Peter Neil Bell's Blog: Cherry Chimes, page 22

Can AFCB can hold on to key midfielder?

There are several players that we can expect to see leave in the next few weeks. Some of them, Bournemouth will know they have to sell. But there are others that they would really like to hold on to and David Brooks is a high priority among those players.

Official AFCB photo: Does David feel he needs to get a full season underneath hm at AFCBWhile David Books has shown he is a natural at Premier League level and there is plenty of interest in him from the likes of Leicester, West Ham, Newcastle United and Crystal Palace. Holding off one club is not to problematic, but when there are three or four it is going to be a stiff task to keep Brooks.

Of course, David knows he has not played much for the Cherries and may feel some loyalty. Bournemouth may also be able to offer him improved terms, if they can sell a good number of their players to increase their salary pot. But Brooks also has his Welsh international aspirations to think about, and may have to talk with Ryan Giggs, if he really wants to try and help Bournemouth win promotion from the Championship.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -£7.99!If David feels Bournemouth have enough in their squad to get back at the first attempt to the Premier League, it is not inconceivable that he might give Bournemouth a season to see if they can do it. But I imagine he will see some lucrative offers to ply his trade elsewhere.

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If David does move on, it is essential that Bournemouth get the maximum amount possible for him. That could be in the £30m bracket or they could allow the interested parties to fight it out and see how much the price could rise to.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Ramsdale next to go?

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Ramsdale next to go?

Aaron Ramsdale is being pursued by Sheffield United as a replacement for Dean Henderson, who has been on loan from Man United at the Yorkshire club. It would be a return to his fist club for Ramsdale and could net AFCB another high transfer fee.
It's going to be a struggle to keep hold of Aaron RamsdaleAaron has become a firm favourite with Bournemouth fans, so it would be gut wrenching to see him go. Sadly, I think he is destined for bigger things and even Sheffield United would only be a stepping stone for him. The youth that Eddie Howe has built so hard to get into the team is being cherry picked, and there is not a lot AFCB can do about it.

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It will leave Bournemouth with Mark Travers to take over. That will still be a good basis to keep some clean sheets in the Championship, and it is good that Eddie has give Travers a few games at a higher level already. Whether the services of Artur Boruc now become more important as a back-up keeper remain to be seen, but I think it would be good to give Artur another year to keep some continuity in the squad.
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Bournemouth have been well off for goalkeepers and it is one area where they have been wise to build up a surplus of players. It is hard to see that Asmir Begovic will be kept. Perhaps he will be sold to Inter Milan.

Reducing the wages is going to be a priority now and Aaron Ramsdale has earned a good pay day for the way he has performed this season. Even so, I think it will be hard for him to leave AFCB. Going to back to Sheffield though would make it easier for him to leave AFCB though.

In other news, Aaron Ramsdale has been named winner of the Bournemouth Echo's Micky Cave Award

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Liverpool are after the talented Lloyd Kelly

Liverpool after the talented Lloyd Kelly

Bournemouth look like they will be leaking players fast, as the big teams come in to grab the best players they can for cut-prices if possible. On the back of the club agreeing a fee for Man City to take Nathan Aké, Liverpool are lining up the signature of Lloyd Kelly, according to the Daily Express. 
Lloyd Kelly is a target for LiverpoolPutting Lloyd Kelly in the shop window for the last nine games of the season might not have been in Bournemouth's best interests, but Liverpool have been keen on Kelly, He was snatched first by Bournemouth last summer. Now the tables look to have turned. The only compensation AFCB fans will have is that Liverpool will have to pay significantly more than the £13m that AFCB plaid Bristol for Kelly's services. It would be great if Kelly stayed considering he has hardly played for Bournemouth since signing, but he has a rare talent that will attract big money.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream -now just 9.99!Bournemouth could be left with an improved bank balance, but very little to show for it on the pitch, as they start the next season. It does seem crazy that Premier League teams want to pick players out of a defence that let in 65 goals last season. Perhaps Eddie Howe was not so far away from a great defence but the best parts of it - Nathan Aké and Lloyd Kelly  - seemed to be headed out.

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Eddie Howe will need to rebuild the defence but he will want to build it around a player like Lloyd Kelly, so there might be some fight ahead to see if Liverpool get their man. Bournemouth might be able to keep hold of one of their players that are in high demand, but it looks like Premier League clubs are after Aaron Ramsdale, Lloyd Kelly, David Brooks, Callum Wilson and Josh King for starters.

In other news, U21 Zeno Ibsen Rossi joined Kilmarnock for 2020-21 season

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Cherry Chimes' July Newsletter brings you the best stories on the blog and the thoughts behind them from last month. The newsletter has a special story - What lessons need to be learned from this season?

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Six weeks to get ready for the Championship

AFC Bournemouth don't have time to dwell on what might have been. The Championship preparation needs to be in full swing with games due to start on 12 September. The launch of ticket sales is the first sign that AFCB are getting their campaign ready for 2020/21, and we hear in the local press that several senior players contracts are up and decisions as to the future of Charlie Daniels, Simon Francis, Andrew Surman and Artur Boruc need to be decided.
Who will remain for the Chamionship?I also imagine we will hear a statement from Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall to stay if he is committed to leading the Cherries in their endeavours to get back to the Premier League. Preparation is key and until we know who is leading the team, player decisions have to wait.

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Personally, I'd like a clean sweep of some of the players that are coming to the end of their careers. It is time to make new stories and see if some of the players in the U21 like Gavin Kilkenny, Nnamdi Ofobargh, Corey Jordan, Jake Scrimshaw and of course Sam Surridge become regular names in the first team squad. Jack Simpson should also get on the team sheet now. While Bournemouth can have U21s and U18s that they look to sell on, it is even better business if some of these players can force their way into the first team and with some high profile names likely to leave their could be opportunities for one or two of the younger lads.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -£7.99!What will be on the minds of the management though is that the Championship is a very tough league. The players will have less time to play their patient build-up football and physical strength will be required in many of the games to prevent being unsettled by bigger physical teams. It is a different test. The skill levels might be slightly lower and teams might not be punished quite as much for mistakes, but it is 90 mile an hour football and Bournemouth will have to get used to that again.

Bournemouth are back in training on 12 August and while we may see players leave before then we might not see much rebuilding until the latter part of August.

In other news, it has been reported by local and National Media that Nathan Akee has been sold to Man City for £41m.
Previous post on Cherry Chimes - It's hard to know what AFCB season ticket holders are signing up to

It's hard to know what AFCB season ticket holders will be signing up to

There was no big fanfare, but the season ticket sales are open now for AFC Bournemouth fans. We know most of the fixtures and they will become even clearer once the play-offs reach their conclusion. While there are 46 games and cup games to come in 2020/21, the uncertainty as to how some games might have reduced capacity leaves AFCB offering ballot system for games and refunds aplenty for those who perhaps sign up and find they don't get to go to as many games as they'd hoped.

Stadiums might only be half full as matches resume in 2020-21.Football has changed and it doesn't look to be for the better. Safety has to come first and that is going to make this another strange season. Much of what is going to be tested will be done for the first time and it makes me slightly anxious that AFCB are bringing out a new ticketing website, even if it is the same system being used by Everton and Brentford.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -£7.99!It would have been equally entering the unknown if Bournemouth had stayed in the Premier League, but changing divisions is going to mean much more work for the staff at AFCB I  and that is for a staff that may well be smaller in numbers now. Costs are going to have to be cut sharply and there has to be a new blueprint for the club to be successful in the Championship.

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It is easy to see why other clubs dropping down to the Championship have found it difficult to adjust, and I am not sure if being a smaller club helps AFCB anymore, it could be worse. But I want to be positive and see the club thrive. We need to hear from good news between now and 12 September, when the season starts, and hopefully I can talk about that on Cherry Chimes.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - what can AFCB fans take from Maxim Demin's statement?

What can AFCB fans take from Maxim Demin's statement?

I was considering what to say about Maxim Demin's statement last night. We haven't really heard from him much since the club won promotion to the Premier League, but he wants to show leadership at this important time and I am fully behind what he had to say.
Maxim Demin says it isn't the end of his AFCB story.It is only normal for there to be a bit of gloom in the minds of players, staff and fans after a relegation. But it is how you respond to the setbacks that counts, as Eddie Howe said in his post-match interview.

Maxim Demin clearly wants fans to believe their can be an even better future for the club, and the experience that has been gained from being in the Premier League can only make the club stronger. It doesn't have to be the end of the story, and it won't be for AFCB. It is not like we have become a non-league team. We are in the second highest division in the country and going to be playing in an extremely competitive league next season with many teams looking to beat a recently relegated team. Bournemouth will have the second lowest ground capacity with only Wycombe Wanderers having a smaller ground, but AFCB will be seen as one of the giants in terms of status.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -£7.99!Maxim talks of thriving in the Championship. We know we have a manager that has proved he can lead a team out of that division, but it will all depend on what players he can keep and attract to the club now. Maxim may well throw some money at the Championship again, so it will be interesting to see if these are simply words or real determination to get back to the Premier League.
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What would have been more worrying is if Maxim had said nothing. The rumours of him looking to sell the club would have only grown. Now there is a voice giving a bit of stability to the club after it has received a wobble. A steadying voice is probably what it needs and everyone needs to focus on the task ahead. Maxim Demin seems up for it, and it is important that the fans also feel it when they do get back into the stadium.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - An AFCB compensation claim against Hawk-Eye wouldn't sit well

In other news, AFCB announces season ticket renewals have begun.

An AFCB compensation claim against Hawk-Eye wouldn't sit well

Yesterday, TalkSport was one of the first media outlets to announce that Bournemouth were considering a compensation claim against the Hawk-Eye technology or the Premier League for being relegated by a point, when goal line technology failed to register a valid goal in the game between Aston Villa and Sheffield United, which would have made Bournemouth safe.
Bournemouth will hopefully accept their fate.The world of sport is a pretty unsavoury place. We know the Premier League is ruled by money, and for a club like Bournemouth to fall out of it, when 85 per cent of its outgoings go on player salaries, is going to be a catastrophe. But there is honour in the game and sportsmanship which are much better values to uphold, and if Bournemouth did launch a compensation claim, it would reek of sour grapes for many, rather than a valid claim to seek justice.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream -now just 9.99!There are 38 games during the Premier League season for every team. Wrong decisions can be highlighted in just about everyone of them, even with the level of technology that is employed today. Nobody believes now that the technology is infallible, but all the clubs signed up for its use at the start of the Premier League season, and it is the best added help referees have to try and make the correct decisions. There is injustice in sport and there always will be. If clubs can make claims against wrong decisions, it would open the flood gates.

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Bournemouth must move on and focus on getting back to the Premier League rather than waste their energy on legal cases. They will gain more respect and retain dignity if they accept the decision, when everyone knows that they were unluckily treated, and were a plucky team during their time in the Premier League. There is a legacy of reputation and I don't want that spoiled as many more people have a high respect for AFC Bournemouth now, and that has been hard earned over the last five seasons.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - First goalitiss - did it contribute to AFCB downfall?

First goal-itiss - did it contribute to AFCB downfall?

Steve Cook was clear that he felt a lot of the poor results that AFCB had in the season were not helped by conceding the first goal. Even when Bournemouth did score first that didn't always hold on to a lead. It was curious how well the team could play at times when they were really up against it, like at Man City and Everton and yet they couldn't perform at home after the restart with the exception of the Leicester City game, when even then, they didn't score first.

The first goal didn't come often enough for AFCB.I am not sure what was happening in the players minds after the restart. They still had a good opportunity to beat the drop, but only mustered seven pints from nine games which is relegation form. West Ham pulled in 12 points, as did Brighton and Aston Villa won 10 points, only Norwich and Crystal Palace gathered less points than Bournemouth and Watford, who bot took seven points.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -£7.99!Scoring first was perhaps on the teams mind, but it just didn't happen. The crushing free kick that was struck by Crystal Palace's Milivojevic completely deflated any confidence that had been gained from the pre-restart games with Chelsea and Liverpool. it was a downhill spiral from then conceding first goals to Wolves away and Newcastle at home. The Man Utd defeat was different because the players did score first and came out fighting - they were just beaten by a better team. The writing was on the wall by then, but still Bournemouth could have saved themselves. The failure to either beat Spurs and Southampton at home proved very costly. The away form had been bad all of 2020, so it was likely to turn at some point and Everton was a game where Bournemouth couldn't afford to have nerves. They duly delivered, just too late.

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Of course, Bournemouth were considered a team that made great comebacks in previous seasons, but these didn't materialise in 2019/20. The worry is not for me that the first goal didn't always come, but that the players are perhaps burnt out and will soon have to play again as a new season gets underway.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Bournemouth just weren't good enough

Bournemouth just weren't good enough

The time of reflection is now for AFCB and they have to get over it quickly and start to deal with reality. The season was a strange one with many complications, but however you look at it the Cherries were not good enough over the course of 38 matches.

Too many goals, goals goals in Bournemouth's net.There are several stats that make it clear why Bournemouth were relegated and we can point towards the number of goals scored and those conceded as a starter. Conceding 65 goals is the second best record that Bournemouth have in the Premier League, but in their five years they have not got close to getting the number below 50. While Bournemouth invested in Nathan Aké, there were no other big name centre-backs, apart from record signings Tyrone Mings and Sylvain Distin in the 2015-16 season. Chris Mepham bolstered the numbers along with Jack Simpson, who is home grown, but Bournemouth opted for recruits from lower leagues like Jack Stacey and Lloyd Kelly this season and they didn't have experience of the top flight before that, Even Diego Rico had only a handful appearances for the first team before this season. Relying on the old guard of Steve Cook, Simon Francis, Adam Smith and Charlie Daniels was honourable from Bournemouth, but not prudent when the club was continuing to leak goals.
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The midfield has been unable to weigh in with many goals. The central midfielders especially have been more defensive in outlook with Philip Billing and Jefferson Lerma being Howe's main choices in 2019-20. Lewis Cook and Dan Gosling have more attacking style, but didn't manage to push their claims enough for starts. With Ryan Fraser wanting out and Howe needing to rely on Harry Wilson to fill in for a star-man like David Brooks, we can also see weaknesses on the wings.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream -now just 9.99!Up front too, Callum Wilson managed just eight goals this time and Josh King struggled with six, several of which were from the penalty spot. Dominic Solanke might have weighed in with three goals since the restart, but it was too few for a forward that was a big signing from Liverpool. Selling Lys Mousset and letting Defoe go on loan, left the Cherries short of fire power and it wasn't until January that Sam Surridge was recalled from his loan at Swansea.

So, for me there were weaknesses all over the park. But it was the inconsistencies and individual errors that made Bournemouth sink even faster. Much of that can be put down to the injuries and players not having regular partners playing next to them.

We can also say the club wasn't good enough in losing games to other struggling teams. They lost the six pointers in 2020 to Brighton, West Ham, Norwich and Watford. There can't be too much doubt that Bournemouth were not playing to a standard that they are capable of and that is what hurts. It hurts more than knowing Aston Villa had a point more than they should have, with the point they got against Sheffield United, thanks to the failure of goal line technology.

Fans shouldn't be disappointed if many of the senior players move on now. Their needs to be new ambition and excitement about the squad. The players we have seen play for AFCB ultimately cam up short. Let's see a new era and more success. UTCIAD!

Eddie please stay

Listening back to Eddie Howe's post match interview with Kris Temple on BBC Radio Solent my heart went out to Eddie Howe. It was a tough interview and nobody likes to comment when they have had a major set-back. Bournemouth don't fail very often, but the club didn't have enough this season and Eddie Howe knows it.
Eddie and Jason's work is hopefully not yet done at AFCBWhile Eddie Howe will take it on the chin, it is important that he knows that the fans still want him to carry on. The way the team played against Man City and Everton proved to me that Eddie Howe knows how to get the very best from footballers. In the Championship Bournemouth need fighters and a strong squad as well as a leader who can guide them to be competitive.

There is a lot to be decided in the next few days. Eddie Howe has put his stamp on the club, and yet, he knows that there is no legacy yet from the Premier League years. He hasn't finished the job yet, and Eddie Howe will I think look at that and being a competitor will want to carry on. What the club and the management have gained is experience We have rubbed shoulders wit the best clubs in the country and, on many days, have even come out on top. Now it is about feeling good about the club and looking to the future.


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Bournemouth have to get a plan in place to make sure they can build a new stadium and training complex next time they have a spell in the Premier League. There has to be plans for a return. The initial business then will be to sell players and bring in more youth. Eddie Howe loves coaching young players and that is why I also think he'll want to stay at the helm.

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The fans also need to be reunited with Eddie Howe and Jason Tindall as well as the players that stay. It might not be at the start of next season that the fans are allowed back in the grounds, but we will be back in the autumn I hope. There is spirit still in this side in the way they took on and beat Everton in the last game. Now they have to show that confidence in a lower league and prove that their stay in the Premier League should have been longer.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Bournemouth's first away win in 2020 - not enough to keep them up