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.