Ian Harte

Last week Ian Harte became Bournemouth's second signing of the summer, joining fellow defender Elliott Ward on the newly promoted club's books. Aged 35, Harte is certainly a very experienced footballer, boasting a career that has seen him play in the Premier League, World Cup and La Liga. Harte has earned 63 international caps in his career and The Cherries are his 7th club since he began his career at Leeds United.

Harte scoring vs Spain in the 2002 World Cup

To gain an insight into the player we have signed, I found a Reading fan (@Jamie_Hodder21) who was kind enough to answer a few questions for me about Ian Harte.

Firstly, could you briefly introduce yourself?

Hello, my name is Jamie Hodder im 21 and I'm a Reading Season ticket holder. Been a life long fan of the Royals. My Grandad took me to my first ever game and since then I've been hooked. The last 7/8 years have seen us become a stronger side and promotion contenders year after year. Just hoping the next 7/8 years we can see ourselves cement our place in the Premier League. 

Ian Harte spent 3 seasons at Reading, would you consider his spell at the Madjeski successful?

Over the 3 seasons Harte spent at the Madejski I think the majority of Reading fans would definitely see his spell as a successful one. Brian McDermott took a risk bringing him to Reading as many people doubted him at this level considering his age. While at Reading he saw himself get to a Play off final, become a League Winner and obviously make a return to the premier league which showed all doubters he could do it. He quickly became a fan favourite and his performances were fantastic. 

Harte is a veteran of the game now, but do you think he is still capable of playing at this level?

Ian Harte as you said is a veteran of the game. He has been around a very long time and probably knows the game better than anyone. As he is approaching the later years in his career it is obvious to see his lack of pace which will be seen as a weakness and many wingers may try and exploit this. Having said that, his experience can make up for it and you may see him give himself a few yards to position himself then make the tackle. In the Premier League where the wingers and forwards are world class, his positioning couldn't help him. He was torn to pieces in some games he just couldn't keep up, but looking at the championship this season, I could still see him doing a very good job. But only time will tell! 

Are his set-pieces as good as they say?

Ian Harte's set pieces. They talk for themselves. They are probably not AS good as they used to be, but if you have a decent striker on the end of it, he will put the ball in the right place every time. In our promotion winning season in 2011/12, his set pieces were vital, he came up with many balls into the box that caused alot of trouble for defenders, not to mention the goals he scored straight from free kicks (Middlesbrough away a personal favourite). His penalty taking is also a highlight although i do remember him missing a few! Give him the chance to put a ball in the box and he will punish you. I think you'll be surprised at the amount of chances you'll make from his magical left foot. 

Finally, will you be making the trip to Dean Court this season?

Yes I definitely plan on coming down for the Game at Dean Court. Sadly many of our fans are annoyed that its on a night, many of us wanted a weekend at the beach! But that aside I think you'll see a good atmosphere when we come down. Looking forward to it as I've never been to Dean Court before. I'm sure Harte will get a superb Reception both times we play you! Good luck for the season!! 

Welcome to Bournemouth, Ian.

Elliott Ward

The time between the last match of the season and the first friendly is a very difficult time for any dedicated football fan. A lack of events and news resorts fans to get their excitement off any rumour floating around on the internet, regardless of its source and how realistic it is.That's why when Elliott Ward became Bournemouth's first signing of the summer on Tuesday, many Bournemouth fans were happy to enjoy some real news. There were hundreds of rumours as to whom Eddie Howe might sign in preparation for life in The Championship, but I don't think anybody had even suggested the idea of Elliott Ward making the move to the south coast.

Welcome to AFCB, Elliott.

Ward joins Bournemouth boasting an impressive career to date. He started out his career at West Ham, where he made 18 appearances, including three in the Premier League, with a loan spell at Plymouth Argyle in between. Following this was a 1 million pound move to Coventry City where he played 116 times, while also having loan spells at Doncaster Rovers and Preston North End. In 2010 he joined Norwich City, where he became a regular in a team that won promotion out of the Championship, but Ward spent the majority of last season on loan at Nottingham Forest. Standing at an impressive 6 foot 3 inches, he has scored 21 goals over his career, and has appeared in 245 games since his debut in 2004. He has been a part of two teams that have won promotion into the Premier League, has played in said league for two teams and has never played below the Championship in his career; quite an impressive signing for a club that only 3 years ago was banned from signing anybody.

Ward helped Norwich gain promotion in 2011

Where Ward fits into the side is another matter though. No Bournemouth fan can dispute the superb performances of Tommy Elphick and Steve Cook last season, and both deserve their chance in the Championship. However, Ward will have come here for first team football and I'm sure that is why Eddie has brought him to the club. This means we have (at least) 3 quality centre-backs, with question marks surrounding the others in the squad. At the very least Ward will provide competition for Cook and Elphick, but it seems we have signed a player good enough to start for most in this league. We also should not underestimate the value of his height- he scored 3 times for Forest last season and while be a dangerous weapon attacking corners, and very helpful when defending them. In a league that will no doubt be more skilful, but also tougher physically adding imposing players will certainly aid our cause.

Ward spent last season on loan at Notting Forest

As I've never seen him play, I asked around on twitter and a few kind Nottingham Forest fans were kind enough to tell me about our new signing.

Sean Trowell @trowelly87

He started off playing like Bristol Rovers manager John Ward and only ever thumped it long, however he was much improved after xmas. For someone with a head as big as his (literally) he should score and win more headers, overall a useful Championship defender.

JJ Miller @Miller10

I thought he was class, started off slowly and a lot of fans didn't rate him but he won them over by the end. Not the quickest player but he's as strong as anything and a very good defender, reads the game well and can tackle. Very, very good in the air both defensively and from set-pieces. Very good signing for you especially on a free. Surprised we didn't try and get him.



Based off these opinions of fans who watched him over all of last season it seems we have an impressive signing joining the team. Thanks for reading!

Ryan Fraser- Next Big Thing?

Due to his small size, it's sometimes hard to distinguish as to whether Ryan Fraser is a Bournemouth player, or rather a ball-boy who has managed to sneak on to the pitch. However, even at the young age of 19 his record is extremely impressive.

His January 2013 400,000 pound transfer from Scottish Premier League outfit Aberdeen was a big move for the young Scot, although so far it looks like it is paying off. Born and raised in Aberdeen, Fraser rose through the ranks at his local club and went on to make 21 first team appearances for The Dons, although many of those came from the subs bench. A small, tricky winger Fraser was almost certainly unheard of by most Bournemouth fans when he made the long move to the English south coast aged only 18.

In an interview with the Scottish Sun, Fraser explains some his reasoning behind deciding to join The Cherries: 'I went down and met Eddie. He showed me to the stadium, the training ground and took me on a two-hour tour of Bournemouth.The people were nice to me and everything was perfect. I thought ‘This is definitely for me'. Fraser added: 'I see League One as a challenge that will push me. I thought about it when I first came down and I reckoned this is really good club which has got a really good chance of getting promoted to the Championship. And I could be getting a regular game to improve myself.'

However, life at Bournemouth has not been a breeze for Fraser. He has only made 5 appearances so far, although injuries and the form of Marc Pugh and Matt Ritchie have limited his chances to established a starting spot. But this summer at the 2013 Euro Elite competition Fraser was a regular for the Scotland U19 team, with coach Ricky Sbagria labelling his performances as 'outstanding'. Although Bournemouth's promotion to The Championship provides a challenging step up for a young player like Fraser, it is easy to see him becoming a key part of the team next season. As we found out this year, a few injuries to key players can have a seriously detrimental impact on the performance of the whole team. If Matt Ritchie or Marc Pugh suffer an injury or loss of form, there's no doubt that Fraser will be ready to take his chance. It's also possible that Ritchie may move on, with many clubs rumoured to be interested in the former Swindon player.

Fraser in action for Aberdeen

I think that we'll see a lot more of Ryan next season. Wes Fogden is not a natural 'winger' meaning that although he's ideal to bring on when you need a tireless worker, Fraser is a more obvious fit into Eddie Howe's style of play. His speed and direct style may have more of an impact in The Championship, where Bournemouth are no doubt going to utilise more counter-attacking play than before. It's noticeable that all 3 teams promoted from The Championship (probably out of our reach) had dangerous wingers at their disposal, such as Craig Noone, Wilfried Zaha and Robbie Brady. It's important that Ryan is developed with patience, but I hope, and think that he will become an important player for us next season.