Who has the toughest run in among bottom six?

Everyone admits there are no easy gams in the Premier League, but many are harder than others. For example AFCB have never managed to get a point off of Man City and it is one of their remaining games, so perhaps that cuts the Cherries down to eight games to count. But other teams also have tricky games with Liverpool among Aston Villa's remaining matches, Chelsea will line up against Watford and West Ham will take on Man United and Tottenham in some of their remaining fixtures. It's going to be tough and yet the fixture that jumps out in a lot of the remaining games is the name of Burnley, who may well have a deciding factor on who goes down.

AFCB have it all to do if the season resumes.

Luckily or not AFCB have already played Burnley twice and suffered the consequences. But Brighton, Watford and Norwich all have to go away to Sean Dyche's side and West Ham have to play them at the London Stadium. Of the teams that have to play the top six the most we can look least favourably on Brighton & Hove Albion, who have to face five of the big guns in their remaining fixtures. Bournemouth have four such fixtures as do Aston Villa, but Watford have only three as do West Ham, while Norwich have two such fixtures left. So getting results against top teams is going to be most important for Brighton and Bournemouth.

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There are several six pointer games as we like to call them as well. Bournemouth are not in those having played all their games against the bottom six. Southampton are the lowest team that Bournemouth will have to pay in the run-in. But AFCB fans will be watching carefully on games like Norwich v Brighton, Norwich v West Ham, West Ham v Watford, Watford v Norwich, West Ham v Aston Villa. Norwich are involved in three of these games as are West Ham indicating that their fates well may rest on these bottom six fixtures.

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However, you call it we can expect it to be a tight race with a few more twists and turns yet. The odds probably favour Watford, West Ham and Brighton to stay up, but four wins from Bournemouth would very likely be enough to keep them. However, adding the points from these games last season to AFCB's potential total, from their remaining fixtures this season, is not good news. This time around we could expect something like eight points from these games. which may not be enough to beat the drop.

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For me the best fixture list in the run-in is probably Norwich's run of games, but they are playing catch up and may well have to much to do now. After that'I'd probably go for West Ham and Watford's fixtures, leaving Brighton, Bournemouth and Aston Villa with some less attractive fixtures to try and stay up. But who knows what might happen and even if these games will be played out.

In other sad news, Dickie Dowsett, former AFCB striker and commercial manager passed away at 88 on Sunday. Dickie's head features as the iconic figure on the AFCB crest to this day and is the sixth-highest all time goal scorer for AFCB. AFCB has Dickie's obituary on the website and The Bournemouth Echo also has a good piece on Dickie.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Has Gosling got a big season left in him

Has Gosling still got a big season left in him?

I have always liked Dan Gosling. I thought he could have become a big midfield star and made the England full team squad, but he never quite managed it. That hasn't stopped him from enjoying his football and he has found a real home on the south coast having played 138 games for the Cherries, he only played 24 games for Newcastle and 22 for Everton.

Gosling has been a strong option for Eddie Howe in central midfield.

Although Gosling has had to battle for a place against Bournemouth's other central midfielders, there always comes a point in the season when he becomes the main man and comes up with a super goal or two. Why he can't keep that form going for longer periods is probably why he hasn't always been an automatic pick to star, but when Gosling is on the field, I always know that he will have a go at goal if he gets himself in a good position.

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Dan is another of the squad members at AFCB who can come in and do a job when needed. At, 30 now he may have peaked and might be starting to find 90 minutes harder to do, but Eddie has bought in Philip Billing to do the majority of that work. Whether that means Dan feels like he is being pushed out or not, he doesn't seem to give any less when puts on the shirt.

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This season Gosling has made 16 appearances and came up with that special goal at Chelsea away. In fact, he seems to like scoring against Chelsea, or should it be London clubs in general? For while he bagged a goal a couple of seasons back in the league cup against Chelsea, he also scored in December for a second time this season against Arsenal. Dan seems to play well when he gets a run of games, but they never seem to be that many before he gets injured.

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Dan is another player that AFCB will find harder to replace than might be suspected at first. He is a good fill in player that takes the weight off of some of the other players and he is an intelligent player who isn't afraid to get stuck in when it gets feisty. This season he'll probably be most remembered for his spat with Jon Moss in the Sheffield United away match. Gosling wears his heart on his sleeve. He wants to win and Bournemouth will need him during the final nine games of this season if it is played to a finish.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - What chance of an early Premier League resumption?

What chance of an early Premier League resumption?

I have no doubt that the authorities will do all they can to try and get the Premier League season completed. But I just hope they don't make a fiasco of it by playing behind closed doors and ramming it into five weeks. That is the preferred plan though by the sounds of the outcome of the recent Premier League meeting, which has pencilled in a hopeful start date of 8 June 2020 as a best case scenario, as reported by SkySports.

When will we see something like this again?

The game won't be the same no matter how the league continues. If games do resume in June it will be an intense period with the fate of AFCB among other clubs hanging by a thread. But I feel that clubs like Bournemouth will be at a disadvantage of we have to play behind closed doors. The Bournemouth fans do give the team an extra man and the players respond to their presence and singing. But a resumption of some kind has to be better than halting the season now and taking the league positions as final and seeing AFCB relegated on goal difference without kicking another ball.

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The Premier League will meet again on 1 May to reassess the situation of COVID-19, but the date of 30 June is the one that looms large with players contracts ending. It's a deadline that isn't going to shift, and if things aren't settled by the end of June I can only see the season being abandoned if players remove their service with their contracts coming to an end.

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The solutions will be worked out by much more clever individuals than me, but being fair is going to be very difficult. The pressure will only mount as we get into the summer months and every week when the government extends the lockdown, there is more doubt on whether the season will be completed at all.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Is Boruc a top keeper trainer in waiting?

Is Boruc a top keeper trainer in waiting?

This season Artur Boruc hasn't had that much first team action, although he has kept the bench warm when required for Aaron Ramsdale. Looking back at the match against Fulham that AFCB put on YouTube on Thursday reminded me of how important Artur was in getting Bournemouth promoted to the top league. He has gained all the experience and knowledge to keep him at the top of the game for a long time, and he might just have been one of Eddie Howe's best buys over the years, when it comes to value for money.

The big Pole has been great to have around Dean Court - long may it continue.

That contract with AFCB might only be getting renewed one season at a time, but how good would it be for Boruc to stay at the club as long as he wanted and sign up for a keeper trainer job with the Cherries? I think that Bournemouth has enough keeper cover now for match days, but Boruc would be a great addition to any club's keeper schooling team and if he stayed at Bournemouth I'd be pretty chuffed, especially if it meant Boruc would spend more years with AFCB than he did with Southampton.

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It is not that often that we love players that sign from that lot down the road, but there are a couple with Andrew Surman and Artur Boruc that are in the current squad that couldn't have done more for AFCB. Both though seem a bit of the unsung hero type to me. Boruc never says very much and has said that he is not one to put his arm up first when it comes to interviews, but the fans still live him and he is one of those who let's his actions speak for themselves.

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If Boruc does get an extended contract at AFCB I'll be over the moon for him as he deserves a lot of thanks from AFCB for what he has done in the last five years and more. He always has a cheeky smile when knocking the ball around with the other keepers and clearly loves his work, I only hope he knows how much the fans still love having a big Pole in our goal, when he gets the chance.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - There's no release of pressure for Eddie Howe

There's no release of pressure for Eddie Howe

I listened in to the SkySports interview led by Graeme Souness with Eddie Howe the other day and it was clear that Eddie was still feeling a lot of pressure, despite there being no games at the moment. The perilous situation in which the club has been left in with nine games to go must weight heavily on him, even if he says he only looks forward.

The pressure continues for Eddie Howe.

In a way Eddie has to plan for not only the games to come but also the questions regarding the players and possible transfers. But he doesn't even know what league Bournemouth will be in, and it must be a real quandary as to what he can do at this point in time to make sure he gets the best outcome.

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I had wondered earlier in the year if the pressure might get to Eddie Howe and that he might have resigned his position. But he battled on and is perhaps now in an even more difficult position when he was then. His hands are effectively tied and the season is in indefinite limbo, and yet there are more and more problems with the club to deal with financially every day that this pandemic goes on.

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When we look back on this period it is going to be fascinating to hear what Eddie Howe says about it, and how he felt about not being able to do what he would have liked with his players and preparation for the restart if it happens. The only comfort he has is that there are other managers on the same or worse points total who have also not been in this situation before.

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It is hard to see how anyone can make sure they come out on top, but the pressure of that is certainly clearly seen in Eddie Howe and I hope he finds a way to relieve the stress in the uncertain times.

In other news, it was great to see happier times with AFCB's 1-5 re-run of their win at Fulham in their Championship winning season on YouTube last night.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - It's been a tough season for Chris Mepham

It's been a tough season for Chris Mepham

I have a lot of time for Chris Mepham. He has been the quiet man at the back who has filled in at times of crisis. He has surprisingly only made 11 appearances this season, mainly because of injuries, but scoring on the first day of the season has probably been his highlight in 2019-20.

Chris Mepham will hope for a bigger season in 2020-21

While Chris has only been present for one of the clean sheets for the Cherries this season, I think he is one of the defenders who actually likes to be making blocks and being in the thick of the action. Where I think he has been exposed is against pace. We really saw that against Leicester City, when he took on Jamie Vardy, but there is no shame in losing out to him in a flat race.

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What Mepham has to improve is his starting position and thinking two steps ahead of some of the strikers he is facing. That comes with experience and if you are only getting about a dozen games a season, it must be hard to pick that up just from training sessions. I mean in the Premier League you have some of the world's best strikers lining up against you.

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What I do like about Mepham is his relaxed style and long leg stride. He purrs over the ground and I am sure it is what drew him to AFCB's attention. If Nathan Aké is snapped up in the coming months, we will really come to see the value of Chris Mepham and I get the feeling he is a much better player than some of us appreciate at the moment.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Nathan Aké has to push himself further

Nathan Aké has to push himself further

Nathan Aké is in a great position. He is at a club that is able to give him regular starts in the Premier League and has a good platform to show his talents. While bigger clubs are said to be interested in him, what is Nathan's best option going forward?

Nathan Aké has had some good times at AFCB, but will he be around Dean Court in 2020-21?

I am not sure Nathan has had his best season at AFCB. He is always an important defender and has had 23 appearance in 2019-20 and has scored a couple of goals. But how good has he been? The clean sheets for Bournemouth have not been good at just four, and the central defenders have to take a share of the blame for that. I also wonder how often Aké has been named man of the match? It's probably not as often as the previous season.

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The goals for Nathan are always very important for Bournemouth and as a defender he puts himself in harms way to block what he can. But he wants to be a regular started in Holland's team and for that to happen he has to get closer to the standards of Virgil van Dijk, which is some target. Aké has to try and get himself out of the shadow of one of the greatest defenders we have known.

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Whether Nathan decides to leave and join a bigger team or not is going to become more critical for Bournemouth's number 5. He may feel he has time to wait but the lure of a bigger salary and Champions League games will entice him at some point. I still believe Nathan is not at a level where he can get himself that ticket yet, but another good season could see him get to where he wants to be.

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In other news, AFCB reverse their furlough decision and will not be using the government scheme having listened to the fans and widespread criticism of clubs taking the decisions to furlough.

Previous Post on Cherry Chimes - Callum Wilson needs Bournemouth to stay up more than most