if you are going to survive and they will see AFCB as one of the teams that they can hurt on their day. I actually hope that the Cherries do not draw one of these teams until September at the earliest when perhaps they have got over the euphoria of getting into the Championship. I also fear that our fans may be less loud than they have been last season if the club does not get odd to a good start. But the Cherries need a good atmosphere to compete against so many excellent teams in the division. Just because AFCB have survived one season in the Championship does not mean they need less help from the fans next time around.

A second season in the Championship will bring fresh demands for the Cherries.

Every team does their homework and even last season managers would have known how the Cherries like to play, so I don't see the 2014/15 season as one where Eddie Howe has to come up with lots of new ways of playing. It's more a case of doing what the team does well a bit better. Eddie knows we have the game to beat teams like QPR, Nottingham Forest and Wigan so there should not be a major overhaul in what the team sets out to do, but reducing the number of mistakes will go along way to making it a better season. Whether the new arrivals of Wolves, Brentford and Rotherham are able to play without making the kind of mistakes that AFCB made last season remains to be seen, but I already see this as being an even more competitive season coming up.

You can now join the World Cup Fantasy Mini League I have set up on McDonald's FIFA World Cup fantasy League. It is free to play. The league is called Chimes Fans which you will need to put ion the search after you have built your squad. The website is found on this link - World Cup Fantasy League. 

What's going on at managerless Wednesday?

Managerial mayhem has already made its mark in the Championship with six bosses already losing their jobs or resigning from their post. Sheffield Wednesday is one of those clubs where there has been a change but no one has yet filled the vacant spot on a permanent basis. Dave Jones did a good job in getting Wednesday promoted from League One, but he found it hard to establish the Owls as a real contender in the Championship. That is a challenge that our own club faces and you need some luck on such a journey.

Dave Jones got the Owls up to 18th place last season in the Championship, but struggled to improve on this until his time ran out at the start of December. But Sheffield Wednesday are a big enough club to still make a good fist of this season having already beaten Leicester and Reading.

As well as Dave Jones, many others have fallen by the wayside at Forest, Middlesbrough, Wigan, Barnsley and most recently at Watford, and I expect there will be more manager who will also be walking the plank. Chairmen are already getting nervous as the half way point approaches and there is the chance of the January transfer window to salvage the season.

But who does a team like Sheffield Wednesday get in to revive their season? It is a big club with huge fan support but I imagine the funds for big players is simply not there because the club has been in League One in recent seasons and has not enjoyed much success. They could do with a manager like Ian Holloway or Cardiff's Malky Mackay who knows the division well and has had success in recent years, but getting hold of the right man is not so easy. That is probably why the Owls have been slow to appoint anyone on a permanent basis yet.

There was talk of them making an approach for Roy Keane who is working for as assistant manager for the Republic of Ireland, but that would seem like jumping into the frying pan to me. A much better bet would be the moderate, but tactical thinking Steve Clarke who was unfortunate to lose his position at West Brom. Sometimes though I don't think chairmen really know who would be best to bring to their club and so we have poor appointments and the managerial merry go round continues.

When AFCB line up to face Sheffield Wednesday it looks like Stuart Gray will be in charge of the Owls and could probably do a good job medium term but everyone wants a big name to head up their club. Milan Mandaric was after Neil Warnock much to the disgust of Owls fans and now Mandaric is probably in a difficult position to bring the right person in for the job having lost out on one man.

Does this mean it is a good time to play Sheffield Wednesday at home? Well it could certainly be that way if the Cherries can get that early goal and get the home crowd upset. It is surprising the things that go on behind the closed doors at club that have an effect on how the players perform and if Sheffield do not yet have a new manager I would rather play them now than in a few weeks time.

Meanwhile, last night's FA Cup win for Burton Albion means that AFCB will face them at home on Saturday 4 January.