AFC Bournemouth - first ever premiership journey, will it be their last?

[SamPeters]

I decided to start a game with AFC Bournemouth, Newly promoted to the Premiership they have been involved in one the greatest rises through the leagues and play exciting football which I will be looking to continue that style.

The Squad

I have a great pool of talent to work with despite some of the long term injuries. I feel we have a chance of staying up.

2 Key Players

Callum Wilson
A great young striker who has a very bright future and will be vital to our chances of staying up.

Matt Ritchie
A very exciting young midfielder who could go far and another vital piece to us staying up this season.​

 

[TheOtherSpecialOne]

Nice to see someone else trying a Bournemouth save aswell. They definately have the quality to stay up, here's hoping you won't get as many injuries as I did during my Bournemouth save and succeed were I failed, keeping them in the Premier League

 

[SamPeters]

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Pre-Season

So we started off with the inter-squad match against the reserves and got a comfortable 6-0 win, gave me a good chance to evaluate the squad.

Not the greatest of matches in our first game of the training camp up in Scotland as we fell to a 2-1 defeat to Queen of the South

Our second game up in Scotland saw us pick up a hard thought 2-1 victory against Morton

Our next match saw us get a hard-thought draw against Alloa

We ended our time in Scotland on a high with a brilliant 3-0 win against St. Mirren

Our first game back on English soil and we got a 3-1 win over sc Heereveen in a very solid performance in front of the home crowd.

We ended Pre-Season with an 8-2 demolition of non-league side Poole Town.

TRANSFERS

2 in and 2 out so far, Llorente has a bright future ahead of him so it will be good to see if he can perform well here before going back to Real Madrid, Traore is a great signing and adds a lot of quality to the side.

​

 

[margate]

Ill definately keep an eye on this one

 

[SamPeters]

August 2015

Game 1

Well what an opening game of the season that was! Unfortunately we ended up losing the game in the last minute but I can not be prouder of the players, to go 3-0 down in 22 minutes, the players and fans must have been fearing the worst like I was but the players all pulled together and put on an amazing comeback, If we put this level of performance into each game then the results will start going our way and be on our way to survival.

My Player of the Match was Junior Stanislas, He was almost not in the starting line up as was going to go with Tomlin on the left and Pugh on the right but gave Junior the start and my word what a game he had setting up two out of the three goals, With Atsu, Gradel and Ritchie out at the moment, He took his opportunity and smashed it.

Capital One Cup 2nd Round Draw

We have been drawn at home to SkyBet League One side Blackpool, I feel this is a tie we should win.

Game 2

Disappointed that we could not hold onto the lead but we picked up our first point today against a good Palace side who caused us problems most the match but we also held our own.

My Player of the Match was Callum Wilson, a good double by him today put us 2-0 up and he will be key for our survival this year.

Game 3

Another game and we failed to win, This is never going to be easy but I can't fault the effort that the players put in.

I gave an instant debut to Jordi Masip who we have brought in from F.C. Barcelona and I feel he can be a great signing for us and help us to our survival.

My Player of the Match was Dan Gosling, Despite the loss he had a great game and commanded the midfield with some great passing and tackling throughout the match.

Second Round

Not the greatest of performances today from us but we managed to get through into the 3rd Round of the cup but got to give credit to Blackpool for putting up a great fight thanks to a King double

My Player of the Match was Joe Bennett, He had a great game today and got the assist and was dominate in the tackles and passes that he made today

Capital One Cup 3rd Round Draw
We have been drawn at home to SkyBet Championship side Birmingham City though into the next round.

Game 4

What an amazing performance and we have shown the Premiership that we will not go down without a fight, especially away from home it was just brilliant and credit to everyone involved today.

My Player of the Match was Callum Wilson, A brilliant performance by Callum today and caused the Watford defence a lot of problems.

Team Competitions
Barclays Premiership: 13th

Capital One Cup: 3rd Round vs Birmingham City
FA Cup: Not Yet Entered

Player Stats

Top Goalscorer

Callum Wilson - 5

Most Assists

Charlie Daniels - 4

Most Man of the Matches

Junior Stanislas + Callum Wilson + Joe Bennett + Dan Gosling - 1

Yellow Cards

Andrew Surman + Steve Cook + Dan Gosling - 1

Red Cards
None

Top Rating

Dan Gosling - 8.25

Team Awards

Player of the Month

Callum Wilson
A brilliant month for Callum as he netted 5 goals in the opening month of the season! I expected him to start off well but full credit goes to him for this award.

Transfers

Only one more player brought in this month with Jordi Masip coming in from Barcelona and he can play a major part to our survival this season and was happy to get him so cheap, Overall I am delighted with the transfer business we have done this window.

Overall

Barclays Premiership
A mixed start to the season but that was to be expected but what a great win over Watford gave the players a lot of confidence going forward

Capital One Cup
Blackpool put up a great fight and took us to extra time but we pulled through and now get into the third round and go up against Birmingham City who will provide a good challenge.
​

 

[SamPeters]

September 2015

Game 5

A great team performance today as we secured a late win to send the fans into frenzy in the stands and with smiles on their faces as they go home.

Christian Atsu made his debut from the bench today as the crowd got to see the new man for the first time and he delighted the crowd with a late winner.

My Player of the Match was Steve Cook, A brilliant commanding performance by Steve today as some of his defending was the best I have ever seen with some brilliant tackles and passes.

Game 6

A great game today as the team put in a great performance against a tough Stoke City side as we left Stoke with 3 points, we started off with 4-4-2 but moved to 5-3-2 during the second half and I was delighted it paid off!

My Player of the Match was Andrew Surman, A great game from Andrew today as he put in a great pass for Wilsons goal and then got himself the winner! and he was very commanding and dominate throughout the whole match.

Third Round

Made a lot of changes for the cup game and I was delighted it paid off in the end but for a while it look Birmingham would go on to win as they pulled it back from 2-0 to get level but we move on and secure our place in the next round.

My Player of the Match was Tokelo Rantie, A great game for him today from his long lay off with an injury as his double helped us on our way to going into the pot for the next round.

Capital One Cup 4th Round draw

We have been drawn away to another Championship side and this time we are up against Wolverhampton Wanderers who should provide us with another exciting tie.

Game 7

A result we expected today but I was happy with the teams performance and how we took the goals.

My Player of the Match was Callum Wilson, A brilliant performance today and continues his great start to the season with 2 more goals.

Team Competitions
Barclays Premiership: 9th

Capital One Cup: 4th Round vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
FA Cup: Not Yet Entered

Player Stats

Top Goalscorer

Callum Wilson - 8

Most Assists

Glenn Murray + Charlie Daniels - 4

Most Man of the Matches

Andrew Surman + Junior Stanislas + Steve Cook + Callum Wilson + Dan Gosling + Joe Bennett - 1

Yellow Cards

Andrew Surman + Elliott Ward + Steve Cook + Dan Gosling + Joe Bennett + Tomas Andrade - 1

Red Cards
None

Top Rating

Callum Wilson - 8.14

Overall

My Player of the Month

Steve Cook
He has had a great month at the back after initially struggling in the first month and got himself on the scoresheet this month as well which I am delighted for him

Barclays Premiership
What an amazing month as we shoot up to the top half of the table apart from the expected drubbing from Manchester United

Capital One Cup
A good match from Birmingham City as was also happy with some of the players who have not really played much so far
​

 

[SamPeters]

October 2015

Game 8

I can't fault the efforts of the team today, We pulled together and gave Liverpool a good game and I was happy we only conceded 1 goal.

My Player of the Match was Jordi Masip, Efforts like he put in today are exactly why I brought him in, He was brilliant in front of goal today with some great saves to keep it down to just 1-0

Game 9

A loss which was expected but I am happy with our performance today against a great Arsenal side

My Player of the Match was Jordi Masip, another great performance by Jordi today helped us keep the score low.

Game 10

What a game that was, the players put in a lot of effort today and managed to get the win right at the death thanks to some comedy defending which lead to their own goal but we come away from the Stadium of Light with all three points in the bag.

My Player of the Match was Tommy Elphick, A good game by the captain today as he led by example as his decision making was top notch.

4th Round

Wolverhampton Wanderers gave us a great game today and it took us until extra time to get the goal but we are now into the pot for the Quarter Finals!.

My Player of the Match was Simon Francis, A great leading performance from Simon who was the captain today.

Capital One Cup Quarter Final Draw

We have been drawn at home to Tottenham Hotspur, This will be our biggest challenge in the competition so far so it will give us an amazing test

Game 11

I was disappointed with our performance today especially in the second half and I was not surprised that we lost it right at the death as it looked like West Brom were the only ones that would win.

My Player of the Match was Dan Gosling, another great performance from Dan despite the loss.

Team Competitions
Barclays Premiership: 12th

Capital One Cup: Quarter Finals vs Tottenham Hotspur
FA Cup: Not Yet Entered

Player Stats

Top Goalscorer

Callum Wilson - 8

Most Assists

Glenn Murray + Charlie Daniels - 4

Most Man of the Matches

Andrew Surman + Dan Gosling + Junior Stanislas + Callum Wilson + Jordi Masip + Steve Cook + Joe Bennett + Simon Francis - 1

Yellow Cards

Joe Bennett - 2

Red Cards
None

Top Rating

Dan Gosling - 7.61
​

 

[SamPeters]

November 2015

Game 12

Well despite losing our first ever South Coast Derby game in the Premiership I feel we put up a good fight against Southampton but their quality did show in the end.

My Player of the Match was Dan Gosling, Once again another top performance by Dan and he took his goal great today and was a great commander in midfield.

Game 13

A brilliant effort from the lads today as we got a great win over a tough Norwich Ciy side, I would say it was one of our better overall performances so far this season as the home crowd got something great to see.

My Player of the Match was Lee Tomlin, A brilliant game from Lee today as I decided to throw him in with Dan Gosling picking up an injury and he scored a powerful strike and his overall game play with tackling, passing were top notch.

Game 14

A result which was to be expected So I do not have any bad words towards the team as they put in a great performance against a brilliant Chelsea side

My Player of the Match was Jodi Masip, Another great performance from Jordi today as he pulled off some great saves to keep the score down just 4 goals

Team Competitions
Barclays Premiership: 13th

Capital One Cup: Quarter Finals Vs Tottenham Hotspur
FA Cup: Not Yet Entered

Player Stats

Top Goalscorer

Callum Wilson - 9

Most Assists

Glenn Murray + Charlie Daniels - 5

Most Man of the Matches

Andrew Surman + Dan Gosling + Junior Stanislas + Callum Wilson + Jordi Masip + Steve Cook + Joe Bennett + Simon Francis + Matt Ritchie - 1

Yellow Cards

Joe Bennett - 2

Red Cards
None

Top Rating

Dan Gosling - 7.67
​

 

[SamPeters]

December 2015

Quarter Finals

A close match here today as we exit the competition for this season but it has been a great effort by the lads and should be proud of what they have done to get this far in the cup

My Player of the Match was Harry Arter, He had a great game bossing the midfield today, his passing and tackling were brilliant throughout the performance.

Game 15

Another close match but once again we ended up on the losing side, I am hoping this does not become too much of a habit but we all know it will be tough as we are not one of the strongest sides.

My Player of the Match was Joshua King, he has been knocking on the door everyday asking for a chance to show what he can do with only being a recent signing from the previous manager Eddie Howe but he looked lively all game and took both of his goals well and gives me a nice selection problem going forward

Game 16

I am proud of the efforts from our players today against a brilliant Manchester City side but its another defeat which is worrying

My Player of the Match was Christian Atsu, He was lively and dangerous throughout the whole match today and we delighted for him to get his goal

Game 17

A great effort by the team today as we ended a four game losing streak to pick up a brilliant point away at Everton, I wished we could had held on for the win but Everton are one of the bigger sides so it is to be expected but I hope we can get a win from somewhere soon

My Player of the Match was Harry Arter, Another good performance from Harry today as he has fully comeback from his injury lay off and will be a big part of our plans this season

Game 18

Well what a response that was from the lads! This was beyond anything I could had imagined as we swept aside Newcastle United with ease to a 5-1 victory! We have now well and truly arrived onto the Premiership scene but the focus goes onto the next game

My Player of the Match was Glenn Murray, A brilliant and dominating performance by Glenn today who has been asked to feature more which I have felt he has got enough first team football this season but it is a nice selection headache to have.

Game 19

We suffer a second defeat to Tottenham Hotspur as we struggled throughout the whole game and it was a comfortable victory for them today

My Player of the Match was Jordi Masip, Despite conceding two goals today he had a brilliant game and made some important saves to keep it down to 2-0

Game 20

We faced Newcastle again today in the league and we have completed the double over them this season and what an amazing game it was, Newcastle in all credit to them kept pulling it back to a draw but ultimately we came away with the win.

My Player of the Match was Charlie Daniels, A great performance from him today with a very dominating display and put in a great cross for Murray's goal.

Team Competitions
Barclays Premiership: 12th

Capital One Cup: Knocked Out in the Quarter Finals by Tottenham Hotspur
FA Cup: 3rd Round vs AFC Wimbledon

How The Players Have Performed So Far

Three Players Who Have Impressed Me So Far

Callum Wilson
A great campaign so far for Callum, He went on an amazing early run of form with goals and although they did start to dry up his all round performance has been great and he is very important for us going forward

Dan Gosling
What a season he has had so far, from the first game of the season he put his mark on the team and he has been one of the first names down on the team sheet throughout the season

Christian Atsu
He started off the season injured but once he came back he has been amazing and has contributed a lot so far and I may look at the possibility of signing Atsu permanently at the end of the season if these performances keep up

One Player Who Has Not Impressed Me So Far

Marcos Llorente
He was just not impressive at all weather it was his training or when he was selected so we will review his loan deal over the next few days

Big Club News

New Stadium

We have agreed with the board to build a new stadium which will hold 20,000 which is a great step forward for the club as the extra money through ticket sales will be a great financial benefit.
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[SamPeters]

January 2016

Game 21

A great away performance here today from us as we start off the New Year with a victory against a good Aston Villa side who over the two games this season have provided us with some great competition.

I was delighted to give debuts to two experienced players today, the first being Ron Vlaar who I signed at the end of October so I could use December as his month in he reserves picking up his fitness and match fitness and he slotted straight in against his former side, Another player facing his old club with Liam Ridgewell who came off the bench to replace Elphick in the second half

My Player of the Match was Joshua King, A great game from him today as he netted a double to seal the victory, he has not had as many opportunities as the likes of Traore, Murray and Rantie but with these performances I may have to give him more starts upfront

3rd Round

We get a comfortable win against AFC Wimbledon as we made a lot of changes to the side and I am delighted to have booked our place in the next round.

I gave a debut to Filippo Costa today who has been on loan with us since before I joined and he has been good in training throughout the first half of the season and will be a main feature for the Under 21's as it will be better for his development but if he continues to impress I may look to sign him in the summer

My Player of the Match was Sylvain Distin, A great experienced defender and he showed his quality throughout the match with some very important tackles and clearances and also got his first goal since joining.

FA Cup 4th Round Draw

We have been drawn at home to SkyBet Championship side Rotherham United

Game 22

A brilliant performance at home today as we beat a tough Crystal Palace side and the great season keeps on getting better.

My Player of the Match was Callum Wilson, He had another great performance as he was dangerous all game

Game 23

It was a great game against Leicester today but we ended up on the losing side which is disappointing considering we went 2-1 up but Leicester kept fighting and picked up the win so all credit to them today.

My Player of the Match was Harry Arter, A brilliant performance in midfield from Harry today, he is becoming the main man in terms of link up plays between the whole team, He has fully recovered from the injury which kept him out at first and the fans are loving the performances.

4th Round

I am delighted to have secured the win after making a number of changes to the side, We went 1-0 down and also Tomlin failing to score from the penalty which made me feel it was going to be a bad day for us.

My Player of the Match was Glenn Murray, A brilliant performance from Glenn which also led to him getting two goals, It is good to have a number of options to pick from upfront.

Team Competitions
Barclays Premiership: 11th

Capital One Cup: Knocked Out in the Quarter Finals by Tottenham Hotspur
FA Cup: 5th Round Vs Sunderland or Watford

Player Stats
Top Goalscorer

Callum Wilson - 14

Most Assists

Charlie Daniels + Simon Francis - 7

Most Man of the Matches

Callum Wilson + Glenn Murray - 2

Yellow Cards

Andrew Surman + Lee Tomlin + Joe Bennett - 3

Red Cards
None

Top Rating

Callum Wilson - 7.46

Transfers

So as you can see from the last transfer window we have made three new additions to the squad, I brought Ron Vlaar in at the end of October to get his fitness up for January as I feel he can be a great addition at the back this season along with bringing Liam Ridgewell in also on a free transfer as he came over from Portland Timbers and adds vital experience going into the second half of the season and on the last day of the window we brought in Michu on a free transfer to add another quality option to the attacking threat throughout the season

Marc Pugh left to move down to the SkyBet Championship with Bristol City as with his contract running out at the end of the season and my feeling is I have better options going into next season already so I felt it was best to cash in on him now and also Marcos Llorente was sent back to Real Madrid, We felt it was in his best interest as he struggled to feature as much as we had hoped.
​

 

[Disclaimer89]

Hey great story! Hopefully Vlaar will tighten up the defence! Good luck, will be following

 

[SamPeters]

Hey great story! Hopefully Vlaar will tighten up the defence! Good luck, will be following

Cheers mate, Yeah he will add vital experience to the defence especially if I go three at the back as then it would be Cook - Vlaar - Elphick which I feel can be a great back three

 

[SamPeters]

February 2016

Game 24

What a performance to start the month with, As we come to the closing stages of the season every point is vital and to get three here today in front of our own fans was a great feeling and the attacking display was unreal today as we are 8 points away from the magical '40 point mark' everyone in the stadium is starting to believe that they will see Premiership football with Bournemouth again next season.

I was delighted to give Michu his debut today in front of the home fans and they welcomed him with great applause and he can play a major role in the last 14 games of the season and with being away at Swansea in the next game, it could lead to an interesting match for him.

My Player of the Match was Matt Ritchie, A brilliant performance by Matt today as he terrorized the Watford defence the whole match and fully deserved his two goals today

Game 25

Not the greatest of games today as we once again threw away the lead but it's still another point towards safety this season.

My Player of the Match was Charlie Daniels, A great game by Charlie today who put in a great performance and was a threat in defence and attack all game.

Game 26

Again not the greatest of games today as we missed a penalty and then also conceded one but luckily Federici was on hand to stop their penalty and then a great resilient performance in the second half led us to victory to another 3 points.

My Player of the Match was Tommy Elphick, A brilliant performance from the captain today as he was solid at the back and got the goal that won us the game.

5th Round

A brilliant team display today helped us book our place in the quarter finals with a great win against Sunderland as we made a number of changes to the side.

My Player of the Match was Michu, A brilliant performance today from Michu today as he is starting to get up to full match fitness.

FA Cup Quarter Final draw

We have been drawn away at Arsenal which will provide us with an amazing challenge as we go up against the current holders of the cup

Game 27

A defeat which was to be expected today so I am not too upset about the loss.

My Player of the Match was Simon Francis, Simon had a good composed game at the back today as he started off as the right back but finished the game at center back and he was solid there as well.

Team Competitions
Barclays Premiership: 10th

Capital One Cup: Knocked Out in Quarter Finals by Tottenham Hotspur
FA Cup: Quarter Finals vs Arsenal

Player Stats
Top Goalscorer

Callum Wilson - 16

Most Assists

Charlie Daniels - 8

Most Man of the Matches

Callum Wilson - 3

Yellow Cards

Andrew Surman + Tommy Elphick + Harry Arter - 4

Red Cards
None

Top Rating

Callum Wilson - 7.42

Future Transfer News
I meant to add this onto the last update with the transfers but we have already signed pre-contract agreements with two players for next season once I was confident that we would stay up so I spoke to the board and we agreed to already start looking for players and these are the two players

Lucas Romero - Valez
Yes, It is that Lucas Romero! I was absolutely shocked to see he had 6 months left of his contract and had no agreement of a new contract with his club and we beat a number of sides to this signing but what a massive player we have picked up who could go on to be a legend at this club and will provide Arter, Gosling and Surman with some great competition next season

Eugene Seleznyov - Dnipro
We signed a pre-contract agreement with Eugene as I feel he can add another bit of quality looking towards next season, He can play either upfront or just behind the striker so he will provide us with a number of areas he can cover
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