AFC Bournemouth: "That's Howe It's Done"

Good pre-season, some positive results and a good springboard for the season

Nice pre-season, and some really good results. I really like your writing style. Keep it up mate!

Not a bad pre-season, but Adebayor

Josh: Thank you, and yes, preseason was decent but I know we can do even better when we get to the competitive fixtures. Matt Ritchie is an excellent player for our level, and I'm hoping that we can keep hold of him for a long time, he will certainly be key! United signed two centre backs - unbelievable, right?!?

Feliks: It wasn't too bad, you're correct, it should put us in a good position to fight for promotion this year. Thanks for the comment!

MisterLister: Cheers bud, I'll try my best!

Justice: He's not that bad

Good pre-season with some positive results

Great Pre-Season! Not losing to Boca is a great result to build on the upcoming Championship campaign.

Cappy13: Thanks!

TaroMisaki: We could have easily won that Boca game too, we were in control and had far better opportunities. Anyway, thank you for the comment, and hopefully we can take the momentum from that results into the Championship campaign.

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It’s a style, ethos and philosophy which Eddie Howe simply won’t compromise, having the effectiveness to bring in the sort of results needed for a serious promotion challenge.

Operating in a 4-4-2 system, The Cherries have earned the admiration of many opposition clubs and the repute of being one of the most attractive and entertaining Football League teams. Installed into every player is the mentality of ‘pass and move’, keeping hold of possession an absolute must. Though people will tell you, there’s no point in retaining control of the ball and doing nothing with it, that’s far from the way things work with Howe’s team as they also show ruthlessness to convert the amount of possession they have into goal scoring opportunities.

Despite Spain’s clear success as an international powerhouse, pundits have often criticised their possession-based philosophy as boring to watch. Especially in the Championship the technique isn’t up to the standard of top European leagues, but yet with Bournemouth it’s a method which can be extremely efficient even more so than a traditional long ball tactic, for example.

An important factor is building from the back and ball retention can be analysed as an unorthodox yet intelligent method of defending. After all, a basic principle is that the opposition cannot score whilst the team are in possession of the ball. This means that the two central defenders should be comfortable when playing the ball forwards, something Howe is eager to impose in training. The full backs are then given the capacity to push up the field and provide an outlet when on the attack, but also have the fitness to track back and carry out their defensive duties.

In midfield there is more freedom, with one central midfielder performing in a roaming playmaker role and the other as a box to box midfielder. The roaming playermaker is the heartbeat of the team, driving on to spearhead attacks, covering backwards, and always offering a pass to teammates. The box to box midfielder is just as pivotal, his nonstop dynamism enabling him to signifcantly contribute at both ends of the pitch. Late surging runs into the box to get on to crosses and cutbacks make him an offensive threat, while harrying other midfields help protect the backline.

Then there’s the two widemen, proficient and quick when running in the final third. They can hug the touchline ready to run into the space in front of them and have the versatility to come inside too, opening up further space for the full back and causing confusion for the opposition defender. The wide players’ anticipation additionally means that they can drop back and cut out any advancing moves from the other team.

And finally, two strikers complete the line-up, a deep lying forward and an advanced forward. The main function of the deep lying forward is to link the attack to the midfield, dropping deeper and holding the ball up, before supplying it either wide, back to the onrushing midfielder or if he has the time to turn, to his strike partner. The advanced forward is more of the focal point, and has a main focus of scoring goals, chasing down the defenders and making a nuisance of himself.

Howe’s philosophy is intricate and although all players require a good first touch and high mobility, when all the pieces of the jigsaw are in place, it is difficult to defeat a team when you cannot get the ball. The way he wants his team to play is greatly similar to the style of Liverpool managed by close friend Brendan Rodgers. It’s easy to see the comparisons between the two teams, although in their own respective divisions. The managers likewise share common traits, and now it’s up to Eddie Howe to repeat Rodgers’ success – his passing game, Bournemouth's brand of football, seemingly the only way to play.

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Last Update: Season One: Pre-Season
Next Update: Sky Bet Championship Season Preview

Enough about tactics, you still conceded to Adebayor

Justice: I've already said, Adebayor is a very good player. Personally, I think we did exceptionally well to restrict him to just one goal

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Shirts are numbered, squads assembled, players fit, friendlies played and fans are clearing their Saturdays, which means only one thing; the new 2014/15 Championship season is here. But before a ball is kicked it’s time for predictions, which isn’t easy to do in a division known for its unpredictability.

Promotion Chasers


Stadium: Carrow Road
Manager: Alex Neil
Key Players: John Ruddy, Nathan Redmond, Lewis Grabban
Last Season: 18th in the Premier League
This Season’s Prediction: 1st

It was a season of struggle for The Canaries last year, eventually ending in defeat in their battle for survival and the unavoidable drop to the Championship. Since then Alex Neil has been handed the reins as manager, and although star players such as Robert Snodgrass and Leroy Fer have left the club, there still in line for an immediate return to the top tier of English football. Reason being, the strength of their squad is still a cut above most other sides in the division, so anything less than a finish in the automatic promotion spot’s should be deemed as a failure – but you would expect them to go up as champions.


Stadium: iPro Stadium
Manager: Steve McClaren
Key Players: Will Hughes, Craig Bryson, Chris Martin
Last Season: 3rd
This Season’s Prediction: 2nd

After suffering the disappointment of a play-off final loss against QPR last time out, Derby will be looking to go one better and ensure promotion without the need of going to Wembley. They played some of the best free flowing football in the Championship under Steve McClaren and will be hoping for similar sort of performances to help catapult them into the Premier League. With a good mix of youth and experience, The Rams are certainly one of the teams to fear this season.


Stadium: Cardiff City Stadium
Manager: Russell Slade
Key Players: David Marshall, Peter Whittingham, Bruno Ecuele Manga
Last Season: 20th in the Premier League
This Season’s Prediction: 3rd

Taking over a squad which finished rock bottom in the previous campaign, a squad in utter dismay, and a club whose fans couldn’t be further apart from its board, isn’t an easy task. That’s the job in hand for Russell Slade anyway, but with financial backing behind him and the make-up of a good team still intact, there’s plenty of potential for success during his tenure. At first, Slade will have to boost the morale and get the feel good factor back but once that has been accomplished, we’re tipping The Bluebirds to seriously challenge in the Championship.


Stadium: Vicarage Road
Manager: Slavisa Jokanovic
Key Players: Troy Deeney, Gabriele Angella, Ikechi Anya
Last Season: 13th
This Season’s Prediction: 4th

From the heights of Troy Deeney’s incredible last gasp goal against Leicester in the play-off semi finals in 2013, to the lows of the play-off final defeat and the subsequent negative effect it had on Gianfranco Zola’s reign as manager – it’s been an eventful couple of seasons for Watford. Now there looking to get their bid to return to the Premier League, back on track, and we believe they’re heading in the right direction. For a start, the fact that they’ve managed to hold onto free scoring Deeney is a major bonus and then there’s the blossoming squad which has been built around him. Seriously, Watford have a big change of going up.


Stadium: Craven Cottage
Manager: Kit Symons
Key Players: Ross McCormack, Scott Parker, Bryan Ruiz
Last Season: 19th in the Premier League
This Season’s Prediction: 5th

Completing the trio of relegated Premier League teams is Fulham, who had three different managers in charge last season, and unsurprisingly suffered the consequences of instability. They’ve finally settled on their former youth coach Kit Symons, this summer, and with the quality at their disposal you’ve got every right to think they should walk the league. But this is the Championship and there’s no guarantee of success, so they’ll have to rely on youngsters Cauley Woodrow and Patrick Roberts just as much as experienced squad members Hugo Rodallega and Bryan Ruiz. If they can find the right formula, a play-off spot is the minimum of their capabilities.


Stadium: Dean Court
Manager: Eddie Howe
Key Players: Matt Ritchie, Callum Wilson, Artur Boruc
Last Season: 10th
This Season’s Prediction: 6th

Eddie Howe’s side have had a lot of media recognition in recent times and rightly so – their achievements are nothing less than remarkable. The focus is on what they can do now, though, and there’s every chance that the Premier League dream can become a reality this season. Although the wage bill is on the lower end of the Championship scale, the caliber of players The Cherries possess is of a very high standard and the squad still has much promise to fulfill. An approach of signing hungry, ambitious and English players has paid off for the manager and his team now has talent in abundance, as mentioned. Don’t be surprised to see them reach heights above the perhaps unfairly predicted 6th place finish.


Stadium: The Riverside Stadium
Manager: Aitor Karanka
Key Players: Patrick Bamford, Grant Leadbitter, Daniel Ayala
Last Season: 12th
This Season’s Prediction: 7th

12th place last season might not look all too impressive and make you wonder why Middlesborough have a shot at promotion this season but there was a pretty clear upturn in form when Aitor Karanka arrived at The Riverside Stadium, and given more time to inject his ideas into the team, they’re going to reap the benefits. You’re not Jose Mourinho's assistant at Real Madrid for nothing, Karanka already showing the tactical nous and confidence to be a successful manager, too. They may need another year of rebuilding, either way, Boro are a team with growing confidence and could still cause a threat this season.

Survival Battlers


Stadium: Bloomfield Road
Manager: Lee Clark
Key Players: Nobody, it’s amazing that they’ve actually got some players now.
Last Season: 20th
This Season’s Prediction: 24th

Without even having played a single competitive game this season, Blackpool already look doomed for relegation to League One. At one point this summer, the club was down to just 8 senior players, none of them a registered goalkeeper. It’s as a result of 27 players leaving at the end of last season, fans calling it an absolute shambles with the squad which played in the Premier League a few seasons back, nearly entirely dismantled. The chairman remained unruffled throughout, but it’s a demise which has been blamed on him, now being accused of playing himself millions of pounds. The whole situation is a mess, and unfortunately for the supporters suffering at the hands of a devilish owners, things are likely to get worse before they get any better.


Stadium: New York Stadium
Manager: Steve Evans
Key Players: Danny Ward, Jack Hunt, Jordan Bowery
Last Season: 4th in League One
This Season’s Prediction: 23rd

Despite Rotherham’s fairytale play-off final success and promotion to the Championship, their second successive promotion, it’s hard to see them staying up with a lack of quality in the squad probably going to be their downfall. That isn’t too say there isn’t any good players in the team, of course there is, but overall it would be extremely difficult to survive with the players just not having enough about themselves to last the entire campaign and show the consistency needed in this highly competitive division. It will be tough on The Millers if they go down as anticipated, but I’m afraid, that’s football.


Stadium: The John Smith’s Stadium
Manager: Chris Powell
Key Players: James Vaughan, Nahki Wells, Jonathan Hogg
Last Season: 17th
This Season’s Prediction: 22nd

Huddersfield probably aren’t many people’s prime relegation candidates, as to be fair, they do have some good players for this level and certainly enough to not be in a survival scrap. However, there always seems to be one team which severely underperforms every season and this year, we’ve tipped The Terriers to be that team. It’s worth noting that their recent campaigns have hardly been convincing either, although the depleted looking Brighton and Guy Luzon managed Charlton could rival Huddersfield for this final drop zone spot.

That’s it for the predictions, but how do you think the season will pan out in the Sky Bet Championship? Leave your thoughts in the comments, below.

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Last Update: The Bournemouth Brand Of Football
Next Update: Season One: August

Bournemouth are obviously gonna finish 1st! As for the others I see Norwich and Watford going up, with Blackpool definitely going down!

PS: LMAO this will piss Walter right off xD; "Key Players: Nobody, it’s amazing that they’ve actually got some players now."

Really nice season preview! C'mon Blackpool get relelgated lmao

Josh: Some good shouts there, I'm liking the prediction of Bournemouth to finish 1st, particularly! And yes, I can imagine Walt won't be too pleased with that comment

Neal: Thank you, but why aren't you cheering on The Cherries?