Another One Bites The Dust

Background 

5 wins and one draw in the previous six matches, and some people thought bringing Eddie Howe back wasn't the right decision. The 2-1 victory at home to Shrewsbury last night made it a 4 game winning streak at home including the cup match, continuing the Cherries' amazing run of form. I saw on Vitals today the win percentages of each Bournemouth manager: At the bottom- Paul Groves (15%)- and at the top? Eddie Howe (51%). If you include his previous spell as manager, we have won just over half of our games with Howe in charge, not mentioning that since his return that percentage is far, far higher.

The Match

I knew coming into the match that Shrewsbury had developed a habit of conceding early goals, but with our usual style of really pushing on in the second half I didn't expect the game to start off with such excitement. Only two minutes in Bournemouth got a free kick on the edge of the Shrewsbury penalty area due to Darren Jones fouling Lee Barnard. Charlie Daniels actually hit a rather poor, low driven effort that would have usually been blocked, however a Shrewsbury player in the wall jumped out of the way and a deflection left Chris Weale no chance. It was the kind of goal that Graham Turner would have gone ballistic at, a basic error had left Shrewsbury behind. The home fans got the atmosphere going, and within a few minutes Bournemouth doubled their lead. The ever fantastic Marc Pugh twisted and turned his way down the left wing, only for his perfect cross to somehow be clipped onto the post by Lee Barnard. However, Barnard got the ball back out to Pugh, who hit another cross right across the area with Josh McQuoid there head the ball into the back of the net. It seemed that Bournemouth were going to put in another dazzling home performance, having scored two goals after only six minutes. However, although Bournemouth dominated possession, the killer third goal didn't come, and Shrewsbury soon took advantage. After 14 minutes, Miles Addison decided it was his time to shine and what was the routine process of seeing the ball out for a goal kick turned into a penalty for Shrewsbury. Addison had let Morgan get an extra step on him, and Morgan soon went flying to the ground, it looked like a blatant dive from where I sat, but the judgement of others and the referee seem to indicate it was just Miles Addison being himself. The tenacious midfielder (and captain) Matt Richards stepped up and calmly shot the ball into the bottom right hand corner of David James' goal. Bournemouth began to look a bit more nervy as the first half went on, with Jon Taylor causing Charlie Daniels numerous problems down the right wing. The Cherries' had many chances to see the game off, Lewis Grabban inexplicably missed when he was through on goal, and others too were guilty of not using their opportunities. There were two further major talking points of the half, as Shrewsbury had another penalty claim when Helan's cross seemed to hit Tommy Elphick on the arm, and when the last Shrewsbury defender brought down Grabban, only to be given a yellow card. 

Having been performing so admirably in their second half displays recently, I was expecting Bournemouth to come out with all guns blazing in order to kill the game off. Despite controlling the ball and having a few half-chances, the Bournemouth players seemed to lack that inspired creativity and killer instinct that had seen off many opponents in recent weeks. Most of Bournemouth's work came down the left side, with Charlie Daniels and Marc Pugh working tirelessly to get behind the determined Jermaine Grandison who was playing right-back. In fairness to Shrewsbury, for a team low in the league their defence showed strong organization when facing an attack that had destroyed many formidable opponents, and The Cherries just couldn't get in behind. That said, even when Bournemouth were on the break and looked like they might have a chance a Shrewsbury player would happily trip up the attacker and take the yellow card for the benefit of the team. Though only down by a goal, the attacking push never really came from Shrewsbury and Bournemouth's defence seemed at relative ease (apart from when Addison got the ball). In the last minute of injury time Bournemouth conceded a free kick in a relatively dangerous position, giving Shrewsbury one final chance to grab an equalizer. Fortunately for us, David James jumped up to claim the ball and confirm another win for Eddie Howe's men.

My Thoughts

The team made hard work of what could have been a relatively simple victory following such a prosperous opening to the match. Although I felt we deserved the win, there was a spark missing to our game that had been evident in all the other previous matches. I think that this is likely due to such a busy run of fixtures recently, and with many players also having played on Saturday, some of them probably needed a rest. That said, a win against Shrewsbury is something to be recognized because they were certainly not pushovers, and had we not started so brightly we could have had a really tough time trying to break down their defence. Furthermore, Shrewsbury had clearly done their homework on our attacking threats, as Grandison and Taylor defended superbly against Marc Pugh, reducing the extent of his impact on the game. People often say that the sign of a good team is when they don't play well and still win, and that is what the team did last night, getting the three points when not at their best. The boys can rest now, and then get ready for what is a tough match up at Doncaster on Saturday, though they have every reason to head into it intending to win.

Player Ratings

James: 7- Had very little to do, almost saved the penalty and most importantly won the ball from free-kick in the last minute. Provides a calm, experience presence that Jalal does not.

Francis: 7- Worked very hard and always there to support down the right when we are attacking. While his crossing is great his defensive positioning could do with a little work as he doesn't close down quick enough sometimes.

Elphick: 7- Played well and won all the balls that came near him, however when he plays with Addison he never performs to the best of his ability.

Addison: 6- When he plays our defence suddenly seems very ropey and good teams will take advantage of it. While he's sometimes good in the air, he gets beaten often and is prone to costly mistakes. Drop him and make him wake up a little, it's needed.

Daniels: 7- His link up play with Pugh is fantastic and there is real potential in that combination yet to be realized. The pacey Taylor gave him a tough time though and cross field balls sometimes caught him out of position. 

McQuoid: 7.5- Got another goal and is on fire in terms of scoring right now. Leaves a bit to be desired in terms of providing width, may be better off playing up front?

Arter: 9- Ran the game from midfield with another superb performance. He always provided an option for teammates and worked hard constantly. Notably for the second time in a row after getting a yellow he calmed himself and reacted maturely.

MacDonald: 7- Shaun is a talented player and last night he seemed to drop in a much deeper role. I think his best position has yet to be realized as he seems to go missing some times. That said, reliable passer and can make some quality tackles.

Pugh: 8- Even though he didn't have that much success in the game, defences are so scared of him that it changes how we play. Whenever he gets the ball he is a threat, and he can tear most right backs to shreds. Please sign a new contract Marc.

Barnard: 6- Right, I'll probably get criticism for this but this guy seriously doesn't do much for me. Admittedly his touch is fantastic whenever he is on the ball, but his impact on games is very small. He doesn't seem to get behind defences nor lurk on the edge of the area, might be sacrificing himself for the team but I'd like to see more from him.

Grabban: 7.5- Lewis has been a different player since Eddie returned. Under Groves he looked devoid of any ideas, but now his height and pace have become real weapons. Needs to improve his finishing, but he's becoming more of a threat each game.

Charlie Daniels grabs the opener