Barcelona youngster could become AFCB summer signing

The race to stay in the Premier League has no doubt become a little hotter between AFCB and Brighton & Hove Albion with both clubs said to be tracking Monchu, a 20-year-old Barcelona B player. Monchu is a midfielder who is the highest scorer this season in the Barcelona B team, and AFCB have been tracking him for the last three year according to FootballEspana.

Harry Wilson could be on his way but AFCB are already looking at new signings.

There was a mention that Monchu could be signed for around EUR2m, but any player who has the talent to be at the Nou Camp is not going to come cheap. Bournemouth already have a hole in their finances from the last few seasons when they have spent heavily. While we could see a big exodus of players this summer, it is good to hear that there are positive moves going on to try and sign young players. Staying in the Premier League is likely to determine whether such signings go ahead, and with Brighton also in the running it is likely to depend on who does best in the next few games.

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Eddie Had a Dream -now just 9.99!

Attracting new players is not going to be as easy if Bournemouth do drop down a division, but the aim would surely be to try and bounce back straight away. A scoring midfielder is not something that the Cherries have seen too often. While AFCB have Diego Rico in their side, the Spanish market has not been an attractive pool for AFCB to bring players in from, so it would be a bit of a departure to sign Monchu and from one of, if not, the leading club in Europe.

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The transfer market is expected to be slow this summer, and perhaps players will be less keen on making moves with all the difficulties of the pandemic to negotiate. But AFCB have to have a eye on players that would do well in either the Championship of the Premier League, as there are quite a few players who don't expect will be playing for AFCB next season.

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If AFCB are in talks with Barcelona though, who knows, perhaps the deal could be sealed with a friendly at Dean Court this summer! That would be a great way to celebrate coming out of lockdown if football is up and running in August, even if would be without any crowds.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Training has to be inspiring for Cherries 

Spurs will find AFCB are not entertaining offers for Lewis Cook

Having not made a summer signing, Mauricio Pochettino has decided that Bournemouth's Lewis Cook is the player Spurs need to start their spending for £30m, according to the Daily Mirror. But Lewis Cook has just signed a new four-year deal at AFCB and if Spurs are serious on attracting the England international they would have to stump up nearer £45-50m in my opinion to buy him out of his contract and satisfy the Cherries for their loss.

Lewis Cook may be a target for Spurs, but his value is almost priceless to AFCB.

The Bournemouth Echo put a price on Lewis Cook's head of £30m this week and it seems that Spurs felt that would be a good option to take up if Eddie Howe was willing to let the player go. But paper talk has the job of selling stories that are not necessarily the reality and Lewis Cook's worth to the Cherries is not simply a price-tag when the Cherries have not yet managed to attract their main summer target - Jefferson Lerma. I am sure Howe has picked Lerma because he sees him as a good partner for Lewis Cook and the whole strategy of bringing Lerma in is that Lewis Cook needs a playing partner that can enable him to get forward and do his best work higher up the field.

To sell Lewis Cook would totally mean a rethink and Bournemouth didn't give the player a new contract for the purpose of selling him this summer. Ultimately, Spurs would have to pay silly money to make Bournemouth consider selling Cook and even then Lewis would have to be keen on jumping ship when he has made great progress under Howe. The pull of playing for Spurs would be attractive I'm sure for Cook but he'd also have to weigh up whether he would automatically be playing games of just a squad member.

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In essence, I think the potential move is at least a year too soon for Lewis Cook and Bournemouth should be able to bat off any interest this summer even with 10 days left to go of this window.

Bournemouth's defender search leads them to West Ham

Declan Rice in his new West Ham kit - will he get to wear it next season?

The Sun has reported that West Ham United's Declan Rice may be potentially a target for the Cherries and Crystal Palace, after being told he will not be an automatic starter for Manuel Pelligrini's Hammers. New signing Issa Diop is expected to take his place. A glimpse of what the Cherries could be buying was shown on the Sun's cheeky pages with a clip of Man City's 100th goal of the season in the last campaign which was a Declan Rice own goal. It certainly wasn't Rice's highlight of the season, but if he can't get in West Ham's side does that make him a good pick for Bournemouth?

The 19-year-old is an international player for the Republic of Ireland, although he is yet to win a competitive cap which does still make him eligible to play for England. Still, he had Irish grandparents and was reported in the Daily Mail recently as saying it is 'a load of ****' that he would consider changing allegiance to England.

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Rice is reported as rejecting an £8000 a week deal to stay at the Hammers. He played 31 times for the London club in 2017/18. West Ham paid for more for Fulham's Ryan Federicks and it has meant that Rice is looking very likely to make a move this summer having only had one season in the Premier League. The defender would perhaps be more impressed if the Sun had shown his man of the match winning performance against Tottenham at Wembley last season. Just to show Bournemouth fans appreciate good defending, here is the clip that Declan posted himself on Twitter.

That performance at Wembley, Dec 👏 #ImForever pic.twitter.com/VRbeh3Qtep

— West Ham United (@WestHamUtd) June 6, 2018

Southgate's World Cup - Day 8 What a Messi - the Argies are almost out 

Afobe - no great loss to Cherries

Benik Afobe signed for Wolves as expected yesterday, and while the Cherries secured a great fee of 12.5m for their former striker, it will be strange to see Benik playing in the Premier League next season for a different club. The odds are that he'll probably do well against AFCB. That is something we'll just have to deal with at the time, but was Benik given a fair go at AFCB?

Benik leaves for Wolves with most AFCB fans celebrating about the £12.5m fee.

For me he was s striker who had promise, but never really looked like he wanted the responsibility of being the main goalscorer. Once that mantle was taken by Callum Wilson, it allowed Afobe to settle into a comfortable role of part-time sub and he never excelled from what I saw. Having played 70 times for the Cherries his score rate of 11 goals looks in adequate. Yet, Benik never looked like being a main man and his confidence must have dropped when he didn't start getting regular starts.

At Wolves he has looked far happier and has found a goal touch again. It does make me wonder if Eddie Howe imposes too much of his desired plan of how the team should play, and can't always find a space for an individual who finds his directives as slightly alien to how they have always played. It is down to the players though to adapt to what the manager wants if they are to get selected, and Benik comes across as a head-strong player. He knew he was not finding any form at AFCB and he wanted to go as early as possible to another team in the Championship. Well, he got his wish and his beloved Wolves as well. Now he is back in the Premier League and he'll have similar pressures back on him as a major signing for the Midlands club.

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But who has been the winner out for all this? Benik has gone back to a club he left two years ago and Bournemouth have cut lines with a striker that they have had their money back for. Wolves may become the winners, if Benik does well. But AFCB also now have more funds to try and invest in a new player without the emotional baggage that Afobe always seemed to be carrying around with him. AFCB don't want players at the club that don't want to play for Howe, so I have no regrets that Benik has now found another club.

AFCB fans have been telling Wolves exactly what they have just bought.

Has he gone yet? 🙏 #afobe

— David Lambert 🌹 (@mrbert71) May 31, 2018

Today is a good! Just wanted to say a big THANKYOU to #wwfc your kindness and brought a tear to my eye #afobe

— Jim Bob Square Pants (@james_rood) May 30, 2018

News of the #Afobe deal reaches Eddie and Jason. We go live to the #afcb training ground... pic.twitter.com/EE7T58uDZo

— Mike Brannan 🍒 (@dippinbiscuits) May 30, 2018

Bournemouth are hot on the track of Colchester's top marksmen

Bournemouth have been said to be after the signature of Colchester goal hero Sammie Szmodics of Colchester United, according to the Daily Star.  The fee is said to be around £1m which is a modest price by Premier League standards, but at 22-years-old it is likely that Szmodics would like Connor Mahoney be training with the first team but not necessarily turning out for them straight away if he does sign.

The lower leagues are still a source of players that are not being ignored by AFCB and I welcome that. We have seen many foreign players struggle to adapt to the English game and by finding players who have been successful in League Two. Attacking midfielders are hard to come by and while it would be of interest to see AFCB sign players that are going to improve the first team there is need to better the standard of the U21s and U18s.

Szmodics is seen as an attacking midfielder and has scored 12 goals in all competitions for the U's and is their leading scorer. He has battled himself against two serious ankle injuries and a broken leg in the last two years, according to local paper East Anglian Daily Times.

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In a window that is likely to be quiet for the Cherries any new faces are going to be welcome and the way that players like Jack Simpson and Connor Mahoney are getting a taste of first team football must be encouraging for other to join AFCB.

At first look at just a selection of his goals, he appears to be a player very much in the ilk of Danny Ings in that he is quick and yet slight of stature and a bundle of energy. He also seems quite a dept at finishing with either foot, although he looks stronger on his right.

It's not buy at any cost for Howe this January

While AFCB's league position is not as high as everyone would like, the need to dip one's toe in the transfer market this January is not necessarily the solution that Eddie Howe will look to take if his comments are to be taken at face value.

The January window has always been expensive and yet there has usually been a trickle of loan deals for AFCB if not permanent moves, and while it is a difficult market the injury situation will probably determine whether AFCB decide to bring any players in or not in this window. For once though it may be a fruitless task to hang around Dean Court expectantly come the end of January expecting a big name to wonder into the club. AFCB may have Premier League wages and deep pockets in comparison to many previous seasons, but the expenses and plans for redevelopment will have earmarked for large sums of money and fighting relegation is not something that force many clubs to go mad on new players anymore.

Eddie believes he has the players to keep AFCB in the Premier League.

AFCB will have to take their chances with pretty much what they have if Eddie Howe's comments are to be understood correctly and in away I think that is how it should be. The aim of a club is not only to try and reach and stay in the Premier League, but to nurture and develop the players it has and to bring them on and by constantly turning over the players and spending to break the club record signing window after window, AFCB would be chasing a dream rather than reality.

Looking at the size of the club and its spending power compared to other premier League teams I am fairly confident that AFCB are actually doing as well as they can and bringing in another £10m or 15m player may look good for the fans, but unless they play more than 10 games and add something that the team has not already got, there is always a risk that a new face or two can do more damage than good. What I sense about AFCB is that everyone is prepared to do their best for each other on and off the pitch, and while teams like Stoke City, WBA and Swansea City mights start show signs of friction and discontent, the fans at AFCB are just concentrated on survival and backing their team.

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I'm sure Howe would spend big if he was in a position to and if he knew the players that he could get in to make the difference, but if that is out of reach, it's out of reach. It will make for a stronger bond between the fans and the players if the squad survives without having to bring in fresh faces and it will give the players even greater confidence in their manager.

AFCB are fully set and back in work mode

Eddie Howe gave the Bournemouth Echo a pretty assured reply that the key signings he wanted have been made now, and he does not expect to bring in more top level signings in this window. Well, that is the plan given out and I guess if there are no departures that upset the make up of what he has , Eddie is really saying he is happy with what he has at the moment, and that AFCB are in a good position to embark on their third season in the top flight.

AFCB at the close of the 2016-17 season at Leicester.

It probably does not give the press too much room to speculate about further business that AFCB could be linked with, but it does start to show that Eddie is concentrating the work now on developing the players already at the club and he is not wanting any outside distractions. The working that is definitely on and the players will be aware of that since they came back for pre-season training.

Business of course is what is done on the training pitch. It is the work that Eddie Howe loves the most, so it should be not surprise that he wants to get out their on the training pitches and experiment wit them. Coaching is clearly what motivates him most about the game and when he gets responsive players like Josh King and Harry Arter soaking up all the information they are given to put it into performances on match day, you can see that is why he loves the job.

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Building the club is something that is also important to him, but being there for the players and helping them reach their potential is key to what he does. He has a few players who need to tap into that this summer, and I'm keen to see what happens with several players and whether they really become rejuvenated for the new season. There are a few players that know they will be under the spotlight more than ever, and these next few weeks are probably going to be more difficult than some may like, but the aim will be to get everybody up to an acceptable standard by the time Eddie is trying to pick his starting 11 for WBA.

To Eddie it is a season-long goal and then more importantly a contract-long development that he will look at players to progress in. But for the players it will be about getting hold of that shirt to play in the first game of the season. 

In other news
We offer out deepest sympathy to the family of Bradley Lowery and everyone who new the brave boy, who became a great ambassador for Sunderland and football fans in general. Jermain Defoe has travelled with the team to Marbella, but our thoughts are with him as well during this difficult time.

The full AFCB Marbella squad has been released. 

HITC articles
- Burnley should make a move for Shane Long
- Chinese interest for Crystal Palace captain

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.

Is another wide man winging his way to Dean Court?

I am hoping that Eddie Howe's target of a new arrival at Dean Court this transfer window will be a player that can make the challenge of leading the Championship a little easier. By all accounts that player will be Demarai Gray of Birmingham City who has not seen a valuation from AFCB yet meet his club's acceptance and the midlands club would seem in no desire to sell.

So where does that leave AFCB's January window plans? I don't think they are quite up in smoke. Reading between the lines of what Eddie Howe said there is a chance that he can get his man. "I'm hopeful," he said after the Watford match which would indicate that talks are still on going to get another bid in. There has been no news of the Cherries chasing any other player with such desire and if the transfer fee could be agreed and the player wanted to come to the club, I'd imagine it will have been one of the hardest pursuits of a player that AFCB have had to win a signature.

Any heads up you can give us on transfer news Eddie?
That looks like he's laughing and not telling.

Eddie Howe certainly like his wingers and it is clearly the factor he sees as the best way to ensure that the Cherries have all they need in the second half of the season. When creation of goals has been the key to see so many of the players scoring for the Cherries this season it does not look like Eddie Howe goes about goal scoring in his team in the same way as so many other managers who just want two strikers that can guarantee 40 goals a season. The Championship has long been said to be a league where you need a good strike partnership and lots of goals to win promotion. Well AFCB certainly have the latter and yet I feel they have something different in a crop of wide players that provide chances for just about everyone in the side.

Will another wide man be winging his way to Dean Court in the next few hours? That is the question we'll soon know the answer to.

Transfer Watch
AFCB have been widely reported in the media today to have had a fifth offer of £5m for Demarai Gray rejected by Championship rivals Birmingham City. AFCB were said on social media to have put a new bid of £6.5m in for the player just before 4pm this afternoon, but that was unconfirmed.

Benjamin Buchel has been made available for a loan. Josh Wakefield has moved to Bristol Rovers on a month's loan. Jayden Stockley has extended his loan for another month at Luton Town. Joe Partington extends his loan at Eastleigh until the end of the season.

Just before 7pm Kris Temple at BBC Radio Solent said he had spoken with Eddie Howe and there would be no incoming signings today. I can have an early night!

Speculating to accumulate in the transfer window

There is an awful lot written about the Premier League clubs strengthening in this January window, but this transfer saga is perhaps even more of a headache to do something meaningful for SkyBet Championship clubs in this particular window. Eddie Howe admitted as much in not promising too much, but still offering hope when his main target is probably simply to keep his players together at the club.

Those who have made moves for players are already seeing some positives from splashing the cash. Derby spring to mind with their signing of Darren Bent on loan from Aston Villa on loan until the end of the season. He has already bagged them two important league goals against Blackburn. Middlesbrough have brought in Adam Forshaw from Wigan, while Ipswich moved for Noel Hunt from Leeds and Watford  have brought in Ben Watson from Wigan. That means just Brentford and AFCB have been quiet this window, although Bournemouth did extend Artur Boruc's loan until the end of the season.

Will AFCB have any new players to join Artur Boruc at Dean Court?

Looking at the Cherries it is difficult to see where you would strengthen, but there is always need of more goals and my only worry is if Callum Wilson has an injury. The gap may just have to be filled by Brett Pitman and Tokelo Rantie if that happens and the luxury of bringing in another striker may just be too difficult at this point, but considering where the team might be in May it could become a lot easier then.

We're AFC Bournemouth and proud of who we are

The words of Eddie Howe can be heard loud and clear. AFCB might not be as big a club as Aston Villa, but we are sure proud of our players and our club and what they do for everyone in the community. In Eddie Howe's own words, "we are a million miles away from being Aston Villa," he told BBC Radio Solents' Kris Temple after yesterday's defeat at Villa Park, but that does not mean that AFCB can't look to become such a club and soon they could be playing at the same level.

AFCB players at Villa Park. 

The way in which Eddie Howe talks about AFCB shows  just how committed he is to driving this club forward. He sees that there is still much to do and that while AFCB have not got the heritage and pedigree of many great English clubs enjoy, they are looking to build AFCB to a position where it can challenge these clubs on the pitch. That is something we should all be very proud of considering where the club has been in the last 100 years. AFCB has been a good breeding ground for both managers and players who have made it to the highest level. AFCB's history is a good one and there is still plenty of time to make it even better.

This is a project that is still in its infancy and yet AFCB are already challenging well in the Championship. In the match against Aston Villa, AFCB can say they were the best team after 45 minutes and they need to learn from that experience and push on. It is not such necessarily a bad thing that AFCB are now out of the cup competitions as the players need to be strong for the games in the league that are now coming up. That all starts with what should be a cracker against Watford on Friday night.   

We also have the transfer window to keep an eye on until it closes on 2 January. Somehow, I still believe AFCB will make a signing before the window shuts, as they are in such a good position that just one major signing could be all that Eddie Howe needs to get this team up.

Can AFCB keep "working smart?"

I'd like to say things get easier as you climb the divisions but it simply isn't the case. AFCB are hitting above their weight in most aspects as a football club in the Championship. Looking at the squad we have, there are not so many players that have not been playing the majority of their careers in the lower leagues. Most of the players have achieved with Bournemouth and rightly have earned their place in the Championship. For outside clubs with bigger budgets looking in though, those who do well make ripe pickings for them. Still Eddie Howe appears satisfied that Lewis Grabban has left for a club record-fee and the onus is now on him and his team to "work smart" in the transfer market.

Farewell Lewis. Use the money well AFCB.

I don't expect Howe to be given all of the Grabban fee, which he says is a "huge amount of money". Does reinvestment mean picking up a League One player with potential? Or could AFCB find that it can spend more if the Lallana deal goes through? It looks like a bit of a poker game is currently going on with regards to whether the Cherries are really going to bring in the talent to push for a top place in the Championship or bide their time and just stabilise where they are if they can. I think the value of the players that Eddie brings in this summer will be a clear indication of what the club's policy is and while they hope to move a few players on I am not sure how easy that will be and some may simply be released like Jalal who is now at Bury.

If you had looked at the Grabban question a year ago and said £3m for the striker in just 12 months time, not knowing how he would do in the Championship, I have to say I would have been pleased to get that kind of return for the club. Manage that for three or four players and the club becomes a bit of a conveyor for fostering talent and making a profit. It is hard to know when a good deal is done but if Eddie Howe is already looking forward then the fans should be excited in what such developments really mean for the club. AFCB have not had such large transfers before and if they are to survive at the Championship level they need to reinvest carefully and aim to maximise the potential of every player on their books.   

World Cup Chimes is keeping up with England's progress. View the World Cup Chimes tab to read a clearer picture is emerging.

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?

Howe ready to press for his ultimate ambition

In the interviews the weekend before last you just might have heard Eddie Howe on ITV comment that his ultimate ambition is to get AFCB to the Premiership. He has set his sights high and I can see why he feels it would be an ambition that could be fulfilled. While Roy Keane may snipe that AFCB haven't the cutting edge to hurt teams like Liverpool, there is nothing to say that may develop over the next few years with some further player investment and training of the current crop of young players.

Eddie Howe is not quite ready to walk out on
 his dream of getting AFCB to the Premiership.

The initial aim has to be to stay in the Championship and to build year upon year in attracting players who can start to challenge the higher places in the division. While Eddie Howe is at the club I can't see anything detracting him from trying to achieve his ambition. We are told that Maxim Demin is right behind Eddie and that they share the same goals. It is not a simple aim and it can't be done overnight. It will take a few attempts to build the club further, but if you look at what has happened in just the last five years it is hard to see any other club that has somewhere near the drive and ambition of AFCB.

Much will depend on the coffers and to what extent the manager can be financially backed. The target is clear though. The fans turned out in their droves for AFCB v Liverpool and they will again and again if Eddie Howe can get his team to challenge at the top of the Championship. The January window has brought some important signings. Kermorgant I always felt is the kind of bullying centre forward that always does well against teams like AFCB. It will be a good addition to have a forward with his kind of no holds barred approach to getting a shot off. Adam Smith can also surely only add quality to the team and at his age he is going to develop into one of pillars of the team.

I still feel that Eddie Howe has to get our midfield players to score more goals to help earn the club safety this season without most supporters having to look over their shoulders in April. If he does that then that would have been a very successful first campaign back in the Championship. And with a few more signings in the summer AFCB could start to become one of the top sides in the Championship.

Do fans get too close to players?

It as this time of the season that fans get quite emotional about players who leave their clubs and mainly for good reason. After seeing a player do well for your team and then perhaps have a period when they fall out of the team is difficult. There is a bond between players and fans, I am sure of it. We all want the best players to play for our club, but at the end of the day football isn't just a sport - it's a business.

We follow AFCB players around the country. It is no wonder that we
feel that we get very close to them and find it hard to let go when they move on.

That means managers are paid to make not only popular but unpopular decisions with regard to footballing matters. A prize player of yesterday may not be such an asset today or tomorrow. That makes it hard on players who also form a close knit camaraderie at clubs like AFCB. I think AFCB is all the more special because the players do seem to form very close friendships. 

Sadly these playing bonds can't last for ever even if the friendships formed can be life long. Fans have to realise that as well. I always find it hard to see players leave our club even if they want to go. In the past, many of those players left because they had done well and could move up the leagues. Now it is perhaps more likely that they will not have made the grade, as AFCB has many players that have not featured in the first team this season.   

This is not like the sale back in 2010/11 when much of the team was sold, because they probably over achieved by getting to the league One play-offs. The squad has needed trimming for a while and Eddie Howe has had lots of time now to work out which players are most important for him to keep hold of. It may be that some players need to move on for their own reasons and we should respect that. Today, we leaned that Miles Addison has gone on a loan until the end o the season at Rotherham, while Matt Tubbs has joined his old club Crawley Town for a month. I hope they both do well.

So do us fans get too close to players? Yes, of course we do. And some players we will not get the chance to say goodbye to this transfer window. So it is understandable that fans should feel upset when they players they like are no longer at the club. As fans we live and breathe AFCB and always want the best for our club, so there is nothing wrong in that. UTCIAD!