Peter Neil Bell's Blog: Cherry Chimes, page 56

Better with 10-men

Eddie Howe couldn't really explain why Bournemouth showed more spirit and fight when going down to 10-men against Wolves. Yes, he had told the players that they were playing for the fans and their families in the second half to make sure the score was not embarrassing, but something was yet again wrong about the mentality in the first 45 minutes and it's not the first time we have seen it this season.
AFCB did get themselves going with their ore-match huddle.Going a goal down seemed to suck the life out of the Cherries. Moutinho scored a fantastic free kick and there is no arguing with the quality of the strike, with Ramsdale finding it to get up in a crowded box to stop the dipping shot. More disappointing was Simon Francis' lunge on Jota which led to the free kick in the first place. Did he need to make the challenge? Did he get close enough to feel confident he would block the ball and not be late? Francis was just not quick enough and the only thing you can say about the challenge was it was made outside the box.

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With Francis soon removed, the Cherries needed to reorganise and get their heads sorted but they seemed to dwell on their inconsistency and poor showing of the first 40 minutes and couldn't do much to find a shot in the first half. But with two new players coming on and a talking to from Eddie Howe at half-time, things changed and for the good. Bournemouth now have to capture that spirit and desire for the next game.


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There was a fight about AFCB in the second half. A willingness to do everything to get themselves into the game and real passion that came to the fore when Steve Cook scored. But the Cherries had given themselves too much to do and while the 10-men performed well, it can't happen like this every game to feel almost out of the game before starting to work hard. A lot of self analysis on the part of the players is needed this week ahead of a massive challenge next weekend. 
Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!Chimes to Camera - AFCB 1 v 2 Wolves

Did AFCB get it all wrong with Lys Mousset?

It is hard as a Bournemouth fan to see how well Lys Mousset is doing at Sheffield United and how he struggled to get any time at Dean Court. The player had talent, we could see it. But he never looked fully fit at Bournemouth and perhaps wants to give that extra 10 per cent at Sheffield United where Chris Wilder has him under his wing. So, did Eddie get it wrong with Lys?
Mousset has been doing it at Sheffield United but why didn't he do better at AFCB?I believe there is a pecking order at AFCB. While Eddie does bring young players on, they have to earn the right to get in the team and to play up front is perhaps the hardest position to break into this Bournemouth team. Callum Wilson and Josh King have had the prime spots since Bournemouth got to the Premier League and we have seen players like Glenn Murray, Benik Afobe and Jermain Defoe not manager to break through so should we have expected any better of Lys Mousset? Probably not and Dominic Solanke is going to find it just as hard.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!What we can see is that when a player is happy in his environment, clubs get the best out of them. Lys Mousset was probably not that at home at Bournemouth and whether that might have been no fault of his or the club, he is absolutely thriving at Sheffield United and it makes me feel that he did the right thing in moving from the Cherries.




Online-Bookies.org.ukSometimes players don't fit into the package that Eddie Howe wants to create. It could be said of several players that have come and gone in recent years, but when I looked at the subs bench against Wolves last weekend, I thought what I'd give to have a player like an eager Lys Mousset ready to play and prove himself in a red and black shirt. It's crazy how football is like a jigsaw and some times the parts don't work at your club, but they are a perfect fit for others.

Premier Talk - The new plucky kids on the block

Chimes to Camera - AFCB 1 v 2 Wolves

What now for Simon Francis?

Simon Francis has some serious thinking to do. He will be devastated about his last match. It should have been a great return for the captain and yet he was out of touch and unable to cope with the pace of Wolves attack. Jota had his number and Simon will be frustrated that he didn't do better.
Will Simon quickly get over the Wolves game?While defenders are always going to make the odd mistake, it was a risk to bring back Simon Francis into the set-up that had been doing well as a back four. The balance just didn't work with Simon trying to fit in and seal up the right side. While Eddie believes he picked the right man for the job, Francis has been out for a long time and perhaps hasn't been tested enough before making this return against such a quick attack.

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Francis will know that he didn't have to make the tackle he did in the first half on Jota, as Steve Cook and Nathan Aké were with their men and marking in the box, if the cross had come in. Francis was simply trying to make up too much ground and was never going to get there. Perhaps he felt a foul outside the box was okay and worth the risk, but Bournemouth were certainly punished from the free kick. It was the second yellow card though that was the big mistake.

The second yellow card was a momentary lapse. Francis must have forgotten that he was already on a yellow card. He had let his man get the wrong side of him and as soon as he reached out to pull him back, he knew he had made a big mistake. It was silly and self-inflicted, but simply an instinctive reaction. I didn't see the pull back in real time, but when I saw it back on TV you can see why he had to go. 

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Now Francis has a match ban. Bournemouth will go back to a back four. But does Eddie Howe trust Francis not to make similar mistakes in his next game? Francis has battled back from a possible career ending injury, so I hope he does get the opportunity to put things right. I'd like to see him be absolutely right to play in his head and physically before he says he is ready to go again. He has given wonderful service to AFCB over many years and one bad game should not leave a lasting memory of his worth. He is coming to the end of his career, but it has been a fantastic career at AFCB and I for one won't forget what he has done for the club.
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The Guardian - Season report so far
Premier Talk - The new plucky kids on the block

10-men Cherries go down fighting to Wolves

Match ReportAFCB 1 v 2 Wolves23 November 2019Attendance: 10,539AFCB suffer second defeat in a row.A disastrous first 30 minutes put this game beyond Bournemouth. Simon Francis made his return to the team only to see red for two yellow card offences in the first half and Wolves punished the Cherries with two set-pieces that gave AFCB a mountain to climb. Francis first foul led to the expertly hit free kick from  João Moutinho on 21 minutes before Traore raced down the wing and crossed for Jimenez for a simple tap in for 0-2. When Eddie Howe changed formation in the second half and brought on Lerma and Danjuma, there was a sudden change to the game. Steve Cook flashed in his first goal of the season and the impossible comeback looked on for a short while. Wolves played some possession football though and time wasted to get over the line, leaving Howe to question why he had set up the team as he had at the start of the game.
Simon Francis is back, but not for long.Josh King was left out with a hamstring strain and Simon Francis came in for him which was a big surprise with AFCB going with three centre backs for this game. It was a formation that just didn't give Bournemouth the possession they needed and Callum Wilson was left isolated for much of the first half.

Match Day Gallery - more images here
Referee Simon Hooper came down hard on the Cherries.Wolves showed their intent with an early corner which Ake headed away and Neves shot wide. Saïss was booked for fouling Lewis Cook, but Harry Wilson couldn't take advantage when the ref played on.

Aké passed his first Traore pace test, before Doherty pushed Fraser down on the break.

Franno had to get back and head clear ahead of Jota coming in on Traore's cross. Traore was getting down in behind on the right and Neves had another shot wide on 11 minutes. Jimenez also had a shot blocked.

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Lewis Cook tried to find Billing down the middle, but the keeper read it.

Doherty crosses and Steve Cook got himself in a tangle before clearing at the second attempt.

Billing was booked for blocking Traore on 16 minutes. Fraser almost intercepted in front of goal, but then Ramsdale has to be quick out to beat Castro Otto.

Franno is booked for taking down Jota just outside the box. The free kick is on a tight angle. Moutinho finds the top far corner 0-1 Wolves, on 22 minutes.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!Francis drills on a low cross, but Callum Wilson can't control it. Lewis Cook goes on from the side on Traore and fouls.

A quickly taken free kick and Traore crosses for Jimenez 0-2 on 32 minutes - all too easy.

Fraser is body checked. Bournemouth free kick Wilson shot is blocked. Callum Wilson then heads wide.

Jiminez goes through the middle and Ramsdale gets his legs there, but Steve Cook has to clear off the line before Jota.

Doherty then has a shot saved and Francis has been sent off! Second yellow on 37 minutes. I think he pulled a shirt.

Ramsdale saves from Jota. A great touch over the bar.

A pot shot goes over from Castro Ott. Half-time 0-2.

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Second half
Lerma is on for Billing and Danjuma has replaced Harry Wilson. Jota had a shot that went wide.

Diego Rico puts in a great ball for Wilson but he  in turn, can't find Danjuma.

Fraser goes for the near post but the keeper saves. Adam Smith drills a shot that is deflected to the keeper.

Jota is in and scores but is offside. Wolves' corner and Steve Cook clears. Neves shoots wide from a flow up corner.

Lerma runs out of pitch, bit of loose control. Traore fouls Rico but no card. Lewis Cooks' shot is deflected for a corner.

Online-Bookies.org.ukSteve Cook arrives and he's scored with a header 1-2 on 57 minutes. Bournemouth are some how back in this.

Wolves have a corner. Jimenez heads wide. Saïss has a long shot which is saved by Ramsdale low to his right.

Danjuma wins a corner. Fraser puts a cross in. Momentum is turning.

Wolves are passing us to death. Rico's low crook as is easily repelled. Lewis Cook loses the ball and Traore is away. Luckily he pulls his shot wide.

Traore wins another corner. Lewis Cook is subbed for Gosling on 76 minutes.

Danjuma does great down the wing and Smith and Wilson work to get a corner. On the break Jota runs the length of the pitch and Ramsdale saves well for a corner. Lerma over cooks his pass out to Rico.

Steve Cook shoots and its saved. Aké overhead kick saved corner. Fraser's cross and Aké heads over.

Jimenez on the break handball and hits a tame shot. Jota is off and Vinagre is on after 88 minutes.

Rico is booked for taking Traore down.

Three added minutes. Long shot from Jiminez is saved. Ramsdale is up for a corner but the keeper cons the ref.

Steve Cook wins the knock down. Wilson and Danjuma shanks it horribly wide.

Summary
A game to forget. Bournemouth came out with the wrong set up and probably weren't helped by Solanke injuring himself in the warm up. Simon Francis just wasn't up to speed and I don't know if he will be at this level again. He has just lost a bit of pace and it matters at this level. Diego Rico maybe switched off for the second goal, but the passing as a whole wasn't good enough in the first half. Lerma gives the side confidence and a stable base. He and Danjuma almost turned the game round. But it was Steve Cook that almost galvanised the team with his goal to make the comeback. But Bournemouth lacked that final bit of quality and luck in the box to get something out of the game.

The Guardian - Season report so far
AFCB Line up AFCB Subs: Boruc, Stacey, Mepham, Gosling, Lerma, Danjuma, SolankeAFCB RatingsRamsdale 7, A Smith 5, Francis 3, S Cook 8, Aké 7, Rico 5, L Cook 5 (Gosling 5),
Billing 4 (Lerma 7), Fraser 6, H Wilson 5 (Danjuma 7), C Wilson 5
AFCB MOM: Steve Cook
Referee Watch: Simon Hooper 2/10 - I don't think he'll be showing his face again at Dean Court in a hurry. He kind of liked giving Bournemouth players yellow cards.

Wolves
11 Patricio, 32 Dendoncker, 16 Coady, 27 Saiss, 2 Doherty, 8 Neves, 28 Moutinho, 19 Castro Otto, 37 Traore, 9 Jimenez, 18 Jota

Wolves Subs
4 Vallejo, 7 Neto, 10 Cutrone, 21 Ruddy, 26 Perry, 29 Vinagre, 49 Kilman


































ReplyForward

Are Wolves on the up?

Wolverhampton Wanderers are suddenly on the up, having escaped the lower clutches of the Premier League table in recent weeks and slotted themselves in ahead of the Cherries. The most impressive of those results was a 0-2 away win at Man City so we know they are no easy opponent this weekend. They are now on an unbeaten in their last seven league games.
Last year's result at Dean Court.The good news for the Cherries is that Adama Traore, who terrorised Aston Villa in their last match, he has had to pull out of the Spanish squad due to injury in the past week. Wolves have also only kept two clean sheets in their last 24 Premier League games, although one did come recently against Man City.

Ruben Neves has the long range shot to trouble many keepers at this level and while AFCB have been keeping opposition to long range shots most of the time, Neves is not some one you want to have the odd pot shot at goal from distance. Joao Moutinho is definitely the assist king in their team this season with 11, so he is a player AFCB will also need to get tight on if he plays.

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Wolves do have players that run hard and weigh in with goals like Diogo Jota in support of Jimenez and Matt Doherty at the back, who is a real danger from corners and free kick. Raul Jiminez will be the chief threat with Traore likely to miss out, and the Mexican striker has scored five times already this season.

Match preview interview with Express & Star - Bournemouth v Wolves the inside track on Eddie Howe's side


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Wolves Away record
DWDDD

AFCB Home record
LWDDW
AFCB TV preview

Howe says the capability is there for AFCB

Eddie Howe may be able to see that the capability to finish high is there with his team, but they have to find a performance every game and not just when they feel like it. The Cherries just haven't been able to follow up on games when they have had three points, and that is why they haven't shaken off teams that are hanging on to them now in the table.
Eddie Howe deep in thought about AFCB's season.On their day, we know Bournemouth can give every team in the league problems. They play best when they go ahead, but even with slow starts they have shown that they can get back into games. That ability to get back just didn't materialise against Newcastle though. Howe needs to figure out why that was. He tried to give more control by changing to a back three, but it didn't open up the opposition and that was disappointing.

Bournemouth are used to working at finding solutions to different game scenarios. The ball wasn't flowing though at Newcastle in a way that was helping the Cherries. Passes went astray and the movement and creativity didn't come to fruition.

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It must be frustrating for Eddie knowing he has the most talented squad of players he has ever has and yet they can't find a consistency to their results and performances. The international break might see some faces come back into contention, but Eddie will also believe in his squad and I expect him to use players who are fresh and without injury concerns. We are coming up to the busiest part of the season and Howe needs to see players with fire in their bellies now.  If they can start to hit form in November, then they could build a great run of games as they come thick and fast.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!For the Wolves game tomorrow it looks like AFCB will be out Josh King and perhaps Jefferson Lerma. Ryan Fraser could also be a doubt having pulled out of the Scotland squad. For David Brooks it also looks like this game has come too early for him, but Dan Gosling played in midweek against Reading in an U21 game along with Simon Francis, Arnaut Danjuma and Jordan Ibe.
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Possible AFCB team to face Wolves Subs: Boruc, Francis, Stacey, Mepham, Gosling, Brooks, H Wilson

Jefferson Lerma - a big miss against Wolves?

AFC Bournemouth will be able to draw upon the talents of Jefferson Lerma again weekend having served his suspension, but he is still unlikely to play much of a part in proceedings have played for Colombia in a friendly against Peru on Saturday and away at Ecuador on Wednesday.
It's not good when Jefferson Lerma has to miss games for AFCB. Lerma has already kept his booking going by picking up a yellow card against Peru, but he did play the full 90 minutes and Colombia won the game 1-0 thanks to a goal from Alfredo Morales in the wait for it - 90+3 minute! Jefferson only played 27 minutes against Ecuador on Wednesday, perhaps because Eddie Howe asked that he be given some rest to give him a chance of being on the bench against Wolves.



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Jefferson will have a long flight back to the UK and so I imagine he will miss out being picked to start against Wolves. So we should see Philip Billing and Lewis Cook continue their partnership and Eddie Howe will want to see them boss the game better than they did up at Newcastle United. There is a chance that Dan Gosling could play, but Billing has been left out of Denmark's squad and is not going to need resting. 

Online-Bookies.org.ukIt is a shame that Lerma is likely to miss out as I believe he is Bournemouth's best central midfielder and carries the biggest presence. I imagine that Wolves would be quite pleased if Lerma's name is not in the starting line up. On the plus side, I suppose it is hard for Lerma to pick up bookings if he is a sub and he has five more cards to play with now. He will surely be looking to the Spurs away game. For me Lerma is the heartbeat of the team now and has become well attuned to the Premier League. It is not always that a player lives up to his transfer price-tag, but Lerma has and I still think he could add goals to his game.



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Bournemouth will need big games from Lewis Cook and Philip Billing then to overcome Wolves who have improved their league position of late and are already ahead of AFCB on goal difference.

Mepham will have fond memories of Wolves

Chris Mepham made his Bournemouth debut against Wolves last February in a 1-1 draw. So there is a fondness about this weekend's opponents for Chris. Back in February Mepham was pleased just to get through his debut, after he handled in the box, but got a way with a decision against him, even if Raul Jiménez ended up scoring seven minutes to time. Sadly, Josh King couldn't put his second penalty of the game away and the points were shared.
Chris Mepham is doing well for Wales but is on the sidelines at AFCB.Looking at the games Mepham has played since, I wondered whether he has been a success at AFCB yet? I see him as one of the most naturally gifted central defenders when he is on the ball and in possession. He turns quickly and has good vision when looking for passes. Where he has found it difficult is in dealing with some of the best Premier League attackers on the move. The Leicester match earlier this season was the last time Mepham had a start, and he was shown to be caught out of position against Vardy on the sprint.




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Perhaps he was unlucky coming up against one of the best teams as we now know. His season started much better than that with an early second half goal against Sheffield United that helped the Cherries get a share of the points on the first day of the season. Chris has found it hard to force his way back into the team with Steve Cook regaining fitness, and Bournemouth's formation that rarely allows for three at the back.

Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!We do need to see Mepham getting game time though. Four appearances so far this season is not what I am sure he expected. He at least is playing for Wales and that should given him some confidence, but he needs to be pushing Steve Cook as hard as he can, as he will be the next defender likely to get a run of Aké or Cook do get injured. But not playing has a tendency to wear players down and I expect that Chris' Bournemouth career is not yet going as well as he had hoped. If he can cut the positional errors out though, AFCB might find that Mepham will benefit from getting more experience. Seeing Wolves run out on Saturday should remind Mepham that he'll want more games behind him before he sees wants to see those yellow shirts again.

Last night Chris Mepham played 90 minutes in Wales' 2-0 win of Hungary and Harry Wilson came on in the 88th minute for Gareth Bale. Nathan Aké also played 90 minutes in the Netherlands' 5-0 win over Estonia. Jefferson Lerma played 27 minutes for Colombia in their 0-1 win over Ecuador.

Premier Talk: By to Poch and José is back!

TalkSporting – Eddie Had A Dream

I had a busy afternoon yesterday. TalkSport had invited me onto their sofa to answer some questions about Eddie Had A Dream. The Hawksbee and Jacobs' Show was my destination, although Max Rushden was filling in for Paul Hawksbee.
Outside the News Building at London Bridge. The newspapers are big around here.I walked past the News Building first, to get an idea of where I had to go and through the glass walls I could see Westlife clearly getting ready to do an interview - star stuck already. Ever feel that you don't belong in this world, and in these glamorous surroundings?

Any way, I had to go in and get my security pass before being taken up to the 17th floor the TalkSport studio. I made my way through the reception and main lobby which had a selection of Sun newspaper headlines all lit up on six foot tall plaques - impressive!

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Once I reached the right floor, I was escorted to the green room where I was told I had a few minutes before going live on air. I quickly took in my surroundings - a couple of sofas and some pictures on the wall and the coffee machine. No evidence of all night parties!
Not a busy green room - just me and my tea and a couple of cushions. Five minutes to go - no backing out now!Advertisement Eddie Had a Dream is on sale now!While you prepare for these things as best you can nothing ever takes you breath away than going into the studio and meeting celebrities. Max Rushden offered a handshake before Andy Jacobs and with the greetings done, Max got to work. How long did it take you to write this book? "Too long," I replied honestly! That kind of broke the ice and Andy Jacobs started one of his infectious laughs.

I wondered how hard the questions might be to answer, but I needn't have worried. Max and Jason were interested in whether Eddie Howe would stay at AFCB or jump ship to a Tottenham or Everton? They also quizzed me on why I wanted to write the book on such a Mr Nice guy? I hadn't expected the question to be put that way, but got around to finding an answer as best I could.
Jason Cundy has a beloved Chelsea shirt on the wall and Alan Brazil has his signed Ipswich top. In between the sign reads, "Don't just appear... You have to perform. No pressure then!I was pleased that Andy Jacobs asked me about Julia's House Children's Charity which will receive 15 per cent of my earnings of Eddie Had A Dream and soon found myself responding to how I manage to write for a magazine title called International Cement Review? Max said that would be a good Have I good News for You item - I told him similar titles had been on the show, but I stopped short of telling him the name of one of our competition titles - as I think I might have lost direction of the interview by then. Just between you and me, an opposition magazine is called 'Global Slag!'

Any way, if you missed me on air you can catch it here on this link. One phrase I'll have to master is a leaf out of his book! - perhaps I was nervous LoL.


The Who's Who wall.. If you look carefully you can see me in the image - mirrors you know.
Also I have a snippet from the book here with AFCB's first Premier League win.

Please order a copy of Eddie Had A Dream if you can - we want to get the donation up for Julia's House Children's Hospice as high as we can.

In other news, Josh King scored last night for Norway in their win 1-2 over Malta.

Ramsdale keeps his sensational form going

While most of Bournemouth's players are finding consistency very difficult to get from their performances, Aaron Ramsdale just keeps getting better. He had a great game against Newcastle United and followed it up with a clean sheet against Albania for England's U21s.
Aaron Ramsdale is getting a reputation at a top stopper.The form of Aaron has just been off the scale since he took the number one jersey at AFCB. While Gareth Southgate has given Nick Pope a trial in the full England team, he might be well advised to take more of an interest in Aron Ramsdale for next summer if he feels Jordan Pickford is a potential weak link in his side.



Advertisement Coastal Garden BuildingsThere is not much more Aaron can do than keep playing at his next level. Some of the saves against Newcastle United were just exceptional, like taking the ball off Allan Saint-Maximan's toes when he was clean through on goal. Ramsdale just becomes a wall when he is second favourite to come out on top and his positioning in goal is what makes him such a hard keeper to beat I feel.

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Whether other clubs will start looking at Ramsdale is something I am beginning to wonder about. While Manchester United are strengthening their team by looking for a centre-forward, they may also be on the look out for a younger understudy to David de Gea, while Spurs have lost Hugo Lloris this season at Spurs so there are potential vacancies starting to appear in the goal keeper sector for top clubs, which has been quite rare in recent times. At least AFCB have good back up options in Boruc and Mark Travers at the moment, but so far this season it is hard to look beyond Aaron Ramsdale as Bournemouth's most influential player for the first few months of the season. Keep it up Aaron!