Jonathan Meades

Jonathan "Jon" Meades signed for AFC Bournemouth from Cardiff City in the summer of 2012, following a successful trial period at the club. However, Meades hasn't made a competitive appearance for Bournemouth this season, spending the entire season on loan at AFC Wimbledon, joining ex-Cherry Warren Cummings at the League Two team. Dons fans Alice was kind enough to answer a few questions for me on the Bournemouth loanee:

Meades during a pre-season friendly

Firstly, could you introduce yourself briefly?

Of course, I'm Alice, a lifelong Wimbledon fan luckily (or unfortunately) born into a Wimbledon supporting family. From the Premier League to administration, re-birth in the Combined Counties to the Football League in 9 years - I've seen it all. Currently studying Journalism at the University of Westminster. 

Despite being our player, most Bournemouth fans have never seen him play. Was he a regular for you this season?

"Jonathan Meades; AFC Wimbledon Young Player of the Year" says it all. When he signed on loan in October his first game was a 3-0 loss at Exeter and he looked like just another average young loanee. But we soon saw his potential, he played week in week out as we fought hard to stay in the football league. Whilst out injured for 2 (I think) games we saw a massive void; and ironically lost both. And no-one can fault his one and only goal vs league Champions Gillingham. 

Most Bournemouth fans know him has a left back. Has he only played there or has he filled various positions over the season?

Meades is a player you can build a squad around. We signed him as left back cover and but the boy has more positions than kamasutra, towards the end of the season he was our midfield wingman. He could fill any position you wanted him too and he sure wouldn't let you down, well we didn't see him in goal but I'm sure he could do that too! 

Jonathan has not played too much football outside of League Two. Do you think he's capable of playing at a higher level?

He stood out in League Two. Not only because our team was fighting at the bottom, but because of his pure class. He is a step above the rest and I don't doubt he could do a job higher up. Billy Knott who came on as a substitute for Sunderland today (Sunday) vs Spurs was also a loanee at Wimbledon who won Young Player of the Year like Jon - which says a lot about the young players we rate highly.

Lastly, there has been speculation regarding his future. With it looking unlikely he will stay at Dean Court, can you see him returning to AFC Wimbledon next year?

I know Neal Ardley will offer Meades a deal, there is no doubt. But it looks unlikely he will take our offer, he said at the end of last season we were a "possible option". There have been rumours that Portsmouth and Oxford have offered him terms and Ardley spoke this week saying he (Meades) had received and "unbelievable offer". John Sullivan, a keeper we had on loan this season also turned down our offer to sign for Portsmouth, so it is clear they will be a huge driving force this season. After all, we are the small fish in a big pond nowadays!

Every Wimbledon fan would join me in wishing Jon well wherever he plays next season, he has fantastic talent and played a huge part in keeping us in the Football League. He always gave a hundred percent and will always be held in high regard by all Dons fans.

Meades helped AFC Wimbledon escape relegation to the Conference this season

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Thank you Alice for answering the questions, I think most Bournemouth fans will have learned more about our own player from reading this than they gathered over the whole season! Jon has evidently had a successful season and it's shame we'll likely not see him play at Dean Court. You can follow Alice on twitter - @afcw_alice

Bournemouth's Summer Transfers- A Review

Paul Groves first off-season in charge proved to be an eventful one, with many players coming in and many also heading out of the exit door. For once, Cherries fans had a reason to be excited about the transfer window, as new funding meant we would be buying players, not selling them! With a squad largely filled with former boss Lee Bradury's players, Groves used the summer to put his own stamp on the team. Many players, including a couple of senior team members were released, and a lot of money was spent on bringing in quality additions.

In this blog I'll summarize each signing made, my thoughts on the player, and how they have fared so far at AFCB.

Josh McQuoid- Returning after 18 months away at Millwall is former youth team player Josh McQuoid. Fans were mixed on his return due to the rather controversial circumstances in which he left the club during the 2010-2011 season. That said, Josh showed his potential during a short run in the side which lead to his 500,000 pound move to the Championship. Though his time at Millwall was not the most productive, there is no doubt that if he can perform to his best then he will be an extremely valuable addition to the team.

Lewis Grabban- Hoping to prove himself at a higher level is forward Lewis Grabban, who joins after scoring 20+ goals for Rotherham in League Two last season. Previously of Millwall and Brentford, a rumoured 300k was spent on him, in the hope that he can continue this form in League One. A key element of his game is his versatility, as he can play up front or down the wing. Grabban has made a solid start this season, featuring in all four games and bagging himself a goal in the process. He still has to prove his worth, but so far the signs are promising.

Frank Demouge- Big Frank is a summer signing from FC Utrecht in the Dutch Evredivisie. A tall target man with a knack for scoring goals, he is an exciting addition to the squad, though he is still a rather unknown commodity. An injury has delayed his first action in a Cherries shirt, but I for one, cannot wait to see him in the red & black stripes.

Miles Addison- Miles returns after a fruitful loan spell at Bournemouth last season which saw him regularly start in central defence. A large, bulky defender, Addison was the target of Championship clubs, but he was convinced to return and try to help the Cherries gain promotion this season. He has fared well so far, and has even been chosen to captain the side. He provides leadership and confidence at the back, qualities that are often priceless in both a captain and a defender.

Eunan O'Kane- The Northern Irish U-21 international joins after a spectacular season at Torquay United, where he helped them make the play-offs, and he was also selected for the League Two team of the season. Known for his attacking creativity, Eunan was signed in the hope that he can provide a dynamic spark to the midfield. He has fared okay to date, clearly the adjustment to League One will take time, but his potential is visible for the fans to see. I think if Groves can find the right role for him in the team then this signing will pay off, until then, the jury is out.

Richard Hughes- The former afcb and Pompey midfielder returns to the club eleven years after he left, after a one year break from football, where he opened his own restaurant in London's west end. This is a risky punt by Groves, who is clearly banking on Hughes finding the form that made him a Premiership player earlier in his career.

Tommy Elphick- Centre half Elphick joins the club from his boyhood club Brighton, where he was recently a starter in their promotion winning side. Unfortunately a long injury forced him to miss all of last season, and due to Brighton's improving stature, a move to Bournemouth proved to be his best chance of first team football. He has so far started 2 out of the 3 league games, looking comfortable as he plays along his new defensive partner Miles Addison. While it will take time for him to return to full match fitness, Elphick should be a quality player to have in this league.

Lee Barnard- Prior to the Portsmouth game Groves made a dip into the loan market and got Lee on loan from south coast neighbours Southampton. He boasts a great track record in this league with both Southend and Southampton, and showed his quality when he equalized against Portsmouth in the first match of the season. He has started brightly so far this season, and if he continues to shine he may become a permanent Cherries player come January.

The Public Image of a Football Club

In modern football, the way that a club is viewed by the general public is often determined by how said club are portrayed by the media in their respective nation. In a society were televisions and the internet over-rule newspapers, people on one side of the world can be made aware of an event that took place on the other side of the world within seconds. This advancement in technology, has obviously had a major effect on football.

As a support of AFC Bournemouth, I can safely assume that a lot of people in Great Britain think that our club is a bit of a joke, thanks to the theatre act that is Eddie Mitchell. Via Youtube, Sky Sports News, and other sources people all over the globe could stumble into a video of a drunk chairman offering to fight fans on a football pitch, and that will decide the opinion this previously neutral viewer will have. Another example is that of Crawley Town, who have been hated by many this season due to the antics of their now ex-manager Steve Evans. A convicted crook, Evans has been known to make outlandish statements in the media and often act very eccentrically during matches. But now he has left Crawley to join Rotherham, will Crawley rid of their negative status in the footballing world and pass it on to Rotherham?

In my opinion, people are too quick to form a judgement on a club based on the people that represent the club that are featured in the media. It is certain that if the fans of clubs were the ones shown in the news, rather than people such as the manager or the chairman, everybody would more aware about the true values and foundations that each football club is based upon. Maybe I wouldn't think all Chelsea supporters were a bunch of glory hunters if Roman Abramovic wasn't the only representative of Chelsea i'm ever exposed to? I think that each and every football club has unique features that make it great and interesting, whether that be the success of Manchester United, or the compact feel of going to watch Macclesfield play at Moss Rose.

Until next time,

Max


Oh...here's Eddie Mitchell being his oh so charming self.