Peter Neil Bell's Blog: Cherry Chimes, page 28

Rival Lines: Wolves - we're rubbing shoulders with some illustrious clubs – and he's not talking about AFCB!

Match Preview Wolves v AFCB
Blogger interview: Wolves BlogTwitter @thomasbaugh


It has been a long time since I tried to speak to a rival fan for Rival Lines. Thomas Baugh was my first stop after Project Restart got underway and he write on the Wolves Blog. Wolverhampton Wanderers have been in fine form and even have a shot at getting into the Champions League so is there any thing that isn't rosy about being a Wolves fan?
CC: As we look at the table before the restart, Wolves are in sixth place. Would that satisfy most Wolves fans if you finished there - one better than last season?

WB: That's tough to answer as the team seems like it has the potential to compete for 5th and potentially Champions League football. But I think if we're being sensible you'd have to say sixth would still represent a great achievement, particularly when you consider we'd be finishing above the likes of Spurs and Arsenal who have been amongst the established elite for so long.

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CC: Nuno Esprito Santo has done a fantastic job, but do you fear he is now firmly on the go get list for other clubs?

WB: Definitely, but that's the price of success. Hopefully we can match his ambitions and keep him at the club for a long time to come. The setup at Wolves seems perfect for all involved so I would hope it would take a seriously good offer to wrench him away.

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CC: Wolves are still in the UEFA Europa League's last 16. Are you keen for this competition to be played out this season?

WB: Yes. If nothing else, it's another opportunity to get into the Champions League and with second legs being eliminated Wolves are potentially just 4 wins away from lifting the trophy. We're rubbing shoulders with some illustrious clubs now and given that most of my time supporting Wolves has been in the second tier, these glory days must be savoured.


CC: How did your warm up games go against Nottingham Forest and Birmingham City, did you get much feedback about the performances and are there any injured players?

WB: Didn't hear much about those games but the proof was in the pudding against West Ham. The lads looked fit, sharp and organised. We deservedly won the game so hopefully, it continues to be business as usual.
Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream -now just 9.99!CC: How did you feel Wolves did against West Ham in your first match back?

WB: Very well. I don't think West Ham are in great shape but our goalkeeper didn't make a save and once we started really attacking with some intent after Traore came on, it was fairly routine. We were keeping a lot of clean sheets before the season paused, so it was great to see that continue. We're a tough nut to crack and a threat going forward - what more can we ask?

CC: Wolves will have a big say in what happens at both ends of the table. Do you think Wolves have to take points off of West Ham, Bournemouth, and Aston Villa to stand any chance of making the top six?

WB: Possibly not for sixth but if we have aspirations of competing for fifth or higher, we probably need a return of 7-9 points. We've got 3 on the board after turning West Ham over but every game in the Premier League is tough, so I won't be taking Bournemouth or Villa for granted despite their respective struggles.
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CC: Would you be agreeable to cash in on Adama Traore if clubs like Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Barcelona are willing to pay crazy money for him, ie over £110m?

WB: I don't want him to go because he's a unique talent, so keeping him is preferable. I honestly believe this squad could get even better and challenge the top four. But if he does go, yes, it must be for silly money, so we can use that injection of cash to build out the squad and I'd obviously prefer to see him going abroad than to domestic rivals.

CC: What chance do you give for Bournemouth staying up this season and what are your predictions for the bottom three?
WB: I thought you'd stay up before the weekend but with Brighton getting that win and Palace winning fairly comfortably at the Vitality, I think you're in a spot of bother. I wouldn't like to choose between Bournemouth, West Ham and Villa. Brighton aren't completely out yet either as they've got a tough run of fixtures to come. I don't think Watford are going to drop. At present, I would say definitely Norwich, probably Villa and then 50/50 between the others. It will be interesting to see how your lads respond to that defeat to Palace.
Advertisement Coastal Garden BuildingsCC: How will you watch or listen to Wolves v AFCB and what is your score prediction?

WB: It's on BT so I shall be watching from home and based on form and league positions, I can't go with anything other than a Wolves win. 2-1.

Good luck for the rest of the season Cherries - after Wednesday!

CC: Some excellent points made by Thomas. I get the feeling he might have a bit of a soft spot for Bournemouth out of the teams that are battling to stay up, but it must be strange to be supporting a team that is on the verge of its best season for many a year and yet being held up by the lockdown up till now. I can imagine the frustration, while fans of teams like Bournemouth are hanging on to every second of being a Premier League club. Bournemouth probably need some complacency to get into the Wolves camp to have a chance of picking up points at Molineux. Can the form book be turned around in just 72 hours. I am keen to find out, just like Thomas. You can see more Wolves build up on the Wolves Blog website.

Talking the talk is not the same as doing the business for AFCB

Eddie Howe was clear that the players were ready. The fitness levels were good and the players knew how important the first game would be against Palace to set the tone for their Premier League survival. So how did Bournemouth end up out of the game in 23 minutes, and unable to put a reasonable effort in to try and pull the game back?
Billing might be back but the Cherries need more
than the odd player back, they have ti play as a team.The pressure of needing to do well was probably too much. They had built up the fact that they would play well and would really get into the opposition, so when the opposite happened they simply didn't know how to deal with it. It wasn't on the script that Luka Milivojevic would hit a screamer of a free kick from 25 yards in 12 minutes and have Bournemouth wondering what had just hit them. It was a disaster as Bournemouth didn't know how to reset.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream -now just 9.99!Once the players know that the other team is playing superior football, they need a break a bit of luck or an incident to go their way to get the heads back up. That wasn't happening with no crowd for the players to feed off and few referee decisions going their way. In essence Palace grew in confidence and made a great second goal from their point of view, which just sucked any air out that had been left in Bournemouth's balloon.

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It needed a player to get hold of the team and really nail on them that the performance wasn't good enough to be 0-2 down in the first 25 minutes. But we didn't see it from Steve Cook, Callum Wilson or Nathan Aké. Bournemouth need a leader and while I don't want to see Simon Francis return to right back, at least he shouted at players and let them knew when they needed to do better. I hope that some anger has been left off in the changing room and training pitch after the Palace performance. The players need to get it out of their system rather than just hoping things turn around.

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Bournemouth may be lucky they have a second shot at Project Restart away at Wolves, because West Ham and Watford are still in touching distance, but Bournemouth need to walk the walk on the pitch and not talk the talk before the game.

Previous Post on Cherry Chimes - Has Eddie Howe run out of ideas?


AFCBTV Preview - Wolves away

Has Eddie Howe run out of ideas?

Bournemouth fans adore Eddie Howe for what he has done for the club, but there is a sense that he is not getting through to the players anymore, or that he is running out of ideas to keep the success going.  While I remember a very confident coach that strived to reach targets that seemed beyond a novice coach, and a lower league team, he and Jason Tindall pulled AFC Bournemouth up the leagues with momentum that was built up. Now it feels like the club and Eddie's power have started to wane.
Eddie has reason to be worried.Looking at the match against Crystal Palace, I was even wondering if Eddie had run out of ideas? He didn't seem to make a big difference in the way the team were playing, although half-time did allow him to get Danjuma on. The TV punditry was constantly going on about how Bournemouth should go wide, rather than through the middle, but Callum Wilson cut a lonely figure for most of the time up front, and none of the midfielders could get up well enough to support, apart from David Brooks occasionally.

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When Palace had the ball, Bournemouth's problems were all too obvious. They didn't mark tight, didn't hold their shape and let runners move off the back of them. The tackling was fairly absent, and it wasn't nearly difficult enough for Palace to come marauding down the pitch. When Eddie's first ideas don't work out well, it seems the players find it either hard to adapt to something else, or get trapped in the mindset that they have to stick with the plan, when it hasn't been working in the first 20 minutes. I haven't seen Bournemouth look so uncomfortable at times this season since Paul Groves was in charge. It's hard to watch.

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Eddie simply hasn't been able to change the pattern and that must be worrying for him. He always turns things around, but he's struggling to get players to do the basic things. I know we are only one game back in, but the level of improvement AFCB need is going to be huge going into the Wolves game. Whether a couple of changes can make the difference will be seen. The majority of players who put in abject performances against palace will have to go again and this time they need plan A, B, C and D in their heads, because just trying to keep hold of the ball is not going to win games. The Cherries have to find their cut and thrust again. And by the way, AFCB weren't even very good at keeping hold of the ball on Saturday.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -£7.99!Former post on Cherry Chimes - At least Danjuma puts himself right in Eddie's thoughts  

At least Danjuma puts himself right in Eddie's thoughts

I was pleased for a couple of players who did credit to themselves against Crystal Palace ,despite a poor team performance. The first was David Brooks who was just about the only starter who lived up to his star name, and did all he could to get the Cherries on the winning track, and the second player I was impressed with was Arnaut Danjuma.
Danjuma deserves his chance now.Now that Josh King has picked up an injury that will keep him out for at least a game, it is surely an opportunity for Danjuma to be given a start. The Dutch winger really flew at Palace defenders and looked like he could be an express train if given the opportunity to go at defences for 90 minutes. I imagine Howe wanted to shield him a little, as he has not played much competitive football in the past year, but now AFCB need players that are showing form and Danjuma is a must for the match against Wolves.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream -now just 9.99!Wolves won't know much about Danjuma and it will be important for AFCB to have their own flying winger, with Traore expected to line up against Bournemouth on Wednesday night. Fighting fire with fire might be the only way Bournemouth can get themselves going. It was slow and methodic football against Crystal Palace, but no energy or pace until Danjuma took to the field.

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Bournemouth used to be all about pace and excitement. Now it is stuck in patient build-up and it's not working. I'd like to see Sam Surridge also in the squad as he should have been on Saturday. Bournemouth need options for getting goals, and can't afford to have no one to call on who can change the game. It makes me scratch my head why Defoe was bought and is playing up in Scotland and Bournemouth are short of attacking options. Danjuma is one wrapped present that AFCB can at least finally unwrap so let's give him more than 45 minutes on Wednesday Eddie.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes – AFCB missed their big opportunity against Palace

AFCB missed their big opportunity against Palace

Eddie Howe had to reflect on a very poor performance from the Cherries against Crystal Palace. There was nothing that gave fans any hope that the Cherries are up for the challenge of staying up, and the team have lost a key player in Josh King. Looking forward all Howe could say is that the league is still tight and the team has eight games left instead of nine.
That losing feeling just isn't fading for AFCB.The match was hyped up a lot by the BBC as their first match on TV of a Premier League game and the build up could have been too much for Bournemouth's players who were flat, and simply didn't play anywhere near to the standards that they would have hoped for. The early goal was a massive blow from which Eddie Howe felt the team never recovered. Confidence was shot and the team just didn't see a way of taking the game to a well organised Crystal Palace.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -£7.99!Bournemouth have to put the defeat immediately behind them. There is no time to dwell on a lacklustre performance because Wolves are waiting on Wednesday night and they are in fantastic form, pushing for Europe. The chilling thought for Bournemouth fans is that there was no sign of much creativity in front of goal, and no solidity to the defence at right back or left back. Howe will surely make changes and the glimmer of sparkle from David Brooks and Arnaut Danjuma is really all fans had to grasp hold of against Palace.

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The match against Crystal Palace was a missed opportunity to escape the bottom three. That looks harder now with a bigger goal difference and Brighton are looking almost safe. All the pressure is on the Cherries as they look to stay in contact with Watford, who picked up another point, and West Ham just above Bournemouth. In a weekend when West Ham, Aston Villa, Norwich and Watford failed to win, Bournemouth lost their nerve. There can't be many more opportunities like this with the fixtures AFCB have left. I think the players knew that to after the game, so it was no surprise that heads were down.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Bournemouth get stuck in the starting blocks against Palace

Bournemouth get stuck in the starting blocks against Palace

Match ReportAFCB 0 v 2 Crystal Palace20 June 2020

Project restart didn't begin at all for the Cherries. A master free kick from Lika Milivojevic in the first 12 minutes, and with Jordan Ayew made it 2-0 on 23 minutes, Bournemouth were chasing shadows. Zaha pulled the strings in the first 45 minutes, and Bournemouth fans expected Eddie Howe to give the Cherries a rocket at half-time. The second half offered little consolation with Josh King hobbling off from a Gary Cahill challenge. Bournemouth offered little on the big night and deserved nothing. Keeping Bournemouth up looks beyond even Eddie Howe at this moment.
Guess who's back?

Bournemouth made three changes to their last match against Liverpool. In came David Brooks, Harry Wilson and Josh King. Dropped were Ryan Fraser, Philip Billing and Junior Stanislas. Lewis Cook also got the nod over Dan Gosling in centre midfield.It was a sunny evening with the players standing around the centre circle before kick-off ready for the Premier League music, before they took the knee for black lives matter campaign.
Crystal Palace started fast, but Bournemouth got into their stride by the second minute. David Brooks was seeing a bit of the ball early on and Bournemouth were passing well to keep hold of possession. Brooks ran well down the right but couldn't keep the ball in play, despite beating McArthur. Lewis Cook knocked the ball in on five minutes, but it was never going to stand.Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream -now just 9.99!Lerma was getting stuck in, and Lewis Cook made a good run down the centre of the field before he over hit a pass. Callum Wilson then put an even worse pass out on half way.
McArthur beat a few players in Bournemouth's right side, before Zaha hit a shot over in Palace's most menacing move of the opening minutes. Brooks then gave away a free kick on Zaha outside the box. The momentum was with Palace. Milivojevic struck the free kick right in the top left corner on 12 minutes, even though Ramsdale got a hand to it. 
Brooks did a good reverse pass, then Josh King got a good ball through to Callum Wilson, but Cahill defended well for a corner. Brooks knocked the ball back in and Callum headed over on 17 minutes.Advertisement Coastal Garden Buildings

Stacey put a weak clearance out before Milivojevic hammered a shot over. Bournemouth have been shaken by the goal and it is all Palace for the moment. 
Zaha bides his time. Van Aanholt then ran around the back of Bournemouth's right side, past Harry Wilson and Jack Stacey, and Jordon Ayew made it 2-0 from around the penalty spot, right in the bottom left corner on 23 minutes. Harry Wilson didn't track his runner and Adam Smith let Ajew run free as well.
Bournemouth look completely out of sorts. King's shot goes wider than the corner flag! Steve Cook then over hits a long ball. Brooks battles away before Lerma stabs a shot wide. If anything is going to happen for Bournemouth, it will be via David Brooks you feel.
Bournemouth finally win a corner on 35 minutes from a Stacey cross. A short corner ends up with AFCB winning another corner. At the other end, Steve Cook puts the ball out for a corner. Aké wins the header before King is fouled. 
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Bournemouth win a corner five minutes before half-time. Aké goes down and Benteke heads the ball out. The VAR check says the block on Aké was accidental. Harry Wilson is clipped. Brooks with a free kick over hits it. 
Ayew is carded gong through on the back of Lerma. Two added minutes. Stacey gets in behind, but is blocked for a corner. Lewis Cook sops a breakaway but Adam Smith us carded for a late challenge on Zaha.
Bournemouth host the first BBC Premier League
match ever but it's a game we'll want to forget.
Second half
Harry Wilson was replaced by Arnaut Danjuma at half-time. Lewis Cook gave away a foul straight away. King is fouled on the break by Cahill. King has signalled to go off. King is on his feet but the challenge went straight through his left ankle. Solanke is coming on after 49 minutes for King.
Lerma has a shot blocked by Scott Dann. Danjuma made a good turn, before Lewis Cook slipped a shot wide.
A free kick to Bournemouth on 54 minutes was bent high by Lewis Cook, but Lerma was offside. Danjuma does well and wins a corner. Brooks and Stacey work well to get another corner.
David Brooks is subbed on 61 minutes for Junior Stanislas. Solanke plays well to win a corner taking on three players. Aké heads at goal, but the keeper saves. Aké collides with Cahill. Aké's header as the first Bournemouth attempt on goal on 64 minutes.
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Milivojevic us subbed for McArthy on 65 minutes. Lewis Cook is carded for a challenge on Ayew. Crazy, he got the ball. When King had a challenge like that earlier, Cahill was not booked.
Solanke bursts through but stubs his shot wide. Ward is carded for fouling Adam Smith. Stanislas takes the following corner, but Palace come away with the ball. Stanislas tries to curl a shot but it doesn't bend. Benteke is subbed for Townsend.
Advertisement Coastal Garden BuildingsPalace get their second corner. Callum Wilson is fouled on the edge of the box. Stanislas hits the wall with the free kick. Steve Cook is carded for a foul on Ajew. 
Riedewald replaces MacArthur. Six added minutes go up for added time. Lerma gets frustrated with Palace keeping the ball in the corner. Callum Wilson tries to get on the end of a long ball, but Guaita wins the ball. Kouyaté takes an elbow from Lewis Cook, but VAR says not violent conduct.
A final corner fro Bournemouth. Adam Smith stops Zaha. Aké blocks Zaha and Palace have a corner.
Summary Bournemouth made it easy for Palace. Sloppy free-kicks on the edge of the box given away and far too much space given for runners. Palace were organised and just set a line of two walls up to keep Bournemouth at arms length. Bournemouth had one shot on target and they didn't have any threat. David Brooks was the only bright spark and Eddie has much thinking to do, because on this performance Bournemouth can start planning for the Championship.AFCB line up AFCB Subs: 1 Boruc, 4 Gosling, 6 Surman, 26 Kelly, 21 Rico,
33 Mepham, 14 Danjuma, 19 Stanislas, 9 SolankeAFCB RatingsRamsdale 6, Stacey 5, S Cook 6, Aké 6, A Smith 5, H Wilson 5, Brooks 7, Lerma 6,L Cook 5,  King 6,  C Wilson 5
Cherry Chimes MoM - David Brooks
Crystal Palace
31 Guaita, 2 Ward, 6 Dann, 24 Cahill, 3 van Aanholt, 8 Kouyaté, 4 Milivojevic (McArthy 65),18 McArthur (Riedewald 89), 9 J Ayew, 17 Benteke (Townsend 76), 11 Zaha
Crystal Palace Subs 7 Meyer, 10 Townsend, 12 Sakho, 13 Hennessey, 22 McArthy, 36 Tracers, 39 Michell,40 Patrick Keutcha, 44 Riedewald

Cherries simply have to win against Crystal Palace

The team selection Eddie Howe has to pick from is, as he says, the strongest he has had to pick from this season. Eddie Howe knows he has to go and get the points the clubs need and can't rely on other results. I'm pleased that Eddie has said Ryan Fraser will play no further part, because AFCB need players who can dedicate themselves to the cause over these nine games. But who will fill those 11 shirts on Saturday evening against Crystal Palace?
Go get he points lads.I don't think there is any fans who doesn't want Aaron Ramsdale to start in goal, and he should be the easiest decision Howe has to make. At right back, Jack Stacey is who I would pick and at left back I think Howe may make a surprise choice by giving Lloyd Kelly his debut. The centre of defence will surely be filled by Nathan Aké and Steve Cook.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream -now just 9.99!Moving on to the midfield and Eddie should be pleased with his player numbers in midfield. I expect him to start with Jefferson Lerma and Dan Gosling in centre midfield, if Billing is injured. The right wing will probably go to David Brooks and Josh King may well start on the left wing. That would be annoying for Harry Wilson, but I think he will be sharing the role with Brooks and will still see a lot of football in these next nine games.

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That leaves the forward positions and I just feel Eddie will go for it with Dominic Solanke and Callum Wilson playing up front. That would just leave Sam Surridge on the bench as an out and out striker, but Bournemouth simply don't have many choices in that position. The substitutions will be really important with nine to pick from and up to five to field during the game
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Bournemouth need goals and that is why I have gone for an attacking team. I only hope that AFCB's players give their best and go and get the three points they know they are capable of earning.

Fans may not be at the game but we are there in spirit. UTCIAD!

Possible AFCB line up AFCB Subs: Boruc, Simpson, Francis, Rico, Mepham,
Danjuma, A Smith, H Wilson, Surridge

How does Howe set up to get a clean sheet?

Bournemouth have not managed to get a clean sheet this calendar year and the next fixture represents a good opportunity to get one on the board with Crystal Palace the visitors. Palace have scored 26 goals this season, which is less than one a game.
Bournemouth have to play their A game now, there are no more chances.Bournemouth still have some excellent defenders. I would like to see Jack Stacey continue as the right back, as he gets forward so well and has been getting in on the assist act, which has been more difficult for creative players like Ryan Fraser, Harry Wilson and Junior Stanislas. But I would like to see change at left back. 

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -£7.99!It's not that I don't think Adam Smith is capable of playing well there, but he doesn't give the team the right balance that a left footed player can give and Diego Rico hasn't done much wrong this season, despite being out of favour. Meanwhile, Lloyd Kelly could be a surprise pick and could add some youthful energy. While I expect Eddie may well stick with Adam Smith, I can't help but feel it is a slight weakness in the back four on the left side.

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What is the best back four available to Howe? I suppose Daniels, Aké and Steve Cook have to be the picks, along with Stacey now. But if it is Smith, Aké, Cook and Stacey – can they get a clean sheet ? Yes, if everyone plays their part. The concentration has to be better than it has been and I hope Aaron Ramsdale is allowed to kick long, when he sees the need to break any press from Palace on our defenders. 



Advertisement Coastal Garden BuildingsIf Bournemouth can minimise the risks at the back and work hard on getting a clean sheet, they can get the perfect result on Saturday. They need the win to get their belief up and to put pressure on other teams - it's going to be a very exciting and nervous game for AFCB fans.

Injury doubts for AFCB - David Brooks hand injury, Philip Billing Ankle injury.

Form doesn't mean much coming into this game but here it is:
Crystal Palace Away
DDDLW

AFCB Home
DLWWD

Adios Ryan

Well, we knew it was coming. Ryan Fraser has no need to be at AFCB anymore having turned down a short term contract extension beyond 30 June. Some will be disappointed in the Wee-man, but I am just pleased the whole thing is over and the club can move on.

Here's the door RyanIt seems that Ryan just couldn't risk playing any more and didn't want to pick up an injury ahead of a big summer move. Although AFCB fought hard to retain his services, I don't think  there was any way Ryan was signing anything after January this year, and his departure will now give the group more focus, so I'm happy with the outcome.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -£7.99!Keeping Fraser hanging around just wouldn't have been fair to anyone. He will have good memories of his time at AFCB, and I'd rather remember him for what he did in season's gone past than this final season. It will be intriguing to see where he finally ends up, and if he manages to get regular starting places elsewhere. His form will also need to pick up and we will see if that is like turning a switch on or if he has lost some of his magic.

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Although some pundits may see AFCB being weaker for Fraser's departure, it has been clear for a while now that his football hasn't been at the level we have seen in the past. His time at AFCB was really over a while ago, and with him moving on Eddie Howe will have a good idea about what he will do on the left side of attack already, even if we have to wait until Saturday to see what he does.

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It was interesting to read some of the comments on the Echo's post on Ryan's departure. It looks like a lot of fans are happy to open the door for Ryan, but others are thankful for the great games he played in. I think he will split opinions, but I believe he represented an important period in Eddie Howe and AFCB's development, when a £400,000 player from Aberdeen was coached to become a full international in the Scottish side. We didn't have many international players at the time, and Ryan worked hard to get to that standard, but he has had to wait perhaps a little longer to get that big move afterwards.

While we have our views as fans, it is the players that will feel the departure of Ryan Fraser more than anyone and that is what Eddie Howe has to deal with.

Premier Talk – Football is back - Aston Villa v Sheffield United

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Fancy attaching football in your armchair for another 12 months?

Fancy watching football in your armchair for another 12 months?

It is 100 days since Premier League football has been suspended, but it's back today. It might be just beginning to dawn on people that the way the Premier League is restarting could be the only way fans will be able to see football over the next year. If we don't get a vaccine for COVID-19, and restrictions are not relaxed for mass gatherings, the 2020-21 season is likely to held behind closed doors, if at all in some of the lower leagues.
Getting up close and personal to players will be possible only from the armchair for the foreseeable future.This could mean season ticket holders having to wait another year before they could get their booked seat for games, which would be a tremendous loss of income for clubs. For AFCB where the crowd is not so large, the season ticket issue may seem less significant than the TV money, but Bournemouth will only benefit from high TV revenues if they stay in the Premier League.
Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream -now just 9.99!While pubs and beer gardens are hoping to return next month, it is not clear how many people will be able to get into pubs with social distancing and watching games on SKY or BT in pubs might be a little more difficult than just rolling up to your local boozer. That means the armchair could be your best bet to keep in touch with the action whether by TV, streaming or radio.
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Whether football needs to look at new ways to get games available to the large amount of fans who won't have access to the coverage with the subscription TV companies is something we might hear about for the 2020-21 season. For now we will get to see a handful of free to air games, but reports on games are likely to be much more sought after as fans want to find out more about how individuals performed if they haven't seen the game with their own eyes.

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So while everyone is dashing  off the the shops this week, put one thing on your shopping list a very comfortable armchair  - you are unlikely to regret it.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - A favourable reaction to new AFCB kit