Peter Neil Bell's Blog: Cherry Chimes, page 13

Put King in the starting line-up

There has been so many articles about Josh King and his proposed moves to other cubs, but we now know that until January at least he is a Bournemouth player with a year left on his contract.  He has been shielded from playing for AFCB and yet has turned out for Norway. Anyone looking at Bournemouth's squad would rate Josh King highly and rather than freeze him out of the starting lineup, I hope Jason Tondall starts him tonight in what could be a really important game for him.

Josh King needs to feel wanted if AFCB are going to get the best out of him.
Apart from coming in for Dominic Solanke in the 67th minute against Norwich City, we haven't seen anything of Josh King yet this season. Bournemouth looked shot-shy against QPR in their last match and to have a £20m striker sitting games out seems bizarre. If Dominic Solanke and Sam Surridge were setting the league alight then of course King would have to bide his time, but there simply isn't much firepower at the moment and Josh knows he has what is required. 

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The other point is that Josh is the senior striker now. With Callum Wison long departed, Josh can be the main man which is arguably what he has always wanted to be. I don't think it matters that he has to wait a bit longer for his move, he has a prime opportunity to show that he is above the average striker in the Championship and he can set himself the target of being the lead scorer at AFCB by January if he really gets his head down.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream -now just 9.99!Bournemouth would also have a great penalty taker with Josh on the field and I would expect that the there players would feel that they are more likely to win with Josh playing rather than him sitting on the bench. AFCB need to change things a bit after their last performance. I'd hope that one of those changes is Josh King, as he can only prove his worth to AFCB on the pitch. 

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Apologies for the Harry Wilson to start mention yesterday - old habits die hard! Of course, I meant David Brooks. At least I know you dedicated readers are getting to the end of my posts.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Rival Lines: 'There's some disbelief we got Harry Wilson.' says VFTN.

Rival Lines: 'There's some disbelief we got Harry Wilson,' says VFTN

Rival LinesMatch Preview: Cardiff City v AFCBBlogger interview: View from the Ninian
Twitter: @VFTNinian


I wrote to Ben at View from View From the Ninian this week and h kindly shared his thoughts ahead of the big game with AFC Bournemouth. Bournemouth haven't always done ell in the Welsh capital and Cardiff City are looking strong having just recorded a 0-1 away win at Preston North End. But what does Ben think of Cardiff's chances now that they also have signed Harry Wilson from Liverpool on loan.
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CC: What do you make of Cardiff's slow start to this season?

VFTN: I’m not overly concerned yet. It definitely feels like there was a little bit of a hangover from last season. The season running later into the summer was one thing but going close in the playoffs has had an impact. There have been some flashes of good - the wins against Forest and Preston were great - but we’ve also been poor in other games. I’m hopeful the weekends win against Preston is the start of a good run.

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CC: Has the club signed any players this window?

VFTN: Up until the final day, we’d signed a couple. Kieffer Moore came in from Wigan alongside Jordi Osei-Tutu from Arsenal and Sheyi Ojo from Arsenal. The latter on loan. Then on the final day, we got Filip Benkovic - a Croat international - on loan and Dillon Phillips from Charlton on a permanent deal. The marquee signing was Harry Wilson. I still think there’s some disbelief we got him, even if he did make his debut today…

CC: With Cardiff City just signing Harry Wilson on loan I'd better add the question of what you think he might bring to Cardiff City this season and were you pleased with the signing having seen how he played for Bournemouth in the Premier League and Derby in the Championship the season before?
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VFTN: I think pleased is an understatement. Middle of the week, things didn’t look promising. Swansea, Derby, Forest were all in the running for him and it didn’t sound like were in the front runners for him. But one by one they dropped out and then late on Thursday, it was all but confirmed that he was coming. He’s been brilliant the past two years and it’s a surprise he’s dropped to the Championship. He’s just going to give us that bit of flair and creativity that we sometimes lack. We have Tomlin but he’s not hit the ground running. A player like Wilson means that any free-kick around the box becomes extra dangerous and his link-up play and movement is so intelligent. It’s very exciting!

CC: Cardiff almost got it right last season for promotion, but what do you think the team needs to go one step further?

VFTN: I think it raised expectations. We were off the top six all season but we really got it together when the season resumed and we looked excellent. Changed the way we played slightly, started keeping the ball and it paid off. We were very close to reaching the playoff final and I think that set the tone for the new season. We needed a striker who can score consistently and someone to give support to Tomlin. So much of last season relied on Tomlin doing something magical and now we have Wilson, it means that the pressure is off him a little bit and we have someone else who can do something.

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CC: Who has been impressive for Cardiff so far this season?

VFTN: Kieffer Moore is showing that he’s more than just a lump. Lovely hair, great movement, and super intelligent football. Sean Morrison has been great at the back and Tutu at RB has hit the ground running.

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CC: Have Cardiff got any injuries you know about?

VFTN: Our full-backs both went off injured against Preston but it seemed more precautionary than anything. Tomlin isn’t involved currently so he’s probably out. The rest are fit.

CC: Have you been pleased with Neil Harris and what style has he brought to Cardiff City's game?

VFTN: Yeah, overall, he’s doing a good job. I must admit to not being overly enamoured when he first came in but he was seemingly unpicking what had come before him. Felt like things were stagnating under Warnock. The second half of last season saw a Cardiff team that was hard to beat and clever going forward. He’s not making massive changes overnight but he’s evolving us. We pass it around more, we try and keep the ball, and we were getting results last season.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream -now just 9.99!CC: How might Cardiff line up for this game?

VFTN:  I’m pretty sure it’ll be a similar team that started against Preston. Smithies in goal with Moz and Nelson at CB. Hopefully, Jordi is back at RB and Bennett is fit at LB. Midfield picks itself. Pack, Ralls and Wilson with Ojo and Hoilett on the wings. Moore up top.

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CC: Give us a score prediction?

VFTN: I think we’ll win 2-0. Similar to your last visit to the CCS. 
CC:  So, a very confident Ben from View from the Ninian. While we know all about Harry Wilson's free kicks we also know that he is not the best in tracking back and we'll try and exploit that. But I think Neil Harris is one of the best managers in the Championship and I'd like to see Jason Tindall see if he can out do the Cardiff manager. We need Josh King, Harry Wilson and Danjuma to probably start this game to give Cardiff plenty to think about so I'm hoping Tindall isn't too cautious in his team selection.

Read more of Ben's thoughts at View from the Ninian.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Bournemouth put in a flat performance

Bournemouth put in flat performance

If Bournemouth thought they would walk the Championship, the results against Middlesbrough and QPR have proved that they can't expect to win games with flat performances. The international break could well have been a contributory factor that stopped the team from keeping its rhythm, but the players knew they would have to hit QPR hard and they simply didn't get out of the traps. It was a test for Jason Tindall to see if he could turn things around and while the team picked up in the second half, he couldn't find the key to unlock QPRs defence.

Begovic brings out the saves to help earn AFCB a draw.
A point was in the end well received in a game that could have been lost. It is always good to earn a clean sheet and most of QPR's shots were from distance. What we did see though was simple passing mistakes at the back which could easily have cost AFCB a goal or two. Whether Jason Tindall changes things for the Cardiff game at the back is something he might consider with Cameron Carter-Vickers now on AFCB's books. But a change in midfield is probably even more likely with Bournemouth's cutting-edge severely lacking against QPR.

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It was a strange decision not to start with Arnaut Danjuma who has been the star player of Bournemouth's good start. As soon as he came on the team picked up their game. It looks like Jason Tindall will be reliant on the services of David Brooks and Josh King to get the team up to full strength and it is balancing how often he can play with and without his star players that I think Tindall is still getting a feel for.

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With Cardiff and Watford to come in the next few days, there is no time for resting up. Bournemouth have to find a winning formula if they are to keep pace with the front runners in this league. Putting a marker down in away games is the request now. That may suit AFCB's counter-attacking players. JT will certainly want more attacking zeal than we received for the QPR match that didn't see a Bournemouth shot on target.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - QPR hold the Cherries to 0-0 draw

QPR hold the Cherries to 0-0 draw

Bournemouth largely had Asmir Begovic to thank for getting a 0-0 draw against QPR. It was an international week hangover for the Cherries. AFCB really didn't make much impression in this game and were second best in the first half with only Dominic Solanke getting a shot away. The Cherries improved second half, but the Cherries couldn't create enough quality and fell flat for much of the match with QPR looking most likely to score.

AFCB only manage a 0-0 draw against QPR

Jason Tindall didn't make any changes to the starting line-up. The bench did change though with Zemura, Riquelma, Danjuma and Stanislas joining the bench. There were no places for Philip Billing, David Brooks, Josh King or Jadon Anthony.

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Match description
Bournemouth started on the back foot with QPR winning the first corner. Begovic makes a sharp save down low from Osayi-Samuel. 

Chair is playing well and putting in the crosses for QPR. Luke Amos misses a headed chance. QPR are on top and force their third corner off Chris Mepham. 

Not a great start by Bournemouth. Rico goes on a good run but is blocked. Steve Cook's makes a foul on Osayi-Samuel. Stacey has won a corner for AFCB. Rico is offside.

Lewis Cook takes a free kick. Begovic has to come out to beat Bonne to the ball. Lewis Cook passes to Amos and QPR  are in. Bonne shoots but Begovic's foot makes the save with ball hitting the post. Steve Cook concedes a corner.

A chance again for Bonne but he can't get the touch to finish it off. No shots yet from Bournemouth after half an hour's play. Amos is caught offside.

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Mepham gets the ball up to Solanke. Solanke drives the shot just wide. Begovic has a problem with his ankle but continues.

Chair is off to receive treatment. Kakay has been booked for a foul on Adam Smith. Osayi-Samuel is now carded for bringing down Adam Smith.

Stats
AFCB  1 Shot, 0 shots of target, 50% possession, 1 corner, 5 fouls
QPR 4 shots, 2 shots on target, 50% possession, 4 corners, 8 fouls

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Second half
Gosling and Rico give away fouls at the start of the second half. Rico has been booked. QPR get a cross in but Osayi-Samuel can only hit the side-netting.

Solanke is brought down by Chair who is carded. Rico makes another foul, he'll need to be careful. Sam Surridge is subbed for Danjuma on 60 minutes, while Stacey and Adan Smith switch flanks.

Bournemouth win a corner off Dickie. Rico shoots but is blocked. Danjuma shoots and is blocked, no penalty. Gosling has a shot but is blocked. Bournemouth are upping the pace.

Adomah is on for Osayi-Samuel on 67 minutes. Chair crosses and Rico clears before Adomah for a corner. Stacey's cross finds Solanke but he heads wide.

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Carroll is on for Amos on 72 minutes. Stanislas replaces Lerma on 76 minutes as AFCB push for a winner. Solanke gets free in the box but only finds the side-netting after Lewis Cook's pass. Danjuma is offside.

QPR on the break. Adomah and Carroll, before Bonne curls a shot over. Willock comes on for Chair on 83 minutes.

Solanke clears a free kick, but QPR have a corner on 90 minutes. Three minutes of added time. Bonne is offside.

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Summary
Bournemouth keep their unbeaten record, but fall short of putting in a dazzling performance. They really didn't get out of the blocks in the first half and fell under a lot of pressure from QPR. When Daniuma came on in the second half AFCB were much more effective and started to believe they could win it. But a draw keeps AFCB in the hunt and Tndall may have to rethink his starting 11 after this slow start to the game.

AFCB line-upAFCB Subs: Travers, Simpson, Zemura, Ofoborh. Requelme, Stanislas, Danjuma

QPR
13 Dieng, 24 Kakay, 4 Dickie, 6 Barbet, 3 Wallace, 12 Ball, 20 Cameron, 11 Osayi-Samuel (Adomah 67), 8 Amos (Carroll 72), 10 Chair (Willock 83), 7 Bonne

QPR Subs
2 Kane, 21 Willock, 22 Carroll, 23 Masterson, 26 Bettache, 32 Kelly, 37 Adomah
Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Will AFCB be tested by QPR?

Will AFCB be tested by QPR?

Bournemouth will have to look out for QPR's new recruits as they take on the London side at Dean Court. QPR have been boosting their numbers with the signings of Albert Adomah having been released by Nottingham Forest and Chris Willock from Benfica, as well as Charlie Kelman a striker from Southen United. The Cherries managed to keep hold of Josh King and David Brooks, and their successful attempt to land Cameron Carter-Vickers from Tottenham took them into extra-time on deadline day.

AFCB take on QPR today with the possibility of showing off new signings.
QPR come to Bournemouth on the back of two 1-1 draws against Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough. Lying in ninth place, five points behind the Cherries Mark Warburton's team will know they have a tough task to halt the Cherries' unbeaten run. Lyndon Dykes is going to be available to QPR despite having a busy time on international duty for Scotland. Bournemouth fans will be encouraged by the fact that QPR haven't won any of their last five away games.

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How many of Bournemouth's international players make the starting line-up is harder to work out. Chris Mepham was injured but played a couple of games, and Jefferson Lerma has done a lot of traveling while David Brooks was hardly used, and Josh King had the Norweigan games and all the transfer speculation to deal with. We also saw Junior Stanislas and Charlie Daniels in training as well as new signing Rodrigo Riquelme. So Bournemouth are likely to be not far off full strength.

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The strong duo of Dan Gosling and Jefferson Lerma could be split up in this game to give Lerma a chance to recover from a busy week. So an opportunity for Philip Billing, who warmed the bench for Denmark this week, could be likely and he'll be pushed by Lewis Cook for a start. The other key area is upfront and whether Jason Tindall sticks with Dominic Solanke and Arnaut Danjuma at home. This seems to be the most likely choice with Sam Surridge on the bench.

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I expect the Cherries to be tested more in the next four games with Cardiff City, Watford and Bristol City all having promotion aims. This is the start of a key period when AFCB can start to build a gap on some of the likely rivals for the promotion places.

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AFCB Home Form
DWLWW

QPR Away Form
LDDLD

Possible AFCB line upAFCB subs: Travers, Simpson, Daniels, L Cook, Riquelme, King, Surridge
Previous post on Cherry Chimes - If King goes Bournemouth really have to pick up a striker

If King goes Bournemouth really need to pick up a striker

Cast your eye around the media and Bournemouth are mainly being linked with the sale of Josh King before the window closes. While Everton are encouraged by possible talks breaking down with West Ham the fate of Josh King is far from settled, and if he does move n Bournemouth need to be looking to get a replacement in if they are not to be found short upfront.   

Will Josh King still be a Bournemouth player later today?

Instead, most of the news concerning new signings for Bournemouth centre around defenders. Football Insider has linked the Cherries with Aston Villa right-back Frederic Guilbert who is a 25-year old Frenchman. If that is correct then it might imply that Adam Smith is fancied to depart, but Smith is a very versatile player that I'd be surprised to see go when he would be so valuable in the Championship for Bournemouth.

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It is hard to know what is in Jason Tindall's mind and those on the board as they seek to prove that promotion can be won without investing any further in the squad than the acquisition of Rodrigo Riquelme. Considering that Bournemouth saw Ryan Fraser depart in the summer that is one player replaced, but AFCB are going to try and manage the Championship with a far smaller squad than last season and with much less firepower from what we can tell at the moment.

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The good news so far is that Bournemouth are averaging two goals a game in the Championship from their first four games. But if we look at the strikers contribution to that, there is just one goal from Dominic Solanke, while Sam Surrdige scored in the Carabao Cup. Even with Junior Stanislas and David Brooks coming back, Bournemouth fans may yet be wondering come next window why a striker hasn't been brought in now with Josh King expected to go today.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - An extract from the Disrupted Season - Games like Burnley put AFCB bang in trouble

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An extract from the Disrupted Season: Games like Burnley put AFCB bang in trouble

While looking back at games in 2019-20 it is not clear when exactly Bournemouth fans thought that it was going to be a difficult season, but games like those at home against Burnley really left even the most optimistic of fans cursing Bournemouth's bad luck. Having come off an away win against Chelsea, the feeling was that Eddie Howe was now getting an extra amount of effort out of his players. However, the upcoming defeat against Burnley made it abundantly clear that Bournemouth would be fighting relegation in 2020

The home defeat against Burnley was a particularly miserable day that put most Bournemouth fans in no doubt that the club was struggling.

While analysing the Burnley stats pre-match, it was clear that they had scored more goals than Bournemouth with 22 to the Cherries’ 19 goals from 17 games. Burnley also sat two places higher in 12th, so we couldn’t expect anything but a tough, physical game. Just what you need when you have a team that is already patched up and stretched for available players.

      The rain greeted fans to Dean Court on match day. There was plenty of Christmas cheer about on 21 December with AFCB Santa hats being given out and a festive MatchDay programme. Spirits didn’t remain high for long though. It was a turgid first half with no shots on target, and it was incident-packed with free kicks. Simon Francis picked up a head injury from Ashley Barnes’ boot and Ryan Fraser was left face down, looking at the turf on more than one occasion.

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The Disrupted Season (2019-20) completes the story of Eddie Howe's reign at AFC Bournemouth - it's available now for £11.49 as a paperback - visit Amazon to order

      Bournemouth fans were annoyed at the referee, Martin Atkinson, who didn’t want to use his yellow cards at first. But more animosity was saved for Ashley Barnes when he went down in the penalty box, before a corner. Philip Billing had swung around but hadn’t touched him. The home crowd yelled, ‘You are embarrassing!’ to Barnes for the rest of the game until he was subbed. The game was so bad, there were also chants to the Burnley fans of ‘How can you watch this every week?’ 

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      Burnley had come to make it as physically demanding as they could on Howe’s injury ravished team. But Bournemouth couldn’t create any chances. They defended well at the back for 88 minutes and then, a minute later, a cross found its way to substitute Jay Rodriguez who headed a winner. Burnley had done it again, spoilt Christmas and taken all three points!
      It was left to a disappointed Howe to speak to the cameras and utter his dismay at how a team that he prides on its attacking desire couldn’t manage a single shot on target. He admitted that the players had switched off in the last few minutes when Burnley had scored but felt the defence had otherwise dealt with the Burnley attacks well.

      If the team had lacked creativity, Dominic Solanke and Callum Wilson hadn’t made much difference second half. I was more surprised that Howe hadn’t used Junior Stanislas who was also sitting on the bench. I wrote on Cherry Chimes, ‘He was just what Bournemouth needed - fresh legs, creativity and a real goal threat. But Howe chose not to play him. Whether he wanted to protect him or didn't feel it was the right match for him, I'm not sure. But when the team lacks creativity, why leave one of the most creative players in the squad on the bench?

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       ‘I'd like to think that Junior was ready to play. He shouldn't be on the bench unless he is fit and ready. We know how good he is and what he can do, which made it all the stranger that Eddie didn't turn to him. Burnley was an old club of Junior's, and he would have busted a gut to do well against them.’
      I was also of the feeling that Bournemouth had not played their own game against Burnley. They had got tangled up in the physical battle and hadn’t stuck to their game by getting the ball down and getting their quick passing going.

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Bournemouth could rue their luck and look to move on, but the home defeat against Burnley was crushing because the goal they conceded was so late. It knocked the stuffing out of the players and the crowd, and Christmas was turning into a bleak period for points when in previous seasons it had been the period of unexpected wins. Little did we know that games like the Burnley match when one point could have been earned would be the difference between staying up and being relegated the next July.
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Free to enter Competiton - Book giveawayTo read more insight into last season you can try and win a copy of the Disrupted Season (2019-20). If you are on Twitter simply Retweet one of my tweets on the Disrupted Season competition and follow @CherryChimes by 5 November. I'll pick a winner out of those who have done this.

Order The Disrupted Season (2019-20)
You can also order a copy of the Disrupted Season (2019-20) as an ebook download for £9.99 or a paperback copy for £11.49. 
Some copies of the paperback are also now available from In off the Far Post, 901 Christchurch Rd, Pokesdown, Bournemouth BH7 6AX. Copies of Eddie Had A Dream are also available here as well as online.
In other news, Bournemouth are now favourites to win promotion from the Championship in 2020-21 - Watford fans love that, see the Hertfordshire Mercury
Previous post on Cherry Chimes - How ready will AFCB for QPR?

How ready will AFCB be for QPR?

It has been a long two-week international break and while several players have been on international duty some have not been away at all. The transfer window has also added anxiety for some players who are expected to move this window and with the club also looking to bring in new players, minds will have to focus very quickly on the next challenge of QPR.

Steve Cook may have an anxious few days wait to
see if he continues his AFCB career

The biggest thing overhanging Jason Tindall is probably the sale of Josh King. Once Josh has left the club, the players that are remaining will be more confident about those left around them want the same things. We expect King to leave, but it could cause major problems if he doesn't get the move he wants by the end of this week.

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It has also been a strange week for our Welsh internationals with David Brooks playing just 15 minutes for Wales against the Republic of Ireland and Chris Mepham being sidelined after picking up a knee injury against England at Wembley. The Mepham injury could be a concern if Steve Cook is the target of a bid in the final days of this window, but it probably makes it less likely that Bournemouth would sell Steve Cook. The player that is probably lined up if Cook did go is probably Tottenham's Cameron Carter-Vickers. Jason Tindall has already spoken out this week though that Bournemouth won't overpay for any new signings.
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Meanwhile, Asmir Begovic has decided he doesn't need to travel to just be a reserve in Bosnia-Hersegovna's international team and has returned home, according to Sports Witness. That may be good news for Bournemouth as Asmir is looking to keep his number one shirt at AFCB and seems reignited with the challenge ahead in the Championship.

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The focus really needs to be on QPR now and getting a positive result. Things can change very quickly if Bournemouth begin to drop off from their high-levels in the Championship, and I am hoping we hear some better news about long-term injury concerns Junior Stanislas and Charlie Daniels as well as Lloyd Kelly.  

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In other news, AFCB and the Cherries Trust to discuss fan concerns

Previous post on Chery Chimes - An extract from the Disrupted Season: Don't let this be the last time we beat Man Utd

An extract from The Disrupted Season: Don't let be the last time we beat Man Utd

Another extract from my new AFCB book, The Disrupted Season (2019-20) looks at the home win against Manchester United in November last year. Bournemouth had just had three games in which they had failed to score in October and Manchester United were looking to climb up the table after a poor start for them. It was a memorable game for me, not just because Bournemouth won, but I was rather busy on the morning of the game.

Beating Man United was a welcome highlight in 2019.

       "Nothing seemed that glamourous about the Premier League when it was pouring down with rain at Dean Court and blowing a gale for the visit of Manchester United. The build-up to the game had been a bit strange for me as well, as it was an early 12:30 kick-off and I had lots on my mind.
      I had been busy driving down from Redhill to see Paul Orchard at In off the Far Post. He had ordered some copies of Eddie Had A Dream, my first book, to sell in his shop in Pokesdown. I had managed to get down for 10 am and waited in the shelter of Paul’s shop and took the opportunity to see England take on South Africa in the Rugby Union World Cup Final. It didn’t go well for Eddie Jones’ team, and I hoped that our Eddie would be more successful and perhaps get a draw in the afternoon.

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      But I felt more confident that the day could improve when I met up with Sam Davis, of the Back of the Net podcast, in the 1910 Bar. We had a quick conversation about Eddie Had A Dream, which we had an interview about the week before, on Sam’s podcast, and agreed to meet up at half-time to do another quick interview that would go out later in the week. This one would update listeners on the progress of the book’s sales. 

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      Having exited the 1910 Bar, I spotting a past favourite walking into the stadium. It was Sylvain Distin. He was casually striding up to the stadium with nobody else approaching him. So, I stepped right up and asked him to sign a copy of the Eddie Had A Dream book, which he kindly did. I was over the moon, as Sylvain was only at the club for the first Premier League season for AFC Bournemouth, and I hadn’t managed to get his signature before. 

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      Armed with my signed copy, I felt that perhaps the luck was changing, even if the rain hadn’t stopped. The match went pretty quickly in the first half. United should have scored early on, when their young Welsh attacker, Daniel James, crossed from the right straight into Andreas Pereira’s stride. Pereira had the goal at his mercy, near the penalty spot, but the striker completely missed the ball and the danger passed.

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      The biggest turning point of the half perhaps came, not when Ryan Fraser went over in the box and VAR was called into play, but rather when Martial went down with Lerma in close attendance in Bournemouth’s box. All hell let loose with accusations of diving and Fred getting more than a bit involved, pushing Lerma, who needed Aaron Ramsdale to help shepherd the Colombian away from the incident. It was too late for Lerma, who was booked and would be suspended for the next game. At least he didn’t do anything more serious in retaliation.
      Once rattled though, Bournemouth upped their game. The defining moment of the match came right on half-time. I was speaking into my voice recorder on my phone at the time, summing up the first half, when Adam Smith put in a high ball that Josh King chested down. Josh King allowed the ball to bounce before accepting the challenge from Aaron Wan-Bissaka and swivelled to his left to fire an unstoppable shot down and past David de Gea in goal. Like most Bournemouth fans, I didn’t wait to hear a VAR check. I was pumping the air and shouting, ‘King has scored! Josh has scored!’ Bournemouth now had United just where they wanted them.
      I duly did my half-time interview with Back of the Net and admitted that I’d got the score wrong – it wouldn’t be a 0-0 result. But I hung on to the hope that the Cherries would keep their clean sheet and end the game 1-0, which is exactly what happened.

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      I summed up the match on the blog, feeling rather jubilant. ‘In the end, the 1-0 win is pleasing in that Bournemouth took their best chance and kept United at bay for another clean sheet. Eddie Howe won't have much to grumble at after that performance, and the home crowd got fully behind the team which made it a great game to be at."

If you haven't yet bought a copy of Eddie Had A Dream yet, it is still available on Amazon for £9.99 in paperback and £7.99 as an ebook download.

The Disrupted Season (2019-2020), from where this Manchester United game extract is taken, is also available for £11.49 as a paperback and £9.99 as an ebook download. If you are looking for birthday or Christmas presents for AFCB fans you can get them nice and early and the paperbacks only take a few days to arrive in the post with 15 per cent being donated to Julia's House Children's Charity.

Previous posts on Cherry Chimes - Why is Lerma thriving in the Championship

Why is Lerma thriving in the Championship?

With two goals already to his name this season, there has been a bit of a rebirth of Jefferson Lerma at AFCB. He has always been seen as the tough-tackling hardened midfielder who will commit a bad foul with regularity, but now he has started to become a bit of a marksman for goals.

Lerma has found a new lease of life with his goals.

I have to credit not only Jefferson but Jason Tindall and his coaches for bringing out another side in Jefferson's game. The opposition's box always seemed almost beyond Jefferson's limit except when he could go forward for set-pieces. We have seen a couple of strikes this season though from the edge of the area that have basically been passed into the net by Jefferson and he seems comfortable in going forward and scoring goals now.

Advertisement Ebook version of The Disrupted season £9.99The crosses Jack Stacey and Adam Smith have supplied have been very profitable for the whole team, but Lerma has been picking up positions where he is arriving on well-timed funs into the box. It's something that we didn't see under Eddie Howe and we are seeing a different side to Lerma's game.

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- it's available now for £11.49 as a paperback - visit Amazon to order
Bournemouth hadn't been seeing central midfielders scoring many goals in recent seasons, but I think Gosling and Lerma are being helped by the runs of Danjuma. Danjuma's runs are particularly penetrating and with his pace defenders are not tracking other Bournemouth players quite as closely when Danjuma is in full flow. The balance of the side seems much better than for some time, and with Lerma having time in the Championship to pick his spot he has been very accurate.

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Perhaps Bournemouth played too much for Callum Wilson and Josh King to get on the end of moves in the past. With Solanke, we have a striker that doesn't always think shoot for himself when he sees other players in a good position. But Lerma especially seems to want to take responsibility for having a shot, and for the moment, he and Gosling are cashing in on Bournemouth attacks. I'm not sure Leram expects to keep scoring, but it wouldn't be a big surprise if he or Gosling got to double figures for goals this season.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Is Mepham able to step up his game?
In other news, West Ham's £13m bid for Josh King has been turned down reports SkySpots.