Sheffield United vs AFC Bournemouth Preview

Background: Bournemouth go into their second consecutive visit to Brammall Lane on a decent run of form, consisting of three 1-1 draws, two of them at home, one away. Their opponents Sheffield United have had a good start to their second year in League One gathering 5 points from one win and two draws. Last year the teams met twice, with Sheffield United winning both fixtures 0-2 and 2-1 respectively.

Bournemouth News:

There is relatively no new injury news from The Cherries this week as no new injuries have been sustained since the game against Preston on Saturday. Long term absentees Charlie Sheringham, Wes Fogden and Stephen Purches remain out for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, new signing Frank Demouge also remains out for another 4-8 weeks, so Cherries fans will have to wait a while to see the new foreign superstar in the famous red & black stripes. Shaun MacDonald has not played since the opening game at Portsmouth, but he may unseat a someone to gain his place back in the starting eleven. Paul Groves has been tinkering with his tactics in the first four games this season, with Cherries fans witnessing multiple forward and central defence partnerships. Though Groves may continue to experiment, it is notable that Miles Addison and Lee Barnard have started every match so far. A win is much needed for the fans to gain confidence in the new boss, and the sackings of Andy Thorn and John Sheridan this week show that no manager is safe from the sack. The mystery will be the formation Groves chooses to start with, does he go with a defensive formation to play for a point and try to hit them on the counter attack? Or does he keep the trusted 4-4-2 formation and hope that the players will finally click.

Predicted Lineup:

--Jalal--

--Francis--Addison--Elphick--Daniels

--McDermott--O'Kane--Partington--Pugh

--Grabban--Barnard--

The Vistors:

Sheffield United have begun their second consecutive campaign in League One with a good start, though many fans may have hoped for more from the first 3 games. On the back of a heart breaking play-off final loss to Huddersfield, and the loss of start striker Ched Evans, Danny Wilson faced quite a challenging task to build a team that is capable of satisfying the Blades expectations. The Blades have made 6 summer signings, notably forward John Cofie on loan from Manchester United and defender Tony McMahon from Middlesborough. These players have been brought in to balance the loss of key players such as Lee Williamson and Matthew Lowton. Sheffield United will no doubt be full of confidence heading into their second home game of the season. 

Here's how the Blades lined up for their 1-1 away draw to Colchester on Tuesday.

--Howard--

--McMahon--MacGuire--Collins--Hill

--Quinn--Doyle--McDonald--McAllister

--Cofie--Blackman--


My Prediction:

I think Sheffield United will win this game 2-1, a brave Bournemouth defence will hold on to the draw until the last minute, when a last minute goal devastates the away team. It is a very difficult game without doubt, though we are still capable of coming home with a least a point. If luck swings in our favour, maybe Paul Groves gets his first win of the season.

AFC Bournemouth vs Preston North End- Preview

Background: On the back of two consecutive 1-1 draws, AFC Bournemouth head into this game knowing that a win is necessary if they want to finally get their season up and running. A decent away draw at Portsmouth was followed by two points dropped at home to MK Dons, Paul Groves and his players know that maximum points must be picked up at home for a serious promotion charge. Their opponents, Preston, have started the season with a home draw to Colchester, and an away loss to League One newcomers Shrewsbury Town.

Bournemouth News:

There is relatively no new injury news from The Cherries this week as no new injuries have been sustained since the game against MK Dons on tuesday night. Long term absentees Charlie Sheringham, Wes Fogden and Stephen Purches remain out for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, new signing Frank Demouge also remains out for another 4-8 weeks, so Cherries fans will have to wait a while to see the new foreign superstar in the famous red & black stripes. Tommy Elphick may return after being rested for tuesday's game, though based on their performance Miles Addison and Steve Cook will likely remain the starters. Physio Steve Hard reported on Josh McQuoid's progress, stating though he's still unavailable, he will return to training next week. Though Bournemouth have not won a game yet, the first half against MK Dons was outstanding, and it is quite likely Groves chooses to stick with the same lineup. The only major question is whether Shaun MacDonald returns and whom out of Arter, Partington or O'Kane he would replace. My choice would be to stick with the same starting lineup that dominated Milton Keynes for 45 minutes.

Predicted Lineup:

--Jalal--

--Francis--Addison--Cook--Daniels

--Arter--O'Kane--Partington--Pugh

--Grabban--Barnard

The Vistors:

Preston North End make the long trip down to the south coast with a completely different squad to the one that came last season. Manager Graham Westley shipped out the majority, if not all of the club's senior players and brought in many new faces, including a few from his previous club Stevenage. On a relatively tight budget, he has managed to make some notable coups, such as former Yeovil Town captain Paul Huntington. Though they have not scored yet this season, Preston still maintain a dangerous attacking threat, spearheaded by the experienced forward Akpo Sodje, and former Southampton winger Lee Holmes. A point would be a solid return for Preston here, but Westley will certainly set his side up with the intention of taking all three points back home.

Having spoken to a few Preston fans on messageboards, I gathered the general prediction of what their lineup may look like on Saturday.

--Stuckmann--

--Keane--Huntington--Cansdell-Sheriff--Laird

--Monokana--Wroe--King--Holmes

--Beardsley--

--Sodje--


My Prediction:

I worry to be too over confident about this game, regardless of Preston's recent form because I have witnessed how organized Graham Westley's teams' are. Stevenage beat up 3-1 last season, with the counter attack being a useful weapon to them. However, I think barring any tactical errors from Groves, that we can win this game 2-1. This will all change is Preston grab an early goal, but if we can avoid that, I have confidence that the team can get their first win of the season!

Bournemouth 1-1 MK Dons

A ten man MK Dons side made a second half comeback against their promotions rivals Bournemouth to grab and important away draw. This is a draw that certainly feels like two points dropped for Bournemouth, and the lack of inspiring play left fans unimpressed.

A tense and scrappy opening ten minutes soon lead to Bournemouth taking control of the game, with Marc Pugh linking the play between the midfield and the forward line. The first real attack of the game saw Charlie Daniels come from his left back position to take a shot, which was blocked, but the ball found it's way to Lewis Grabban who after a clever turn, hit a weak shot into the corner of David Martin's net. Soon after Alan Smith was given a straight red card for a reckless two footed tackle on midfielder Harry Arter. It's disputable as to whether the tackle warranted a red, but it deserved a yellow, and Smith committed a foul earlier that was worthy of a yellow also, ultimately justifying his dismissal. Bournemouth soon took control of the game, spreading the ball from wing to wing, with short passing football tiring out the weakened Dons team. The second goal never came though, and half-time came perfectly for Karl Robinson to sort his team out.

Paul Groves made the strangest decision I have ever seen at a match, choosing to replace the energetic Arter with 40 year old target man, Steve Fletcher. This completely destroyed our gameplan, and our tactics were worthless with the change in formation. The Dons took advantage of this, their manager recognizing our vulnerability and taking full advantage. After a prosperous ten minute spell, Darren Potter surged forward, playing a short pass to Daniel Powell who dinked the ball over the helpless Shwan Jalal. The remainder of the second half was for lack of a better word, rubbish. Bournemouth endlessly hoofed the ball up to Fletcher & co aimlessly, ultimately to no prevail, with the MK Dons defence never looking troubled.

The Bournemouth fans walked away from this game wondering just how we didn't win the game, when we looked so comfortable for the first 45 minutes. The blame ultimately comes down to the eye opening substitution; it was like watching two separate teams. I still have more questions about this team than answers, but it's Groves' job to figure it out. We may not have lost so far this year, but we have not won either, making a win at home against Preston on saturday quite important. Our visitors returned to Milton Keynes with a solid away point, hopefully that will not come back to haunt us at the end of the season.

Player Ratings:

Jalal; 7- Didn't have to do much, but I felt comfortable with him in the goal all night, couldn't do anything about the goal.

Francis; 6- Provided an option going forward but service was not his usual, lack of concentration led to the goal.

Cook; 7- A solid performance, was one of the few players driving on towards the end.

Addison; 6- Decent, but didn't do much of note, mix up contributed to Powell having so much space.

Daniels; 5- What happened to him? Never helped going forward, needs to link up with Pugh better.
Thanks for reading.

Arter; 7- Energetic and enthusiastic display that did not warrant being subbed, missed him when he went off.

Pugh; 6- Good first half but anonymous second half, time to be dropped me thinks.

O'Kane; 6- Some nice passing and he was helpful, but never provided killer balls or anything dangerous

Partington; 7- his best game so far, always there for help and provide solid service throughout

Grabban; 6- Took the goal well but contributed little of note elswhere

Barnard; 5- Harsh maybe, but barely noticed him playing, he was much better against Portsmouth

Subs:

No impact.

AFC Bournemouth vs MK Dons Preview

Tonight's game sees MK Dons make the trip down to the south coast for the second game of the Football League season. Bournemouth come off the back of a difficult draw away to Portsmouth, and will surely be looking to kickstart their season with a win. The Dons however got a 2-0 win at home to Oldham on saturday, signalling their intent that they aim to finally win promotion to the Championship this season.

The start of the season could not be much tougher for Bournemouth, but it will also be a chance for everyone to see what this Bournemouth side is made of. Portsmouth, MK Dons, and Preston are all tough fixtures, but if promotion is the goal, these are games Bournemouth should be winning. In their short history MK Dons have a mixed record against Bournemouth, with Bournemouth winning a few times at the National Hockey Stadium and Stadium: MK respectively, but MK have had a few wins at Dean Court also. That said, past records count for nothing in this big clash as both teams have high aspirations for the forthcoming season.

Cherries fans will be interested to see how Paul Groves will change the lineup from Saturday's game. It was evident for everyone to see that the midfield was overrun by Portsmouth's midfield, and in my opinion, a change is necessary against an arguably stronger MK Dons team. A lack of width was detrimental to our attacking play on Saturday, so it's possible that Groves drops either Pugh or O'Kane, or both of them, with McDermott and Grabban waiting for the chance to play. The defence will likely be unchanged, but Wes Thomas may be dropped in favour of Matt Tubbs, who can offer a different element to the forward line. The most important decision Groves has to make is the goalkeeping position, after Jalal's calamitous mistake, he did recover and make a few quality saves. Hopefully Jalal gets the start again, helping him regain his confidence.

The Cherries play a dangerous, attacking team this morning who have had two successful seasons on the trot. The Dons have a squad that has remained largely intact from last season, but Ryan Lowe is a notable addition from Sheffield Wednesday. We could likely see Lowe partner Dean Bowditch up front tonight, which will provide a tough test for our defence.  MK boast a solid defence which is helped by a dynamic midfield, featuring young, pacey talent Daniel Powell and the experienced head of Alan Smith. I am fearful that MK grab and early goal then use their stout defence to stop our attack for the rest of the game.

Tonight's game has the making of a quality, attacking match, but it is possible that with both teams having such high hopes for the season, that it becomes a tense affair. Summoning my optimistic side, I predict a 2-1 for Bournemouth (hopefully!). A draw would be an okay result, but we cannot afford to lose this one. If any Dons are making the trip I hope you enjoy our three sided stadium.

Portsmouth vs Bournemouth- Reaction

Saturday was a day of mixed emotions for AFC Bournemouth and their 2800 travelling fans. Many (including myself) went into the game excited at the thought of watching our expensive squad line up for the first time. Thoroughly aware the game would be deceptively difficult, Portsmouth's new signings had been training together for 3 weeks, and both the players and fans would be very fired up.

Fratton Park is a very different football ground to Dean Court, it will appeal to some, and others will hate it. In my opinion, it's a bit of a dive, the whole ground is a tip and could do with a facelift, as could the surrounding area. However, one thing could not be questioned; the noise that the home supporters make. As the teams came out the home fans let out a roaring "Play Up Pompey", making our home atmosphere seem very quiet.

The game started out with Portsmouth understandably high on adrenaline, but Bournemouth rode out the storm and had the game's first chance. Marc Pugh played a perfect pass into the feet of Wes Thomas, who from 6 yards out could not use his outstretched limbs to get the ball into the back of the net. Just as we thought we had made it through the tough opening stages, Shwan Jalal pulled his best Robert Green impression and let Izale McLoed's 30 yard shot go straight through his legs. This changed the game, and Portsmouth remained in complete control through the first half, with Jack Compton in particular threatening down the right wing.

Bournemouth came out a changed side in the second half, but still survived another early scare from the dangerous McLoed. Slowly Portsmouth dropped deeper and the exhaustion kicked in. Grabban, Tubbs and Arter were brought on to strengthen the attack, which finally resulted in Lee Barnard (of all people) knocking in a header to bring the sides level.

Unfortunately the remaining stages were quiet, apart from youngster Ashley Harris hitting a swerving shot against the post right at the death.

In conclusion, I was annoyed after the game, our lack of desire to push for the win after equalizing showed an extreme lack of ambition. In perspective though, it was a decent away point against a revitalized Portsmouth team. In the next game I hope to see more from the midfield, the lack of energy and creativity certainly dampened the team's efforts in this game. The pressure is on to make these next two homes games count.

Oxford vs Bournemouth- Post Match Thoughts

Bournemouth's season began with a bang. Wait no, let me try that again. Bournemouth's season may as well have not started, because last night they played 120 minutes of no score football, and ended up losing on penalties. With an impressive away support of 691 at the Kassam Stadium, the Cherries faithful were hoping to see what Groves' new look side had to offer.

Unfortunately they would all end up being very disappointed, as the team offered little to show fans what they're all about. Perhaps a more positive note is that only one new signing played last night, hopefully suggesting that the new signings will add the much needed extra flair and skill.

What I gathered from last night is that once more Thomas and Tubbs can't play up front together, I do not know what it is, but they is a noticeable lack of cohesion and chemistry between the two. If i'm honest, I don't think either of them are good enough for the team, but hopefully they can prove me wrong. Also, Shwan Jalal cannot save penalties, I knew he couldn't kick the ball, but his record proves we should always avoid penalties when he is in goal.

All in all, it will take an improved performance to beat Portsmouth on saturday, although anything but a win would be a disaster against such a weakened Portsmouth side. The season has not begun bright, but lets hope that the team can learn from there mistakes and make this a successful season.

Portsmouth vs Bournemouth- Match Preview

On Saturday August 18th Bournemouth travel to South Coast neighbours Portsmouth for the first match of the 2012/13 season. It has been a while since the two teams have been in the same league, and 4 years ago nobody would have prediction this meeting. But things have dramatically changed since then, and Bournemouth going into this match heavy favourites for a win.

With Pompey coming through a prolonged period of financial turmoil, they are as of now (6 days before) without a senior team member. It is highly possible that Bournemouth will be playing a scrambled together squad of youth teamers and emergency loanees, but Pompey will likely sign quite a few players before the match.

Over 2400 Bournemouth fans are expected to make the trip, which should make for a brilliant atmosphere. With all the expectation on Bournemouth, it will be interesting to see the starting lineup Paul Groves chooses for the first game of his first full season as the Cherries boss. I predict a 3-1 win to Bournemouth, with Pugh, MacDonald and Grabban scoring the goals.

Predicted starting lineup:

                         --Jalal--

--Francis--Addison--Cook--Daniels

--McDermott--MacDonald--O'Kane--Pugh

                     --Tubbs--Grabban