AFC Bournemouth fan Alex Deutsch assesses another impressive campaign for the Cherries, and predicts what the travelling Fulham faithful can expect on Saturday.
Another season of Premier League football (all but) secured – does that mean you view this year as a success?
Absolutely! It’s easy to forget that a lot of people were tipping AFC Bournemouth for relegation this year (and every other year, for that matter) and, yet again, we’ve proven the doubters wrong. Our blistering start and some of the football played earlier in the season prompted a few of us to dream of something bigger, but ultimately we’ve never looked in danger of relegation and that really is a fantastic achievement.
Is it still hard to get your head around, considering where you were just 10 years ago?
It’s still a bit surreal but as each season passes in the PL, we prove that our rise was no fluke. This year we’re marking our 10 year anniversary of the Great Escape campaign, within which the club survived a 17 point deduction in League Two, while serving a transfer embargo. One can argue that with the resources available to us at the time, the Great Escape was perhaps a bigger achievement that our subsequent rise, as bonkers as that might sound. Our history, the battles we’ve won and where we’ve come from is ingrained in the soul of our football club, with our never-say-die attitude often characterised in our football displays. That attitude is arguably one of the main reasons that we’re still in this league and it’s incredible to look back at our journey and recognise how far we’ve come. But I’m excited to now to look forward and see what the next 10 years can bring us. When you think this club can’t surprise you anymore, they do it once again!
Who have been your standout performers this term?
It’s difficult to look past how good David Brooks has been - a real surprise package. Even at his young age, he is one of the most naturally gifted footballers that I’ve seen in a Bournemouth shirt and I was so happy to see him sign a new contract a few weeks ago. I genuinely expect him to go right the way to the very top. Nathan Ake is constantly colossal for us and I’ve never seen him put in anything under than 100 per cent. Jefferson Lerma also deserves a mention, he’s the engine in midfield that we’ve been crying out for for years, and betting on him to get a yellow card is like printing money. Ryan Fraser and Callum Wilson have picked up a lot of the plaudits this year, and rightly too. They have built up a telepathic connection with one another; combining for 10 goals so far this season, breaking Dennis Bergkamp and Nicolas Anelka’s record they’ve held since 1999. I just hope we can keep hold of them.
Do you think Bournemouth can continue to progress, or are you happy with a mid-table finish each season?
I see no reason why we cannot progress and at least cement ourselves as a top 10 side. You only need to look at Watford’s brilliant season to recognise what can be achieved with a similar budget and comparable resources. Who knows, maybe one day we could even push for that seventh spot too.
How does Howe set the side up?
With Lewis Cook, Charlie Daniels, Simon Francis and Diego Rico out for the season with injures, I’m half expecting a call-up myself. However, shifting our formation to three at the back proved really fruitful for our 0-5 win at Brighton and I’d like to think we’d give that another try. It seems that we like to keep the opposition guessing with who starts in goal, but Artur Boruc’s clean sheet at the weekend means he must be likely to start. Steve Cook’s reintroduction into the team after two months out with injury was a gigantic factor in our win on Saturday, and his drive, passion and application was a much needed boost to a team in poor form at the time. I’m hoping that, even though safety is assured and we have little to play for, we can continue to spread that attitude around our team. If we click, you should expect lightning fast counter attacks and strong, driven running from Fraser and Joshua King, who on their day are unstoppable. Yes, we’ve had a bit of a turbulent few months and when we’ve been bad this season, we’ve been really bad. But when we’ve been good, we’ve played some of the best football I’ve ever seen us play.
Have you seen much of Fulham?
A bit, and I’m sorry to see how the season has panned out. I absolutely love visiting Craven Cottage and our fixture there was a highlight of my season, not just because of the result. I’m no expert with Fulham so I won’t be able to speculate into what quite went wrong but I genuinely hope that you can regroup and that we’ll see you again in the Premier League again really soon. Strong, powerful players like Aleksandar Mitrović can cause our back four some issues so naturally I hope he doesn’t fancy it.
What’s the best and worst thing about a trip to Dean Court?
Best: Due to the size of the ground, you get a great, intimate view of the game no matter where you’re sat. You’re so close to the action that you can feel a lot more a part of it, which is a rarity in this league. Also, I think that Bournemouth fans are generally a good bunch and apparently the weather is supposed to be hotter than Mallorca this week so why not visit our award winning beach?
Worst: The sides of the ground are so small that players kick the ball over sometimes and I think people nick them. Also, due to the lack of turnstiles, it can take a little while to get into the ground - so make sure you get there with a bit of time.
Can you recommend a good place for away fans to head for a pre-match pint?
There’s a few bars near Boscombe high street that allows away fans and I believe Mello Mello bar is a popular destination.
What sort of game are you anticipating?
So difficult to predict. Will our 0-5 win on Saturday propel us towards a final bit of form as we end the season? Or will guaranteed safety prompt our players to start planning their summer holidays? If the former, we could cause Fulham some real issues with our attacking potency. If the latter and there’s two teams with absolutely nothing to play for, it could be a real snooze-fest.
What score prediction are you going for?
As an eternal optimist, I’m going for 3-0 Bournemouth, with the hope that the players are keen to carry on their electric display into home form.