Premier League season preview: Bournemouth eyeing 17th place
By Chris Mendes
Predicted finish: 17th
Eddie Howe and his team will be relishing the task of playing in the Premier League, but will they be good enough to survive?
Signings
The £8m shelled out on 22 year-old Tyrone Mings seems a little steep for someone with no top-flight experience, even though Bournemouth fans can take heart from Eddie Howe’s vast Championship knowledge, and his impressive record of unearthing young gems from the lower leagues.
Another of these starlets could turn out to be 23 year-old Joshua King, the lightning-quick former Man United forward, who joined on a free transfer after seeing out his Blackburn contract.
Howe managed to conjure up a winning blend of youth and experience with his Bournemouth squad last year, and this summer’s transfer activity appears equally balanced. Veteran Sylvain Distain joins youngster Mings in defence, while Chelsea loanee Christian Atsu, 23, still has everything to prove after warming Everton’s bench for much of 2014/15.
It’s always tempting for promoted clubs to over-recruit when a few careful tweaks will suffice, something QPR have discovered the hard way in recent seasons. Watford’s summer overhaul of ten new players – and counting – suggests they’re making similar mistakes. Another two or three astute acquisitions for Bournemouth could see them over the line come May next year.
Manager: Eddie Howe
The odds are stacked against Howe keeping Bournemouth above water, but he’s been planning for life in the Premier League calmly and carefully this summer. He spent hours analysing the varying strategies of promoted clubs in recent seasons, and appreciates that hitting the panic button rarely ensures top-flight survival.
Last week, Howe pointed at Swansea when asked for an example that most accurately fits what Bournemouth are trying to achieve, based on history and style of play. Under Brendan Rodgers, the promoted Swans finished 11th in the Premier League in 2011, an achievement that would place Howe in the driving seat for Premier League manager of the year.
After outplaying most Championship teams, the Cherries manager knows Bournemouth will be starved of possession against more illustrious and technically gifted opponents. Whether Howe can organise them effectively as a unit without the ball – coupled with his team’s potency on the break – will go a long way to determining whether they avoid relegation.
One to watch: Matt Ritchie
Last season, Ritchie contributed to 32 goals for the Championship title winners, scoring 15 and creating another 17. He was directly involved in more goals than any other player outside the Premier League, and deservedly featured in the Championship’s official team of the year.
The 25 year-old winger’s rise in recent years has been dramatic and somewhat unconventional. After featuring twice as a substitute in Pompey’s disastrous 2009/10 Premier League campaign, he dropped down the divisions with Swindon and later Bournemouth, picking up the League Two and League One player of the year awards in successive seasons.
The Championship's top scoring midfielder last term, averaging a shot on goal every 25 minutes, Ritchie created more than two clear-cut goal-scoring opportunities per game, and pulled off 81 key passes.
It was enough to warrant a surprise phone-call in March as the Cherries surged towards promotion: "Are you Scottish? Do you feel Scottish?" Gordon Strachan asked. The answer to both was a resounding "yes" and Ritchie, thanks to his Edinburgh-born father, made his debut in the friendly against Northern Ireland, scoring his first goal for Scotland against Qatar in June.
The pacey winger with a deadly left foot has come full circle since making his Premier League debut in April 2010, and this time he’s here to stay.