Peter Neil Bell's Blog: Cherry Chimes, page 14

Is Mepham able to step his game up?

Watching Chris Mepham play for Wales against England was a hard watch. He was on the big stage and hasn't had that many games for Bournemouth since returning from injury. He was up against some great forwards in Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Danny Ings and found it hard going, but he has played against some of the best Premier League strikers many times before and has to start finding his best game now. 

Chris Mepham could be the main man for the rest of the season at the back for Bournemouth
What I like about Mepham is that he is such a natural defender. He is calm and brings the ball out of defence with such a smooth and classy rhythm that he looks effortless. In some instances, it looks like he isn't fully switched on enough, but I imagine it is just the way he is. Where his game has to improve is watching players making moves on the turn and running off of him. He lost Calvert-Lewin on Saturday night and was immediately punished for the first goal.

Advertisement 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

It will be interesting to see how he does in the Championship this season if he can get a good run of games. If Steve Cook is sold, then Mepham will have every opportunity to be the senior centre-back. Mepham has played at this level well before and he should feel confident that he can be the voice at the back, but I haven't really seen it in him yet. He has been at Bournemouth long enough to be a main figure on the field and I hope he finds that by playing games he does get better at stopping forwards are looking to manipulate him.

Advertisement Coastal Garden Buildings

It is really a fresh start for Bournemouth and for Chris Mepham and he has to quickly stake his claim in Jason Tindall's side. Playing three at the back should give him more confidence that he can rely on others helping him to not miss anything. I think a back three really suits the way he plays. But we really need Mepham to bring his A-game now, and I still think he has quite a way to go even though he has it in him to be a big player for AFCB.

Advertisement Ebook version of The Disrupted season £9.99
Previous post on Cherry Chimes - AFCB may well have trouble holding on to their captain

AFCB may well have trouble holding on to their captain

The Sun is suggesting that West Ham are after Bournemouth defender Steve Cook as well as Josh King. Steve Cook has been a central pillar at Bournemouth since the League One days, so it would be strange not to see him in a Bournemouth shirt, but would his sale leave a big whole?

Steve Cook is now in demand
I think it would be a major loss because with Steve Cook you don't just have a defender but a captain and a player that others look up to. Having let Simon Francis go and with the sale of Nathan Aké, it has meant that Bournemouth have been shedding defenders with lots of experience. Losing another such defender may leave Bournemouth a bit light at the back for stature and leadership. But in other ways, it is time that Jack Simpson was more involved in the team, and with Chris Mepham and Lloyd Kelly, Bournemouth would be left with a very young group of centre-halves.

Advertisement 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

Jason Tindall may well have to weigh up whether it is good to have a fresh start. If Steve Cook does go, then many of the defenders that were criticised for not doing well enough in the Premier League will have left the club. With Adam Smith and Diego Rico also possible targets for Premier League clubs, Bournemouth's backline could be very depleted come the end of 16 October.

Advertisement

Coastal Garden Buildings

It will put much more importance on the performance and leadership of Chris Mepham who found it hard going at Wembley the other night. He and Lloyd Kelly would most likely be the centre-back pairing that Jason Tindall would turn to if Steve Cook does depart. A new partnership may work well, but there will be some uncertainty with how Bournemouth will do without Steve Cook. We have perhaps become too used to seeing the same faces and we know their game inside out. 

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream -now just 9.99!

It does seem strange though that players that were not good enough for the Premier League are being snapped up to play in the top flight again. While Tyrone Mings found that a club move did his game the world of good, perhaps Steve Cook will also find another level to his game if he does move.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - An extract from the Disrupted Season: Not even VAR could stand in AFCB's way

An extract from The Disrupted Season: Not even VAR could stand in AFCB way

Continuing our look at some chosen extracts from the Disrupted Season (2019-20), Cherry Chimes recalls the 2019 game against Southampton at St Mary's which ended up a magnificent 1-3 away win for the Cherries. It indicated that Bournemouth could string back-to-back wins together and we thought everything would be fine after the game as Bournemouth were firmly in the European places after this game. 

Advertisement Ebook version of The Disrupted season £9.99

Whoever won the match would go third at least overnight, with the majority of the fixtures to follow over the weekend. Bournemouth hadn’t won away at Southampton since 1953, so fans travelled more in hope than expectation. Now the 20 September 2019 would be a date to remember when another record was broken by Eddie Howe’s men. 

      Eddie Howe only made one change to the winning team against Everton. Lewis Cook was managed by moving him to the bench, after his impressive comeback from injury in the last match, and Jefferson Lerma took his place in central midfield. Ryan Fraser found himself still stuck on the bench, nursing a bit of a knock, while Josh King kept his place on the wing so that Solanke could try and break his scoring duck upfront. Harry Wilson also kept his place, despite recently falling short of his great performances in earlier games. Bournemouth wore their all-new, dark, navy-blue, strip for the first time this season.
     The game went better than expected for Bournemouth fans from the off, with Nathan Aké heading in from a corner in the 10th minute to give the Cherries the lead. That lead was then doubled on 35 minutes when Harry Wilson swept the ball past Angus Gunn from a pass from Philip Billing. It could have been a bigger lead at half-time, but Josh King had a goal ruled out by VAR for being marginally offside. The second half looked like being a tighter affair when Steve Cook made a poorly timed challenge on Ché Adams and a penalty was awarded to the Saints, from which James Ward-Prowse scored. Bournemouth fans would have the last laugh though. Angus Gunn and Jan Bednarek ran into each other and left Callum Wilson with the goal at his mercy to make it 1-3 in the fifth minute of added time.

Advertisement

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

      Philip Billing was my man of the match, but I could easily have picked Aaron Ramsdale or Josh King. This was a superb Bournemouth performance and we looked ahead with optimism. ‘There was one team that was willing to leave everything on the pitch to get a win at St Marys. AFCB may have found it tough going in the second half, but their resolve was outstanding,’ I commented.
       ‘Now the hoodoo has finally fallen and Bournemouth's players can hold their heads up high. They were magnificent and the running power of King and Billing were fundamental reasons why they won the game. Add in the sharp saves of Aaron Ramsdale and the defending of Nathan Aké and Jack Stacey, and for once Bournemouth looked like a team that was organised and galvanized in their single task.’ 
      Like most Bournemouth fans, I took particular delight in the Cherries' third goal of the night at Southampton. It was a calamity for the Saints. ‘Southampton were going to lose the game and it probably just put a bit more gloss on the scoreline for Bournemouth. But it's the kind of goal that will get rolled out for years to come now, as the goal that made Southampton look extremely silly in the south coast derby and that gifted Callum Wilson a goal,’ I reported. 

Advertisement Coastal Garden Buildings
Our happy faces left the St Mary's stadium knowing that Bournemouth were on the up and it felt good to finally win at St Mary's. What we didn't know is that away wins would become much harder to accomplish in the rest of 2020-21.

The Disrupted Season (2019-20) is available now as a £9.99 ebook or as an £11.49 paperback. 

The paperback will also be available from In off the Far Post at 901 Christchurch Rd, Pokesdown, Bournemouth from 21 October 2020 - pop in and say hello to Paul and you'll probably want to also by some other things he has in his shop.

Advertisement Coastal Garden Buildings

In other news, West Ham have been making inquiries about Josh King, while Chris Mepham had a poor night in Wales' 3-0 defeat to England in a friendly at Wembley.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Could AFCB lose Diego Rico?
 

An extract from The Disrupted Season: No even VAR could stand in AFCB way

Continuing our look at some chosen extracts from the Disrupted Season (2019-20), Cherry Chimes recalls the 2019 game against Southampton at St Mary's which ended up a magnificent 1-3 away win for the Cherries. It indicated that Bournemouth could string back-to-back wins together and we thought everything would be fine after the game as Bournemouth were firmly in the European places after this game. 

Advertisement Ebook version of The Disrupted season £9.99

Whoever won the match would go third at least overnight, with the majority of the fixtures to follow over the weekend. Bournemouth hadn’t won away at Southampton since 1953, so fans travelled more in hope than expectation. Now the 20 September 2019 would be a date to remember when another record was broken by Eddie Howe’s men. 

      Eddie Howe only made one change to the winning team against Everton. Lewis Cook was managed by moving him to the bench, after his impressive comeback from injury in the last match, and Jefferson Lerma took his place in central midfield. Ryan Fraser found himself still stuck on the bench, nursing a bit of a knock, while Josh King kept his place on the wing so that Solanke could try and break his scoring duck upfront. Harry Wilson also kept his place, despite recently falling short of his great performances in earlier games. Bournemouth wore their all-new, dark, navy-blue, strip for the first time this season.
     The game went better than expected for Bournemouth fans from the off, with Nathan Aké heading in from a corner in the 10th minute to give the Cherries the lead. That lead was then doubled on 35 minutes when Harry Wilson swept the ball past Angus Gunn from a pass from Philip Billing. It could have been a bigger lead at half-time, but Josh King had a goal ruled out by VAR for being marginally offside. The second half looked like being a tighter affair when Steve Cook made a poorly timed challenge on Ché Adams and a penalty was awarded to the Saints, from which James Ward-Prowse scored. Bournemouth fans would have the last laugh though. Angus Gunn and Jan Bednarek ran into each other and left Callum Wilson with the goal at his mercy to make it 1-3 in the fifth minute of added time.

Advertisement

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

      Philip Billing was my man of the match, but I could easily have picked Aaron Ramsdale or Josh King. This was a superb Bournemouth performance and we looked ahead with optimism. ‘There was one team that was willing to leave everything on the pitch to get a win at St Marys. AFCB may have found it tough going in the second half, but their resolve was outstanding,’ I commented.
       ‘Now the hoodoo has finally fallen and Bournemouth's players can hold their heads up high. They were magnificent and the running power of King and Billing were fundamental reasons why they won the game. Add in the sharp saves of Aaron Ramsdale and the defending of Nathan Aké and Jack Stacey, and for once Bournemouth looked like a team that was organised and galvanized in their single task.’ 
      Like most Bournemouth fans, I took particular delight in the Cherries' third goal of the night at Southampton. It was a calamity for the Saints. ‘Southampton were going to lose the game and it probably just put a bit more gloss on the scoreline for Bournemouth. But it's the kind of goal that will get rolled out for years to come now, as the goal that made Southampton look extremely silly in the south coast derby and that gifted Callum Wilson a goal,’ I reported. 

Advertisement Coastal Garden Buildings
Our happy faces left the St Mary's stadium knowing that Bournemouth were on the up and it felt good to finally win at St Mary's. What we didn't know is that away wins would become much harder to accomplish in the rest of 2020-21.

The Disrupted Season (2019-20) is available now as a £9.99 ebook or as an £11.49 paperback. 

The paperback will also be available from In off the Far Post at 901 Christchurch Rd, Pokesdown, Bournemouth from 21 October 2020 - pop in and say hello to Paul and you'll probably want to also by some other things he has in his shop.

Advertisement Coastal Garden Buildings

In other news, West Ham have been making inquiries about Josh King, while Chris Mepham had a poor night in Wales' 3-0 defeat to England in a friendly at Wembley.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Could AFCB lose Diego Rico?
 

Could AFCB lose Diego Rico?

Sheffield United are reportedly linked with Bournemouth's Diego Rico, according to Yorkshire Live. Rico is being sized up as a replacement for Jack O'Connell who is out with a long-term knee injury. Bournemouth might not have expected interest to come in for Rico, but Jason Tindall has to make sure he has adequate cover if a deal is done.

Diego Rico could be snapped up by Sheffield United
Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -£7.99!

Diego Rico was a slow starter with the Cherries but he has become a reliable defender who is energetic and puts in plenty of crosses when he plays as a wing-back. Bournemouth do have the recovering Charlie Daniels and the youth of Jordan Zemura as cover for the left-back position as well as Adam Smith and Lloyd Kelly, or even Steve Cook if necessary. So it is questionable whether Tindall would seek a replacement if Diego was sold.

Advertisement Ebook version of The Disrupted season £9.99

This period is quite annoying for managers now. The window doesn't fully shut until 16 October but any deals done now are likely to leave squads short of players, if they do decide to sell leaving them with only a potential loan signing to cover gaps. What I hope we don't see is a mass exodus at the last minute. Losing one or two players wouldn't be too damaging, but if Bournemouth are to lose King, Brooks, Rico and Adam Smith then it starts to look like a much bigger rebuilding project for Tindall.

Advertisement 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 appear ripe for plundering and while the club may be giving out signals that it wants to offload some high-wage earners, getting the balance right of when to sell and when not to is going to be crucial to Bournemouth's promotion prospects. Losing Rico might be seen as a good deal if the Cherries can hold onto one of their other players being tracked, but it doesn't look like Bournemouth are lining up any replacements for players that might go between now and the middle of October. That would be a shame considering what a positive start the team has made to the new season.

Advertisement Coastal Garden Buildings

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - An extract from the Disrupted Season (2019-20) A sensational return for Lewis Cook

An extract from the Disrupted Season: A sensational return for Lewis Cook

I am releasing a few extracts from my new book entitled The Disrupted Season (2019-20) to give AFCB fans a chance to get a feel for the text inside. The book was released in September and is already gathering sales and raising some money for Julia's House Children's Charity. The following section looks at Bournemouth's first home win last season on 15 September against Everton and the return of Lewis Cook.

Advertisement 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

     I detailed the mood ahead of the next match with Everton. ‘In a week that we have seen Mark Travers win his first senior cap for the Republic of Ireland squad, the focus on AFCB's keepers is as high as ever. The competition for the top spot hasn't slowed, despite the departure of Asmir Begović.  

      It was a fresh-looking AFCB starting 11 at the Everton match. Fraser and Lerma were rested on the bench to give Dominic Solanke and Lewis Cook a start for the first time this season. Diego Rico and Jack Stacey also came into the team for Chris Mepham and the injured Adam Smith. 

      Bournemouth got the important first goal from a set-piece when a cross came off Josh King at the far post and Callum Wilson could simply head in from close range. But the lead only lasted 19 minutes, as Richarlison crossed for the visitors a minute before half-time and Dominic Calvert-Lewin rose above Steve Cook to head in for 1-1. 

Advertisement

Ebook version of The Disrupted season £9.99

      The game swung very much in Bournemouth’s favour when Harry Wilson was subbed and Ryan Fraser came on. The Scotsman’s free kick, a few minutes after coming on, was deflected in off Fabian Delph, but Fraser was allowed to keep the goal. Matters were then finalised when Diego Rico chipped a ball over Everton’s defence, on the left side, and Callum Wilson broke free to lob Jordan Pickford and make it 3-1 to the Cherries. 

       ‘Bournemouth found their swagger in the second half and were helped with some poor defending by Everton. Callum Wilson has shot to the top of Bournemouth's goal scorers and looked hungry for more. It was Lewis Cook and Josh King that impressed me most though of the outfield players, while Ramsdale was again steady in goal. This was an encouraging performance.’ 

      Eddie Howe was adamant that the first win at home against Everton was a defining moment in the Cherries season. I was equally enthused by what the Cherries had just done. ‘Bournemouth would have been hovering just above the bottom three if they hadn’t beaten Everton. By changing the team to get the result, Eddie now has a happy bunch of players all eager to try and get into the game for the Friday night fixture against Southampton.’ 

      I added that ‘the match against Everton was not all perfect by any means. Before Bournemouth took the lead, Everton had hit the bar and looked the most likely to score, but a corner kick gave Callum Wilson his chance to add to his goals this season. Heading in the goal showed how he doesn't care how the goals come, as long as they come to him.’ 

Bournemouth win their first home game of 2019-20

      Even more evident was that Lewis Cook’s return had been massive for the team. He dominated the early part of the match and he looked like he had never been away.’

      Unbeknown to us he [Lewis Cook] had two games in the weeks running up to his first league match and was able to play a good hour against Everton. Eddie Howe said his team needed him to play and his impact could be seen right from the start. 

       ‘The crowd enjoyed seeing Lewis back in action and the way they responded to his every touch will have given him an even better feeling inside, which certainly helped his game. For me, he was the man of the match, because he shouldn't have been that good coming back into the team after having a horrendous injury. But he was brave and was pleased to start, which was throwing him in at the deep end.' 

Advertisement Coastal Garden Buildings

The Disrupted Season (2019-20) is available now as a £9.99 ebook or as an £11.49 paperback. The book gives a full view of last season and discusses not only the matches but all the turmoil around the decision to stop playing football, project restart and the drama of the nine game run-in.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Bournemouth hold on to Brooks and King for the moment
Championship Chat - Fans can't expect t go back to games yet

Bournemouth hold on to Brooks and King for the moment

There was some apprehension ahead of Deadline Day that Bournemouth could lose one or two more players and that was confirmed when Torino apparently made a bid for Josh King that was turned down. Aston Villa were also thought to be interested and following a 7-2 thrashing of Liverpool, it could have been a wonderful 48 hours for the midland club if they landed Josh King as well. Worse still, Sheffield United were not giving up hope of getting David Brooks. So it was an evening of checking the news for Cherry Chimes to see if Bournemouth were going to be left without a couple of internationals gong into their next Championship game.

Josh King stays at Bournemouth for now.
Pleasingly, neither Josh King nor David Brooks were going to be on their way. At least not by 5 October, when foreign sides can no longer buy, but there is the possibility of loan or English deals still going through if Bournemouth want to lower their wage bill by allowing King or Brooks to go. English clubs can still make bids until 16 October with the EPL sides. By the time of the next window, Bournemouth could be in a very good position to make a return to the Premier League, so any thoughts of wanting away might have dissipated by then. Of course, there may be some disappointment from the likes of Brooks and King that they haven't made a swift return to the Premier League. I think that any such thoughts would soon disappear though and that the project at hand with Bournemouth is a good enough challenge to see them want to show that they are too good for the Championship.
Advertisement 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
While we have seen Aaron Ramsdale, Ryan Fraser, Callum Wilson and Nathan Aké depart in this window, I think the majority of fans would have settle for those players leaving knowing that the team was playing Championship football this season. To hold on to Lloyd Kelly was crucial and the fact that Jefferson Lerma has not moved either has given the Cherries a very solid foundation for life in the Championship.
Advertisement Ebook version of The Disrupted season £9.99
Jason Tindall now has to integrate the young players into this team. But if there are not so many injuries as last season, it may be difficult for some of those players to step in. I would feel sorry for Jack Simpson if he doesn't get much game time this season, but players such as Nnamdi Ofoborh, Jaidon Anthony and Jordan Zumura have time to push for a place.
Advertisement Coastal Garden Buildings

The only disappointment is that Bournemouth have only signed one player in this window. The squad needed trimming from the Premier League, but they have more games to play in the Championship and I'll be crossing my fingers that the team can remain injury-free. 

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - An extract from The Disrupted season: Eddie Howe needed a remedy

Bournemouth hold on to Brooks and King

There was some apprehension ahead of Deadline Day that Bournemouth could lose one or two more players and that was confirmed when Torino apparently made a bid for Josh King that was turned down. Aston Villa were also thought to be interested and following a 7-2 thrashing of Liverpool, it could have been a wonderful 48 hours for the midland club if they landed Josh King as well. Worse still, Sheffield United were not giving up hope of getting David Brooks. So it was an evening of checking the news for Cherry Chimes to see if Bournemouth were going to be left without a couple of internationals gong into their next Championship game.

Josh King stays at Bournemouth for now.
Pleasingly, neither Josh King nor David Brooks were going to be on their way. At least not by 5 October, when foreign sides can no longer buy, but there is the possibility of loan or English deals still going through if Bournemouth want to lower their wage bill by allowing King or Brooks to go. English clubs can still make bids until 16 October with the EPL sides. By the time of the next window, Bournemouth could be in a very good position to make a return to the Premier League, so any thoughts of wanting away might have dissipated by then. Of course, there may be some disappointment from the likes of Brooks and King that they haven't made a swift return to the Premier League. I think that any such thoughts would soon disappear though and that the project at hand with Bournemouth is a good enough challenge to see them want to show that they are too good for the Championship.
Advertisement 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
While we have seen Aaron Ramsdale, Ryan Fraser, Callum Wilson and Nathan Aké depart in this window, I think the majority of fans would have settle for those players leaving knowing that the team was playing Championship football this season. To hold on to Lloyd Kelly was crucial and the fact that Jefferson Lerma has not moved either has given the Cherries a very solid foundation for life in the Championship.
Advertisement Ebook version of The Disrupted season £9.99
Jason Tindall now has to integrate the young players into this team. But if there are not so many injuries as last season, it may be difficult for some of those players to step in. I would feel sorry for Jack Simpson if he doesn't get much game time this season, but players such as Nnamdi Ofoborh, Jaidon Anthony and Jordan Zumura have time to push for a place.
Advertisement Coastal Garden Buildings

The only disappointment is that Bournemouth have only signed one player in this window. The squad needed trimming from the Premier League, but they have more games to play in the Championship and I'll be crossing my fingers that the team can remain injury-free. 

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - An extract from The Disrupted season: Eddie Howe needed a remedy

An extract from The Disrupted Season: Eddie Howe needed a remedy

As it is the international break, Cherry Chimes is going to release a series of extracts from the new book release - The Disrupted Season 2019-20. The aim is just to give a little flavour of how the book covers the season, moving from one game to another and month to month as Bournemouth looked to stave off relegation from the Premier League. This first exert comes just after the defeat at home against Leicester City and the start of the international break in September last year.

Advertisement 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

The team was also leaking goals and a remedy was needed. But how would Eddie Howe find a remedy with most of his first-choice players at the back, needing time in the treatment centre?
       ‘The holes in the team are starting to show. Eddie Howe keeps shuffling the pack, but as soon as he does, another player picks up an injury. Yet, we are only just a month into the new season, and teams that get a lot of injuries usually struggle to pick up points. We are starting to see that scenario at Bournemouth. It does seem unfair that wherever Howe looks to strengthen his team, he finds that injuries pop up in places where he least needs them. Last season it was in central midfield and now it is in defence, where it is worse when players drop out of the team, as the whole solidity of the side comes under pressure.
       ‘If Bournemouth were a blanket, it would be looking more like a patchwork quilt at the moment, but the problem is that quilt doesn't cover the pitch very well.’
       I was wondering where Eddie Howe would find the positivity to take the team forward. ‘The need to see Lewis Cook and perhaps Junior Stanislas putting on their shirts again is something that Bournemouth fans might not have felt was that pressing at the start of August, but the team needs a bit of quality and new energy and these two players just might provide some of that.’ 
      We all knew what Howe needed but would the players return quickly? ‘If Howe can get a couple of players back though by the end of the international break, and I include Simon Francis in that, then the mood in the camp might well pick up as might the results,’ I commented. 

Advertisement Ebook version of The Disrupted season £9.99

Looking back, it does seem that even in September that fans were looking for a pick me up, or at least Cherry Chimes' hoped that the return of a few players for injury wold see a new surge in form. The importance of injuries and recovering from them was never made more clear than last season for AFCB and let's hope the team does better in that department in 2020-21.

Advertisement

Coastal Garden Buildings

To order your copy of The Disrupted Season (2019-20) in paperback for £11.49 click on the link here. I have decided to support Julia's House Children's Hospice again by donating 15% of my author's earnings to the charity, so AFCB fans will be supporting the Charity to which Eddie Howe is a patron if they buy the book.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream -now just 9.99!

There is also an ebook version of The Disrupted Season (2019-20) which has a final chapter giving the match stats rather than a player index, which is found in the paperback version, The ebook also has live links to the Cherry Chimes blog. Of course, you will receive the ebook instantly when you order it and it can be read on a laptop or mobile phone – it is available to download here for just £9.99.

In other news, with the transfer window about to shut AFCB has been linked with a bid for QPR winger Bright Osayi-Samuel.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Gosling's sweet strike was something to savour

Gosling's sweet strike was something to savour

The jury might be out on whether Jason Tindall has a gift for getting more out of Bournemouth's players than Eddie Howe, but there is no denying that the Cherries are playing with newfound confidence. The last few seasons have not seen the Cherries central midfield players chip in with many goals, but we have already seen Jefferson Lerma and Dan Gosling net a couple of goals each this season. The system that is being used with three at the back is certainly contributing to the newfound freedom of some players who are being allowed to express themselves more.

Where has Dan Goslings shooting power come from?
While Dan Gosling picked up the player of the match award on Sky TV on Friday night, he will be the first to say that he missed other opportunities to bag a hat-tick. He was close when the ball was at his feet at the foot of the near post, but he didn't manage to force the ball over the goal line in that first half scramble. He was kicking himself even more at the start o the second half when he had a gift-wrapped pass that he ran onto in the box only to sky his shot. But Dan didn't sink on his heels. He just kept going and demonstrated that he would get further chances if he kept finding space, and he got his rewards arriving late in the box to put Bournemouth back in front at 2-1.

Advertisement 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

That was just the start for Gosling. His second goal and Bournemouth's third was something special. I am still taken aback by how quickly he turned away from his man and ran at goal. He was sure that he could hit the back of the net, and yet he was some 30 yards out. It was not the audacity of taking the shot on that got me though, it was the grace and smoothness of the strike and just the effortlessness of how it looked. The ball was still rising as it hit the back of the net with the power generated from a short backlift. The keeper had no chance and Gosling must have known as soon as he struck the shot that it was going to be a goal.

Advertisement Coastal Garden Buildings

With Jefferson Lerma also making the edge of the box strike his staple goal signature, there is much to like about the way Jason Tindall has encouraged his central midfielders to shoot when they feel they have a clear shot at goal. It's just something that didn't happen in the Premier League and it may be that the players feel that they can experiment more in this league and have the time to go for the more outlandish type of goals. If Bournemouth keep playing like this they will be hard to stop. Even though they won the Coventry game 1-3, it could have been five or six goals had they been more clinical. The finishing is still something that has not been perfectly polished yet, but it wouldn't surprise me if JT got the players to be less wasteful. He was already commenting that more goals could have been scored in that first 45 minutes against Coventry.

Advertisement
Eddie Had a Dream -now just 9.99!

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Gosling stuns Coventry as Bournemouth win 1-3 away