Striker hunt for AFCB - a priority?

With rumours about Callum Wilson and Josh King potentially leaving the club for the likes of Spurs and PSG respectively, it currently rests on Dominic Solanke and Sam Surridge to form a partnership and get some goals if Bournemouth's main strike pairing do leave.

Have we seen Callum Wilson and Josh King in an AFCB shirt for the last time?

Bournemouth have not been linked with many strikers. The news that Aston Villa were interested in Callum Wilson did mention a possible swap with Scott Hogan. I am not sure if the Cherries have a big potential list of strikers, but I would hope that they do have some on a list that they are looking to go after. My worry is that they will leave it late in the day to try and bring in signings and by that time AFCB's squad could have been reduced by three or four more players.

Advertisement

Coastal Garden Buildings

While we haven't seen much of the Sam Surridge/Dominic Solanke potential strike force, I think it could work reasonably well in the Championship. We know that Sam can score goals at the level and the probability of Solanke being the senior partner in the partnership might just give him the focus and drive he needs to continue his recent good form.

Advertisement

Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -£7.99!

Ideally, AFCB will need four or five strikers in the Championship with the amount of games they'll have. They picked a real class act with Yan Kermorgant last time they were there and that kind of powerful striker would be a good addition. Bournemouth may have to be a bit more adaptive to seeing some more headed goals than we have been used to in the Premier League, and I think the squad could do with a few more robust players anyway.

Hopefully, Surridge and Solanke get a chance to show their abilities but the search for one or to more strikers surely has to be a priority for Tindall.

Advertisement

Eddie Had a Dream -now just 9.99!

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Was Tindall the best choice for the Bournemouth job?

In other news, for Cherry Mark Molseley becomes the manager of Southend Utd

Is Albion striker a good fit for AFCB?

 I admit, I am not a big fan of Jay Rodriguez. Perhaps it's something to do with the fact he used to play for Southampton. No, I don't think it's that. Perhaps it's just his style of play which is rugged and slightly less stylish than the forwards at AFCB currently. I am willing to be converted though, if AFCB do sign the WBA striker, especially if he finds it easy to hit the back of the net.

Rodriguez stands alone and may be from WBA team-mates
and could be set to leave them in the Championship.

Eddie Howe needs to excite fans and that is what gives me a question mark over Rodriguez. Yes, he is experienced at Premier League level, but he is no Harry Kane, not that AFCB could afford such a player. That is the crux. How many strikers out there come into AFCB's price category who have as much experience and are available?

If AFCB don't go for a player like Rodriguez they will need to settle for less experienced Championship strikers, or go seeking more foreign strikers who have no experience of the Premier League. So I can see why Rodriguez would be looked at. He adds power in the air and a sense of the unpredictable in his play. Whether he would suit AFCB's model though is hard to judge. He will certainly have to offer something unusual to get ahead of some of the strikers already at the club. Bournemouth may be viewed as a bit of a soft team and adding a player like Rodriguez could start to harden them up, but is that the kind of way AFCB want to be viewed. If AFCB had a few more battlers, with a harder edge, and not necessarily a striker with a high passing game, would it bring better success?

Advertisement

Coastal Garden Buildings

Still, AFCB haven't got a well-linked strike partnership at the moment and Rodriguez could be a missing factor just like Yann Kermorgant was for Callum Wilson. Rodriguez like Yann is not overly quick but he can be a good link player and will be good to play off perhaps better than the runners that Eddie seems to have as strikers currently. Whether a successful chase of Rodriguez would mean an exit for Josh King though is a switch that would disappoint a few. But, if it was a replacement for Benik Afobe it would more easily be seen as an upgrade. 

Rodriguez scored 11 goals last season in a relegated side, but only cost £12.5m from Southampton. A price of £20m sounds steep but perhaps £15m would be more appropriate. 

Out Today
Cherry Chimes' June Newsletter brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month. It's out on Friday with special story - Are we becoming complacent about Premier League existence?

To sign up for the newsletter just complete the form below - like all good things it's free!

Email Address 

First Name

Last Name

Email Format

• html
• text

Will Reading play the Dutch way against the Cherries?

Japp Stam was appointed Reading manager in June and the Dutchman knows all about how to impose an Ajax style on the field but will his players at the Madejski be capable of it? The ex-Man Utd player has pedigree and experience as player but he will be a novice in the Championship so when his team take on the Cherries in pre-season we could see a very experimental side lined up against Eddie Howe's men.

The Dutch revolution has not been slow to start at Reading. Over the summer they have signed Roy Bereens who had been playing in Germany with Herthan Berlin and cost the Royals £0.83m. But it won't all be Dutch, Finnish keeper Anssi Jakkola is the new shot stopper and midfielder John Swift has signed from Chelsea - an England U21 international. Joseph Mendes has also been raided from the French side Le Harve and he should know AFCB's Lys Mousset pretty well having played together as a strike force.

AFCB had a nervy last five minutes when
they last played at the Madejski - remember it well, do you?

Mixing these players and adapting their style while taking on the never ending Championship season is going to be a very hard job for Japp Stam. He has the knowledge though of what is needed to be a champion and if he can get this Reading side to be as mean as he was in giving teams chances to score then Reading could be the surprise package this season in the Championship. They probably won't have much chance to play total football but if they start winning they won't care as this has to be the most difficult season to be in the Championship looking at the teams now in this division.

AFCB have been linked heavily with Oliver Norwood but no bid has yet been made according to the press. He is a good age at 25 to be considering the move up to the Premier League but I imagine Japp Stam has been keen to put an arm around him to stay for at least another year at Reading.

I'll certainly enjoy singing a few rounds of
Yann Kermorgant, Yann Kermorgant, YANN KERMORGANT!

The player the AFCB fans will most want to see though is Yann Kermorgant and it will be terrific if he gets to run out at some time against the current Bournemouth side - he'll get a tremendous reception. The latest news though is that he is fighting a back injury and may miss the game. I see in the Bournemouth Echo today that there is a great interview with Yann - well worth a read. His disappointment in not playing well against Aston Vila was shared by the fans but at least we know why he found it so hard in that first Premier League game. Yann is still an all time favourite of many AFCB and Charlton fans - not a bad thing to have on your CV and I expect he is becoming a hero at Reading too.

A Royal farewell to Yann Kermorgant

There was a very emotional moment at the end of the last home game when Yann Kermorgant came on to the pitch in added on time. The singing of his name always reminds me of great moments in AFCB's recent history and the Frenchman is a firm favourite with many at the club, not just for his footballing ability but for the way he carries himself and what it means to him to play for AFCB.

Yann Kermorgant was reported to be undergoing a medical this morning at Reading FC according to SkySports and TalkSport. Reading are set t splay £500,000 on the former Charlton striker who has been prolific at AFCB scoring 24 goals in 57 appearances.

From the moment he arrived at the club, fans knew that there was something special about this striker. He was a hero at Charlton Athletic and he had already scored a thunderbolt of an overhead kick against AFCB at Dean Court only a few months earlier, but now he was one of us and what a way to start your Bournemouth career with a hat-trick against Doncaster Rovers in March 2014.

Yann Kermorgant.

Yann was not just about goals. It was the flicks and touches around the box that made him such a good partner for Lewis Grabban and the two of them really established the club in the Championship and built on the goals that Pitman had provided to get AFCB up to that level. I'll remember his scissor-kick against Ipswich when Simon Francis crossed to him in a picture-like moment of excellence and his brilliant fee kick that took the game away against Brighton at the Amex as AFCB raced towards being Champions in 2014-15.

The tributes will not be enough to show the heartfelt thanks that every AFCB fan feels they owe Yann for his great contribution to the side. His story is one that will be forever entwined with the rise of AFC Bournemouth and Eddie Howe's second spell at the club. It is down to players like Yann Kermorgant that we are getting to see Premier League football every week - we'll never forget you Yann! Yann Kermorgant! Yann Kermorgant!

Bouncing back is what the Cherries have to do

It is simple to say now bounce back from the last game. Doing it though will need character and better application and sometimes it is hard to turn a switch on when you don't know which way to turn it. The Cherries have played some sparkling football at times in the past few months and there has not been a lot wrong with how they have been playing. It is all about points though and while other teams keep finding ways to pick points up it is vital that AFCB make the most of games when the odds are in their favour.

AFCB have a great chance to put a bit of distance
between them and the bottom three today.

Home matches are of course what I am talking about. Getting a result against Norwich was always going to be a big game whatever the result against West Ham, but the mind certainly focusses when your team is no further away from the bottom three having used up another home game. I think the players will be told to try and remember what they have done well against teams like Man Utd and Crystal Palace in being hard to beat. They need that kind of attitude against Norwich as much as trying to score, because they are very good at getting their noses in front and having something to defend.

AFCB will always attack and aim to entertain, but they have to play to a very high standard in their passing and movement to make that work. When that work rate slips a fraction we have seen AFCB suddenly have to turn and defend, and the organisation of getting men back in the right places to defend well is quite a science in its own right. In some games AFCB have done it well and in others they have looked too open. The second goal that West Ham scored against the Cherries was a case in point as it was just a throw in the corner, but the cover was not there for Boruc when the ball came across the six yard box. 

Now it is a new game, new hope and a chance to get back on track. The boys need a win so let's get behind them from the start. UTCIAD!

It is also important to support the Bournemouth Food Bank if you can - please bring tinned food items to the ground to help those in need.

Transfer Watch
I am a little worried it might be the last game when we get to sing Yann Kermorgant who is attracting a lot of attention from Reading FC.  

Tomlin's off the mark

Lee Tomlin has probably not had as good a start to his AFCB career as he would have liked. He simply has not played many games and has been suffering with little niggles early season. It is an important time for Lee with Benik Afobe joining the club and other players coming back to fitness. He needs to get regular games and the pressure for Lee to get more involved is something he should relish now.

Lee Tomlin got hi AFCB scoring record going with a powerful
 spot kick against Birmingham City in the F Cup.

During the game against Birmingham I thought Lee made a few trademark dribbling runs and started to look a bit more like the player who had such a strong influence on the Middlesbrough side last season. He has tough competition for a place now and Eddie Howe has been building a team that is fit for the second half of the season when goals are going to be needed if the club is to avoid the bottom three. Lee is a player that unlocks doors for other but he also needs to get on the score sheet and having not started since the Stoke away game in September he will have been delighted to have slotted away his penalty against Birmingham.

Yann Kermorgant who also played against Birmingham would perhaps have been the more expected penalty taker but Lee showed how much he wanted to get off the mark by getting the ball and blasting his kick down the middle. His reaction was very much as if he was putting some demons away as he punched the air in celebration. It felt to me like Lee was saying he is here now and ready to play and contribute. 

I think Eddie Howe has a difficult job to keep players like Yann Kermorgant, Lee Tomlin and Tokelo Rantie getting minutes in games, but there should be some opportunities for them to impress from the bench and who knows whether that could lead to some starts. 

However, it seems that far from being satisfied with just adding Benik Afobe in the front line, Eddie Howe is now going back after Lewis Grabban, according to SkySports.

Expect some changes for AFCB in the cup

While it would be great if AFCB could play its first team in the match at St Andrews, the sad truth is that at this stage of the competition most managers will not put out their strongest sides. The FA Cup is a tournament that the club would love to do well in and the rewards of making it to the final rounds are clearly fabulous both for the players and the fans, but the competition is going to see Premier League managers protect their best players with the demands of the top league taking priority.

There is a chance for some game time for
many players that have been on the sidelines.

For AFCB that could still mean that one or two of his fist 11 are played to keep some continuity but I don't expect the starting 11 who turned out against Leicester to be highly represented at Birmingham. Adam Federici is a certain starter you'd think unless he is injured in midweek training and in front of him it is possible that Tommy Elphick could come back in to captain the side, especially with Simon Francis carrying out his one match suspension. My preference would be to see Baily Cargill get some minutes as well, but Sylvain Distin is perhaps more likely to partner Elphick at the back.

In midfield we could also see several changes with Lee Tomlin and perhaps Shaun MacDonald given rare starts. Eddie is likely to want to play a few of those who have been on the edge of the team, but if there is interest coming in for the likes of Yann Kermorgant that could also affect team selection. Yann also played well in midweek. Tokelo Rantie would of course return to the scene of one of his best performances for the Cherries and that could encourage the manager to play him.

Whether Juan Iturbe gets his work permit in time for this game is not known but I would not expect him to start, even if he does get clearance. Eddie would want to bring him in gradually and a heated cup tie might not be the best debut for him unless he could come on in the second half when some of the heat has already been taken out of the game.

It would be good to see some of the Development players that almost got to feature in the League Cup as well. Perhaps Jordan Lee or Matt Butcher could be included among the subs along with Jordan Green who travelled with the team to Chelsea a few weeks ago.

Competition
If you fancy predicting the score send your predictions in via twitter to @PeterBell19 and we'll have another go to give away the AFCB 2016 diary to someone who gets the score right. Send them in before 6pm on Friday for a chance to win. You must also follow me on Twitter. Best of luck!

What a year 2015 has been for the Cherries

Merry Christmas to you all! It has been a truly amazing year to be a supporter of AFC Bournemouth. The year 2015 brought unmatched success and the club's first promotion to the Premier League. It has be a period that will always be remembered by the fans as a time when new records were made and anything really did seem possible under Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall's leadership. Just in case you slept through it all in the Main stand (just kidding), here is a fast track review of 2015.

The calendar year began with a thumping 1-5 away win in the FA Cup at Rotherham when most of the players who had not been getting regular playing time got the chance to stretch their legs and push for a first team place. The team actually went a goal down but fought back strongly with goals from MacDonald, Stanislas, Fraser and Yann Kermorgant who got a  brace. Humbling defeats to Norwich and Leeds Utd, a big day out at Aston Villa in the FA Cup and a home win against Watford saw out January with the Cherries three points clear at the top of the Championship.

Eddie Howe lifts the Championship trophy at Charlton Athletic's ground.

A crunch top of the table match against Derby in February resulted in a 2-2 draw and the Cherries hit a bad spell losing to Brentford and Forest to leave them fourth at the end of February. But then the kick start to the run-in began with a home win against Wolves in March and a 1-5 trouncing of Fulham at The Cottage. Blackpool and Middlesbrough were played off the park, even if Cardiff provided tougher opposition.

Kenwyne Jones came into the side on loan and grabbed a vital goal to give the Cherries a draw at play-off rivals Ipswich. Birmingham then ran away with a 0-2 lead at Dean Court only to be hauled back and find themselves on the end of a 4-2 defeat! Things got very exciting when Brighton and Reading were beaten away as well, but with everything going the Cherries way it was Adam Smith who felt distraught when he gave away a penalty in added time against Sheffield Wednesday when that game ended in a 2-2 draw. There were just two matches to go and AFCB were in second place on goal difference having amassed 84 points from 44 games, the same as Middlesbrough with Watford leading the way, just a point ahead. Going into the home game against Bolton a win would do having seen Middlesbrough and Norwich slip up only 48 hours earlier. A resounding 3-0 win promoted the Cherries unless they were going to lose a 19 goal difference at Charlton in the last game. Instead it was another 0-3 win for AFCB and they were crowned Champions as Sheffield Wednesday scored a late equaliser at Watford to give AFCB the title.

The lads celebrate the title at the Valley.

The Premier League season began after AFCB's squad had taken their summer training camp to the USA where they played Philadelphia Union of the MLS. A home defeat in the first league game of 2014-15 to Aston Villa did not discourage the team and the soon get a win away at West Ham in a 3-4 thriller. We were off and running in the League Cup with a 0-4 win up at Hartlepool and a draw against Leicester City ended August with AFCB 11th in the Premier League. Max Gradel and Tyrone Mings were on the end of long term injuries having come off worse in challenges against Leicester City - the Premier League was being unforgiving.

September saw one win at home to Sunderland and defeats away at Norwich and Stoke where Callum Wilson was the next to be stretchered off with another cruciate ligament injury. Tommy Elphick also found himself needing surgery with an ankle injury after the Norwich defeat. AFCB progressed in the Capital One Cup against Preston on penalties but October was a difficult month with just one point gained against Watford, despite having a penalty to win the game. There were big 5-1 defeats away to Man City and at home to Spurs, while Liverpool ended the Capital One Cup dreams yet again. AFCB had fallen to 17th and were hovering above the relegation zone on eight points.

November brought some sole searching on how the team should play but Harry Arter was back in the action and despite defeats to Southampton and Newcastle there were signs that the Cherries were improving despite now being in the bottom three. Sure enough a 2-2 draw at Swansea and a thrilling 3-3 comeback against Everton, at home, left AFCB on 10 points and in 18th place at the end of November.

In the last month we have seen the Cherries re-find their winning form and against some of the biggest teams in the world. A historic 0-1 win away at Chelsea and a 2-1 home win against Man Utd have been followed up with a 1-2 win away at WBA. That was nine points from nine and the Cherries had virtually doubled their points total in the space of two weeks. The team now is in 14th place and on 19 points with just two more League games to go this year against Crystal Palace and Arsenal. It has been an unbelievable year that has seen Eddie Howe win 20 games, draw 10 and lose just 14 including cup games. Roll on 2016!

Urgent: AFCB need two strikers in January

If the January window is to be salvation for the Cherries then they'll have to be successful in that market with at least two strikers coming into the squad. We have seen Eddie look to find goals with Glenn Murray and with Josh King, Junior Stanislas, Lee Tomlin, Tokelo Rantie and Yann Kermorgant, but January offers an opportunity to restructure and it will surely be the most important part of AFCB's season in terms of deciding their fate.

The difficulty is in finding the right type of strikers and ones that come at the right price. Whether that means buying abroad or from a Premier League team, I think a pedigree striker or even two is really the additions that will be required to start getting the Cherries more results. It is not that the team's play does not control games or create chances. There are weaknesses in areas at the back, but if they have a goalscorer that can snap up chances they would be much higher up the table.

AFCB's forwards don't have long to impress.

Without more firepower it is hard to see how AFCB are going to buck the trend in the results that we are currently seeing. There is a financial structure to the Premier League and keeping ahead of that was always going to be very difficult but the team deserves an addition or two who can put away chances. The level of passing throughout the team is better than many in the league and yet some of the other teams have that striker that is able to put away the odd chance that keep them out of the bottom three.

With the news that Peak6 has joined the investors at the club it is now possible that Eddie Howe will have more spending power in January, but who does he go for? Charlie Austin is keen to stay at QPR, Dwight Gayle has Norwich City watching him, Lewis Grabban is finding it hard to get games at Norwich, Jordan Rhodes is wanted by Middlesbrough. Eddie has to find a striker that can take to the Premier League straight away and someone who is prolific - he may not go British this time.

Whoever Eddie gets in will be a gamble, but it is hard to see how the team won't be hoping for a very productive January window to boost it's chances of beating the drop.

Why are subs struggling to make an impact?

The Cherries toiled away against Newcastle last week creating plenty of chances to score. While they did not take them in the first 70 minutes, it was expected that the substitutions with 20 minutes to go would make a difference. Eddie Howe seemed bemused why the changes though had not sharpened the scoring edge of the team. Fresh legs alone should have had some kind of effect, but Newcastle looked more comfortable in the last 20 minutes than at any other part of the game.

AFCB subs are struggling to make an impact. Without as much pace in
the team, and on the bench, it has been difficult to transform the team.

That is not great news for the players that came on. However, Lee Tomlin, Yann Kermorgant and Tokelo Rantie may not individually been at fault. If the team stops functioning as a whole in pressing forward and making opportunities, then it is hard for those coming on to lift everyone else. Firstly, the new players need to be able to get on the ball. They also have to be comfortable in fitting into the system that is being played and with Yann Kermorgant initially playing on his own up front, the team did not manage to find him enough. When Rantie entered the game and went up front on his own, he found himself drifting out to the wings a bit and had a difficult take trying to hold the ball up.

It should be remembered that McClaren also made changes in the second half. Cisse came on for Mitrovic as early as the 63rd minute and Thauvin replaced Perez on 77 minutes. This seemed to make Newcastle more sturdy and Cisse had quite a few runs at the Cherries eve if he did run offside more often than not.

I did wonder if anything why Howe did not make his subs earlier. The team was creating chances at the start of the second half, but on 60 minutes the game was crying out for a change and it is the usual time when a change is made by AFCB. Giving Rantie just 11 minutes though is not giving him much opportunity to make an impact, and if he had been given longer and a few chances to run at the Newcastle back line, he might have had the chance to get that vital goal. Still I am sure Eddie Howe will look at matters in that second half and try and fathom out why the game died away so easily, and how the subs might make more of a difference next time. UTCIAD!

The Cherries are short on pace

It is unusual for Eddie Howe to make two subs at half time. In the Southampton match he had little choice though. Without pace in the side AFCB looked static and were easy to pick off, never really getting their passing or quick attacks going early on at St Mary's. 

In home games it has been King and Murray that have been the main option that has provided the platform for Bournemouth's attacks. Away from home though, with one up front, the team can't create space quickly enough with their movement in midfield to find Murray and then give him options to keep moves going. But Howe will want Murray on the pitch as he is one of the players that is going to get goals. The difficulty is finding a way to play away from home with Murray in the team and yet not leaving themselves weak in midfield.

Glenn Murray was withdrawn at half time as he was not getting
 balls given to his feet and he was not able to chase after long balls over the top.

The return of Harry Arter may well add more stability to central midfield, but while Harry is no slouch he is not the quickest. He'll need to be able to pick passes for players like Stanislas and Ritchie, while driving forward himself. But the player that does have the pace to turn past defenders is still not getting a look in yet. It is Tokelo Rantie. I wonder how long it will be before we see him on the bench a bit more often? 

At the moment, Eddie is sticking with Stanislas and King for pace. They have now become more important in the overall strategy, at least up until January when Howe can dip back into the transfer market. Tomlin and Kermorgant are other considerations, but it's the players with pace that give the team more of an out ball and that is something they struggled with away at Southampton until the second half.

Is pace all important for the Cherries?

Are the Cherries off the pace? Well it is true that the side is not equipped with as much pace up front as they had at the start of the season but it does not necessarily mean that playing with a different attitude means that the team will slip down the table. Eddie Howe can look at games in a more individual way than he might have before as it will be even more important that he gets the very best out of the players that are available now, and I don't think that will mean a settled side for some time to come.

If Eddie Howe wants to continue with a forward line that has pace then he'll have to look to get King, Atsu, Stanislas and Rantie into more games. And yet there is good reason for trying to play more tactically against some teams and we have seen only this last week with the Republic of Ireland's win against Germany that keeping a team's defensive shape can bring big rewards when the opposition get frustrate and tired, and there is potential to bring on quick forwards in the second half to get a win.

Eddie has been very keen to play possession football though and to do that he needs ball winners and players who can add movement and passing to the team in a more controlled fashion. Can AFCB play with more patience and use the talents of Tomlin and Kermorgant on a more regular basis? I suspect that there has been some long discussions about how the team can freshen up and still have the ability to sting teams quickly when they do press high and win possession. We could see AFCB look to be more compact and harder to play through if Eddie does not rely on pace, but there is a danger that the team will fall back in its own half under such situations and against the likes of Man City it is something that Eddie is probably keen to avoid. 

Yann may still have to wait if Eddie goes with pace again.

I think greater movement and power in midfield is the answer and Harry Arter's inclusion in the match day squad is what I am most keen to see. Without pace the team will need quick thinking players and more strength in the centre. It is really going to be intriguing to see what Eddie does against the more favoured teams in the next few weeks and how he will try and take points off of them if he can't rely on pace.

Enjoy the game if you are heading up to Manchester - you might see me there. UTCIAD! Thanks for all those that sent in their score predictions.

AFCB's tweaked game plan was successful

It was clear that there would be a new shape to the Cherries game against Watford. Without Callum Wilson there had to be a change in the way the team played at the top of the field and Glenn Murray and Josh King would form a new partnership that had to click right away. Pleasingly the team did not look that much poorer for the loss of one of its key players and with a solid 12 attempts at goal and six on target, the Cherries whipped up a powerful game plan against Watford that very nearly gave them all three points.

Glenn just wants to score goals. That's good enough for me.

Very early on it was clear that the Cherries would be looking to find Murray in the air and on the ground with balls focused in at him from wide areas. Murray may not be the quickest to turn and pass but he comes alive in the box, and it is clearly a strength that Eddie Howe was looking to activate as much as possible with other players also looking to get shots in after Murray had got the ball down and under control.

The big positive that I saw in the Watford game is that the Cherries do have a plan B and a lot of that was down to the running power of Josh King who really applied himself in this game, using his speed and reading of the game to constantly put Watford on the back foot during the first 45 minutes. Far from being a peripheral influence he went direct at the Hornet's defence and that created space and openings for other players. At times Josh still perhaps does not always pick the best final passing decision, but it was pleasing to see him get into shooting positions and start to look like he was enjoying the job of taking attacks to the opposition.

Now the Cherries can build on their performance in the international break with more work for Murray and King in particular. If Lee Tomlin can also find more sharpness to his game then I believe AFCB will be in a good position to keep their goal threat high, especially with Yann Kermorgant and perhaps Tokelo Rantie, if he recovers fitness, also likely to get minutes in the League Cup games as they try and force an appearance in the team.  

Murray will score different types of goals

The debut AFCB goal for Glenn Murray was not the kind of goal that we have seen often at the Vitality Stadium. While wide wing play has been a facet of Eddie Howe's footballing side there has very rarely been a big man on the far post to head home a deep cross. Now the Cherries have that man and yet Glenn Murray may have much more to his game than that.

Shooting from outside the area is something that Murray is happy to take on as well. He tried a long range effort against Watford in the second half but did not really connect with it. Still it shows that he is thinking about scoring all the time and while he has a style that looks slightly awkward at times there is no doubt that he is enjoying his football and is determined to do well at AFCB. I was impressed that he was one of the players who joined in the clapping on 55 minutes and his bond with the fans will surely grow quickly if he starts putting his chances away.

Glenn Murray has opened his account. Now how many goals can he get?

To get off the mark so early is certainly a big help. He'll be cursing his luck that he did not put his penalty away though. If he had got the winner against Watford and secured the three points then people would already be saying what a great signing Glenn was. There is no question that he will score goals but I am intrigued to see the kind of goals he will get. He is certainly at home in the box and his link play in and around the 18 yard area is  going to be crucial for the Cherries as he can hold off defenders and release the ball to other players who are in space to shoot.

The penalty taking is now in his court and while he did not score against Watford I doubt anyone will get the ball off of Glenn next time either. With Yann Kermorgant's high conversion rate we are not used to seeing many penalties not being scored, so Murray will have to start putting them away or he will be told to step aside. AFCB might not get as many penalties as last season but we certainly need the majority of them going in.   

The Cherries must move on quickly

While there will be massive effort into getting Callum Wilson the treatment he needs to come back as good as soon as possible, the Cherries have to move on as the Premier League does not stop. Pressing ahead will not be easy of course, but AFCB have to find a new sharpness to the front of their attack. It will be a big headache for Eddie Howe.   

The good news is that it makes the Cherries more unpredictable for their next few games. Watford can look all they like at recent videos of AFCB and they will see them always looking to get Callum Wilson in on goal. It will be different in this next fixture and while AFCB will stay play their football from the back there maybe a new dynamic to the game plan.

Squad depth is now being tested.

I expect Josh King will be used to do the running that we saw Callum Wilson doing so often for the team and that means that Lee Tomlin would be favourite to be a sub option this weekend. We have not seen the best of Josh yet and it is now likely to be his most intensive week in terms of game preparation for Saturday. It must be on his mind that he has not yet scored and that he will need to be ready to up his performance level. Eddie Howe will want to find that speed and aggression that we saw last year when he played for Blackburn in the FA Cup. If selected he is likely to have Glenn Murray as his strike partner and that will be quite a change as King will be able to get beyond Murray more often than he would have got in front of Wilson.

The players will be focused on getting three points at the weekend.

Belief is what Howe will want his strikers to take into the game though. Whether it's King, Murray, Kermorgant or Rantie they have to know that the can break the net in the Premier League for AFCB. It's their job to get goals and for them there is no time to worry about Wilson not being in front of them. They need to produce now.

If AFCB win today they would go above Watford in the table - that has to be a big incentive for the players.

Charlie Daniels is confident the squad can fight back without Callum.

Make sure you give your support to The Football Supporters Federation's £20 is plenty campaign for away games that will be highlighted today at the ground. At least Swansea City away game tickets have 2000 tickets subsidised in price.

It is also a chance today for us all to think about the great work and memory of Mick Cunningham - a true AFCB hero. Remember to applaud on 55 minutes.

UTCIAD!  Enjoy the match.

Can Rantie now play a part?

Okay, we have probably been dismissing a man that could yet have AFCB fans smiling again. Yes, I'm talking about Tokelo Rantie, the striker who has probably been well protected at AFCB as he has tried to develop and ready himself for the English game but who has not yet shown the consistency to earn himself regular game time. But Tokelo is in the 25-man Premier League squad. He is a different kind of player to King, Wilson, Tomlin and Kermorgant and he may yet have a role to play.

We have seen Rantie fall down the pecking order fairly rapidly in the last few months. While it looked likely that he would go out on loan I don't see any chance of that now. Having renewed his visa by flying out of the country to Dublin last week and re-entering I wonder if he could make a return to the first team match day squad in equally quick time? Rantie has not got the physicality to his game of Wilson and may seem a little lightweight for the Premier League, but it is his speed that the team may find quite useful now.

Rantie may yet have more to contribute.

Josh King has really been the player that has slipped in ahead of Rantie in Eddie Howe's thoughts, but to be frank Josh has not inspired the fans greatly yet. Rantie would get AFCB fans excited and on the edge of their seats as he can do the unexpected. Having Rantie on the bench against Watford would be a good move now in my book and he has surely got to have something to add to the team if Howe feels he is worthy of having a place in the 25-man squad. Still I expect Junior Stanislas, Lee Tomlin and Yann Kermorgant are more likely to lineup n the bench for this game. 

Rantie has been at the club for long enough now to understand how his goals could be very important and that he could repay Eddie Howe very quickly with a good run in the team. I don't think the door has closed on Rantie yet and we may find that he is a player who still has to wait his turn behind King, Kermorgant and Murray. But in an instance he could become a match winner and with the injuries the club have he is now closer to getting an opportunity and if he does the whole of Dean Court will be willing him to show the sensational Rantie that we know is there and waiting to come out. 

Out today - Cherry Chimes' October Newsletter brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month, plus a special Newsletter article entitled The chase will never be the same again.

To sign up for the newsletter just complete the form below:

Email Address 

First Name

Last Name

Email Format

• html
• text

Is the scene now set for Glenn Murray to start?

I remember when Yann Kermorgant was signed and we awaited to see him play against Doncaster Rovers at home in March 2014. He had a great game and scored a hat-trick to lift the spirits and I somehow believe that the scene is set for Glenn Murray to try and do something similar now.

With the Cherries having lost some momentum it is an ideal time for a player to put in a big performance and Murray will be keen to show his new teammates that he can contribute to the team's fortunes and also get the home fans right behind him if he can turn on the class against Sunderland. Eddie Howe will be looking for leaders now and it will be important who he decides to include in the starting line up.

Lee Tomlin played well against Leicester and is another option.

There are options of course. Lee Tomlin was not included in the squad to face Norwich and it may be tempting to see lee back in the side. Playing against Sunderland may have its friction for a former Boro player, but the desire for him to play the Black Cats is likely to be very high. Eddie opted for pace in the last game with Josh King in the side but at home there is probably less need to play that way with the amount of possession the Cherries are likely to have. Then there is yann Kermorgant to consider. He'll be keen to resume his partnership with Wilson that worked so well at Dean Court last season. 

Motivation and desire are going to be important at this stage as the Cherries need to turnaround their fortunes. I'm sure that the team will create chances at home against a Sunderland side that has not had a great start to the season - whoever plays though needs to take those chances.

Now is the time to put in a performance

While the Cherries are going to suffer some games where they don't pick up points, there are some that you would pick out pre-season and say - this is not one they can afford to lose. Sunderland will know that as well and the need to get one over on a team that is expected to be in the relegation picture brings its own tension, so I hope that Eddie Howe is just telling his players that every home game is important, just like every away game.

Keeping points coming is the way to stop the pressure from building up and having not registered a win at home it would be a massive step if the team can add three points now at the Vitality stadium. The home fans have not enjoyed that feeling of celebration yet, with just the one goal against Leicester City to get excited about. Supporters need to be roused though and the players will feel a whole lot better if they can hear the pleasure of the AFCB fans responding to them playing well.

Will Yann get a chance to play against Sunderland?

It's down to all the players that come out on the pitch during the 90 minutes to put in a performance. With a long away trip to Preston to come after this game it's a Premier League game that the players should want to get under their belts with a good win. They've worked hard to be involved in games like this all of last season, and once the home win is ticked off they can use it as a building block. 

How quickly can the Cherries improve?

We've seen the Cherries have set back before. They don't tend to be for long although they have not been playing in this kind of company before. Getting over defeats is part of the growing pains that were likely to come AFCB's way at some point. Not making it a run of defeats is the aim now.

There were some parts of Saturday's game where I felt the swagger was there for the Cherries and during the first half they were setting the pace for periods once they had gotten past the first 15 minutes. Taking the game to other sides though needs players to cover positions and watch out for breaks and problems when the opposition have a quick turnover. It's something that AFCB did not do well enough last game.

Eunan has been rather in the line of fire but I believe he
will get to grips with the Premier League.

Making bad decisions and perhaps not creating the best movement ahead for passes to be made contributed to a loss of ball retention on occasions. Everything seems easier though if you can get the first goal and believe that you are playing the better football. It has been hard though for the Cherries to get leads in games with only two out of the five so far seeing AFCB getting their noses in front.  

Yann Kermorgant saw a bit more action against Norwich having also featured
earlier in the season against Aston Villa and Hartlepool.

An early goal against Sunderland is what will get the team back on a positive keel. The players know that they have to be at the top of their game. They'll know that they could have done some things better at Norwich and that their home form has to be improved upon. For that reason the match against Sunderland probably comes at a good time for the Cherries as it has to be considered a winnable game. UTCIAD!

Cookie on target

AFCB need goalscorers and of the players on the pitch at Carrow Road there probably would not have been many fans picking out Steve Cook as being the most likely Cherries' player to be on the heels of Callum Wilson in the AFCB goalscoring chart. Still, Steve Cook has scored his fair share of goals for the club in previous seasons and his goal will be important for him and will give him a little pleasure despite the defeat at Norwich.

Steve Cook adds his name to the goalscorers.

The header was also a very well taken goal from the corner which was played short to Francis. While Yann Kermorgant leaped in front of Cook it did not put the centre back off and he met the ball with great power to beat Ruddy from a good 12 yards out. It was as clean a header as you'll see all season and it was directed right in the corner of the goal.

It is somewhat a shame for Cookie that his goal was overshadowed by the overall display on the day from the pink shirts. The first outing for those shirts was memorable for the wrong reasons. That should not make Steve Cook hide from feeling some enjoyment out of getting his first Premier League goal though. Hitting the back of the net is something that he can now take with him for encouragement to try and add to his tally in forthcoming games.

While the Cherries have a good crop of attacking players it is surprising that after five games only Pugh, Cook and Wilson have scored in the league. It is a sign that more shots on target are required from the midfield players and that the team is lacking a bit of goal power in that area at the moment. Josh King and Yann Kermorgant will also be wondering when their first goal will come. Whether that changes in the coming weeks could be important in the fate of the Cherries season as a whole.