This is a fan’s personal view of AFC Bournemouth from the outside looking in. It reports on the daily official activities reported by the club and comments made by individual fans on social media and fanbase websites. Life as an AFCB fan is never dull. As a life-long supporter of the Cherries, it is the friendliness of the staff, fans and my enthusiasm for the club that inspired me to write this blog.
Going up against some of the best players in the Premier League has its dangers. On certain days those players can really excel and while there have not been too many games where you felt the Cherries were being outplayed, it was not comfortable watching up at Man City. Raheem Sterling felt inspired and he was hard to contain. Spurs will similarly be looking for their stars to perform on the day, but AFCB have to be up for stopping that. Every week we see the best players scooping the headlines on the back pages. They are good at what they do for a reason and when players put defenders on their backsides, and still manage to keep control of what they are doing to steady themselves before scoring, it is a sign that they have something more than your average player. Even the experience of Sylvain Distin could only help him so much against the trickery of Sterling and with De Bruyne, Bony and Navas keeping the back four very occupied. I think it was the multiple talent of Man City's strikeforce that was the real problem for the Cherries. It was not just a single star player that pulled them about, it was trying to keep up with all the different threats and to hold their shape which proved difficult and ultimately led to mistakes.
Distin has seen it all before and will be crucial in this period.
Luckily, not all the top teams are quite so star-studded. Spurs will bring their own type of game which is sure to be effective under Pochettino, but they also have to play Anderlecht tonight, before they visit the Vitality Stadium on Sunday. I suspect that Spurs will still assemble a very strong team for both games, and having drawn their last league match they will be looking to improve on that, which hopefully means they play a little more open than is wise against the Cherries.
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Attendance 54,502 (a record attendance at the Etihad)
The script was perhaps already written before a ball was kicked at the Etihad. Not many bookies wanted to give the Cherries better than a 9-1 shot of pulling off a victory at the Etihad and while the Cherries could have been annoyed at Mike Dean not giving an early penalty shout early on, the southerner's defence was no match for Raheem Stirling's thirst for goals. Three goals for Stirling should have been more really and Wilfred Bony's two goals underline that Man City can cope without Aguero in the Premier League, but how soft were some of Man City's goals? It all came a little too easy for the Mancunians who were two up in 11 minutes. Only a consolation goal from Glenn Murray, which by the way was the best of the lot, gave the travelling fans some heart. Still we knew this was a tough fixture and our players too it to Man City for a lot of the game and will learn from the experience.
The Etihad Stadium.
Cherry Chimes speaks to two man City fans pre-match.
Of course it felt great for AFCB fans to see their team play at such a magnificent stadium. But it was also another sad day with the passing of former Man City and Everton manager Howard Kendall earlier that morning, and it was a day when AFCB fans should remember how all of the players gave their absolute best, even if they fell short of a very strong Man City team.
Marc Pugh starts the Bournemouth warm up.
Bournemouth had to make changes for this game and that was made even clearer when Artur Boruc was injured during the warm up. So in came Adam Federici in goal and O'Kane came into midfield to make a five -man midfield, while Ritchie was moved to the left wing and Adam Smith came in on the right side.
Man City players appear.
The teams line up.
Players sand and get ready to applaud Howard Kendal.
More pictures are now on Match Day Gallery. Man City set up 4-4-2 with Stirling with Bony up front and they didn't waste any time in testing out AFCB's defensive qualities. It was the Cherries that were on the attack at first though with Yaya Toure almost caught out at the back and then Dan Gosling pushing through the middle and into the box before Otamendi lunged in and got an awful lot of the man and not much of the ball. Still it was not enough for Mike Dean to use his whistle and play went on. In a flash it was City on the attack and Bony bringing down Fernandinho's long ball with a bit of his arm as well as his chest, but no matter, he pulled the ball back across goal and Francis was on the spot to get the ball out of harms way. Fernandino clipped a similar ball forward again though and this time picked out Zabaleta on the right, who headed the ball back past Matt Ritchie and onto Bony's foot on the six yard box, before Stirling stabbed the ball home from all of two yards, in front of Steve Cook who was on his knees. Offside? well, possibly but the goal was given and City were 1-0 up on 7 minutes. It was a lead that was soon doubled only four minutes later when De Bruyne swept down the left wing and found Sagna who supplied a low cross that Federici inexplicably spilt right in front of Wilfred Bony! The City striker just had to stay on his feet and sweep the ball in for the 2-0 lead which he duly did. Federici kicked the turf in disgust, but he had made the mistake and no one needed to say anything. Man City didn't need that kind of help. The Cherries did not drop their heads though and win a couple of corners as they pushed to try and atone for the softness of the goals they had enabled City to get. It was City though that had the class finishers we'd thought, although Bony's chip at goal was easily handled by Federici. AFCB's keeper had to work much harder though when Kevin De Bruyne let fly with a rasping effort from the edge of the box that he turned round the corner of the post. While City fans expected there to be no let up on the Bournemouth goal a sustained bit of passing with Surman and then O'Kane making a way through for Glenn Murray to unleash a powerful drive that slipped under Joe Hart's left arm and into the back of the net for a 2-1 scoreline on 22 minutes. We'd scored! The game was racing away and you wondered if it could become a thriller at this stage. Sagna picked up the first yellow card for a foul on Francis. Then City hit top gear with De Bruyne playing a wide ball to Stirling on the left and the quick footed striker calmly moved inside the box and on to his right foot, which had Cook stretching and scambling until he sat on his haunches. On Stirling went, passed Distin who lay stranded on the floor too, but as Federici and Daniels closed in to try and make the block, Raheem simply tucked the ball into the goal to make it 3-1. It was a demonstration in finishing and great talent and something the Cherries just couldn't cope with. Man City were rampant now. By the half hour the possession was only 55 per cent to 45 per cent in City's favour but what they had done with that possession was opening AFCB apart. The sky blue fans didn't like it though when Eddie Howe's team did start stringing a good series of passes together, but the south coast team couldn't do it for long enough in this game.O'Kane picked up a yellow card just before half time and City kept coming forward. This time De Bruyne tried his luck from 20 yards out but Federici was equal to it in getting a hand to the shot that fizzed off his left glove and onto the bar before going out for a corner - a brilliant save! Moments later though a long kick from Joe Hart saw Navas in the clear with Surman unable to react or at least confused by Federici coming out to try and claim the ball. The timing was all wrong. Navas rounded Federici who had come out passed the 18 yard box and you'd think that Navas had a simple task to put the ball into the goal, but he made a right hash of it. Stuck with trying to get the ball in his left foot he managed to get passed Federici again and with only Surman and O'Kane to beat, yet somehow Federici managed a point blank save as he regained his footing - amazing! But the ball fell out to Stirling who made short work of chance, rifling in the shot through Federici's legs and passed the despairing Daniels on the line to complete his hat-trick and make it 4-1. City were out of sight and we'd only played 45 minutes! Great for the neutral but not so much fun for us.
Getting ready for the second half.
Joe Hart down at the Bournemouth end.
Second Half Man City made a sub at half time as Yaya Toure was replaced by Fernando. It was still City looking most likely to score. Bony fed Stirling in once more only for Raheem to be held up by Distin and he could only hit the side netting - a let off. Sagna was the unlikely player that forced Federici to make the first save of the second half though. Bony also weaved his way through a Surman challenge and put that man Stirling in again, but he screwed his shot wide of the far post. AFCB were getting slight chances though. Gosling was making a few runs and did mange to get a head to one cross but put it well wide. Murray did have a good chance on 56 minutes but shot wide. It was then up the other end and Stirling hit the side netting. Navas made a good pass to Bony for him to shoot but it was straight at Federici.Pellegrini was confident enough to take off De Bruyne and bring on Samir Nasri just after the hour. Bony again had a shot a few moments later but it was wide. The closest the Cherries came to getting the fans excited was a driven shot from Daniels from the left which just drifted over the bar although hart didn't seem the slightest bit worried by it. Shaun MacDonald replaced Eunan O'Kane, but it was more a case of keeping the score down by now. King also came on after 74 minutes with Murray going off to much applause. Kelechi Iheanacho replaced the other goal hero Stirling on 77 minutes and Pugh stepped on the pitch so that Adam Smith could depart. With 10 minutes to go it always looked like City were destined to get another goal, but Pugh offered fresh hope and Francis started to get forward and Gosling ballooned a shot over. A record attendance at the Etihad was met by this game with AFCB fans singing "You only came to see the Bournemouth!" It was then that Josh King looked set to get his first AFCB goal having turned to face goal in the box, but as the ball came down it was clipped off of his boot by Magala and the chance was gone. In fact the ball was now with Navas who went on a long run up the right and his ball into Bony saw the striker turn a fading Steve Cook and snap his shot passed Federici to make it 5-1. And just when that was deflating enough the pacey Iheanacho raced through for what looked like sixth goal, but he was given offside when it was perhaps not the right call. It had still been a beating though and now AFCB have to come back from this.
All over.
The players did not seem to want to stay so long
but Eddie made sure they came over to the away fans.
We were proud of them not disappointed.
Summary The harsh reality of the top team exposing the weaknesses in the Cherries' defence was made clear. I just hope this kind of defeat does no long term damage in the minds of the players. They fought hard and had a few unlucky decisions, but the talent of the City team could not be denied. De Bruyne and Stirling were cutting-edge and it is something that should inspire the Cherries to become like that. There will be other games that AFB will be more competitive in and it is in those games where the ruthless finishing for the Cherries needs to be demonstrated. Murray's goal at least proved that they can score against the best teams.
AFCB Ratings Federici 7, Francis 7, Cook 6, Distin 6, Daniels 6, Smith 6, Gosling 7, Surman 6, Ritchie 8, O'Kane 6, Murray 8 Referee Watch: Mike Dean 4/10 will we ever be impressed by a game refereed by Mike Dean?
Man City Hart, Zabaleta, Otamendi, Mangala, Sagna, Y Touré (Fernando 45), Fernandinho, Jesús Navas, Sterling (Iheanacho 78), De Bruyne (Nasri 62), Bony
AFCB always like to try and achieve the impossible and the weekend's game will be seen by a good many football followers as almost a free game for the Cherries away to one of the real elite of English football. But AFCB have to play the 11 on the pitch as their equals and not as the star studied names we know they have. Man City will be confident of getting the win - let them be confident. Any kind of result for the Cherries though at the Etihad could define their season. There are some factors that may give the Bournemouth lads more reason for optimism than normal when taking on one of the big names. The blue side of Manchester just is simply not as good when they have an injured Vincent Kompany (okay, he could make a return in this game), David Silva and Sergio Aguero. In their last two home league matches they have conceded. Surely, Pellegrini has to tinker with his team which could just upset the balance a bit - yeah, I know, I'm starting to grasp at straws. All Man City's players are world class as we are likely to see the likes of Wilfred Bony, Fernandinho and Samir Nasri looking to get their share of the headlines. Still, can you imagine what a draw or a win at the Premier League leader's ground would do for the confidence of this Bournemouth side? And why can't they do something special?
Can Matt Ritchie producer another stunning goal at the Etihad this time?
It only takes a second of something extraordinary like we have already season from Matt Ritchie this season to get a goal and to transform a game. The pitch still has a goal at either end and the Cherries should be looking forward to enjoying the atmosphere and the test. All they'll need is a Jeff Mostyn speech in the dressing room and to be shown the way onto the pitch. I see no point in dwelling on the fact that the last side that went to the Etihad got battered 6-1 having scored first. AFCB are not Newcastle and having given Liverpool and West Ham difficult games away, Eddie Howe needs to find a way of getting back to that and standing up to the big teams. Play with confidence and there just might be a surprise result. It would also give teams above the Cherries a bit more of an uneasy feeling while it would demoralise those sitting below AFCB in the table. So far from seeing this as a free game, I see it as a chance to do some real damage to the confidence of other teams. If AFCB can make Man City wobble, they can do it to any team in the division. What are your score predictions? Send them in to @peterbell19 if you want them up on the blog. For once, I would not be disappointed with a 0-0 draw. Man City Home Form WWLW AFCB Away Form LWLL Reading around reports today it looks like Eddie Howe has signed up until at least the summer of 2020 which is terrific news and longer than I think most fans could dream of him committing himself to the club. You can now see my answers that I gave to questions from Typical City Blog. Former Cherry Darryl Flahavan has also signed a deal with Crawley Town until January.
Blogger Interview: Typical City Twitter: @TypicalCity
I was wondering if I would have to contact a sultan to get some information out of a Man City fan blog, but it appears that the wealth might not yet have trickled down to many of the Sky Blue fans who have followed their team through the good times and the bad. Who better to ask then for a verdict on how Man City are playing than to get in touch with Typical City. Alex Timperley was happy enough to explain that the Etihad is a place where football is a bit special these days.
CC:Tell us about how the Typical City blog got going? TCB:Typical City was started at the beginning of the 2012/13 season by Rob Pollard and Rob Toole. There weren't really any good City blogs around at the time which seemed a bit strange for the newly minted Premier league champions and so Typical City was started to fill that hole. Even today the number of City blogs - especially ones which are actually good - is a lot lower than that of the other top teams. Since then the blog has expanded a lot and continues to grow. CC: Pellegrini knows what it takes to win the Premier League, but even if he wins it with Man City this season will it be enough to save his job without success in Europe? TCB:This is one of those questions where no one could honestly give you a definite answer. My gut says that unless he wins the Champion's League it will probably be the end of the road for him despite the contract extension this summer. It all depends on what Pep Guardiola does next summer. The people in charge at City have made no secret that he is their number one target and if Guardiola indicates he is available they will move heaven and earth to get him to City. If Pellegrini does leave then he will do so with the good wishes of most of the fans. He has taken City to another level and kept his head (and won trophies) whilst a lot has changed around him. I will miss him when he goes. He's not been perfect, but he has done a fine job at what is surely one of the strangest places to be a manager in the modern game. CC: When Man City lost to West Ham at home Pellegrini said the team was not aggressive enough and they also had a slow start against Newcastle, so do City need a spark to get going in games? TCB:I'm wary of taking those two games and creating a larger narrative out of them but it is true that City have started slowly in a few games this season which is obviously not a good thing. There isn't specific cause for this but I would point to our current injury situation which has definitely had an effect on the team. We have only been able to field our first choice front four twice and the injuries to Kompany and Mangala have ensured that once again we have not been able to field a consistent central defensive pair. On the other hand, those are the ropes in the Premier League and City need to be able to adapt to adverse conditions. Mostly we're fine but there have been one or two very frustrating lapses. CC: Was the Spurs game a wake up call that came at a good time, if there can be a good time to have a defeat? TCB:There isn't a good time to have a defeat really, is there! Spurs outplayed us in the second half and deservedly came away with the three points but who knows what would have happened if the linesmen hadn't missed the two offside Spurs goals? I'm hesitant to go into counter factual history but the timing of the two goals was important. We have since won away at Gladbach and hammered Newcastle at home so the Spurs result is behind us now. CC: Nasri has been out of the team for a while, but is his creativity something that the team really needs now with the latest batch of injuries? TCB:Samir Nasri is a very important player in our side. He gets something of a bad rap from the press and football fans in general but in reality he works hard, never hides and is City's best player when it comes to keeping hold of the ball. He doesn't quite dictate things like David Silva does, but then neither does anyone else in football. The idea that Nasri was set to warm the bench all season has arisen from somewhere but that was never going to be the case. I'd expect him to start this weekend and to give a good account of himself. CC: We have seen players go to Man City and almost disappear so how important will it be for Wilfred Bony to get games now and to make a good impression? TCB:Some players have "disappeared" as you put it but there has always been a reason for it. City isn't the graveyard for players it is made out to be. The only player who really was a mistake was Scott Sinclair. Both Sinclair and City made a mistake there. Apart from that there has always been a good reason why a player hasn't played very much beyond these tired old cliches about City not caring about English players/youth players etc etc. Not much is ever made of the players who have come to City and succeeded such as James Milner. If a player is consistently good enough they will always play. And on that note, Wilfried Bony now has a chance to prove that he is good enough to be a Manchester City striker. Sergio Aguero picked up an injury playing for Argentina in the week and Bony will be getting a lot of playing time over the next few months. His start at City was curtailed by the African Cup of Nations and a few injuries but it's fair to say that he hasn't taken the chances he has had - quite often literally. He needs to to start scoring regularly over the next few weeks as otherwise it is easy to see him playing second fiddle his entire City career. He is not a young developing player like Kelechi Iheanacho. His time is right now and he needs to take it, starting with the game against Bournemouth this weekend. CC: With Aguero, Silva and Kompany injured how do you see Man City lining up for the match against AFC Bournemouth? TCB:
Hart
Sagna - Otamendi - Mangala - Clichy
Fernando - Fernandinho - Nasri
De Bruyne - Bony - Sterling
(The midfield might be slightly different depending on Toure's fitness). CC: Who have you been more impressed by Sterling or De Bruyne and why? TCB:Can I be impressed with both of them? De Bruyne has made the flashier start to his City career. The Belgian already looks the real deal and you should take any bets above evens you can find for him scoring this weekend. He is in red hot form and looks deadly every time he gets the ball. His passing can go a little awry but that will improve as he gets onto the same wavelength as his new colleagues over time. His shooting is direct and powerful and his creative brain looks to be second to none. We have a real player here. Raheem Sterling has also made a pretty good start at City. Despite the deeply unpleasant lust in the press to see him fail, Sterling has shown that he will be a part of this team for a long time to come. Not everything has worked out for him yet but he's 20-years-old and has suddenly been catapulted up a few levels and is finding his way. Opposition teams are rightly terrified of his pace and incision, but his most important attribute is that he drags defenders way out of position, freeing up our other forwards. It cannot be understated how much that ruins defensive game plans. There is a lot more to come from Sterling and I cannot wait to see it. CC: Do you see games like Bournemouth as a potential banana skin or just a regular Premier league fixture? TCB:I see every game as a potential banana skin - whether that says more about me or City is open to debate... Seriously though, I think we should win comfortably. Bournemouth are probably the only team with a worse selection of injuries to key players than City and I think that will be the difference. I expect to see the Bournemouth players to give a good account of themselves, but I feel our strength in depth will tell over 90 minutes. We can absorb important injuries much more than you can. I do not think you will embarrass yourselves like Newcastle did and I look forward to having Bournemouth visit. CC: What do you think AFCB fans will enjoy most about visiting the Etihad stadium? TCB:Well if you're like all the other Premier League teams you'll enjoy singing "Where were you when you were s_ _t?" in some abortive attempt at the dreaded Football Banter. Other than the inevitable musical banter I hope you will like the stadium. Your fans will be in the newly expanded South Stand and it really is lovely. There's also entertainment beforehand in City Square which is normally extremely weird so have a look at that. Also, the football. I hope you enjoy the football and Kevin De Bruyne.
CC: It is great to get such a clear indication of a City fans feelings about their team and while I might have avoided antagonising Alex with a question about the other half of the city it seems that the Sky Blues will be the team to beat this season. For AFCB fans though that makes this game even more exciting as there is no doubt that the Cherries are the underdogs here and it will be fabulous to watch so many great players in front of us. We will be doing everything we can though to put the de Bruyne's of this world off their game though and just perhaps we can give Mr Pellegrini a bad day for once. Make sure you have a good look at A Typical City Blog to read more about the amazing talent at the Etihad and to see what Man City fans have been thinking in the build up to this game. I have also written some return answers for them so you can find out what I was asked about AFCB before the match.
