There's much to like the Championship

While Bournemouth fans might be hanging on in hope for a reprieve on Sunday and another season in the Premier League, I thought it might be prudent to see what life in the Championship might bring and some positives about football in the lower divisions.

A bit more of this will be okay.

The first thing I'd say is that there is more chance of success in the Championship. There are three promotion places up for grabs and the season always goes on forever, with 46 games and the play-offs to keep teams interested into May. We can balance that with the fact that three teams are relegated, but hopefully Bournemouth would be more occupied with the other end of the table.

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While the Championship will no doubt consider adding VAR, it is not there at the moment and the problems that we have had this season may well defer it for another season in the Championship. Goal line technology was introduced to the Championship since 2017-18, so we'll still get that I'd imagine. The other decisions will be left up to the referee and assistant linesman, so we will have plenty of chances to get angry at the officials again!

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There will be some reasonable local rivalries to play as well with Reading, Bristol City and Millwall on the away ground lists. We might also get some London teams staying in the division. QPR will definitely be there and Brentford and/or Fulham could be on our road maps, even if we won't be visiting Chartlon Athletic, unless it is in one of the cups.

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There is also the chance to visit old cauldron's of dislike, such a Nottingham Forest, the windy unpleasantness of the Bet365 (Britannia stadium) and lengthy trips up north to Preston and Middlesbrough. What is not to like?

We may well see many more new and young players who haven't cost the earth and it could be that we get to see more emerging talent from the academy, like Sam Surridge, Gavin Kilkenny and Nnamdi Ofoborh.

Okay, the Premier League has been an exciting home for five years and Bournemouth might not get back there if things don't work out on Sunday. But Bournemouth have created some history in the Premier League and we have enjoyed our time there I think. Wherever the team is next year, there will be plenty of football to look forward to. I have probably only scratched the surface of reasons why the Championship is a great place to play football, so by all means add your own reasons for liking it in the comments.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Ramsdale has been unbelievable this season

Do fans want season ticket refunds?

I was thinking myself about whether I wanted to see AFCB offer a refund on the home games that are left this season or whether they would offer something in exchange for the money paid for games that have yet to be paid. Then I saw BBC had a news story on Saturday on how some fans of lower league club fans were needing to support their clubs by donating the money they had paid for remaining games, just to help keep their clubs afloat.

Money to be refunded?

With AFCB it might be a different situation, but the club is by no means making a profit every season despite being in the Premier League. AFCB are not about to go under but they will no doubt be grateful of any revenue they can hold on to because their out goings have been greater than income for the last few years. I suppose you can blame this on the wages they are offering to players and some of the high transfer fees. It is the environment in which they operate, although perhaps other clubs are able to manage their finances better, especially when they have bigger fanbases.

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It will be of interest to see how AFCB approach the question of offering a refund or vouchers perhaps in the club shop or a discount on the 2020-21 games, or anther incentive for them to try and keep the funds that have already been paid. It might well depend on what league AFCB are playing in next season as to what kind of deals they offer, but as we approach June, the clock is already clicking on working out how the club will go about sorting season tickets for the next season, which is still scheduled for an August start as far as we know.

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For fans the debate will depend very much on personal circumstances. Some may have been furloughed and would be very glad of having a refund to which they are surely entitled. But for others who can afford to give the club the five games without asking for a refund, it could save the club hundreds of thousand pounds. And at the moment the club is having to spend itself on getting its social distancing right and changing things around the training ground and stadium to prepare for games.

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AFCB  fans have always been generous and it may just be that the majority decide that the club needs the money more than themselves this season and we hope that prices don't go up in 2020/21.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Where will AFCB pick up enough points to survive?

The Championship would be worse for AFCB than for the fans

We don't know yet if AFCB will be relegated. But if the worst happens and they do go down, whether through the league being stopped now, or through the league playing to an end, is it really that bad for the club and fans? Arguably for the fans, it could even be more exciting playing in the Championship with more games, potentially more winnable fixtures and still the possibility of winning promotion back, with the parachute payment to help. Yet, for the club, it could be an absolute financial catastrophe.

The Championship would mean a massive drop in revenue for AFCB.

The Cherries income is 88 per cent gathered from TV broadcasts through the Premier League. Worse still, most of that goes on player wages. There would need to be a savage cut in wage payments next season, if Bournemouth did face the drop. That would probably mean a mass exodus of the payers we have come to like and know so well. Bournemouth won't lose much in match day revenues, and commercial revenue is only eight per cent of the club income. Where it will hurt is financially with the loss of TV revenue and Eddie Howe would have a big restructuring job on his hands.

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Howe has started a big restructuring programme at Burnley, which I suppose was ultimately successful when a season after he left Burnley Sean Dyche won promotion, but it is something Howe has not done himself. Whether he could lead Bournemouth back to the Premier League will be on fans minds. Perhaps the possibility will come sooner than we might have hoped, but Bournemouth have had five years in the Premier League which is outstanding for such a small club.

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Ultimately, the fans would still get to see their team playing and more often on a Saturday as well as in midweek. The Championship was great fun in 2013-14 and 2014-15. It was a new experience and Bournemouth played against clubs that it hadn't played in a long time. We may have to watch younger and less experienced players next time, but the Championship always offers good value. Fans will enjoy football again, even if it might not be against the really big boys.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes  - Premier League could become the villain if club's abandon 'Project restart'

Should Simpson be loaned out to a Championship side?

Bournemouth have not found it easy to get their younger players into the first team and yet the talent the club is starting to acquire really needs to get game time if they are to learn and develop. The club has already released centre-back Baily Cargill and I am starting to wonder what kind of message this sends out to a player like Jack Simpson who managed to break into the first team for a period last season?

Jack Simpson will want more games next season.

Just like Cargill, Simpson has shown he can mix it with players that are more experienced and he didn't look out of place playing for the Cherries in FA Cup matches against Wigan or even against high-flyers Man City. And yet, Simpson's prospects at playing a more  involved part at the Cherries next season might be limited if as is thought Eddie Howe is looking to bring in more defenders. So does this give Simpson the signal to go and play on loan at another club?

I would not be at all surprised if Eddie Howe tells Jack that to play in the Championship will develop him much faster than simply training with the first squad at AFCB. Whether Simpson has any say in his future I don't know, but when he sees how Ryan Fraser benefited from his time in the Championship, it would surely be of value to Simpson to get that kind of experience. It will mean that other clubs get a good look at him and Bournemouth might be keen not to attract to much attention for the player, but it's not fair on the young defender just to keep him on the bench every week in my opinion.

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I think Simpson could do a very good job for a number of clubs. He has the quick thinking skills to make him a valuable asset and he does the basics well.  A club like Derby where he could listen to the views of Frank Lampard could be a good destination as they look to add youth to their squad.
In other news, Marseille will visit Dean Court in August

The price of AFCB's success

Last weekend AFCB fans were told the news by the Bournemouth Echo that the club had total losses of £39.1m in the 2014-15 season which included a £7.6m fine for breaking the financial fair play (FFP) rules. The real eye-opener on where the money has gone came in staff wages which were up to £30.4m.

The figures were not unexpected to be fair, but they are amounts that would have been unimaginable for the club to be able to cope with only a couple of years ago. Now that the club sits in the Premier League, I suppose those losses will soon be balanced by the new TV income that will flood into the club this summer. Still, it underlines that it was a decision made to try and win promotion from the Championship knowing that the club would mount up some big losses in the short term and the fans can now see why Maxim Demin is owed such a lot of thanks for allowing the club to operate with his financial backing under such conditions.

Rising up the leagues comes at a cost.

It still baffled me why FFP is considered as a mechanism why when clubs spend too much unfairly they are slapped with more fines, but I suppose every club knows the rules and will make their own decisions on whether they want to cross that line or not. It is all about attracting the best players to come and play for the club and while the wages have rocketed there should be some management to ensure that the club operates within its means now that it has reached the top table. 

Was it worth it? You bet, yeah! A year ago today.

I am sure the fans and the owners want another push in time to become a club that might even challenge for silverware and a place in Europe in coming years, but it is not a backwards step to have a period of stabilisation and maintaining Premier League status for a couple of years. That in itself will soak up much of the new funds coming into the club. AFCB can't run up front with the Arsenal's Man Utd and Man City just yet, but it can play against them on the field and as a fan that is already beyond my wildest dreams. 

There is always another side of the story though and had the club failed to win promotion from the Championship within a couple of more years it would have had to contend with even greater financial losses. The speed of AFCB climb up the leagues is what has helped make success more financially manageable in the short term.

Could Bournemouth survive in the Premier League?

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In what has been the most entertaining Championship season in recent memory, just two games stand between absolute hysteria and unadulterated anguish for the four teams vying for automatic promotion.

Of the four, it is AFC Bournemouth who have bedazzled and beguiled with their easy-on-the-eye football. The Cherries currently occupy second in the table thanks to their superior goal difference, are favourites to go up, and know that a win at home against Bolton on Monday could be enough to see them up.

Having not lost since February in an unbeaten run spanning 11 games, and having been top of the league or near it for the duration of the season, promotion would be thoroughly deserved for the south coast club.

It would be great to see Eddie Howe compete
 in the Premier League with AFC Bournemouth.

And what a fantastic achievement it would be. With an average home attendance of below 12,000, and on a shoestring budget, manager Eddie Howe has put together a squad of talented, hard-working players, who have banded together to create a genuine never-say-die attitude. That, coupled with their creativity going forward, has been the catalyst.

But what of the brave new world of the Premier League? Could Bournemouth survive? And what would they need to do to prepare themselves for the ‘Greatest League in the World ™’?

Continuity

The secret weapon for any side that gets promoted to the top division is continuity. Success breeds success, so the saying goes. Bournemouth have already beaten West Brom and pushed Aston Villa all the way in cup competitions this season, so they should be able to compete from minute one of the 2015/16 campaign.

Eddie Howe has spent 20 years as a player and subsequently as manager at Bournemouth, and so he knows the club inside and out. You can’t see the board making any rash decisions should the Cherries get off to a slow start to life in the big time, and this could be crucial: as the Leicester City board’s decision to support Nigel Pearson could potentially prove, continuity is vital.

Goals, Goals, Goals

Ninety-two of them to be precise from 44 fixtures; and you don’t need to be Carol Vorderman to calculate that is more than two goals per game on average. Sure, in the Premier League they will come up against better opposition, will be embroiled in tighter games and they may even change their style of play to compete.

But goals are the only currency that matters in football: an area in which Bournemouth are clearly adept.

Harry Arter says team spirit has played a big part in the Cherries success.

Better Together

It’s apparent that a key ingredient in Bournemouth’s recipe for success is a sense of genuine team spirit.

"Our dressing room is always a special place to be. I think we have a unique atmosphere,” Howe has been quoted as saying. "You can feel an electricity and a willingness to go out and perform."

Irish midfielder Harry Arter is in full agreement with his boss. "The feeling in the changing room before games is a feeling I've never really felt before, it's a real togetherness."

That atmosphere generally comes from winning games – there’s no happier dressing room than one that is getting results. But team spirit and morale can dredge an extra 10 per cent out of bunch of players; and that too can be the difference between success and failure.

Old Favourites

It is essential to keep faith in the players that have made promotion a possibility, in order to maintain a sense of stability. By haphazardly bringing in new talent – and cutting adrift the old favourites – the results are a lack of cohesion, balance and unfamiliarity; as witnessed in Cardiff City’s last stint in the top flight.

Callum Wilson - Bournemouth's goal machine.

And so 22-goal Callum Wilson will lead the line, a player who was plying his trade in League One just 18 months ago. But he’s got pace, is direct and clearly has an eye for goal – three things which terrify Premier League defences.

Yann is still notching up the goals for the Cherries.

Yann Kermorgant is still a terrific talent too, and while he’s not getting any younger he will also have a part to play in finding the way to goal. In midfield, creativity is in full bloom already with the likes of Harry Arter and Matt Ritchie - who has already supped from the Premier League cup with Portsmouth – supplying the ammunition.

There could be question marks defensively – Howe’s men concede a goal a game on average in the Championship – but the foundations are already in place for a decent legacy to be built.

The Blueprint

At the time of writing, Hull City and Crystal Palace were the last two newly-promoted teams to maintain their Premier League status, and the way in which they did it is eerily similar:

Sign players with top-flight experience – Hull brought in Tom Huddlestone, Jake Livermore, Maynor Figueroa, Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long. Crystal Palace added Marouane Chamakh, Joe Ledley and Jason Puncheon to their squad.

For Bournemouth, the likes of Jonas Gutierrez, Bobby Zamora and Joel Ward are all out-of-contract and available in the summer. Perhaps even Danny Ings – who started his career at the Cherries – could be tempted back to the south coast should Burnley perish.

Add in a few quality loan signings from the big boys: James Wilson from Man Utd or Nathaniel Chalobah from Chelsea, for example, and you’ve got yourself a competitive squad.

Turn your home ground into a fortress – Hull picked up 25 of their 37 points on home turf, and Palace 27 of their 45 at Selhurst Park.

Bournemouth’s Dean Court will be the Premier League’s lowest ever capacity – and this hands them an unlikely advantage. Their fans should be able to whip up a feverish atmosphere and create a cauldron of noise to unsettle the opposition.

Get off to a good start - Hull won three of their first six matches, and never dropped into the relegation zone thereafter.

Failing that, end well – Crystal Palace claimed 17 points from a possible 24 in their last eight games after appearing dead and buried at Christmas. Timing, it seems, is everything in the survival game.

A different outlook for next season

The summer will pass by very quickly and we area already looking down at that fixture list and pondering over how the Cherries will fare against the other 23 teams lined up against them in the new Championship. Having had a season in this league I am not sure if some supporters feel shattered and have the stamina to go again looking at some of the opinions over the season tickets, but come 9th August the games will be very real and a steady flow of big clubs will start coming to Dean Court once again. You'll be up for it I am sure.

Not all the same players are around but
those who wear the shirt will give their all.

How AFCB should set about the season will not be quite the same as in 2013/14. Eddie Howe has a better understanding of what his squad of players are capable of and the need to reduce the amount of mistakes made. It all sounds easy but we have seen so many teams get it wrong and suddenly find themselves at the bottom of the table. Keeping the squad together is paramount and while the loss of one regular goal scoring starter is significant it is when three or four players are plucked away that I will get a bit jittery. This has not happen though and, with the names that have come in, I think fans can feel optimistic about the football months ahead.

I do expect the league to be harder than last season. Norwich and Cardiff are already flexing their bank accounts and, while the players that are moving are not so surprising, more foreign players are entering the Championship. How AFCB handle the big spenders and the outcome of those games will have a major factor on where the club ends up next May. Last time around it was only QPR and Reading that the Cherries managed to beat of the top six and it will be in Howe's mind to do better against those who start well.

We saw that Burnley were the surprise package of last season despite not spending big over the summer, so don't think that the Cherries have to spend lots to get into a good position. Keeping the heart of the team is more important.

It's always great fun to support the Cherries
as we all have the same dream.

All Departments talks to Liz Finney about the Fan's Focus Groups at AFCB. See All Departments' website or listen here by scrolling down to the All Department's sound bar on the right side panel.

Price rise and player sales unlikely to slow season ticket demand

The 2013/14 season tickets are to go on sale to current AFCB season ticket holders on Wednesday 21 May and while AFCB have tried to keep prices down supporters are in for a 20 per cent increase on last seasons prices across the board. The club will be hoping that not only all of the regular seat warmers at Dean Court sign up again, but that a whole host of new fans sign up for the first time after 2 June.  To play Championship football comes at a price, especially with gates as low as 10,000 compared to 25,000 of the top clubs and some of the cost is  being put into the season ticket price following modest prices last year. AFCB have to try and up their income to offset the Financial Fair Play rules and it was probably to be expected that the club would ask fans to back them as they aim higher. A full list of the prices can be found on the club's official website. 

The potential loss of Lewis Grabban will not make much of a dent in the number of season ticket holders and even with a much changed team, fans will be looking forward to see what a line up with a few new Cherries would be able to achieve under Eddie Howe. Dan Gosling should be the first of several new signings this summer.

Dean Court has seen many full houses of late.

The Championship is where I feel the club should be at the moment and a new adventure is waiting to unfold in August. Before then we can certainly feel that anything is possible and with players perhaps departing it is easy to be a bit uneasy about seeing change again when the Cherries have had such a good season. But all of last season is in the past and we move on. You have the opportunity to buy a season ticket for the next chapter of the story. Some of the lines will be the same and while a few of the players may change, the underlying feel and style of the book will not change. It is time to write some new pages in Bournemouth's history and to reach the next level things have to change some more.

I see the next stage as just another challenge. Just like staying in the league and getting promotion from Leagues Two and One, AFCB have a target and there are probably many ways to go about getting to that next stage. What is crucial though is that the supporters come and the football remains entertaining. I hope that the prices are affordable to families and supporters who were unable to buy more than a few tickets to games last season. In the past few seasons football at Dean Court has been exceptional value and I don't believe the style of play will be any less entertaining in 2014/15. We will get behind the players that wear the shirt and any new supporters to the club we welcome. UTCIAD!

What do you feel about the season ticket price rise? Will you go to less away games or miss some pre-season friendlies to save some cash or will you attend as many games as you can no matter what?

The Championship remains a thrilling league

While AFCB have had a pretty good run since the beginning of the year it has always been difficult to know where they might pick up points and where they would drop them. That is the Championship for you. It's unpredictable right down to the final games. I find it great that even now there are teams that don't know if they will be in the play-offs and others who don't know if they will be relegated and yet the season is almost done and dusted. 

We can cheer the boys on and say goodbye for the summer at Millwall.

At the top of the league it will be a simple battle of who gets the best result for Brighton and Reading and I have a sneaky feeling that Brighton may do it looking at how Forest were dismantled by the Cherries last weekend. I am more intrigued by what could happen at the bottom of the Championship. Birmingham have hardly been in the bottom three all season but find themselves there with a game to go. It really may depend on whether they can get a point at Bolton, because I can't see Leicester taking it easy in their last home game against Doncaster. Yet the final day often brings unthinkable results and if both Donny and Birmingham find themselves winning with 10 minutes to go I met start feeling a bit nervous in the away end at Millwall. Of course if Doncaster do fall then both them and Yeovil who came up with the Cherries last season will have just lasted the one season which shows you how difficult it is for a club coming up from League One in this division.

I must admit that I like to often be at home on the sofa for the last game of the season as you can watch the TV and that thrill of the cameras going from one ground to another as the scores change. I'll have to rely on the radio and the mobile phone if I can get a signal and I am not even a fan of one of those teams that are in danger or looking to get into the play-offs. We still want to know what is happening though and where the axe is going to fall. If I had to put money on it in the Championship I would sadly say that Birmingham may be the team to lose out, but what gives me hope for them is that they are playing away. So I am going to predict that they cling on to a point with Doncaster losing out on goal difference. Something about having a more southern may have led me to come up with that romantic forecast. Still we will have a party at the Den where both teams I hope can celebrate after the match and look forward to the next season.

For those of you who are brave enough to bet on the outcome of such games you are invited to use Free Bet Negotiator which sponsors Cherry Chimes. Free Bet Negotiator is giving Free Bets to all the fans!

If you have not had a visit to their site you can click on this special Cherry Chimes' Free Bet Negotiator link and the video below shows you how simple it is to place a bet and then get your free bet.  

The Championship is going to be a thriller right to the end

While AFCB did not pick up the much needed three points at Portman Road they will still have a big say on the final look of the table with their remaining two fixtures and could yet pass a few more teams and even reach the play-offs. While Reading are now seen as the team to have been given the chance to sit in sixth with two games to go, we'll all be listening to see if Middlesbrough can upset them tonight, because another defeat for Reading would liven things up yet again.

There are many ifs and buts, and what ifs, still to be had but it looks like the Cherries will have to be content with their highest ever points tally in the division and perhaps still their highest ever placing. That would be an exceptionally good season for a team that was finding things hard going last November. While some will say that the team ran out of steam in the final few games I thought that they played particularly well at Ipswich and were unlucky not to get all three points on the chances created. 

I keep looking at the full table though and reading the goals against column. Bournemouth's goal difference is much poorer than other teams in the top half and none of the teams above them have let in 60 goals and yet AFCB have let in 64. With 17 wins though and 12 draws this season it has been a magnificent return with just two games to go. This is something that can be built upon and it will be tremendously rewarding to see the Cherries develop further under Eddie Howe. 

It could be that the teams between sixth and 10th could draw some of their last fixtures and allow AFCB to still reach an unlikely play-off spot, but that is a very long shot now and well out of the hands of AFCB. Still it is nice to be sitting at the top end of the league and the final two games for the Cherries will be worth seeing, because Eddie Howe's style of football is about the best you can see in the Championship on its day. 

Sign me up for another season in the Championship and if it is not asking too much can we have some hefty wins for AFCB's last two games of this season please?

Later tonight I'll put some more pictures up on the Match Day Gallery of the Ipswich match, so check back in then.

Strange but wonderful times at Bournemouth

I've seen this guy somewhere before!

I remember last summer catching the train to the pre-match friendly at Woking. That  day I saw Wes Fogden get injured in what was his last meaningful game for the Cherries and we lost the game 2-0. The next day we would be playing Real Madrid in what was probably the most talked about friendly of the summer, but I also got to speak to Eddie Howe that day and asked him to sign a programme for me. While the team had just been defeated and I was a bit down you couldn't see any such feelings in Eddie's face. He happily signed the Stephen Purches testimonial programme for me that I had brought along from the previous week's match, and while I was wondering how AFCB were going to complete in the Championship in the current season, Eddie was calm and thoughtful with his mind already on the next game.

Who would have thought that after the pre-season series of games and the difficult early away games of this campaign that the Cherries would be sitting here five games away from the end of the season and on the brink of a top six finish? I certainly couldn't see it having lost to teams like Woking and Salisbury in pre-season, but such games improve fitness and much was leaned from the big defeats against Watford and Huddersfield as well as a certain Real Madrid.

Now I just want to take five minutes to take things in and just work out what this team has achieved so far this season. I am looking at the table and all those incredible teams that are sitting below the Cherries. Is it conceivable that Bournemouth could even start rubbing shoulders more often with teams like Liverpool, Arsenal and Man Utd? I can't even contemplate it at the moment, but I know that if it happens one day Eddie Howe will simply take it in his stride. It is strange for us as fans to be reaching such heights, but for Eddie it all seems to comes naturally although I know there is much hard work behind everything. He is one of those leaders that is just born to be in that kind of top company though and will surely become an even greater manager. 

And today we have Yeovil Town waiting to play the Cherries. Are the inflatables almost ready to make an appearance? Yeovil may not be Real Madrid but I am just as excited about seeing Bournemouth take on the Glovers as I was seeing the team play against the Spanish giants. This season suddenly means something - it's probably going to be the biggest season in the club's history and we should savour every minute. Strange times indeed - UTCIAD!

 It's match day so make sure you get your free bet from Free Bet Negotiator. 

Enjoyable pressure for the Cherries

Captain Tommy Elphick admitted that his team were playing with a smile against Reading. I don't even think he could believe how well the Cherries are playing. "It's incredible form," he said. "There are potential banana skins," he went on to say but the prize at the end of it all could be immense.

Tommy Elphick is playing with a smile.

I like the way that the team is not only playing with confidence but is also talking confidently. They seem to have no fear and are just so focused on the task in hand which is the next game. It is just incredible how the Cherries have gone from an inexperienced Championship outfit to the team to fear. They have done it through lots of hard work I am sure and as a fan it's just so pleasing for us to see a group of players who want to do well for their manager, club and the town.

We are kind of getting used to seeing AFCB win games over the last five seasons and I have no doubt that the spirit that saved the club from extinction is still growing into something that is so powerful that the club could well have the momentum to reach the Premier League in the not so distant future.

Eddie Howe commented before the game that if it happens the club will deal with it. He may have been talking hypothetically for this season, but the players are enjoying the pressure of having the goal to try and finish in sixth place. While other teams are worrying about losing their place, the Cherries are actively looking to steal something from the rest and they are really closing in now. 

I though that May would be a very quiet month, but I might have to start looking at that calendar soon if AFCB's season is extended.

Is the Cherries' champagne football here to stay?

The wins keep coming and Bournemouth have suddenly entered the frame to be wait for it...shush, late play-off contenders! It is hard to see what has changed in the last month. At first we had a great team to watch that was doing okay but just hovering around the bottom third of the Championship with a group of players that were learning their trade and progressing well. Now AFCB are a team that is taking the Championship by storm, dispatching opposition teams with great skill, precise passing and deadly finishing. The ingredients have probably always been there, but someone changed the menu and AFCB supporters are suddenly dining at the top part of the Championship table. 

AFCB are taking the shackles off and going for the wins. 

If anyone thought it is was a bit premature to think of a top six finish, you can't ignore the possibility any longer. It may be a long shot, but it is potentially there with the fixtures the Cherries have left to play. I was watching everybody's faces during the Birmingham game when the goals were going in during that first half and they showed a mixture of astonishment, pleasure and sheer delight. Eddie Howe has got the team to click and it is running like an express train. If there are any slip ups from teams above AFCB, you get the feeling that the Cherries are more than capable of taking anything that is left on offer. The results last night certainly did no harm.

The team's play has changed. It is more than just confidence. They are playing with a swagger and are almost dismissive of whatever team is put in front of them. It's not arrogance or misplaced belief it's based on a knowledge that any team is beatable in the Championship and that the Cherries are just as good as the so-called big teams. It may surprise you but AFCB are already probably one of the big teams in terms of the players they have on the pitch. Those teams above AFCB will not be relishing having to play the Cherries in the run in.

To a large extent the run was going unnoticed by many, but the form that has been evident throughout March is a standard that no other team has matched. Expect people to be looking closely at AFCB coming up on the rails. The players have given themselves a chance and with a rest this week they have two massive games coming up next - QPR and Reading. Two wins against those teams and it's game on for the shush! (play-offs).

I just hope that Leeds and Birmingham were just the start of the champagne football that we are witnessing. If the team loses to QPR and Reading, AFCB has still had an amazing season so my advice is to just enjoy the games. 

The Championship is relentless but so enjoyable

The Championship should not be this enjoyable I keep thinking to myself. Why should I get so excited every match day when I know I will feel anguish, tension and possible disappointment? I think it's because I also know that every now and again I will experience a moment of sheer delight when the Cherries bring back three points. The league is so tight and all the teams have individual players that can do something special in an instant to win a game. And if the bad games out weigh the good ones so be it. I'll still love AFCB and support the team just like all of you. Yet, there is one part of the season that I am finding hard to deal with. I bet you can guess when that is. Yes, it's during these international breaks.

Don't get me wrong I follow the national team and will want them to do well next year in Brazil. But the Championship is simply addictive. A week without a game seems like a punishment or like coming off a craving. Watch out, football withdraw systems are not very pleasant. But why is the Championship in particular such an adrenaline rush?

For AFCB fans the games don't last any longer than they would in League One or Two. They don't have the same media coverage as the Premiership. However, come match day we just can't get enough of being in the Championship and I don't think it is all because we know there is a prize for three teams at the end of the season who will win promotion to the Premiership or the fear of seeing your team being sucked into the bottom three. As an AFCB fan its about belonging here, sampling the atmosphere and seeing our players take on other great players.

Sure the Championship is relentless, but it's also exhilarating, full of passionate fans and managers that must simply love the pressure aiming to do the impossible - getting a win, after win, after win. With 46 games in the season I can't say that we don't get enough games. But I miss the action and the excitement when there is an international break.

I suppose we need to take a break though every now and again. It's a time to reflect and heel some of the injuries that our players have suffered. For AFCB it is probably an advantage that we don't have as many international players as some of the other teams in the league. Our players really may be able to have a rest, but it won't be for long.

I also think the hotch potch make up of the Championship is one of its charms. There are all types of teams here those that should be in the Premiership, those that have been in the division for far too long and the small towns that are holding their own and defying the odds. Some may think the novelty of AFCB being back in the Championship is why I am finding it so enjoyable, but even when the Cherries were in League One and League Two I particularly wanted to know what was happening in the Championship.

There is something about this division. It was always a target that I felt was achievable for AFCB and now that the club is there it should be something that we take in as much of as we can. And yes, even the international breaks should be welcomed, because they are part of the character of the Championship and indeed the Premiership. We are not used to them but I hope Eddie Howe and the team are making the most of them when they come around, because watching the Championship every week is exhausting stuff - I just hope it can continue for a long time for AFCB fans.  

Are you enjoying it?

Taking AFCB to the next level

Know one said it would be an overnight journey to get AFCB firmly established in the Championship and holding its own against the very best teams in the division. We have had a bit of an early shock, but now our players are fully aware of the level to which they must perform every game, if they were not already aware. The outlook the club has is very bright and the odd setback has usually only stirred greater efforts from those on the pitch and the back room staff.

From a supporters point of view I am thoroughly enjoying the experience of Championship football with its high octane excitement and end to end entertainment. Most teams seem to go straight for the jugular In the games I have seen so far. It is a more ruthless division than League One and mistakes are perilous at this level. With all that taken on board I think AFCB will still do remarkably well this season and the desire for the team to succeed is seen everywhere you look.

Having visited Vicarage Road and looked around their small shop you can see how our ground and its appearance is really to quality now. It is on the pitch though where clubs have been spending their money and AFCB will need to compete at least with the bottom third of clubs if it is to have a good season. The signings that other teams have made are astronomical in terms of the finances they have compared to the Cherries. But the club is doing its best to put bids in that would break our club record and you can't ask for more than that. Our team will need to be built up over a number of years before we can buy and sell players for several millions. Money also does not guarantee success.

We have been told that AFCB will be built on hard work as well and as long as the players and staff are giving 100 per cent we are lucky to be the ones who can just sit back and enjoy the experience. Hopefully though you will feel committed to sing and support the players as they endeavour to take the club as high as it can go.

The Championship: is that as good as it gets?

I'm starting to think that the position that AFCB are now in is really as good as it can ever can get for a Cherry supporter. Why is that? Well I know we all have dreams of seeing our team play the Man Utd's, Liverpool's and Arsenal's of this world in the Premiership. I can't say that I have never wondered what it would be like to see the Cherries taking on such teams regularly, but there is a catch. firstly the cost but also do I want to see my team losing most weekends?

Who can blame adult supporters of Premiership teams for becoming armchair fans when they were asked to pay £453-650 for a season ticket in the 2012/13 season? (Prices from Guardian Newspaper survey 22 May 2012).

If we were to ever go up to the Premiership we are likely to see more high earning players coming into our squad. For the owners, it is more beneficial to get to the Premiership with higher revenues and even larger TV viewing money. But what is in it for your average supporter?

I read that Premiership attendances were actually up on average this season to 35931 from 34601 the season before, but you see fewer games and pay more for them. If AFCB stay in the Championship for a decade we are still likely to draw some big teams in the cups, especially now that we do not have to play the earlier rounds. We will also see some big names and teams who have been relegated from the Premiership only the season before. Our club will benefit from being in the Championship with good TV money and healthy crowds. 

For supporters then, surely AFCB is now in the best league it can be in for our family club if fans want to watch good football at a reasonable price. But I am not happy about that because for players and supporters it should be about trying to achieve the very best standard that the club is able to reach.

Even more worrying, come the end of next season what if AFCB are in the play-offs should I be wanting them to lose? I would be ecstatic if the Cherries were playing at Wembley a year from today. It also makes me understand why some QPR, Reading and Wigan fans are even looking forward to playing in the Championship again - maybe they are not so daft.

Have I got it wrong? Would we be happier fans in the Premiership?

Is football in the south on the rise?

This season has been a historic one for AFCB in reaching the second tier of English football for only the second time. The club's rise has followed that of near-by neighbours Brighton & Hove Albion who are now pushing for a place in the Premiership and Southampton who have cemented their place in the Premiership already for next season. It makes you wonder, is football in the south finally on the up?

A glance at some of the other southern teams gives us some initial hope that this is true. Yeovil Town have a very good chance of joining AFCB in the Championship if they can reproduce their recent league form in the play-offs. Swindon too are battling for a promotion from League One. Take a look up a division and you will see Crystal Palace and Brighton are among the contenders for a multi-million pound Premiership shoot at Wembley later this month to replace Reading.

However, you can't escape the fact that AFCB's rise has coincided with Pompey's fall. Their new fan ownership, tremendous support and optimism for better things ahead though will see them recover lost ground I hope. I expect Portsmouth to be challenging for the Second division title next year and, former AFCB player, Shaun Cooper could be helping the to achieve this with Crawley Town with local paper reports yesterday telling Shaun that he is not part of their future plans.

Look again though to the west and you see the plight of the two Bristol clubs, Plymouth and Torquay United and the state of southern football does not look so rosey after all. Both Bristol Rovers and City have huge followings and Plymouth are also a massive club, but reputations and fan bases are not enough alone to sustain them in the higher divisions. Aldershot too have now fallen into the conference and are having problems in paying player wages. Yesterday, Aldershot entered into administration. I'm gutted for their fans, we know what it is like even if AFCB managed to avoid the conference.

We are lucky at AFCB that we have had significant investment in our team and our facilities and the club is very much on the up. The Cherries are suddenly near the top of the pile of southern clubs. I feel a lot of fellow supporters from other teams have been pleased with the Cherries progress as they have witnessed the hard times that we have been through in the past and are basically pleased to share in AFCB's recent success. 

Next season will certainly be thrilling and AFCB will be one of the most watched clubs in the south as the team seeks to reach its highest ever position in the Championship.

Is Brett right in saying the Championship will suit AFCB's style of play?

After the post-match celebrations of the weekend and the initial jubilation of the day had calmed down a bit, I was very intrigued to hear Brett Pitman say that he felt that the Championship would suit AFCB's style of play. 


Brett's comments were a great insight into how he sees the task ahead of the Cherries now that they have won promotion from League One - not phased seems to be the message of this team. The challenge of the Championship is something they are going to relish.

One commentator in a weekend paper said that Bournemouth were good value for going up "because they pass teams to death!"

I'm not sure we quite do that, but teams do get tired playing against AFCB's quick passing game, and we were a strong second half team this season as other teams wilted against the onslaught.

AFCB players have found League One a difficult league to get out of and they did seem to struggle against some of the big named teams who tended to stifle games, block our creative play and looked for the set piece to steal the match. Doncaster were master craftsman at this particular kind of game and if you look at Sheffield Utd's season they hardly set any goal scoring records but had a stern defence, which in their case led to too many drawn games.

So what have we learnt about AFCB's tactics under Eddie Howe and where do they need to improve if they are to do better than just survive in the Championship? When I look at our wing play and our flying wing backs on both flanks it is evident that Howe does aim to get at teams from the wings and get behind defences. We haven't the heading power of some teams, but Steve Cook and Tommy Elphick have come up with a few headed goals this season and they may well improve on their tally next season.

It has also been a feature to see Harry Arter and Eunan O'Kane being prepared to run with the ball and go at the heart of defences and I feel this tactic can be extremely effective when teams are so used to us playing it wide and suddenly find that we have changed to a more direct game. It will be exciting to see what Ryan Fraser will also be able to do at this level and if he can add even more running power to the Cherries' formula.

I also hope Howe continues to work with the defenders as 53 goals against is something that we can try and improve upon with Ryan Allsop now having a better understanding with the back four every game.

Certainly teams with good wingers and creative passing have done well in the Championship this year and AFCB must set out to try and emulate the likes of Brighton and Watford if they are to do well in that league.

AFCB is a Championship-ready outfit - no doubt

Yesterday's great 0:3 win against Shrewsbury Town was not just a vital win for the Cherries it was a great one that showed the teams ability to execute instructions to a very high level and basically play the other team off the park.

This is no longer the team that stuttered and misfired so badly at the start of the season under Paul Groves and Shaun Brookes. Now it is a devastating, Championship-ready, outfit that may well have potential to reach even higher heights under the calm and methodical approach of Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall.

Yes there are at least two more games for the Cherries to attempt to win before we can see if they really are ready to make that step up of a division, but I see no wavering of the team's intent or ability to succeed. 

It was somehow pleasing to hear the BBC Solent team saying that they were seeing yet another professional display from the Cherries yesterday without ever feeling that the result was headed anywhere other than to another AFCB win. It wasn't even half time, but the manner of Bournemouth's play is at such a high level at the moment that there are few teams that can live with it in League One.

The recent run has more than proved that they are the best team in League One on current form and even if the unthinkable happened and they did slip up, or if they are pipped to automatic promotion by goal difference, you get the feeling that they would blow anyone away in the play-offs. And yet only a few games ago they could not beat any of their main rivals at home. I think the missing players of Daniels and Elphick had a lot to do with the 'wobble' of five games, but now that they are back in the team everything is complete.

What a master signing Matt Ritchie has been as well. His signing has underlined the belief that the Cherries are headed to the Championship.You can also say the signing of Brett Pitman was a masterstroke and his goal record of late has been a revelation that is pulling the team up to where it wants to be.

In his post-match interview on the Shrewsbury game it was clear that Eddie Howe was very pleased with how the team is working and their attitude. He keeps stating that this is a young team and is still learning so we can expect even more from them in the future. I am hoping that we will see some of that on Saturday when the home crowd will create an electric atmosphere for this team that stands on the verge of making history. 

Rather than being a burden for the players and the club, everyone seems to be excited and pushing forward to reach our goal. The Cherries just seem to be getting stronger and stronger.

One AFCB fan tweeted how they just wanted the next two weeks to fly by and see where Bournemouth are at the end of the season. But I want to enjoy this moment. Yes, we are agonisingly close and things could be cruelly taken away from us on the last day of the season, but there is something special about what has been created at this club now. 

We all know that the team can do it and the opposition could well falter in the next few days. I don't think there have been many better times to be an AFCB supporter than this. We are living the dream! 

Table makes happier viewing now

Perhaps more shooting, less thinking
is required by Matt Tubbs

It's all to play for now. The League One Table is starting to take shape as the final games close in on us. Compared to AFCB's position just a few weeks ago when they had slipped out of the top six, they are now virtually guaranteed a play-off place.

Those who said we have no chance of automatic promotion now sit a little more uneasy in their seats as the chasing pack with games in hand suddenly can't afford to drop many more points or they will be left in Doncaster and AFCB's wake.

Much of the Cherries recent success has been due to the phenomenal scoring form of Brett Pitman. A fellow Bournemouth supporter mentioned to me that he would have to play and score in a few of the matches at the start of next season if he was to catch Jermain Dofoe's record of 10 goals in 10 games for AFCB, but he could do it if we went through the play-offs. I don't suppose that is on Brett's mind at the moment. I am sure he would just want the team to keep winning no matter where the goals come from right now.

I have to say that while Tubbs did set up Brett's goal against Notts County with a nice lay-off before the strike, some of his work probably did go largely unnoticed. Unless you get on the score sheet as a striker people are quick to say you did not play well. I only think that sometimes Tubbs could have made a few better decisions but considering he has two assists from his last two games he has done well enough. The running power of Lewis Grabban though seems preferable to me.

All of a sudden the Cherries have closed the goal difference gap with Sheffield Utd and are only just behind Doncaster in terms of goal difference. The points situation is a bit different with Doncaster two points ahead and having a game in hand. It seems that Bournemouth and Doncaster can't stop winning. The indifferent form of Sheffield, Brentford and Swindon has seen Yeovil leap into third place which I doubt many would have predicted. It's all bubbling up quite nicely.

AFCB players celebrate their win over Notts County

The teams that are potentially in danger of missing out of the play-offs on current form are Tranmere with just three points in their last six games and Swindon who have secured six points from their last six matches. Walsall's recent run of form of 10 points from their last six could see them muscle in on a top six finish and they would certainly be a danger team if AFCB had to play them again to win promotion.

There is only two days left to pick your top three teams to be promoted to the Championship this season. While Bournemouth, Doncaster and Sheffield Utd are currently your picks at least one of these teams will be in the play-offs, so don't think it's all over yet.