AFC Bournemouth vs LiverpoolSaturday 8th December 2018Kick-off: 12.30pmVenue: Vitality StadiumReferee: Lee MasonBournemouth. Home to old people, deckchairs, two piers, and 7 miles of sandy beaches. It’s the UK town where the Beatles played their most concerts, where the sun shines for 7.7 hours a day, and 30,000 ice creams are sold over a busy weekend. Flake anyone?I wanted to preview this match not just because I spent 3 great years at University there, but because I’ve admired Bournemouth for a long time - a proper club with proper values, run in the proper way. Some of you may already know the fairytale story of their rise through the divisions, which is a rag to riches story almost unrivaled in world football. However, it’s worth remembering just how improbable it once was that we'd even be playing them in any competition other than the FA cup. In a world of inflated transfer fees, FFP, social media, and the other negative aspects of the game we love, I think this is a story worth repeating.Originally the Boscombe St Johns Institute Football club in 1890, the club went through various iterations before becoming AFC Bournemouth - a name some suggested was only to ensure they topped the league at the start of each season, and were the first in alphabetical lists of English clubs. They’re nicknamed the cherries, which I was disappointed to find has nothing to do with only fielding a team of virgins, but more linked to their red and black kit and their earliest ground being built next to a cherry orchard. Their modern history also includes a triffic stint in the old second division under a young Harry Redknapp, when they knocked holders Man Utd out of the FA cup with a famous 2-0 home win. However, despite winning promotion to the old second tier in 1987 and some promising signs of a challenge for promotion to the big time, they eventually finished 12th. They were also managed for two seasons by ex-Liverpool assistant manager Sean O’Driscoll, whose rollercoaster ride took them to the playoffs in 2000 (his first season), relegated the next, then followed by playoffs and promotion the season after. However, two seasons later and they’d be relegated, beginning a gradual decline that ended with the club being forced into administration in 2008.Despite some boardroom reshuffles and investment, the club continued to struggle and quickly went through two managers by Christmas, having started the 2008/9 season with a 17-point deficit awarded by the Football League for going bankrupt. Against this backdrop of financial ruin and chaos, imagine having to win six games just to get past zero points, and becoming a new manager mid-season. Then imagine doing this for your own club, who are 10 points adrift at the bottom of League Two. Relegation from the Football League was looming, and Bournemouth needed a miracle.Step forward Eddie Howe.Following the 17-point penalty, they finally reached zero points in early December. Money was so tight the Professional Footballers Association even loaned the club money to ensure players were paid. Stock from the club shop was taken by bailiffs as down payments on outstanding debts, with bills often paid in cash (including the hire of training pitches) as they had no access to credit. Bournemouth were dying, but on New Year's Eve 2008 and with the club 91st in the Football League (and facing relegation and potential liquidation), they named their former defender and 31-year-old Centre of Excellence Manager Howe as their caretaker boss.Howe was previously on the professional books at Bournemouth for eight years before spells at Portsmouth and Swindon Town. He then re-joined Bournemouth at the start of the 2004/05 campaign and although injury forced his retirement in 2007, he’d already started coaching the reserve team. In late January 2009, he was appointed on a permanent basis, becoming the youngest manager in all four English football divisions (with no first-team managerial experience). They were still 10 points from safety and had been knocked out of the FA Cup by Blyth Spartans of the Conference North. However, respect in the dressing room was never in doubt, and he quickly set about a transformation of every single aspect of the club, from the training facilities and stadium to the mind-set of the players and club staff.Howe led the League Two club to safety in his first season despite the points deficit, securing football league status in their last home game of the season for an incredible ‘great escape’. The likes of Allardyce and Pulis are often praised for keeping teams up, but never have they done so from a starting position of minus 17 points.Howe’s first full season in charge brought further success when the Cherries were promoted to League One with two games to spare. Despite Howe temporarily leaving for Burnley, he’d already laid the foundations for Bournemouth to reach the playoffs the following season, narrowly losing out to Huddersfield in a penalty shootout in the final. Howe guided Burnley to 8th and 13th place, before a return to Bournemouth in October 2012 with the team near the bottom of the table. Galvanised once more, Bournemouth pulled away from the relegation places and steadily climbed the table before incredibly clinching 2nd place and automatic promotion to the Championship with an impressive 83 points.A tenth place finish the following season (their highest ever Football League position) saw them consolidate and ready themselves for the next step in their unlikely journey. The final leap was made in 2014/15 – a season in which they also reached the quarter finals of the League Cup where we beat them 3-1. In only their second full season in the Championship, Howe and his players drew on their previous experiences, hard work, and resolve to put together a season to remember, with 90 points and a 3-0 away win at Charlton securing them the Championship title, and automatic promotion to the Premier League and the top tier of English football for the first time in their history.Since 2008, Howe has taken the club from 91st place in English football to 7th and a very solid Premier League side, and from playing Chester City to playing Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester United. It’s hard to think of any other manager in recent history (or indeed at any time) who has overseen such a dramatic ascent. Fast forward 10 years and the youngest manager in the Football League back in 2008 is now the youngest manager in the Premier League in 2018 – and its longest serving. It is hard to overstate the achievements in Howe's two reigns at Bournemouth, which includes 3 promotions in only six years. The Premier League has witnessed extraordinary performances from smaller clubs before (Leicester being the most recent example), but never over such an extended period or so sustainable.What's equally impressive is their style of play. An open, attacking, passing game and not a parked bus in sight. The likes of Mourinho should take note on how to build a team, how to get players, fans and the manager (plus the chief exec) working as one, and how to play football that people want to watch. Already this season, Howe has used five different players who appeared regularly for the club during their League One campaign in 2012-13 – impressively keeping pace with each promotion, whilst improving third-tier players into Premier League regulars.His quotes are almost Shankly-esque in their humbleness and spirit: ‘Those players have been incredible in representing this club, their families and themselves. Every challenge they’ve faced, they’ve overcome and I've been delighted to have been a part of that journey with them. It’s an example of what you can achieve with hard work and discipline, and that you should never put limitations on what you can achieve. If we'd done that at the start, we'd never have even thought about the Championship, let alone the Premier League. But we did it.’Its no surprise Klopp once called him 'the most exciting manager in the Premier League'. The England managers job (or a bigger club) beckons in the future, but for now he seems to be enjoying himself.All of this achieved on a tight budget, playing at a tiny ground which is the smallest in the Premier League by some distance (as many travelling reds will know). To put things in perspective, their Vitality stadium has a capacity of just 11,329 (the next nearest are Watford with 20,400). Our expanded main stand could accommodate the entire home and away support for the average Bournemouth home match, and still have room for 9,000 more.It’s these kinds of successes against the odds that for me, make Bournemouth a club to be admired by the neutral. It’s also why its satisfying to see them nearing the half way point of the season sitting above teams like Man Utd, whose revenues of £590m dwarf their £136m, and whose stadium capacity generates £112m per year compared to their miniscule £6m. Two clubs that are clearly at opposite ends of the spectrum in more ways than one. One has the biggest stadium and turnover in the league, and the other has the smallest. One club has a manager, players and fans that are entitled, arrogant, and lazy, and the other a collection of humble grafters, with a spirit and togetherness that many billionaire clubs can only dream of.We often think of the FA cup for giant-killing, but we need to remember that week in, week out for over 3 seasons, Bournemouth have been the Premier League’s David, battling the proverbial Goliath’s on a regular basis - armed only with a slingshot, whilst having boulders thrown at them by the big boys, who can buy more (and better) players, have bigger stadiums, better facilities, and far bigger chequebooks. Promoted teams Cardiff, Wolves and Fulham already out-earn them significantly by virtue of stadium capacity alone. Their current position is a triumph of moderation over greed, patience over short-termism, and of perseverance in the face of adversity - all of which are core values that our own club holds so dear, both on and off the pitch. Their plans for a new stadium is a great step forward, aimed at making the club even more sustainable and allowing more of their loyal fans to get involved - a significant milestone on their incredible journey.Their loyal fans certainly haven’t forgotten how far they’ve come, with many recalling games when buckets were passed around the ground to help pay the players, plus Howe’s insistence that players aren't allowed to drive flash cars to the ground and have to get involved in community projects.Former reds who have played for both clubs include Jamie Redknapp, whose career began at the south coast club aged just 16 after being handed his senior debut by his dad (an absolutely triffic display). Other notable mentions include David James, Jimmy Case, Nigel Spackman, Danny Ings, and Doug Livermore (who many will recall as Roy Evans' assistant in the 90's). Our very own Adam Lallana was also signed for Bournemouth at the tender age of 5 (five!), before his switch to Southampton and (presumably) primary school. One other player I'd never heard of, but had to mention simply due to his comedy name is Ted MacDougall, who despite having never made it beyond our reserves, went on to score an impressive 126 goals in only 165 appearance for the cherries, including 9 in a single FA cup match against Margate - a record that still stands today. More recently we have Jordon Ibe - a talented player that never quite fulfilled his potential here, before joining them for £15m (back in the days when that was a lot of money). Unfortunately he’s cup tied for this match.Key players: Callum Wilson, Ryan FraserTop scorer: Callum Wilson (8 goals)Likely starting eleven (4-4-2): Begovic, Smith, Cook, Ake, Daniels, Brooks, Lerma, Gosling, Fraser, Wilson, KingForm: LLLLW We’ve played Bournemouth 6 times in the Premier League (W4, D1, L1), scoring 14 goals in the process, including the 4-0 and 3-0 wins in 2017/18. They play an open game which suits us and is probably why we’ve enjoyed good results against them in recent seasons. However, we mustn’t forget that dreadful 4-3 in 2016 where we let a 3-1 lead slip in the last 15 minutes (although thankfully our days of defensive collapses appear to be over). Their early season good form took a dive with 4 straight defeats, but they’ve bounced back this week with a win over Huddersfield.Much has been written about our own season and form, which for me has been characterised by 2 things: a mean defence, and a more pragmatic approach to grind out results when needed. Origi’s last gasp winner was hilarious and wonderful in equal measure but also showed we will fight until the final whistle. Last night's comeback was the sort of game we'd lose or draw in previous seasons, and despite not firing on all cylinders yet, we’ve had an incredible start and there’s every chance we can carry this title fight into May next year.The back 5 pick themselves, but I think we’ll see changes elsewhere. Personally I’d like to see Wijnaldum, Fabinho and Keita as a midfield 3, or part of a 4-2-3-1, which offers us a good balance of power and guile with defensive cover and attacking threat. Sturridge and Origi have shown they can make a difference with their cameos, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see key players rested as we start to rotate ahead of the busy Christmas schedule.Top scorer: Salah (7 goals)Form: DWWWWI didn't intend for this to sound like a Bournemouth love-in (or to be quite so long – sorry), but I genuinely can’t think of anything about them that’s not to like, and even when they beat us I still had a nagging respect for them for doing so. For me they epitomise the game we all love so much - a local club with a loyal fan base that has stuck to its principles, and that’s been able to rise up the leagues though a combination of great management, astute transfer dealings, togetherness, and sheer hard work. They’re my favourite non-LFC team by some distance.Except for this weekend when I hope we batter them.
Is the in-match thread an appropriate choice of venue for the mockery of Shearer's hoodie?
We appear to be struggling to get good ball into the final third so far, not really tested the goalie enough so far.
Mo could have been slightly offside, but it wasn't called...
Who cares
