Peter Neil Bell's Blog: Cherry Chimes, page 54

Howe calls for unity from players

It was a revealing press conference before the Liverpool match from Eddie Howe. He was keen to say that AFCB can get out of the situation they are in, but he needs everyone to come together. Fighting qualities is what Howe has asked for. But AFCB's heads are only just above the water now.
Eddie Howe may call on some of those who were subs at Palace to start against Liverpool.Eddie has criticised the players for not fighting for every second ball enough this season. He will have known that a bad run would come at some point, but it is the timing of the poor run that has been surprising. AFCB still have the big teams to play. Eddie is right in that he can't afford a negative atmosphere around the ground and the crowd needs to get behind the club.
Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -available now!Eddie says that Adam Smith, Steve Cook and Josh King will all miss out on this fixture. There is some choices to make though in midfield. Dan Gosling just might be an option now that Eddie has to look to. He has played Lerma, Lewis Cook and Billing in recent games, but Gosling has not been tainted by those performances and it is perhaps time to use a bit of his experience.

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Eddie is very much searching for answers as to why he is not getting the top performances from his players at the moment, yet only a few weeks ago they did beat Manchester United. Perhaps Bournemouth are not as broken as some may think. But the players need to show that on the pitch and go and take a big scalp in one of the next two games to consolidate in mid-table.

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Catching Liverpool cold won't be easy, but just imagine what a win against them would do for moral. UTCIAD!
Possible AFCB Line-up AFCB Subs: Boruc, Stacey, Kelly, Billing, L Cook, Kilkenny, Solanke 
It's not a team I like, but I fear Franno will play and it could be a back five which we all hate. I'd much rather see Kelly and Stacey play. I'd like to see Stanislas back at least on the bench.
AFCB TV Match Preview

Pressure is on Eddie Howe and AFCB's players

The league table is not lying now. AFCB have a real relegation fight on and the visit of Liverpool is going to hold fears if the Cherries can't get themselves into a more organised force for the game. Liverpool have gone unbeaten so far this season, and Eddie Howe needs to challenge his players to go and end that record to win back some belief in their own season.
AFCB need to find some pride and fight for one of their biggest tests of the season.Eddie has stuck by his players while the criticism mounts. The players might be attempting to do the right things but they have been making curious defensive mistakes in games where they really have their best chance in picking up points. Now they face the league leaders who spanked Everton for five goals midweek, and they don't look like they have any concerns about visiting teams who are struggling to pick up points.
Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!You wonder where the biggest threats are going to come for Bournemouth and it's all over the pitch. Jurgen Klopp will get his attackers to interchange and stretch AFCB and Bournemouth will need to be ready to deal with the pace of Liverpool as well as the aerial threat of Vigil van Dijk at corners and free kicks.
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Bournemouth will have to make a change to their line up as well. Harry Wilson won't be available as a loan player from Liverpool, so Danjuma and Fraser are likely to start on the wings. It is probably why Fraser was a sub in midweek. A bigger question will be what Eddie does at the back of the team. He took criticism for playing Simon Francis in the second half at Crystal Palace, and he'll have to work if Chris Mepham did well enough to keep his starting place, while Adam Smith is an injury worry.

Liverpool Away Form
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AFCB Home Form
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Pedestrian AFCB need to move it up a few gears

The match against Crystal Palace will not live long in the memory. One fan said to me that Bournemouth don't know how to stretch teams when they have the man advantage and the Crystal Palace game kind of underlines that. Bournemouth have become a good counter-attacking team, but they are not finding it as easy as they have in the past when they have had the majority of the possession.

Confidence takes a hit at Selhurst Park.
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There was a point in the game at Crystal Palace when I thought, AFCB needed to try something different. They seemed set in their passing and kept trying to get down the sides without having the odd shot from range, or even letting Crystal Palace come out and have some ground, before trying to press, when there was better chance of a successful break with room in behind their defenders. The press was on all the time and it just meant that Palace could back up their lines of five and four, and wait for Bournemouth to commit too many players forward. They set the trap and Jeff Schlupp executed the perfect ending for Palace.
Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!The match against Liverpool will be very different. Liverpool with be coming onto the Cherries and it will be a case of whether Bournemouth can counter-attack well, and if they can even get a breather from the Liverpool attacks. It will be a good video to show the players after the game as when Liverpool come up against stubborn sides that sit in, they find ways of going up a gear or two and trying a long ball or a shot from range just to break up their pattern of play and make the opposition make a mistake.

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Bournemouth still have to do more to push and probe sides into making mistakes. Eddie Howe admits his team have been too predictable. Whether it is the combination of players who are currently fit, or Eddie's game plans, something has to change. Liverpool will be a stiff examination, but if Bournemouth don't go up several gears against Klopp's men they will have even more doubts about how this season will pan out for AFCB. 

The buck stops with Eddie

Eddie Howe was brave himself in saying he is responsible for the lacklustre performance at Crystal Palace. He admits the game was not good enough from a Bournemouth point of view and the team should have done better against a well-drilled but beatable Crystal Palace who had 10-men.
Eddie Howe in reflective mood.He recognises that the players were not able to fight hard enough for every ball and didn't do enough to try to win. Injuries aside, the players at Eddie Howe's disposal should be good enough to give teams like Crystal Palace a good game. Eddie promises the team will regroup and come out fighting, but that will not be easy against league leaders Liverpool.

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It was a shame for Nathan Aké who had his first chance to captain AFCB with Steve Cook having fractured his wrist against Tottenham. But Bournemouth will be kicking themselves that Crystal Palace created little all night but for the one moment when they scored. I didn't feel that Bournemouth were that much weaker in a playing ability with Chris Mepham replacing Steve Cook, but they didn't have the motivational leadership of Steve Cook and it's hard to know how much it counts to have a recognisable leader.

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Of course, Eddie Howe put Simon Francis on to try and add some leadership, but putting him up against Wilfred Zaha was not one of his best decisions on the night. Eddie was more concerned with getting Adam Smith on the left side but that didn't really pay off in an attacking sense. If Eddie Howe need to take a hit for this one, he needs to get it right in the games coming up in December, because AFCB will be looking over their shoulder if they are not already when they don't get a result, and don't create enough against sides that simply sit in.
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AFC Business Christmas Dinner hits big numbers

Cherry Chimes went along to the AFC Business Christmas Lunch yesterday. It was a packed Champions Top Floor Restaurant with some 150 people attending the meal. The crowd were given a brief overview of how the club had won back many corporate businesses, and small business firms, in the local area since Rob Mitchell had joined the club 11 years ago, and was given the message that club is still listening and trying to see how it can improve and grow the AFC Business community further still.
Local businesses tuck in to their Christmas Lunch 
AFC Business has grown substantially in the last decadeI had an obvious reason for being at the event as it gave me a chance to network with local people in Bournemouth that I don't often get the chance to do living up in Redhill in Surrey. The conversations quickly turned to the prior evening's game and how the team had missed a big three points at Selhurst Park. There were quite a few AFCB supporters among the sponsors and I got the impression that all the businesses want AFCB to do very well, even if they have individual football loyalties elsewhere. I also wanted to meet people to make them aware of my book Eddie Had A Dream, so it was good to distribute some cards and get people talking about the book and Cherry Chimes.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!The star of the event was probably Jimmy Glass, the AFCB player's liaison officer, who was in charge of the microphone for the Christmas quiz. Jimmy was on the look out for anyone touching their phone during the quiz, and there were a few that got caught and had to give a rendition of their favourite Christmas carol or song. Luckily my phone didn't go off and I managed to get the odd football question right for my table that finished midway in the quiz.

AdvertisementThe winners received tickets to the next AFC Business breakfast event in January, a bottle of bubbly and tickets to the Spurs home game next year. For me it was just helpful to see another side of the football club, and a few faces that I have met before.
Beware Jimmy Glass is looking to pick people out

The Cherries don't have the confidence to beat 10-man Palace

The score line of 1-0 doesn't tell the half of it in term of AFCB's woeful game at Palace. Bereft of confidence and without a player that is in goal scoring form, Bournemouth never looked like beating 10-men.
It was all looking so good at 7.30pm last night.How Bournemouth failed to score is baffling. Callum Wilson should have buried his chance at the start of the second half, but the real crime was that was the only really clear chance Bournemouth had. Okay, Solanke got on once and clipped the ball on his own heels rather than pass simply to Callum, but you just knew Solanke is not a player to trust when in on goal at the moment.

Some fans will wonder why Simon Francis was again put on when Bournemouth are trying to win the game. Fraser was going to have to come on, but I can't quite understand why Gosling didn't come on after the hour. At least Dan Gosling has looked like he might score when he does play. Lewis Cook was Eddie Howe's choice for a midfielder to bring on which was okay but why as late as the 82nd minute?



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To be punished as well having had all the play on the game was the final insult. It was hard to loom at the players at the end. They knew they had messed up, but how will they put it right. It probably is a good job they have Liverpool next as there will be nowhere to hide.

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The supporters and Howe demand a performance and it must come now or the season could implode on the Cherries after this kind of dismal display. I just don't get how this team can loose so much confidence so quickly, it's maddening for supporters to get their head around.

A prime-time mess for Cherries against Palace

Match ReportCrystal Palace 1 v 0 AFCB3 December 2019Attendance: 23,497 AFCB are ready to play in their third kit.Being the first ever game to be streamed on Amazon Prime wasn't all it was cracked up to be for AFCB fans. If playing against 10-men should give fans hope, why did Bournemouth's players go hiding against Crystal Palace? This was a must take three points when Sakho was sent off in the 19th minute. Bournemouth laboured with the ball and showed little imagination in front of goal. It was like watching a dog that didn't want to chase a stick. Well, now the Cherries are on deep trouble and will only have a few days to work out how it went so wrong at Palace.
The team talk without Steve Cook doesn't go so well.
Bournemouth changed their back four with Chris Mepham replacing Steve Cook. Harry Wilson also came in to replace Ryan Fraser and Philip Billing reacted Lewis Cook. Nathan Aké was made captain.
First half
Townsend got in behind but Solanke cleared before Palace won a free kick.

Milivojevic smashed way over the bar. Danjuma was next to make a good run up the left. Bournemouth then had their first corner but it was cut out at the front of the six yard box.

Danjuma again got in behind but could not get his header to a Bournemouth player.

Mepham blocked an Aanholt for a corner. Aké won the header and Milivojevic shoots wide with a chopped shot.

Townsend put a cross in for Zaha but he was crowded out. Billing won the header from the corner.
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Callum took a long ball well on the right and pulled it back to Lerma who had a shot blocked. Palace cleared the following corner.

Billing was run off the ball when he had a good attack on. Adam Smith was getting the better of Zaha.

Palace had Sakho sent off on 20 minutes. He took out Adam Smith on half-way in front of the dug outs.

Solanke wins free kick and Mepham went close with a shot saved. Danjuma over runs it on the left.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!Solanke had one man to beat but ran straight into him. Smith again deals with Zaha but Billing has to be sharp with Palace closing on his back pass.

Van Aanholt is subbed for Schlupp on 31 minutes. Palace have a free kick. Ramsdale punches clear. Ayew dribbles a dot at Ramsdale from the left wing which is easy to stop.

Townsend won a corner off of Adam Smith. Bournemouth almost headed it in their own net. The next corner bound in the box but Smith clears.

Bournemouth get the ball wide and Harry Wilson gets it through to Billing, but his snap shot was right at the keeper.

No final product for Bournemouth. Two minutes of added time.

It's been too pedestrian this half. McCarthy is booked.
The Crystals provide half-time entertainment.
Second half
McCarthy replaces Townsend. Harry Wilson puts a great ball in but Callum doesn't get it in the empty net. It must have had a Palace defender's touch as it's a corner.

Rico wins a corner. Lerma's cross is blocked. Another corner. Palace defend well enough.

Palace now have a corner. Ayew heads wide. Bournemouth are camped in the Palace half, but no shots on target yet. Solanke is booked on half way.

Francis and Fraser are coming on. Rico and Danjuma go off.

Fraser puts in a cross that 15 has to head behind. Lerma is carded for taking Zaha down.

Zaha in the box against Mepham no penalty.

Adam Smith is taken down. Another yellow for Palace - Milivojevic.

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Fraser crosses, keeper punches in front of Callum. Francis shoots but it's blocked for a corner.

Solanke gets down the right and in behind but tries to square it to Callum and hits his own heel. A great chance. Solanke made a huge mistake.

Ayew has a shot blocked. Schlupp is in with a chance and he's scored 1-0 Palace. Oh, what a calamity. Bournemouth have let the back door open for a sucker punch.

Bournemouth should be out of sight in this game but they're a goal down. Billing has been booked. Ramsdale has to make a save.

Corner to Palace. Callum into Solanke he doesn't shoot. A corner is all Bournemouth get.

Lewis Cook comes on for Billing. McArthur is booked for a foul on Cook.

Fraser to Lerma and the shot us topped away Callum goes down but no penalty. Mepham is on the floor and the free kick goes against him.

Francis blocks Schlupp. Four minutes of added time. Free kick to Palace. Adam Smith has hobbled off.

Lerma takes the long throw and Callum can't get there.
A very disappointing night.Summary
Eddie has to sort this lot out fast. The confidence is shot in front of goal and at the back they can't keep a clean sheet. It is relegation form now and the writing is on the wall for some of these players. The only reputations that were enhanced were those players on the bench who did not get on. Some defeats are worse than others - this was a crushing 1-0 defeat.

AFCB Line-up AFCB subs: Boruc, Francis, Gosling,  L Cook, Stacey, Fraser, Simpson
AFCB Ratings
Ramsdale 5, A Smith 6, Mepham 4, Ake 5, Rico 5, H Wilson 4, Billing 4, Lerma 5, Danjuma 5, Solanke 4, C Wilson 4.

Cherry Chimes MoM: Adam Smith

Ref Watch: Anthony Taylor 7/10 – no quibbles with the ref.


Crystal Palace31 Guaita, 34 Kelly, 5 Tomkin, s, 12 Sakho, 3 van Aanholt (Schlupp 29),
10 Townsend (McArthy 45), 8 Kouyate, 4 Milivojevic, 18 McArthur, 11 Zaha, 9 Ayew
Palace Subs
13 Hennessey, 15 Schlupp, 17 Benteke, 22 McArthur, 23 Canarasa 44 Riedewald, 21 Wickham
Competition winners!
We had 44 entries on Twitter and Facebook for the Eddie Had A Dream book RT/share competition. Thanks for all those who entered.

The two competition winners who receive signed copies of Eddie Had A Dream and a medium Cherry Chimes T-shirt are Sam B@SJB6691 and David Lee @dsclee1

If you still want a copy of Eddie Had A Dream - you can buy online at https://amzn.to/2r9OauI or buy in person at In off The Far Post, 
901 Christchurch Rd, Pokesdown, Bournemouth

Can AFCB end the bad moment they are in?

Eddie Howe said that AFCB are in a bad moment. The problem is that the next few games will take in many of the best sides in the league, and if Bournemouth didn't get points against teams below them, how are they going to manage it against even better sides?
AFCB can't afford to keep losing games.The Christmas period has been good to the Cherries in the last few seasons and it needs to be good this season as well. The rut that AFCB are in has not been helped by the team changing constantly. Eddie Howe will probably shuffle things again tonight. Adam Smith will hopefully be back although Eddie hinted that he was glad to have Simon Francis back which may mean Francis is going to get the nod. Certainly Howe must be counting the days until he can put David Brooks back in the team.

But it is the defence that he is likely to be most concerned about. At times they were all at sea against Tottenham and it could have been an embarrassing scoreline. While the team showed fight, they still got nothing from the game and the league position is starting to suffer as a result. Bournemouth will be past, if they can't find away to get back to earning some clean sheets.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream eBook version -available now!The Crystal Palace game is a good opportunity to pick up points. Palace are good on the road but not always on top form at Selhurst Park. Bournemouth tend to enjoy evening games and it may just need a change in the environment for Bournemouth to knuckle down and get a result when they are not expected to. To get out of the bad moment, they need to play with better intent and creative play around the opposition box. It sounds easy, but of late Harry Wilson has looked the only player that has his focus fully on scoring.

I'd be happier if Josh King is back but I fear he won't be ready in time. Philip Billing is likely to get chosen over Lewis Cook, but Dan Gosling could also be in the shake up if Howe wants to radically change the starting 11. After all, AFCB haven't won any of their last three games and one of their last five away games. 

Crystal Palace Home Form
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AFCB Away Form
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Rival Lines: "We haven't really missed Wan Bissaka," says The Eagles Beak

Rival Lines

Match Preview: Crystal Palace v AFCB
Blogger Interview The Eagles Beak
Twitter: @TheEaglesBeak



CC: I had a quick few hours to try and get a word wit jay at the Eagles Beak ahead of the match tonight against Crystal Palace. They are on a reasonable run away from home and will want to bring that form to Selhurst Park. While they sit ahead of the Cherries, a win against Palace could put Bournemouth back ahead of the Eagles. So what have Bournemouth to be worried about?

CC: You have played a lot of the top teams in recent weeks so are you confident of a good run of results in December?

TEB: We were handed a rough deal by the fixture computer, that's for sure but we have got through with perhaps not the points some of our play has deserved. There was a concern that the confidence would be hit but seeing the win at Burnley at the weekend, it is clear that has not been the case which is good news going into a kinder run of games. No game is easy, but December hands us fixtures that we need to be looking to take points from and we have started in the best way possible.


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CC: How do you fee about the team's home form?

TEB: Better than we have become used to when comparing with previous season's. We were unbeaten before hosting City which was pleasing, and it has been nice to see some results at home. It could be better but there has been a distinct improvement. I do find we struggle more at home as the onus is on Palace to take the game to the opposition and that often presents it's own problems. But, for the most part, we have done well this season.

CC: What is the injury situation like at the moment?

TEB: Pretty good, we only missed Joel Ward and Gary Cahill at the weekend - Ward could miss a couple of weeks while Cahill could be back on Tuesday. Connor Wickham is pushing for a place on the bench but Scott Dann left the pitch injured against Burnley, so we will have to see how he is. Good to see Mamadou Sakho back in his place at the weekend who has missed most of the season so far.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!CC: Who would you say was the most improved player for Palace this season?

TEB: Good question - a lot of fans were disappointed by the fact we failed to replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka after his sale to United in the summer so we only had Joel Ward to step in. Ironically, he lost his place to AWB and the youngster never looked back, but Ward has done a great job this season and while he has a completely different style, it may sound odd but we have not really missed AWB which is testament to his performances.

CC: Whose form is dipping at the moment?

TEB: That has to be Patrick van Aanholt. He struggled last season, but while he has had one or two decent games he has not really got himself of the rut that he found himself in. He has a horrible habit of pushing a winger inside too many times rather than forcing them out wide and not getting close enough. Going forward, he really gives us something extra but defensively he really has regressed.

CC: What position needs to be strengthened in January?

TEB: Striker and we need to start planning for life without Wilfried Zaha but the latter will probably have to wait for the summer. We have actually done okay up front this season which is largely thanks to Jordan Ayew making the lone striker role his own since sigining on a permanent deal. However, we do need to give him some support. Christian Benteke has been a shadow of his former self and with not being able to rely upon Connor Wickham we could do with a third option.

CC: Would European football be great or would it come to soon if it happened in May?

TEB: Wolves have really taken it in their stride this year while Burnley struggled with the additional games. Whichever way it comes, yes, it would be fantastic to see Palace qualify for Europe. You cannot plan these things and you have to take them when they come along - a little like our promotion back to the Premier League, many fans said we were in no position to compete in the top division but we've done alright.
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CC: What's your score prediction for Crystal Palace v AFC Bournemouth

TEB: After the result at Burnley at the weekend I'm hoping that we can follow that up with a good result to force ourselves back into the top ten. It will be a tough game as always against the Cherries but I fancy us to take advantage of your dip in form and take a 2-1 win.

CC: Thanks to Jay for some great inside information on Crystal Palace from the Eagles Beak. I might be able to put a smile on my face if Scott Dann is unable to play - he's caused AFCB loads of problems in the last few meetings. It seems that AFCB have been falling and Palace rising in recent weeks and they now meet when the top 10 place is up for grabs for either of them. The loser though would be perhaps slightly behind the pace for this season, while 19  for Bournemouth or 21 points for Palace would a good return from 15 games. Back-to back wins are difficult for any team apart form the top three, but Bournemouth need to pick up points now to avoid problems by the end of December.

In other news, AFC Bournemouth have a home draw for the third round FA Cup weekend in January when they'll be playing Luton Town of the Championship.

AFCB's late comeback at Spurs - too late

It was as well for Eddie Howe that Bournemouth mustered a late comeback against Spurs. The team has been on a poor run and it's not going to be pleasurable going into the December fixtures having not won since the home game against Manchester United.
Harry Wilson is on target again.At Spurs, Bournemouth were very strong for the first quarter of an hour and really showed that they could more than live with a side that was in the European Cup final last season. Bournemouth have elements of their game that are top class, and yet they seem to fall for the simplest of traps at other times. Coming back from 3-0 down was essential. If Bournemouth had left the field five or six down, and nothing to show for their efforts the press would have been on Eddie Howe's back. While that may seem that such a result would keep Eddie at AFCB, despite so many job opportunities being lined up for Howe, he wouldn't be happy that AFCB are leaking goals.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!The comeback showed me that he has not lost the players inn the dressing room. They are still trying to do things well. The game plans have not been working out though. Dominic Solanke still didn't look like he could buy a goal, and Callum Wilson had trouble all afternoon making the ball stick up front. It was left to the sharp finishing Harry Wilson to underline again that he is a player that is going to be on of the stars for a few seasons to come. Without Harry Wilson, AFCB would be in a far worse position.

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The goals that Harry scored were typical of his portfolio. He has mastered free kicks around the box and it was a carbon copy of the Man City goal for his first against Spurs. The second goal was in open play and it was good to see Bournemouth finally manage that. If the game had gone on longer, I wouldn't have been surprised if Bournemouth had levelled the game, but it was not to be. We can only hope that the players are still hungry for that win and that Crystal Palace are a bit over confident going into the mid-week game.

Advertisement In other news, it is very sad news that Benik Afobe's daughter Amora passed away last week. We pass on our condolences to Benik for his family's great loss.