Lee Bradbury: A Year in Charge

Faced with the mountainous task of following club hero Eddie Howe, there have been many ups and down for Lee Bradbury since he took over. He began his managerial brightly, a ten game unbeaten run was highlighted with a 1-0 win over runaway leaders Brighton & Hove Albion. However, a barren run to end the season almost cost Bournemouth a prized play-off spot that they had looked destined for throughout the season. Many last minute goals were conceded (with Hartlepool's goalkeeper grabbing one), but in the end the Cherries finished in sixth spot. A heartbreaking loss on penalties to Huddersfield, in a game that they were much the better side, cost Bournemouth their second straight promotion. A mass exit of players followed, with Bradbury receiving little luck or funding to bring in his own replacements. Now, Russian backer Maxim Demin has financially backed the club and "Bradders" has wasted no time bringing in some new signings.

Scott Malone- A dynamic left-sided player who is more than capable in both defence and midfield, he has come to life since Charlie Daniels was brought in. Dazzling runs and footwork have brought him 2 goals in 16 appearances so far, a total that would surely be higher if not for a few injuries. Brought in for a rumoured 150,000 this looks like a clever signing by Bradbury. Great signing.

Charlie Daniels- As previously mentioned, Daniels made a contribution alone by helping Malone develop. I always admired Charlie at Leyton Orient because full-backs that can attack and have a wicked cross are extremely exciting to watch. I was extremely excited when he was signed because he has the potential to be significantly better than Rhoys "I want to play in the Championship" Wiggins. He tallied 117 appearances for Orient, and hopefully he will be a mainstay in the team for years to come. Another fantastic signing by Bradbury, especially considering he had Championship clubs chasing him.

Charlie Sheringham- Unfortunately Charlie seems to have fallen victim to the idea that he is only in the game because of his dad (Teddy). Starting at Crystal Palace, he dropped all the way down to the Conference South before finally finding his form. It is harder to judge a signing when unaware of the fee, but hopefully it wasn't too much. Sheringham has shown ambition and desire by dropping a well paying job in London to join Bournemouth, and hopefully he can push on in the future. He scored his first goal at Brentford, only to suffer a bad injury but hopefully he can return improved and ready to fire in the goals.

Steve Cook- My first question is, why would Brighton let a 20 year old player who had proven himself at League One go? While I realize he could of declined a new contract, and forgive me if i'm wrong, but Brighton do not seem to have a solid group of defenders. Tommy Elphick is only 24, but has had injury problems recently. Gordon Greer is obviously playing very well, but at 31 he surely doesn't have that many good seasons left. I don't know enough about El-Abd, but Lewis Dunk could easily be poached by another team soon. Moving on, it seems like Cook has been a rock for Bournemouth playing well alongside Zubar or Barrett. I think Cook&Zubar or Cook&Baudry are promising partnerships that are more than worthy of a team pushing for promotion.

Wes Fogden- Fogden seems to of been a real poach for the club since he was plucked from non-league Havant & Waterlooville. A tradional tireless workhorse, "Foggy" has proved to be a good addition, particularly when played just behind Wes Thomas. He has scored two goals so far in 15 appearances, and his versatility is helpful, as he can play almost anywhere along midfield. Along with Thomas, Fogden is an important player in the 4-5-1 formation that has been extremely successful away from home.

Wes Thomas- Without doubt Thomas has been Bradbury's biggest coup of his managerial career so far. With Bournemouth desperate for a striker, and attempts to sign Will Hoskins, James Constable and Matt Tubbs rebuffed, Bradders turned to reserve Crawley Town striker Wesley Thomas. Since joining from Cheltenham in the summer, Thomas had been frozen out behind starting forwards Matt Tubbs and Tyrone Barnett. Since joining the Cherries, Thomas has tallied 8 goals in 15 appearances with many of them capturing key wins away from home. Endless energy, strength, pace and great finishing have helped him become the spearhead of the Bournemouth attack.

Simon Francis- Known by Bradbury from when they played together at Southend, Simon Francis was once renown as one of the leading full-backs in League One. Unfortunately a barren season with Charlton gained him many critics for a lack of positional sense and often giving the ball away. While a move to Bournemouth failed in the summer, he eventually joined permanently in January and has been a regular at the right-back spot, moving to the centre when needed. A great cross at Walsall lead to a last minute equalizer and Francis beginning to make a name for himself once again.

Good signings: Fogden, Thomas, Francis, Daniels, Cook, Malone
Jury is still out: Sheringham

Hopefully there is more signings yet to come.

Denver Broncos Season Review: Positional Grades

Quarterbacks:

Where to start? The story that is Tim Tebow has captured the hearts of many Americans with his determined play and caring acts off the field. It will be interesting to see how he performs next year with a full off-season of 1st team practices and hopefully new weapons in the running game and wide receiver corps. Unfortunately, 3 games to the end season and the loss at New England highlighted Tebow's flaw, and the unimaginative play calling from OC Mike McCoy. Tebow has earned the starting gig heading into 2012, but he still has a lot to prove as the long-term solution for this franchise. Kyle Orton's games will be discounted because he was just truly dull, and bad to watch.

B+

Running Backs:

Another year, another injury and lack of production from former 1st round pick "noshow" Knowshon Moreno. While he cannot be blamed for injuries, he is beginning to seem as if he is not ready to be an every down NFL running back. Which leads me to arguably the best free agent pickup of 2011, Willis McGahee. McGahee ran for over 1,000 yards reminding fans of his glory days in Buffalo, it was a great turnaround for a guy who was surplus to requirements at Baltimore. Lance Ball and Jeremiah Johnson contributed a little here and there, and were useful guys for depth on the team. Being the NFL's #1 rushing team speaks for itself.

A

Wide Receivers:

This is a position I hope the Broncos can strengthen in the off-season whether it be be by free agency (Vicent Jackson, Dwayne Bowe?) or in the draft. Numerous drops and injures exposed this corps as a big flaw to the team, not helpful when you have a young in-accurate QB trying to learn his trade in the NFL. Eric Decker shows promise, but just lacks that extra speed and separation to be a difference maker. Demaryius Thomas had me thinking he was a bust and wishing for Dez Bryant, but he exploded down the stretch and in the play-offs showing the potential seen in college. Barring injures, DT has the potential to be a solid leading receiver for this team. Unfortunately we haven't seen much from Eddie Royal since his promising rookie season, his touchdown catch against the Steelers was his first highlight play for a long time; he's a free agent this season and it looks likely he'll be heading out the door. The last noteworthy receiver Matt Willis, didn't really offer much this season and numerous times I remember him failing to make relatively simple plays. Upgrade NEEDED.

C+

Tight End:

Not much to write about here; Daniel Fells was the main TE this year and offered some nice skills in terms of blocking and receiving, he is a free agent however, as Tebow is still young he needs a tight end as a safety valve, bright him back I say. Dante Rosario is a nice veteran backup, decent in the passing game and helpful on special teams, so for a low salary low risk contract he won't hurt. I didn't notice the rookies Julius Thomas and Virgil Green extensively this year (Thomas was injured) but with rookies patience is key to success. This group did their job well but produced nothing spectacular.

B-

Offensive Linemen:

Solid, solid season from this young promising group of linemen. Ryan Clady was outstanding once again, as he has been since he was drafted. Chris Kuper was also up to his best this season, his absence was noticed against the Patriots; luckily Kuper and Clady are both still reasonably young (29&25 respectively) and will hopefully be locks on the roster for the next few forthcoming years. Beadles, Walton and Franklin all performed admirably though Walton could use a bit of competition to push him. I'd like to give Orlando Franklin a special mention because he follows me on twitter and engages with his fans regularly, something not often seen in modern athletes.

B+

Defensive Linemen:

Brodrick Bunkley and Marcus Thomas were a welcome surprise this year in a position that has been a weak point often for the Broncos. Speaking of which, Bunkley MUST be resigned as he was a key cog for this defence and seeking a replacement would be a difficult task. It was good to see Elvis "Doom" Dumervil back this year, he returned with 9.5 sacks and 42 tackles, not bad after a season off. Now Mr. Robert Ayers, while I understand 39 tackles 1 forced fumble and 3.0 sacks isn't a bad season, more production is needed out of a 1st round pick. I'd give Ayers another season to prove his worth as a starter, bur if he does not it is time to explore other options.

B

Linebackers:

Von Miller; second overall pick in the draft, second name on the starting lineup (behind Champ). A brilliant season for Von and his wacky glasses, 11.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 64 tackles is a good season for any OLB let alone a rookie. I thought DJ Williams was improved this season, he should be kept around for the foreseeable future as his experience will soon be vital to a young team. One of the weakest players on this team was Joe Mays; bad in coverage and often missing tackles in the run game, I'm not sure if Fox will bring him back. Personally, i'd like Wesley Woodyard to be given more time as he plays with a certain spirit and energy, he's also a pretty good player!

A-

Cornerbacks:

I liked the play of this unit this year, Champ never failed the team (as expected), Goodman made some game changing plays and Chris Harris was a great surprise. Andre' Goodman's interception against the Jets was extremely exciting, but I felt he was exposed and often picked on by better QB's like Brady; his flaws and age make it worth debating whether adding a cornerback is important (very strong free agent class this year). Harris, who went undrafted, became the 3rd CB on the depth chart and notably limited Wes Welker to 41 yards in Denver; this guy is going to be good.

B+

Safety:

Right, now this paragraph is going to be quite negative, be ready. Safety is easily the weakest position on the team without question. Unfortunately it looks like it's the end for Dawkins, his presence will be missed (if he doesn't stay). Quinton Carter has earned a starting role next year, two interceptions in two play-off games is a good sign that he can perform under pressure and be a playmaker. David Bruton? Looks like he may be destined to be a career long special teamer, oh by the way, what happened to Darcel McBath? Great second round for McDaniels in '09; Alphonso Smith, Darcel McBath and Richard Quinn...ALL gone. My choice would be to splash the cash and nab LaRon Landry, pursuing him aggressively would significantly help the team next year.

C

K/P

Britton Colquitt had a good season, he posted good numbers throughout the season and was a strength for the team except in New England where his numbers were noticeably worse. Does Matt Prater have ice in his veins? Seriously, he won a lot of games for Denver this year even with kicks from considerable distances. He's got a great leg on him, couple that with ability to perform in the clutch and you have a great kicker. Tebow should take Prater out to dinner, more than once.




This post took a long time, I hope you enjoyed reading it and there will be more to come. Here's hoping for  some more Mile High Magic in 2012!

A

Welcome!

Dear all readers (though there are likely few of you)

Welcome to my new blog, a follow up to my old blog titled "Warren's World" that I ran through my school. I will blog about sports (mainly football and NFL) my travels around the world and political events taking place. I am 15 years old, from England and I live in Canada. I support AFC Bournemouth and the Denver Broncos, enjoy!