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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Is Boruc a top keeper trainer in waiting?
This is a fan’s personal view of AFC Bournemouth from the outside looking in. It reports on the daily official activities reported by the club and comments made by individual fans on social media and fanbase websites. Life as an AFCB fan is never dull. As a life-long supporter of the Cherries, it is the friendliness of the staff, fans and my enthusiasm for the club that inspired me to write this blog.
Sunday, 19 April 2020
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.
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, 18 April 2020
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.
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.
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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| 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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Friday, 17 April 2020
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.
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.
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.
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
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| The pressure continues for Eddie Howe. |
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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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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
Thursday, 16 April 2020
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.
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.
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.
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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| Chris Mepham will hope for a bigger season in 2020-21 |
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Wednesday, 15 April 2020
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?
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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| Nathan Aké has had some good times at AFCB, but will he be around Dean Court in 2020-21? |
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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
Tuesday, 14 April 2020
Callum Wilson more than most needs AFCB to stay up
Callum Wilson has been speaking out on SkySports about his desire to play a part in the Euros that have now been postponed to next summer. While there are several strikers that have moved ahead of him now in the pecking order, he still feels he could make the squad as long as he stays focussed and finds form, but he'll also need to still be a Premier League player.
Callum will want Bournemouth to retain its Premier League status for him to have a shot at the Euros. While he could move club he seems settled at Bournemouth, and hasn't been looking for a transfer even if the press have. But how many players that fall into the Championship get a look in for the England squad? It is rare even with the numbers of England players in the Premier League so small.
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| Is Callum good enough to make the Euro's next year? |
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So Wilson really needs to not only hit form he has to make sure his goals help Bournemouth stay up if this season is played out? It is going to need a super striker effort but Wilson has never ducked a challenge and his attitude is on of the key parts of Eddie Howe's side that has managed to overcome the underdog tag in so many games.
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Wilson doesn't see any barrier to what he can achieve. Why should he? He has risen up the leagues and has fought his way into the England squad. He has done it through hard work and ability and if he has reached that level he can get back there. The competition is going to be fierce, but if Wilson starts in the Premier League next season, and has a desire to be among the top scorers in England, it wouldn't surprise me to see him do it and take his place back in the England squad for the Euros.
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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - How big a hero has Andrew Surman been to AFCB?
Monday, 13 April 2020
How big a hero has Andrew Surman been to AFCB?
This summer Andrew Surman's contract comes up for renewal. I am not sure if he will get another contract, but I hope he does. He has been nothing but a true servant of the club and a real gent when ever he appears in front of the camera.
Surman might be just as highly respected at Norwich City where he also played in the Premier League, but his presence in the Bournemouth team really gave them them the experience they needed to help lead them out of the Championship and the solidity to survive in the top league i those first couple of seasons.
He does have a nickname of 'Sideways Surman' but his passing game has always been to keep things ticking over and moving. While he was never a big risk take he has been good for Bournemouth in keeping them concentrating on the job at hand and moving into space. It is a simple game when it is played well and Surman always managed to look like what he has done on the pitch was second nature to him.
His influence might have started to fall away a bit with recent signings, but Bournemouth don't have a more experienced head than Surman in the middle of the pitch and his time at the Cherries has been well spent in my mind. I hope he does get the tributes he deserves when he does call it a day as he is another player that Bournemouth haven't found easy to replace.
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| Andrew Surman with Eddie Howe. |
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Previous Post on Cherry Chimes - Has Chris Wilder shown Eddie Howe and others a better way to manage?
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