Peter Neil Bell's Blog: Cherry Chimes, page 6

It could be a big year for Bournemouth midfielder in 2021

Bournemouth have a great crop of midfielders, but they have a very big talent among their squad who is one of the youngest players in the team. We have not seen that much of David Brooks in his two years at the Cherries, but the scene is set for him to dominate proceedings in 2021 if he can remain injury-free.

David Brooks ha lots to look forward to in 2021

Although he has been linked with Man Utd and more recently Sheffield United, it is more important than ever for Bournemouth to retain the Welshman's signature as he develops his game and starts to excel even further. In a way, I think Bournemouth have been lucky that they have retained his services in the Championship, but it is also a good place for David to sharpen his skills even more. If he can lead defences a merry dance at the Championship level he will be more than ready to have an even bigger impact when he does get back to the Premier League. I have no doubt that he will play more games in the Premier League, whether with Bournemouth or another club.

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The Championship is gruelling though and it may well help to toughen Brooks up more. He has to develop the more physical side of his game, and I see it as a bonus that he is getting at least a season at this level again. He can showboat in the international when he gets to play with players that have time to play, but at Bournemouth, it is more of the games when there is hardly a second to think that I feel he will improve. In the Championship, opponents are in your faces and are trying their all to stop creative players.

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If clubs don't manage to pull Brooks away from Bournemouth in this next window, then his price will only increase. That has to be good for Bournemouth as well as Brooks. He will get a move to a big club eventually and Bournemouth will more than recoup his transfer fee. I'd like to think that Brooks feels he is still learning while at AFCB, and other young players may well see that he has decided to stay at our club when he might have looked to leave. It could signal to other new talents that Bournemouth is a good place to come, if you want to improve your skills and attract the attention of the bigger clubs.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Where do the Cherries. need to improve? 

Where do the Cherries' need to improve?

Happy Christmas everyone! It is perhaps a good time to just consider how the season has gone so far and what expectations we may have for the second half of the season. Bournemouth are just five points off the lead with a two-point gap over the third-placed Swansea City. Are we confident that Bournemouth can do as well if not better between January and May?

Happy Christmas
When we look at the league, Bournemouth have played 20 games which is almost half and they have played most teams once. So with only two defeats, it has been a good start and the real need for the Cherries is to try and convert a few more of the draws into wins. That is how Norwich have clawed themselves ahead.
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Bournemouth can also set themselves the tasks of doing better against the teams in the top six. They have beaten Norwich City but they have drawn with Swansea City, Watford and Middlesbrough. If they can beat these teams second time around they will be opening the gap much quicker on those teams below them.

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Defensively Bournemouth have sharpened up well with nine clean sheets so far. That is still two behind Stoke City and Swansea City. While six of these clean sheets for the Cherries have been at home there are just three away clean sheets. In the away games clean sheet table, Bournemouth are down in 10th and it's a clear indication of where they can improve.

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With 35 goals scored, the Cherries top the goals for table with Blackburn Rovers just a goal behind. The stat which is not so good is goals against column,  as Bournemouth have conceded 16 goals from their 20 games. But that is still the fourth-best record behind Swansea City, Watford and Middlesbrough.

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From Bournemouth's position it would be costly to see them fall back into the third to sixth places, and this is what Bournemouth have to be aware of the most as the pressure builds. It may be a good thing that they have Norwich to chase, as it will give the players more to think of rather than thinking of being caught.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Danjuma only has eyes to get AFCB back to the Premier League

Danjuma only has eyes to get AFCB back to the Premier League

The second AFCB official podcast had Arnaut Danjuma as its guest. It was great to hear from a current player who has had a great start to this current season, but who has also sadly been on the end of an injury. I already see Arnaut as a fans' favourite and he came across in his interview as a very calm and sensible young man who just wants to get back to the Premier league with AFCB. 

Danjuma is still looking to get injury-free for the next group of games.
The question I really wanted Kris and Zoe to ask was how different is it to be managed by Jason Tindall rather than Eddie Howe? Unfortunately, we didn't get that but we might hear on that one from one of the other upcoming next player interviews. 

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What we did learn is that AFCB have gone out of their way to try and make Arnaut welcome by catering to his religious beliefs and his food requirements. It is quite something to have a prayer room built for you at the stadium. I am not sure such a gesture would have been made for players back in the 1970s or 1980s. In some ways, we are a much more caring society now and it's good to see AFCB are leading the way in that. AFCB want to get the best out for their players and they will go the extra mile to try and see that they do help when they can.

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We also heard that Arnaut is very driven in his pursuit of playing to the best of his abilities. He wants to get back into teh Dutch international team and to lead AFCB back to the Premier League. He lacks no confidence either in stating that if he had not been injured so much in 2019-20, he feels he could have been the difference in keeping AFCB up.

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Arnaut is also clearly frustrated when he can't play. I think the word 'pissed' is his favourite word in such circumstances, but it means that when he can play he tries to make the most of it. Having scored five goals this season he is now feeling much more at home in the team and we probably owe Nathan Aké a big thank you for convincing Arnaut that Bournemouth was a good family club to come to. We may not have seen Arnaut at Bournemouth otherwise, as he had offers to join other clubs when he was at Club Brugge.

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Having played at the Champions League level, Arnaut was a big signing for the Cherries and he is clearly one of the players that can get the team out of the Championship. So, I just hope we see him more on the pitch come January than having to sit on the sidelines.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Lerma will hope not to miss games

Lerma will hope not to miss games

Jefferson Lerma has until Thursday to respond to a 'biting' charge during the Sheffield Wednesday match in November. Lerma is on a charge that he broke FA rule E3 by attempting to harm an opponent - Josh Windas - an allegation Lerma 'strenuously denies', says the Bournemouth Echo.

Lerma could be on the sidelines.

Bournemouth have not been too lucky when defending such charges in the past. I remember the stamping incident with Tyrone Mings and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, in 2017, when Mings was subsequently banned for five games. Football is a physical game and there is a fine line between playing with a lot of aggression and pushing things too far. Retaliation is something that can happen on the pitch, but it's hoped that referees deal with any incidents at the time. Now it is more of a spectacle, which isn't fair for players.

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We will see whether Jefferson Lerma's case is dismissed or not. If he is not acquitted he could see a lengthy ban of a few games. That could mean Lerma misses games in early January. It is never a good time to lose such an influential player, even if Bournemouth do have a good number of central midfielders to cover in that area.

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It may be that Gosling simply comes back into the starting line up, but let's hope that Lerma is innocent and can carry on playing. Nmandi Ofoborh will also be hoping to get some game time soon and he could be given his chance against Oldham in the FA Cup. It is a busy period coming up and Bournemouth will need their best payers on the pitch.

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Lerma is undoubtedly a player that Jason Tindall will want to play as many games as he can this season. While a rest may do him some good, I have no doubt that Lerma would rather be playing.

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - It's a Boxing Day wipeout for the Cherries

It's a Boxing Day wipeout for the Cherries

Checking up on the official AFCB website yesterday, I was gutted to see that the match against Millwall has been postponed due to COVID-19 illness in the Millwall squad. Let's hope those players recover quickly. But it's a pretty rotten Christmas for everyone with Tier 4 in many places and now no football for the Cherries until 30 December 2020 when AFCB take on Brentford.

AFCB have to wait until the end of the month for their next game.

So, we have just one game left this calendar year. It has been quite a year with relegation, managerial change, a strong start to the Championship and COVID-19 making everything very difficult for everyone. I suppose 2020 will be remembered for sure, but it has been less than satisfactory for football supporters.

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Even with supporters getting back to games in some capacity, the match day experience is hardly normal. yet. I wonder if 2021 will be much better? 

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For Jason Tindall and AFCB the problem will be of keeping players tuned on during the Christmas period. It is probably the first year that many of the players will be able to spend Christmas and Boxing Day with their immediate families, if Tindall allows it. Perhaps they will have to train on Boxing Day but Christmas Day could surely be free in their calendars. I suppose that is at least some consolation for some Bournemouth players. But they will have to be fully ready for the Brentford match which should be very competitive with both teams in the top four. 

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Building some momentum is what will be needed. Bournemouth have been doing okay at home, but having scored so many goals against Huddersfield has seen the team then struggle against Wycombe and Luton and it is better to win games by a small margin than to have a big win and then a dearth of goals. 

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Preparations for the January will now take precedence I would think. We might not see too much movement in but there are a few players that Jason Tindall will now have to fight really hard for to keep at AFCB. It has been made a little easier by the fact that Bournemouth are in a good position for a possible promotion, but Premier League sides that are not in danger of the drop will be tempting prizes for a few of AFCB's players.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Fifth clean sheet of main positive Luton game

Fifth clean sheet main positive of Luton game

Jason Tindall was far from enthusiastic about the result against Luton Town. Keeping virtually the same team for the Wycombe game as he did against Rotherham, with just Chris Mepham and Jack Simpson changing around, he said had not been helpful, but then he chose to start exactly the same players against Luton Town as he did against Wycombe Wanderers. So I am not sure why a change wasn't made in the starting line-up for the Luton game. It makes me wonder if the manager trusts all his players to be good enough to come into the team when rotation is required.

AFCB don't seem able to win back-to -back games when they keep the same starting 11.
If Bournemouth have a problem it is not from keeping out goals at the back at the moment. Steve Cook is  leading his defenders to keep opposition teams at bay, and Asmir Begovic has been exceptional in goal. The way Jack Simpson has fitted right in has been a delight and Lloyd Kelly is really showing that he is going to be a very big player for Bournemouth in the future, and he is starting to put in some telling crosses at the other end.
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Bournemouth are certainly organised. They can be pleased that they are defending corners and free kicks well. But they have to put more effort in to create chances. Whether that means Tindall should be looking to rotate things more in midfield and in the forward line is something he must be pondering. Dan Gosling has had a long time on the subs bench, and Sam Surrdidge is biting at the bit to get more time on the pitch.
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The main concern I have is that Bournemouth need Danjuma back to really inject the kind of pace into their forward play that put teams into a panic in the early part of the season. Whether Danjuma can get his hamstring 100 per cent in the next few weeks may be the difference between Bournemouth closing the gap on Norwich or seeing that gap growing.

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With the latest news that Josh King has a back injury again, I think it is best now to cut our losses with Josh and don't play him again. Recoup a transfer fee for him and see if there are any young players that could be brought in for the second half of the season to help the squad push on.
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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Bournemouth find it hard-going against Luton

Bournemouth find it hard-going against Luton

Match Report Luton 0 v 0 AFCB 19 December 2020

Bournemouth drop points on Norwich City's lead with a 0-0 draw at Luton.

Bournemouth took a point from Kenilworth Road, but didn't find hardly any swagger in this game which was scrappy and a bit of a slog. Luton gave Bournemouth plenty to think about and might have gone ahead but for Begovic's great save from Hylton in the first half. Bournemouth made subs second half, but the game drifted towards stalemate with quality lacking in front of goal.

Bournemouth made no changes to the line-up, but Benjamin Burchall was back on the subs bench. Josh King was said by BBC Radio Solent's Kris Temple to be out of the squad because of a recurrence of a back injury.

The Cherries attacked well early on with Junior Stanislas having the first shot from outside the box from a free kick that Shea had to save in the fourth minute. Bournemouth won a corner as early as the fifth minute. Luton threatened with a block shot from Luke Berry before Bournemouth saw Billing have a shot that just went past the left post.

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Luton won their first corner on 12 minutes. Dewsbury-Hall forced a good save from Begovic on 21 minutes as the home team built up some control.

Bournemouth went close having won a corner and Stanislas' delivery found Solanke who headed wide from close range and Billing was unable to get to the ball at the far post. Lerma became more influential having a shot blocked before he was fouled and Stanislas' direct free kick shot went high to the left of goal.

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Lloyd Kelly then shot up the wing and Stanislas crossed with the ball coming out to Billing, but the midfielder shot over from 10-yards and the centre of the box. 

After a corner conceded by Steve Cook, Begovic made an outstanding save to keep the scores level as Hylton looked to curl one into the top corner. A header from Sonny Bradley was then saved by Begovic. Bournemouth were not having it all their own way.

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Junior Stanislas and Lewis Cook both saw attempts blocked before half-time with the score remaining goalless.

Having only has one shot on target, AFCB had to lift their game in the second half. Bournemouth took a corner with Brooks finding Lewis Cook who shot wide from distance.

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Surridge and Rico replaced Billing and Stanislas as the Cherries looked to change things up. Brooks then attempted a header on 59 minutes that was wide. Bournemouth were finding it hard going and Lerma was booked.

Riquelme replaced Brooks on 68 minutes. Hylton replaced Harry Cronick on 70 minutes. Bournemouth blocked a shot from Collins, before Dewsbury-Hall hit a shot over the bar on 80 minutes.

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Lewis Cook was fouled by Dewsbury-Hall, who saw yellow. Bournemouth pressed on with Surrdige having a shot blocked and Lerma shooting wide.

The Cherries came close again when Adam Smith won a free kick and Riquelme's shot from the middle of the penalty box was saved. Rico's late cross also saw Riquelme head wide. Collins was then subbed for Sam Nombe to come on.

In the six minutes of added time, Pearson came on for Potts.

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Summary
A hard away game for the Cherries. With just two shots on target, Bournemouth didn't trouble the Luton keeper enough and although the clean sheet is welcome with Begivic again coming to the rescue, Tindall will be well aware that Bournemouth are dropping back from Norwich and the away form is not as strong as it might be. 

AFCB Line-up AFCB Subs: 23 Travers, 33 Zemura, 21 Rico, 4 Gosling, 20 Riquelme, 26 Kilkenny, 32 Anthony, 36 Burchall, 14 Surridge 

Luton Town
1 Shea 2 Cranie, 15 Lockyer, 5 Bradley, 3 Potts (Pearson 90+1), 22 Dewsbury-Hall, 8 Berry, 19 Collins (Nombe 88), 17 Mpanzu, 24 Norrington-Davies, 9 Hylton

Luton Subs
4 Tunnicliffe, 6 Pearson, 7 Cornick, 12 Sluga, 14 Moncur, 18 Clark, 23 Galloway, 27 Nombe, 28 Morrell
Previous post on Cherry Chimes - A change or more of the same from Tindall?

All change or more of the same from Tindall?

I expect Jason Tindall will want to freshen up the team a bit for the Luton Town game. He was a little uneasy about how the team played in the first half against Wycombe Wanderers and the frustration seemed to come through with some of the players with Juinior Stanislas and Sam Surridge not quite seeing eye to eye, but focus on getting clean sheets is certainly starting to pay off.

Hoping to go top of the table again.

At the pre-mtach press conference, Tindall didn't seem too confident about unleashing Arnaut Danjuma yet. It could be a bluff of course, but he is keen to rest hamstring injuries and Bournemouth have cover with Rodriquez Riquelme and Josh King, so there is no need to rush Danjuma back if Stanislas is feeling okay to continue his run in the side. My gut feeling is that Jason may choose to put King in from the start though in this game, just to give Stanislas a small break.

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The midfield is playing well and in defence Bournemouth have managed four clean sheets. So it is not going to be easy to decide who can come out of the starting line-up. Lewis Cook has just won the goal of the month in the Championship for November, and is perhaps playing the most consistently that he has for Bournemouth in this current period. I do think Dan Gosling and Philip Billing are ready to get more time though and I am sure one of them will be used in the second half.

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It must be tempting for Tindall to play Surridge and Solanke from the start but he has been holding off that option. Having the wing-backs is preferable it seems and Surridge is likely to be used as a second-half plan B yet again, even if Bournemouth are successful in gaining a lead in the first 45 minutes.

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AFCB's Possible line-up AFCB: Travers, Rico, Gosling, Stanislas, Riquelme, Ofoborgh, Kilkenny, Anthony, Surridge

The Cherries look to add to their away wins at Luton Town

Bournemouth will be looking to keep their winning run going away to Luton Town on Saturday. That Hatters sit in mid-table, in 13th place, after an equal amount of wins and defeats and a goal difference of minus four. They are not a high-scoring side having netted 17 times in their 19 games, but they scored three times in their last home match.

AFCB take on Luton again as they did earlier this
year in the FA Cup. This time it's the league and it's at Kenilworth Road.

Coached by Nathan Jones, Luton Town finished 19th last season and they have an opportunity to improve on that this time around. Their main goal threat comes from James Collins who scored a hat-trick in the last home match against Preston North End. He has nine goals so far this season and if Bournemouth can keep him quiet there aren't many goals coming from other places in this Luton side. Collins was unfortunate in their last away match against Middlesbrough in seeing his penalty kick ruled out for a double kick, which would otherwise have got Luton a draw.

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Bournemouth fans will remember Harry Cornick who is in the Luton side. Cornick hasn't scored yet this season but started in their last match before being subbed on 75 minutes. Former West Ham player George Moncur adds a bit of grit in the Hatter's midfield. Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu is another former West Ham player, who is likely to start in midfield, as well as Dean Potts who is the left-back. So it does have a bit of the feel of a West Ham reserves versus AFCB game.

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Luton move into Tier 3 from Saturday, so they won't have any supporters at this game. Looking at their home record that won't trouble Luton much having been unbeaten in their last four home games and winning two of them. Those wins were against Norwich City and Preston North End so they are in form at home.

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Luton Home Form
LDDWW

AFCB Away Form
LWDWD

Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Winning 1-0 is never a bad thing for AFCB

Winning 1-0 is never a bad thing for AFCB

I of agree with Lewis Cook that the win against Wycombe might not have been the best performance Bournemouth fans might have expected after the 5-0 demolition of Huddersfield, but it's still another three points. Bournemouth are not going to finish their fast-flowing football every game with some smart finishing and when it doesn't come off they have to find ways of winning ugly or not. What is not clear is whether the team was shattered having played the same team two games in a row.

Bournemouth don't have to win every game 5-0
I thought that Sam Surridge was an important inclusion in the game. He offers a very different forward question to Solanke and it's not a bad thing that Bournemouth have Danjuma now coming back, so Jason Tndall might be able to change the attacking personnel more for the next game. Riquelme has also been used sparingly and knows how well he has to play to get in the side.

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The great improvement has been in the defence and sometimes I think fans get side-tracked thinking about why there haven't been more goals. We must remember that the team has played well to get its fourth clean sheet in a row. The level of performances from Steve Cook and Asmir Begovc have been out of the park, but they seldom get recognition for it. Jack Simpson has also come int the side and made up for Chris Mepham's absence to great effect.

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So while we sit and reflect on Bournemouth's opening to the season and how it has done in the division, we can't be too critical. The pressure is yet to really come on, but it will do once we get into February and the games start to seem crucial in the pursuit of a top-two place. At the moment, Bournemouth are well in the mix and the team can be freshened up with Josh King also back in contention. It should be a glass half full at the moment not half empty for supporters.

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Previous post on Cherry Chimes - Stanislas gives Bournemouth a narrow 1-0 win over a 10-man Wycombe

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