AFC Bournemouth-Club | EPL24x7

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Jaidon Anthony on new deal with Cherries #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan February 11, 2023

Cherries announced that the 23-year-old had extended his stay at the Vitality Stadium until the summer of 2027, signing a four-and-half-year new contract. The rise of Anthony has been near-meteoric, with the winger arriving on the south coast following his release by Arsenal at 16. When Cherries were last involved in a relegation battle during lockdown in the summer of 2020, Anthony was getting his first taste of senior football on loan at National League South Weymouth. Two seasons after helping the Terras to promotion from the sixth tier via the play-offs, Anthony was celebrating reaching the Premier League as an established first teamer with Cherries. Asked if he expected to be a Premier League regular at this stage of his career, Anthony told the Daily Echo: “Probably not so soon. “I thought I would have had to go do some loans through the leagues, and try and work my way up in that way. “But I always knew I had some talent, and I knew I wanted to play at the highest level that I could. “And I'm just grateful for the opportunities that I got, obviously, last year and this year, to be able to be in this position and be a Premier League player, that's fighting week in, week out to try and get some results.” Discussing negotiations, Anthony shared: “It’s been a long time, but I'm just buzzing it’s finally done. “It’s felt like ages, but I can just focus, get my head down and get back to work and try and have a successful rest of the season.” In a bid to strengthen their squad for the survival battle, Cherries added six new signings in the January window. Three of those arrivals play in a similar position to Anthony, with the winger keen to battle for his spot in the team. He added: “The club just did the best they could to try and keep us in the league. “Obviously we knew we needed to strengthen. It wasn't really my focus because if I'm being honest, I just focus on how I could help and that will always be the same, really. “I think everywhere you go, you're going to have to fight to get in the team. It was the same last year. Obviously, we signed a lot of players last year and a lot in my position as well. And it was always a fight to try and play. “The level goes up and we've got an exciting squad, a lot of talented players in my position and whatever the manager decides, I'm there to try and help wherever I can. “And obviously every player wants to play and be in the starting eleven, but I understand that it won't be like that throughout my career. “There'll be some times where I have to bide my time and work to get in the team.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Jaidon Anthony previews important Newcastle fixture for Cherries #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan February 10, 2023

Eddie Howe returns to the Vitality Stadium having lead Newcastle to the top four and the League Cup final, whilst Cherries’ recent run of eight games without a win seeing them drop into the relegation zone. Anthony scored Cherries’ only Premier League goal since the World Cup break against Nottingham Forest, the only point they have mustered since November. Previewing the fixture with the Daily Echo, Anthony shared: “You have seen every game in this league is tough. “On the run we’re on, you can see that it’s never going to be easy. “They’re having an amazing season and we’ll have a good week to prepare and then we’ll come ready and hopefully get a result out of that one.” A late Kaoru Mitoma goal saw Cherries come away from their last game without any points, Brighton narrowly winning 1-0. Anthony maintained that the side remained confident in their approach, sharing: “We know what we came to do and as a team we want to stick to the gameplan and that will hopefully get us points on the board. “I think we did that (against Brighton) and it’s disappointing in the way we conceded and so late on, but we’ve got to dust ourselves down and go again really. Cherries drafted in three new attackers during the January window, with two of the arrivals, Antoine Semenyo and Hamed Traore, capable of playing in Anthony’s primary position on the left wing. Asked about the increased competition in the side, the winger restarted: “We also had some top players in my position always. “I think in every club you need a lot of options and obviously we’ve had some players leave in my sort of position as well. “I’m always going to fight for my position. I think that will never change. “It’s not really something I can control. The manager has got to pick his best 11 for the team and hopefully I’m in it. “If I’m not, I’ll try and help in any way I can really.” The 23-year-old then commented how he hoped the reinforcements could help Cherries turn their season around. “We hope so,” he added. “We need to get some results and we can see they’ve got some real quality and they add to our squad and our depth. “Obviously we’ve had a lot of injuries as well, so we’ll have some players coming back. Hopefully they can help us and we can get some points on the board.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Jordan Zemura excited by new arrival Dango Ouattara #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan February 8, 2023

The Burkina Faso international joined from French side Lorient last month and made an instant impact with an assist in a 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest on his debut. Ouattara again played the full 90 minutes on Saturday, during the 1-0 loss at Brighton. Discussing his early impressions of the 20-year-old, Cherries full-back Zemura told the Daily Echo: “Him no English, me no French. I think Siriki (Dembele) was helping him out quite well and Noa (Boutin), the young lad. “But he’s a great lad. He’s only 20, he’s come over here and just been smashing it. “When he first came in, we could see the talent that he had and the qualities that he possessed. “There’s going to be a lot to be excited about for the fans, having him for the next couple of years. It was good to see him get an assist (against Forest).” Asked how much English Ouattara understands, Zemura added: “All he knows is ‘back post’ and then he says ‘back post’. “When we scored (against Forest), I don’t know what he said to me but he said something in French. ‘Bon’ something, I don’t know what he said to me, but he seemed happy!” Discussing the lift a new arrival such as Ouattara can bring to the squad, Zemura said: “Definitely. Even when he came in to training, you could just see, oh this is different. We’ve got David Brooks on his way back, Marcus Tavernier on his way back, Dom (Solanke) on his way back. “Those players, that gives you a big buzz because you know the qualities that they have and you just think to yourself, once we get everyone back in and we’re all competing in training, it’s going to be something to really look forward to. “It’s a good camp.” Former Cherries defender Mathieu Baudry has been back with the club in the past couple of weeks, the Frenchman helping Ouattara and fellow French speaker Hamed Traore settle in England. Baudry is contracted to Swindon Town, but is currently recovering from a serious knee injury. Asked if boss O’Neil has tried to communicate in French to Ouattara, Zemura said: “The gaffer speaks no French! It’s all English, but it’s all hand gestures.” Ouattara and Traore were among six January arrivals at Cherries with Matias Vina, Darren Randolph, Antoine Semenyo and Illia Zabarnyi also recruited. Cherries, still seeking a first win since O’Neil became permanent head coach in November, host Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United on Saturday (5.30pm).

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Antoine Semenyo on journey to Premier League debut with Cherries #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan February 7, 2023

The 23-year-old joined from Bristol City last month, for a reported initial £9million. He led the line for Cherries, playing the full 90 minutes of Saturday’s 1-0 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium. And while it was not the result he hoped for, for Semenyo it marked the latest milestone in a career which saw him snapped up by Bristol City as a 17-year-old. The Ghana international has now played in each of the top four leagues in England, with the Robins, Newport County, Sunderland and Cherries, as well as having a spell in non-league during a loan stay at Bath City. Reflecting on his Premier League debut, Semenyo told the Daily Echo: “On a personal note, obviously it’s a dream of mine to play in the Premier League. “So I’m grateful for that moment, but just need to keep building and keep improving. “I found out (the starting XI) in the meeting on the Friday. “I saw my name and obviously I was smiling, I couldn’t stop smiling! “But I’ve got a job to do, so I tried to control my nerves and excitement and make sure I did a job.” Semenyo, who had his parents and friends in the crowd in Brighton, added: “They’re all proud of me. “It’s been a long journey and I’m very, very grateful. Just need to keep going, keep pushing.” The forward had the chance to cap his debut with goal. A fine solo run saw him reach the edge of the box where he let fly, only for defender Pervis Estupinan to produce a brilliant block. “I was hoping I got an opportunity,” said Semenyo, reflecting on that opening. “To be fair, well defended from the full-back.” Discussing the game as a whole, Semenyo added: “It’s obviously a frustrating one. “I felt like we should’ve got more from the game. “I feel like we defended really well, pressed really well and we had our opportunities. “We weren’t clinical on our end. But then conceding late is obviously heartbreaking. “It is painful to take, but we just have to keep improving, keep pushing and go again next week.” Semenyo, who featured in the World Cup for Ghana last year, will hope for home debut this weekend. Eddie Howe’s in-form Newcastle head to Vitality Stadium on Saturday (5.30pm), with Cherries seeking the win they need to lift them out of the relegation zone.

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Gary O’Neil on debutants performance in defeat against Brighton #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan February 6, 2023

CHERRIES boss Gary O’Neil was “pleased” with his new signings’ performances during the defeat to Brighton at the weekend. O’Neil handed starts to January addition Antoine Semenyo and Hamed Traore at the Amex as Cherries were downed 1-0 by Kaoru Mitoma’s late header. Semenyo played the full 90 minutes, the Ghanaian international coming close to opening his account around the 69th minute mark whilst one-on-one with Brighton keeper Roberto Sanchez. Traore caught the eye before being replaced by Ryan Christie on 60 minutes, the Ivorian clearly tiring. There was another debut handed out late on into the game, Matias Vina brought off the bench for his first taste of English football. Asked for his thoughts on his new charges’ performances, O’Neil responded: “Yeah, I was (impressed with the new signings.) “Thought Dango was excellent as well, and obviously there are other good performances in there from the boys that have been here longer. “But yeah, I was pleased with the new lads, pleased with how they settled. There were some positives.”O’Neil then went on to point how there were key players still sidelined with injury, believing that performances and results would improve when Cherries return to full strength. Players currently out injured include talisman Dom Solanke, star attacker Marcus Tavernier, and captain Lloyd Kelly. Despite six new signings in January, O’Neil was forced to name three members of Cherries’ development squad, with Ben Greenwood and Euan Pollock joined by Max Kinsey-Wellings, young centre-back. He continued: “We have still got three young lads on the bench at the minute. “We have some injury issues, so I expect it to improve further from where it is. “The only centre-backs that we have, are on the pitch. The only two we have. “Dom (Solanke), Tav (Marcus Tavernier), Lloyd (Kelly) Jack Stephens, Lewis Cook. “Lots of people that can still come in and add to what we already managed to produce a good performance with today.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil says Bournemouth should have got something against Brighton #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan February 5, 2023

GARY O’Neil insists he is “fully comfortable” with his position, adding: “I’m not interested in answering questions on my future.” Cherries fell to a late Kaoru Mitoma goal at the Amex Stadium, losing 1-0 to Brighton & Hove Albion. It marked an eighth game in succession without victory for Cherries since O’Neil became permanent head coach, losing seven. Asked how he assesses the situation, with Cherries now slipping to 19th in the Premier League table, O’Neil told BBC Radio Solent: “There’s a long way to go. Same again next week, let’s try and win a football match.” Asked if he is confident he will get the time to turn the club’s form around, O’Neil added: “I’m not interested in answering questions on my future, I'm fully comfortable with the situation as it is.” Speaking later in his press conference, assessing the contest against the Seagulls, O’Neil said: “We should have got something out of the game. “I thought the performance was good and I’m disappointed for the lads that they don't take any points. “I think we kept Brighton at bay. Of course, they dominate the ball, that’s the way they play. “They create some chances, of course. They're a good side, but I thought we were a real threat. “I thought we arrived in attacking areas a lot of times during the match. “My only criticism from there would be we have to score at least one goal from the situations that we create. “And today was one of those days where we didn't quite manage it.” He continued: “Then we get caught with a late goal, which there was a foul in the build up to as well. “Lewis Dunk throws (Matias) Vina to the floor by his arm. So I was surprised it was given, but disappointed for the lads because they gave a lot and they deserve some points.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Gary O’Neil on penalty shouts against Brighton #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan February 5, 2023

CHERRIES boss Gary O’Neil believed his side should have had two penalties during their defeat to Brighton at the Amex. The Seagulls edged past their south coast neighbours 1-0, courtesy of Kaoru Mitoma’s 86th minute header. O’Neil and Cherries were left frustrated by the match officials for two incidents that they perceived as spot-kicks. In the first-half January recruit Dango Ouattara appeared to be shoved from behind inside the box, the Burkinabe winger nipping ahead of Brighton defender Pervis Estupinan. Estupinan was at the centre of the controversy for the second incident, Ryan Christie’s cross clearly striking the Ecuadorian’s hand, which was tucked into his side. Asked for his thoughts on the penalty shouts, O’Neil responded: “I think they're both penalties. “Let's go second one first. “I'll point you in the direction of Jefferson Lerma at Newcastle. “I've seen both images back, they're exactly the same. “Ryan Christie's cross, it's going directly to Dango in the middle of the goal and hits (Estupinan) on the arm, which is in the exact same place, maybe slightly further away from his body than Jefferson Lerma’s was at Newcastle. “I don't want to complain, I'm just going to give you my thoughts on it. “The one in the first half I think is a foul. “I think I've heard coming together as a term to describe it, but Dango gets in front of the defender and then there is contact. “I thought it was a foul. It is what it is.” O’Neil also believed there to be a foul in the build up to Brighton’s winner, with debutant Matias Vina seemingly hauled down inside the box off the ball. He explained: “On Vina, Lewis Dunk throws Vina to the floor by his arm.”Cherries’ head coach then went onto insist that it was down to his side to improve, despite his thoughts on the decisions made by match official Craig Pawson. “We need to make sure we improve, make sure we score goals ourselves. But that's what I thought of the three incidents.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Gary O’Neil comments on working with latest recruits #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan February 4, 2023

CHERRIES boss Gary O’Neil commented how he was “excited to get to work” with the younger new recruits at the Vitality Stadium. There seemed to be a clear profile for the majority of Cherries’ business in January, with four signings boasting serious potential whilst being able to help Cherries immediately, according to O’Neil. The Dorset club made a total of six signings during the transfer window, with all but one under the age of 25. Depth issues were addressed as veteran Darren Randolph was added to the goalkeeping department, whilst the left-back spot received much needed competition with the addition of Matías Viña from Roma. Fellow defender Illia Vabarnyi has previously been described as a wonderkid, with the 20-year-old already playing in the Champions League and at the last Euros with Ukraine. Cherries’ lack of goals was also addressed, with three new attackers added to O’Neil’s arsenal. Antoine Semenyo, Dango Ouattara and Hamed Traore are all capable of playing in a myriad of positions, with O’Neil sharing where they will fit into the team. He told the Daily Echo: “There's a lot of work that goes into signing players, so you have a clear idea as to where you think they fit and what they can do. “But then there's always when they arrive, you improve that understanding. “Watching somebody play for somebody else is never the same as seeing them in your own sessions or tactical set up. “So once they arrive, you get a closer look and as you can say, a few of them can do sort of multiple positions, which is which is helpful. “Based on that, I see them in quite a variety of positions.” Despite their tender years, the outfield additions will be expected to contribute from the off, although O’Neil pointed out there was plenty of room for them to improve as players. He restarted: “The age of them as well, Illia (Zabarnyi), 20, (Hamed) Traore, 22. I think Dango (Ouattara) is still only 20. “Antoine (Semenyo), still young and has played in the Championship, so working with him to get him understanding the Premier League and what he can do to make the step up, of course. “So, yeah, it's exciting. I think when you look at the month we had, they can help us here and now. “As I've said, they're exciting here and now, but still all have fantastic years ahead of them because of their age and the potential development that we have with them. So we’re excited to get to work with them.

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil hopes for big impact from Joe Rothwell #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan February 3, 2023

GARY O’Neil hopes Joe Rothwell can show “what a good player he can be” in the second half of the season, after a frustrating start to life on the south coast. Cherries pursued Rothwell for some time before finally snapping him up as a free agent last summer, after his contract at Blackburn Rovers expired. The midfielder impressed during pre-season, only to be struck down by a quad injury on the eve of the Premier League campaign. Rothwell had to wait until October to finally make his Cherries bow, with further substitute appearances following either side of the World Cup break. With Lewis Cook and Philip Billing both ruled out through injury, O’Neil turned to Rothwell, handing the 28-year-old his first Premier League start last time out. He played 75 minutes of the 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest and will hope to keep his place when Cherries head to Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday (3pm). Discussing Rothwell’s time at Cherries so far and what he has made of his behind the scenes since his arrival, boss O’Neil told the Daily Echo: “Joe’s got quality, of course. “He’s been unfortunate, because he suffered a fairly significant injury early when he arrived and Lewis Cook and Jefferson Lerma have done well as a pairing in midfield. “So it’s been hard for Joe to get minutes. “It’s sometimes the way it goes. You suffer an injury at the wrong time, the two that end up playing do well and you have to wait your time. “But he’s trained well, he still shows his quality, he’s a good lad, I get on really well with him. “Hopefully Joe starts to get more minutes and shows everyone what a good player he can be.” Reflecting on Rothwell’s performance against Forest, O’Neil added: “I thought he brought us some quality with the ball, at times. “I thought he made some nice passes, tried to get on it, worked his socks off. “So I’m pleased for Joe, because obviously he’s had to be patient. “I thought he did well, against a good Nottingham Forest side. “A lot of the boys put in a real, good performance that they should be proud of.” Rothwell, who began his career at Manchester United, dropped down the leagues to get game-time, featuring in League One with Oxford United before four seasons in the second tier at Blackburn. His dribbling and the ability to carry the ball up the pitch were a big reason in Cherries bringing him to the club, something Marcus Tavernier excelled at, albeit in a different position, prior to his recent injury. The former Middlesbrough man is unlikely to return in time for face Brighton, as he continues with individual training work following his hamstring problem. Asked if Rothwell can provide some of what Cherries miss in Tavernier’s absence, O’Neil said: “He’s very different to Tav. But Joe Rothwell has strengths, he can carry the ball. “He plays in a very different position, but we will obviously use Joe Rothwell and his strengths the best we can. “Of the boys that are fit, they’re all very, very important. They all know they have a huge part to play moving forward. Joe Rothwell will be important to us.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Alan Connell comments after getting knocked out in FA Cup #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 29, 2023

ALAN Connell believes he received “everything we asked” from his young charges as they were knocked out of the Premier League Cup by QPR, losing 3-1. Cherries’ development squad travelled to Hanwell Town to face the Hoops knowing that victory was required to advance into the knockouts from the group stage. Kian Tydeman’s second-half strike was scant consolation following three QPR goals from Hamzad Kargbo, Joesph Ajose and Elijah Dixon-Bonner. Reflecting on the encounter, Connell told afcb.co.uk: “I was disappointed to lose but what we saw from the players was everything we asked – a desire, a spirit and a togetherness along with some really good moments in the game. “We had six under-18s starting against a strong, probably more experienced and physically capable QPR side and I was really proud of our performance. “I thought we started well in the first half and had two big moments. We could have gone 1-0 up but didn’t take those chances and got done with their first effort on goal. “But we stayed in the game for the rest of the half and had another decent opportunity and could have equalised before half-time. “The message at the break was to try to make sure the players believed as much as the staff because we were really pleased with the first-half performance. “We tried to be even more front foot, which suited the attacking players we had on the pitch. “We had no recognised centre-halves available to us across the age groups so the challenge for us as staff was to get as many attacking players on the pitch in a balanced way. “Conceding the second goal so early in the second half quickly followed by the third was a decisive blow but the response from everyone was admirable. “We knew we had to win to progress and I thought the attitude to keep going was outstanding along with some real moments of quality. “As the game wore on, we started to get in their final third more and caused them more problems. That was helped by the impact of the substitutions and I thought they all had a positive impact on the game. “It was a great experience for Ollie Morgan, at 16, to come on and perform how he did and I was delighted for Kian to carry on his recent good form with a really well-taken goal. “Overall, I was disappointed to lose but my main feeling is pride in what is I feel is going to be a great night for their development.” Cherries: Terrell, Genesini, Greenwood, Winterburn (Williams, 75), Tonks, Trialist (Popoola, 58), Johnson (Morgan, 80), Brown, Pollock (Tydeman, 75), Dacosta Gonzalez, Adu-Adjei. Unused sub: Allan (g/k).

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth announce signing of Darren Randolph from West Ham #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 27, 2023

The goalkeeper becomes the second new face since Bill Foley led a takeover of Cherries. Born in Bray, the custodian joins on an 18 month deal. The 35-year-old arrives at the Vitality Stadium as back-up to first-choice Neto and his understudy Mark Travers. Youngster Cameron Plain acted as deputy goalkeeper to Travers during the absence of Neto due to injury, highlighting the need to add an experienced third-choice. Randolph last played a competitive game at the end of the 2020/21 campaign, against West Brom in the Premier League. A popular character in the dressing room, Travers and Randolph have worked together before, with the pair involved in numerous international squads for Ireland together. Capped 50 times by Ireland, Randolph played all four games of his countries’ Euro 2016 campaign, their last appearance at a major finals. Since making his Premier League debut for Charlton in the 2006/07 season, Randolph has made 34 appearances in the top-flight, with 200 further games in the Championship. Speaking following the move, Randolph told afcb.co.uk: “I’m very happy to be here and I’m ready to get started. I know three lads here and that’s helped. “They have told me good things about the club and the area, as have other people who’ve been here in the past, so that definitely helped in my decision. “I’ve had to fight for a place with other goalkeepers at most clubs I’ve been at and that’s the nature of the business. “It’s our own little group within the group and I’ve always been close in every goalkeepers’ union I’ve been in. “Ultimately, we’re here to push each other and whoever has the shirt then hopefully it’s going to work in their favour and make everybody else perform to the best of their ability.” AFC Bournemouth chief executive Neill Blake added: “We are delighted to add to our team of goalkeepers with a player of Darren’s quality and pedigree. “His wealth of experience, both with his previous clubs and his country, will be a great benefit to our squad and especially to our younger goalkeepers. “Darren has played in the top flight in England and Scotland, he has Champions League experience and he has won numerous caps for Republic of Ireland. We are looking forward to working with him.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Jordan Zemura says I know what I bring to AFC Bournemouth #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 26, 2023

JORDAN Zemura was pleased with how he recovered from a slow start to be named man-of-the-match in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest. The Zimbabwe international struggled at times defensively early on against the pace of Serge Aurier and Brennan Johnson. But the 23-year-old improved as the contest wore on, having a big impact at the other end of the field. His cross for Kieffer Moore should have registered an assist, but the striker headed over the bar. Zemura then himself went close, having a shot blocked on the line by Joe Worrall. Reflecting on his afternoon’s display, Zemura told the Daily Echo: “I think that’s football. The first action, I think Serge Aurier nutmegged me and I was like oh gosh, here we go! “But that’s just football, you’ve got to dust yourself down. “I think I just said to myself before the game, just be counted for, stand up and be ready. “There’s going to be moments you get beaten or moments where you give away a pass, but I think the main thing for me was I know what I bring on the field, energy-wise and stuff like that. “So I thought, if I lose the ball or give the ball away, it doesn’t matter, it happens. “But what are my next actions? That’s what they were screaming on the side and I had Jack Stephens in the centre just telling me to keep on going, next action. “That just helped me keep going throughout the whole game. I’ve got a lot of energy, so I just wanted to exert that all.” Discussing the draw, in which Sam Surridge popped up to cancel out Jaidon Anthony’s opener, Zemura added: “Obviously it’s a bit tough to take because we worked really hard. “You could see the desire from the whole team and everyone was just at it. “The points were literally there for the taking and a team like Forest, they’ve got good players, talented young players, they just managed to get the goal around the 84th minute.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Gary O’Neil on Dango Ouattara debut #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 22, 2023

CHERRIES boss Gary O’Neil believed debutant Dango Ouattara “coped exceptionally well” during the 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest. The Burkinabè provided an assist for Jaidon Anthony to open scores, before Cherries academy graduate Sam Surridge struck late on to ensure spoils were shared. Ouattara arrived at the Vitality Stadium on Thursday following his transfer from FC Lorient, the Burkina Faso international instantly thrust into Cherries’ starting line-up due to injuries. Despite the addition of Ouattra, Cherries had to pad out their matchday squad with three youngsters, highlighting the injuries issues O’Neil’s charges currently face. Philip Billing was a late drop out in the week leading up to the game, with the Dane joining Dominic Solanke, Lewis Cook, and Marcus Tavernier in the treatment room. O'Neil explains Billing absence from Forest clash Asked about the 20-year-old’s performance, O’Neil told the Daily Echo: “I thought it was a tough week for him, to be honest. “I think he obviously hadn’t trained much, he's done a lot of traveling. If we hadn’t had the injuries that we have at the moment, we have a depleted squad at this moment in time, Tavs (Marcus Tavernier), Dom (Solanke), Lewis Cook, Phil Billing all key players for us. “So we were forced, maybe, into starting Dango. I thought he would be able to cope, I think he coped exceptionally well. “He’s done one day training with the lads, doesn’t know anybody. He worked his socks off, looked a threat. I was pretty pleased with him.” A livewire in a rejuvenated Cherries attack, Ouattara seemed to combine well with Anthony. Asked how the system worked, O’Neil shared: “It’s a similar style which we've used, just Dango gives us a different outlet. “Similar, there weren’t many changes to the structure. JZ came in and we tried to do some work done that side. “Knew that Dango would be a threat down the right side with his pace. So some combination play on the left, pace on the right. “So nothing that we haven't done before, but since we've been missing Tavs, we haven't had that pace down the side.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil remembers good times previously working with Arnaut Danjuma #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 21, 2023

GARY O’Neil would not confirm nor deny whether Cherries could bring Arnaut Danjuma back in this transfer window, but insisted: “Wherever he goes to next will be pleased to have him.” The Daily Echo understands Cherries are among a handful of clubs interested in signing the winger, on loan, this month. He is understood to be available with parent club Villarreal reportedly allowing him to travel around Europe in the past week to speak to potentially interested parties. Premier League duo Everton and Nottingham Forest have been heavily linked, as well as Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven, Danjuma’s first professional club. Discussing Cherries’ interest in the 25-year-old, head coach O’Neil said: “I don’t like speaking about other team’s players, but obviously I know Arnie. “I’ve worked with him. Arnie knows what I think of him. “He’s a fantastic talent. “He was excellent for us while he was here, especially towards the end of his spell. “I’m sure wherever he goes to next will be pleased to have him. “He’s an attacking talent. I like Arnie. I enjoyed working with him and he knows that.” Asked if there is still a chance Danjuma returns to Cherries this month, a club he spent two years at before leaving in 2021, O’Neil added: “I don’t know. I haven’t been updated in the last 24 hours on the situation really. “We’ve managed to get Dango in and then full focus is on the game tomorrow (against Nottingham Forest). “The boys that are here are important to me, so I need to make sure they’re all ready.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Lloyd Kelly on AFC Bournemouth loss at Brentford #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 18, 2023

CAPTAIN Lloyd Kelly says Cherries’ squad have “got to stick together at this moment”, adding: “We need to make sure we do better individually and as a group.” Cherries slumped to a sixth straight defeat, beaten 2-0 by Brentford in west London on Saturday. A controversial Ivan Toney penalty broke the deadlock shortly before half-time, with Mathias Jensen wrapped up the win with 15 minutes to play. The loss left Cherries 17th in the Premier League table at the halfway mark, on 16 points. “In that first half it was fairly equal,” Kelly told afcbTV, reflecting on the Brentford contest. “We defended well, right up until the (penalty) decision. “Seeing it back, it is difficult to accept, to be honest. “Second half we showed glimpses of good things. “When you get hit with the second goal, it’s just easy things to avoid, to be honest. “Everyone can accept we need to see those moments out and we need to do better, that’s it. “It’s a hard one, but that’s how it is.” Asked how tough it was mentally to concede a second goal whilst pushing for an equaliser, Kelly added: “Everyone knows we need to do better in those moments and manage those moments. “I can say it’s difficult, but we have to do better.” Discussing the importance of the togetherness of the squad during this difficult run, Kelly said: “From the beginning of the season, we needed that, every day. “And especially in the game situations. Of course, you look at where we are and how hard this league is and games coming round, we’ve got to stick together at this moment. “Especially the players and everyone that is involved in this club. That’s what we need to do from now until the end of the season. “We need to make sure we do better individually and as a group, for sure.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil pleased with Cherries’ squad effort during ‘tough moment’ of the season #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 17, 2023

GARY O’Neil admits Cherries are in a “tough moment”, but feels they were “unfortunate” to suffer defeat at Brentford. Since moving from interim to permanent head coach, O’Neil has presided over six defeats from six, the latest a 2-0 reverse at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday. Cherries went to Brentford already without Dominic Solanke, Ryan Fredericks, Junior Stanislas and David Brooks due to injury, as well as the suspended Adam Smith. That meant teenage trio Dominic Sadi, Michael Dacosta Gonzalez and Daniel Adu-Adjei were drafted in to make up the numbers on the bench, named in a Premier League matchday squad for the first time. Cherries were then dealt a further blow when Lewis Cook was forced off with a knee injury, with the scores level at 0-0. Brentford soon went in front, the hosts controversially awarded a penalty when Ivan Toney went over under Marcos Senesi’s challenge. Mathias Jensen then put the game to bed in the second half, leaving Cherries just one point outside of the relegation zone at the halfway mark of the Premier League season. “I thought the players were fully committed, gave everything, worked their socks off, right to the end,” O’Neil told the Daily Echo. “When we arrived in their final third, maybe lacked a little bit of quality and cutting edge, but created some decent opportunities. “I didn’t think there was much in the game, against a good side. “Obviously we’re in a bit of a tricky spot, with injuries and as you can see with the bench, we’re a bit short, some kids on there. “For a squad that is in a tough moment, I thought they gave everything, which is all you can ask.” Asked if it is tough to keep the heads of the players up when such efforts have gone unrewarded for six games on the spin, O’Neil added: “I think what I saw (on Saturday) is they’re fine. “They’re still fully committed. Obviously when you suffer a defeat, there’s a day or two where you feel a bit sorry for yourself. “But every time, by the next game, they look ready to go. “I thought they were ready to go on Saturday evening. Competed with Brentford, a physical side, direct, chuck the ball in your box a lot. “I didn’t think they looked like a side that were struggling to commit to what they were looking to achieve. “I thought they were unfortunate to come away with nothing. “Two-nil probably slightly flatters Brentford, obviously a goal on a counter-attack when we were in the ascendancy, probably against the run of play, and a scandalous penalty decision.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Ryan Christie reveals squad is backing Gary O’Neil #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 16, 2023

RYAN Christie insisted the Cherries squad were 100 per cent behind Gary O’Neil, sharing how the head coach gives the team “full belief” heading into games. Cherries have tasted defeat in six successive fixtures since O’Neil was appointed as manager on a permanent basis, the Dorset club’s most recent result a 2-0 loss at the hands of Brentford. There was controversy over the penalty incident that led to the Bees’ opener, Ivan Toney appearing to foul Marcos Senesi in the build-up, but Cherries were again unable to truly test their opponents in an attacking sense. Asked whether O’Neil still had the backing of the squad despite the downturn in recent form, Christie responded: “100 per cent. “I think he’s showed since even when he was interim, when we put our run of results together under him, the full belief we have in terms of going into the games, the game plan he sets out. “To come here, if anything, kind of dominate the first half in most parts proves that we're kind of on the right track. We just need to then get the results to follow that. “Supporters, first thing they look at the score sheet, so we understand frustration, but again, we believe we can put a run together, that we can get them back on side.” Discussing the penalty incident that undid all of Cherries’ hard work in the first half, Christie told the Daily Echo: “It's obviously frustrating, the penalty, I don't really want to say too much. “I'm sure everyone else will have a verdict on it as well. “I'd like to see what the guys on the TV think, but it's frustrating when you keep getting these decisions (against you). “We played Brentford at home and in the first fixture, I think there's two handballs that we don't get. “So, yeah, that's been frustrating, but hopefully the decisions start going our way soon.”Christie and co. return to action next Saturday, when they host Nottingham Forest in what could prove to be a decisive fixture in the relegation battle.

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil on AFC Bournemouth’s David Brooks #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 13, 2023

GARY O’Neil insisted Cherries will not rush back David Brooks – with the head coach stressing: “My only thought on that is what’s best for David Brooks.” Highly-rated Brooks has been sidelined for over a year since a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s’ Lymphoma in October 2021. After being given the all clear in May 2022, Brooks has been on the long road to full match fitness, with a hamstring injury setting back the Welsh international earlier this season. Pictured training with the first team this week, there is hopes that a return to action is not far away for the 25-year-old. Asked for the latest on Brooks, O’Neil told the Daily Echo: “Yeah, he's done some stuff with us. “Trained really well, looks good. “Obviously still a lot of progression still to do to get him match ready, but yeah, he's trained really well. “Looks bright, looks sharp, still see the real quality that he has. “So it would be a lovely bonus to get Brooksy back in and around it.” With Cherries out of form and looking threadbare due to outgoings and injuries, there might be the temptation to rush Brooks back. However, O’Neil reiterated that Cherries will look after Brooks, ensuring that he returns when he is “ready to go.” “My only thought on that is what's best for David Brooks,” restarted O’Neil. “I think that the journey he’s been on, there'll be no rushing David Brooks for what we need. “It will be around what he needs and what's best for him, until we can get him back to fully 100 per cent and ready to go.” Trio Junior Stanislas, Ryan Fredericks, and Marcus Tavernier were all pictured training together as they step up their returns from injury. Speaking on veterans Fredericks and Stanislas, O’Neil shared: “They're both working hard to get themselves up to speed. “I'm not sure on the exact time frames on either of them, but they're both at a similar point in their recovery. “They’ve been doing a little bit of work on the grass together. “It'd be good to get them back because obviously we've had a couple go out on loan, we've had a few injuries, a few illnesses, so numbers aren't as big as they were before the break.” Discussing star Tarvernier, O’Neil added: “Tavs, the time frame now - they're probably at a similar level (Tavernier, Fredericks, and Stanislas.) “It changes. Obviously some progress faster than others. There's no set date for a return on any of them, but obviously we're pushing them. “We have some big games coming up, so to get as many involved as possible will be big for us.” O’Neil also confirmed goalkeeper Neto was back in training following a hamstring injury.

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Former Brentford player Chris Mepham on his improvement at Cherries since last Brentford trip #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 12, 2023

A TRIP to Brentford is always likely to evoke memories for Chris Mepham. The 25-year-old got his break in professional football with the Bees, making 48 appearances before exiting to join Cherries in 2019. But his last visit to the west London club added a new, unwanted chapter in his association with Brentford. With Cherries 2-1 up on aggregate and on course to reach the Championship play-off final, Mepham slipped and hauled down Bryan Mbeumo as he bore down on goal. The Wales international was duly sent off, leaving the Bees with an extra man for the last hour of the contest. They took full advantage, progressing 3-2 over the two legs, before going on to win the Wembley play-off final. Mepham has since spoken openly about how tough mentally that day in May 2021 was to deal with. Now, 20 months on, the centre-back prepares to return to the Gtech Community Stadium as a Premier League player again with Cherries. Asked in an interview with the Daily Echo if Saturday offers an opportunity to fully put to bed that play-off game, or if it is already a long way from his mind, Mepham said: “Obviously we haven’t been back there since, so naturally going back for the first time since that happened, I wouldn’t say it’s 100 per cent gone. “But I feel like I’m a very different person and a very different player now than I was when that mistake happened. “I feel like since then, I’ve had some big, important games I’ve been involved in with the World Cup and I’ve fortunately had a very good run of games here and I feel like I’ve been putting in good performances. “I’d say with that, I’m in a very different place now than back then when that mistake happened. “But I think I’m very much going into the game wanting to put that right and make sure I give a good performance. To me, I’m going into that game no different to any other Premier League game.” Asked if he is proud of the way he has responded since that setback, to become first choice for both club and country, Mepham added: “Of course I’m not happy that happened on that day, because just mentally and emotionally, you don’t come away from that situation feeling good about yourself. It did take a fair few days to come back around. “But at the same time, when a situation like that happens, it’s important that you don’t go the other way and go into your shell and I think when stuff like that happens it’s a real test of character. “I think it was important I responded in the right way. I think since then, last season was difficult for me with limited opportunities. “But I like to think, when I did come on and Scott Parker brought me on to have a positive impact, I’d like to think I did do that. “I’m really pleased with the way I responded to that particular day, because as you can imagine, it takes a big dent out of you. Since that moment, I feel like it’s been really positive for me.” It has been a tough few weeks for Cherries. Since the World Cup break, they have lost all five of their matches, culminating in a 4-2 defeat to Championship Burnley in the FA Cup on Saturday. Reflecting on the defeat to the Clarets, Mepham, who was an unused substitute, said: “It was obviously a difficult one to take. “I felt like in the second half against United we had a really good performance. We obviously conceded a couple of goals, but there was lots of positives to take from that game into the Burnley one. “I think Burnley was an opportunity for us to get back to winning ways and get confidence back in the team and take that momentum then back into the league. “It was difficult, the performance wasn’t good enough. I think the nature of the goals really. I don’t think we got cut open by Burnley at all, three goals come from our mistakes. “I think at any level, if you make mistakes like that, you’re going to get punished. I think that was the real disappointing thing." He continued: “Marcos (Senesi) for the first goal, he’s probably one of our most technical players in the team. He’s the guy that sometimes we give the ball to to start our attacks, because we know he’s got a huge amount of quality on the ball. “I think it’s just very unlike him for that goal, unlike Lewis Cook to receive the ball on the half turn and lose it. “They’re the players that all season haven’t done mistakes like that. Everyone is going to make mistakes, I think it was just a case of it all seemed to happen in the same game, which is obviously a real negative for us. “But you could argue that’s behind us now and hopefully we don’t make mistakes like that, because over the course of the season it will kill you.” One player who received criticism at the weekend was captain Lloyd Kelly. After coming on at half-time, Kelly’s dallying on the ball led to some frustrations from the fans, with a section of the supporters booing the 24-year-old when he was in possession. Quizzed on how Kelly has responded to that this week, Mepham said: “Naturally, as a leader of the team, as the captain of the team, normally it’s his responsibility to get us going. “On Monday morning when we come in, try to get everyone going and have a chat and be positive. “But I think certainly after the game on Saturday and the abuse or the comments he suffered, I think it was important we were there for him. “He’s been top drawer since he came into the team last season. He plays week in, week out at a very high level and he’s been a big part of why we’re now back in the Premier League. “I think if we, as players, see one of our teammates hurt in a situation or suffering, it’s important for us to get behind him. “We’ve certainly done that this week and I’m in no doubt he’ll put all those critics behind him because he’s a top, top player and has been for us since he’s come in.” With the game against Brentford being a 5.30pm kick-off, there is a realistic chance Cherries could be in the bottom three by that time. Asked what his message is to the fans ahead of the weekend, Mepham said: “I think we need that support. “We need to head down there knowing exactly where we’re at in terms of that everyone is in it together. Whether we go 1-0 down, 1-0 up, we’ve got everyone behind each other. “The players are there, the staff are there, the fans are there backing us as they have done for many years. But I think that is really important, it’s not panic stations. “We’re currently outside the relegation zone and one or two wins can change everything – suddenly we’re top 10. “Of course it can go the other way and a couple of bad results, like we’ve experienced, suddenly brings you closer to the drop zone. “But I think we need to believe that we’ve got enough in this squad to produce wins in this league and hopefully that can start on Saturday.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Dominic Solanke on AFC Bournemouth’s poor run of form #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 10, 2023

DOMINIC Solanke insists “we’re all in it together” as Cherries look to find a way out of their recent rut, admitting: “We’re not in the best of spots right now.” Since the World Cup break, Cherries have been in wretched form, losing all five of their fixtures. That has seen them slip to 16th in the Premier League table, just one point above the relegation zone, as well as being knocked out of both the Carabao Cup and FA Cup. The latest loss was perhaps the most concerning, falling 4-2 at home to Championship Burnley at Vitality Stadium to exit the FA Cup at the third round stage. The results and performances have seen some fans questioning if Gary O’Neil is the right man for the job, despite having only been installed as permanent boss in November. Prior to that, he had 12 games as interim head coach following the sacking of Scott Parker in August, presiding over four wins, four draws and four defeats. Discussing the idea of O’Neil likely taking the brunt of the spotlight for the recent results, Solanke told the Daily Echo: “As a collective we’re a team, we’re a club. “Manager or players, we’re all in it together. “There’s no blame on either side. “We just all need look what we need to do better and use that to improve.” Solanke was one of two scorers for Cherries in the loss to Burnley, heading in his fourth goal of the campaign shortly after half-time. But the hosts continually shot themselves in the foot whenever they looked like getting back into the cup tie, with individual errors leading to three of the Clarets’ four goals. Reflecting on the latest loss, Solanke said: “Another difficult one to take. “We’re not in the best of spots right now. “Obviously (on Saturday) we made a few errors which resulted in goals, which can happen in football. “We know, especially the position we’re in right now, we need to cut those out as soon as possible. “It’s another game that we’re going to have to just look back and work towards next weekend. “We know they (Burnley) are flying at the moment, so they were always going to come here with great confidence. “They capitalised on our mistakes.” Asked if a lack of confidence among the team was a factor in the individual defensive errors, Solanke added: “Maybe, but these things happen in football. Anyone can make mistakes. “We know that we need to cut the mistakes out. “It’s not where we want to be. “Especially in the Premier League, we know that we can’t be doing that. We’ll look at it back and work to cut them out.” He continued: “We know Burnley are in the Championship, but like I said, they’re flying. When you win a lot of games, you’re always confident. “We see this stuff happening in the cup all the time, lower league teams beating higher division teams. That’s just part of football. “But the cup is the cup. We need to focus on the Premier League now. “We know that in the next game we need to get some points and that’s what we’ll be looking forward to do.” Cherries head to Brentford on Saturday (5.30pm).

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Jaidon Anthony and Jordan Zemura call for Cherries fan support #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 9, 2023

STARLETS Jaidon Anthony and Jordan Zemura took to social media last night in a plea to fans. Cherries’ 4-2 defeat to Championship leaders Burnley in the FA Cup led to an array of boos and jeers from supporters at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday. As fans voiced their displeasure at a fifth straight loss, Anthony was the only player to lap the stadium and applaud fans for their efforts. Posting on Twitter, Anthony started: “Trust me, I get your frustrations. “We as players are as frustrated with the way we are playing too, but we do know there’s a long, long way to go in the season and there’s enough talent in this group to turn our fortunes around. “But we can only do it together. We need you more when it’s not going well. “You have every right to voice your opinions but whilst the game’s still going and we still have a chance, why not give us all the help you can, and be loud and proud. “Long way to go and many highs to come, I promise!” Defender Zemura took a similar view, also calling for fans to cut out the boos directed solely towards captain Lloyd Kelly. He posted: “Times like this (are) never easy, when everything feels sticky and things are not falling how you want. “But that’s football, more or less, that’s life. All you can do is stand up, chest out and go again, and keep fighting. “More than enough within this team, and (we) will continue to fight and be counter for. “All in this together, from the team to the staff, to you, the fans. “However disappointed you are with the performance, booing individual players is not on, especially the captain of the team – for that, I cannot stand with! “As a collective that’s fair because it has not been good enough, and we know that! We will continue to work and push each other to be better. “However, we’re in this together and that’s all! “Plenty of games to put things right and enjoy the highs!”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Philip Billing unhappy with Bournemouth fans for booing Lloyd Kelly #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 8, 2023

PHILIP Billing slammed Cherries fans for what he described as “unacceptable” booing of captain Lloyd Kelly during Cherries' defeat to Burnley. Early in the second half of Cherries’ 4-2 FA Cup defeat to lower-league Burnley, a section of home supporters aimed their ire at Kelly as he looked for a pass from centre-back. Kelly was one of three players to drop out of the starting XI, but was introduced at half-time with Cherries 3-1 behind. The 24-year-old, who was making his 101st appearance for Cherries, took the armband from Adam Smith when coming on as a substitute, but could not help mastermind a comeback. Speaking to BBC Radio Solent after the defeat, midfielder Billing said: “We are Premier League players and some of the mistakes are just simple details, passing out of play a few times myself as well. “But that is something we have to do better. We just invited pressure on ourselves when we didn’t need to. “We play like this against Burnley, we all know it’s unacceptable.” He added: “We’ve got ears, we can hear the booing and I don’t mind that, we can take criticism, all of us, that’s a part of being a footballer and doing what we do. “But today especially, I think it was unacceptable the way they were booing Lloydy, our captain, when he was on the ball. “Some fans will maybe say they didn’t hear it, but we all heard it. For me, I can take it, I don’t mind them booing us, because we know we have to play better. “But we are halfway through the season and when you hear our captain when he is on the ball getting booed by a lot of people, I don’t think that’s acceptable. “If you’re backing the team, we know it can be frustrating as a spectator, but at the end of the day we’re on the pitch and we have to score goals, we have to create, that will come. “But they have to understand when it becomes like that, it’s a domino effect, it translates onto the pitch. “If they want the best for us, we know we have to create a noise, we have to create an atmosphere, we have to create an energy in the stadium. That’s what we’re trying to do. “Sometimes we’re on a dip, like we are right now. But I believe in this squad, because we have good players. We’ve shown that, we’ve beaten good teams already. “We just have to keep positive and keep going. It doesn’t rain forever. At one point we are going to get points, get a win. “If it was the whole team after the game and they’re booing, I don’t mind. But when they’re just booing one player during the game when he’s on the ball, as a teammate, I don’t like to see that. It’s not fair. “We need the fans to be our 12th man throughout the whole season. I’m probably going to get a bit of stick for this, but I can take it. “Listening when I was on the pitch and I heard our captain be booed when he was on the ball, that I don’t think is acceptable. I always back my teammates, no matter what.” Cherries have now lost five games in succession across league and cup competition.

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Gary O’Neil speaks after losing to Burnley in FA Cup #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 8, 2023

GARY O’Neil understood fans’ frustration following Cherries’ FA Cup 4-2 defeat to Burnley – sharing: “I feel the same." An error-strewn performance saw Cherries gift goals to their guests for three of the four strikes they scored at the Vitality Stadium. Braces from Manuel Benson and Anass Zaroury more than than cancelled out Ryan Christie and Dominic Solanke efforts in each half. Cherries conspired to repeatedly give the ball away in their own half three times, leaving O’Neil perplexed – and according to the head coach, also ensuring that it was “impossible” for Cherries to win the tie. A smattering of boos followed the half-time and full-time whistles, with captain Lloyd Kelly also receiving jeers from the crowd throughout the encounter. Asked if he understood the frustration from fans, O’Neil responded: “Yeah. I feel the same. “The three huge errors for the goals make it impossible to win the football match. That is the story of the game, really. “You give away three ridiculous goals and you have no chance.” Whilst Cherries stopped the rot of conceding from set-pieces, systematic errors became individual, with Marcos Senesi, Lewis Cook, and Ryan Christie losing the ball for three of the goals. Vincent Kompany’s Clarets have received praise for their passing prowess, but Burnley only had to turn on the style for their third, Zaroury showing nice footwork and a curling finish. The nature of the other three goals came out of nowhere according to O’Neil, who restarted: “They’re basic errors. I haven't seen loads of them in our time working with the team. “So to see three in one afternoon was surprising.” Despite the numerous errors, O’Neil believes his side would not repeat them in similar situations moving forward. “I probably wouldn't group them,” O’Neil told the Daily Echo. “I think every error has its reasons and it's difficult to explain them. “I think if you put those boys in that situation again, there's almost a zero per cent chance that they'd make the same error. “It doesn't help us, like I say, because the Crystal Palace and Burnley game are winnable games for us and we manage to beat ourselves in them both. “So Crystal Palace and Burnley didn't really do a lot to beat us.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil explains his role in Bournemouth transfer policy #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 7, 2023

GARY O’Neil says he will have an input on who Cherries sign this month, but stressed transfer policy was not his main role as head coach. O’Neil is in charge of a club in a transfer window for the first time as a head coach, having been promoted up from his previous role as interim in November. Cherries are keen to add players to their squad this month, with new owner Bill Foley recently quoted as saying the club would like to make four or five new additions. Asked how much say he has on who Cherries sign this month, O’Neil said: “January can be tricky, but what is also important is I am the head coach. "My main job is to improve the players that we have. "I know the club are keen to have new arrivals, we’re keen to help the group that are still here. "But my main job as head coach is to make sure the ones we’ve got performing, perform to the best of their ability, so full focus on that at the moment. "We have a way it works at the football club. I’m the head coach and there will be a transfer policy in place. “I will have a say on how it goes and who comes through the door. “But as the role says, my main job is to make sure whoever does come in and the players who are already playing are performing at the top of their ability. “Of course the head coach of the club will have conversations around who comes in. “But obviously my main focus is making sure the lads who are here are ready to go because we’ve had a game every three days for the last couple of weeks.” He added: “There’s conversations around what I think we need, what positions, what type. “Of course there’s conversations so I will have a say on who comes in.” Quizzed on if he feels Cherries need to add a striker this month, given the club have failed to find the net in six hours of football since the resumption after the World Cup break, O’Neil said: “There are a few positions in the squad that I would like to strengthen. “I think attacking threat is definitely one of them.” Chairman Foley attended last weekend’s disappointing 2-0 home defeat to Crystal Palace, one of four games in succession Cherries have failed to find the net in. They also lost without scoring against Newcastle United, Chelsea and Manchester United in recent weeks. Asked if those results have made Foley stress the need for signings even more, O’Neil said: “The results won’t have changed it, no. “There’s been a policy in place and there’s been discussions since that moment that Bill took over. “Between Bill and the board and the board and myself, so constant dialogue. “We are hopeful we can start to add people to the group. But we’ll have to see how it goes.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil reveals Confidence is fine, we knew there’d be tough spells #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 5, 2023

BOSS Gary O’Neil praised the response of his players since Saturday’s abject home display against Crystal Palace, insisting confidence levels among the squad remain high. Following the World Cup break, Cherries have lost all four of their matches, without scoring. The latest defeat came on Tuesday night, going down 3-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford. The poor run of form stretches back to October, with four defeats on the spin prior to back-to-back victories over Everton. Asked how the players had reacted to what O’Neil had described as the worst performance of his tenure on Saturday, ahead of the quick turnaround to face Man Utd, O’Neil told the Daily Echo: “The boys were excellent straightaway. “Training (on Monday) I had to actually get them to back off a little bit, the intensity was really good. “The boys, you never have to question them. As I said after the Palace game, I knew I would get that response. “My only disappointment comes in that when you arrive in those situations that many times as you do, we have to score a goal (against Man Utd). At this level, you have to score. “When you play through the shape the way we did, arrive in front of their goal, a header from Philip Billing seven yards out unchallenged, Jaidon Anthony arrives a few times, even the ones we don’t get a shot off from Jack Stacey flashing things across the goal. “We needed to score a goal. At 2-1 it could have been different.” Asked if he was concerned by the recent lack of goals, O’Neil added: “Not on Tuesday’s performance, no.” Cherries’ head coach was later asked about confidence levels within the squad, after another convincing defeat. “Confidence is fine, that won’t be a problem," said O'Neil. “We need to win football matches. I use the phrase a lot ‘newly-promoted team’ in a big boy league and it’s ruthless. “So if anyone came into this thinking there wouldn’t be tough spells, then they’re not thinking clearly. “There’s been tough spells and the boys have responded to every single one and we will again.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil believes 3-0 defeat against Manchester United was harsh on Bournemouth #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 4, 2023

BOSS Gary O’Neil believes tonight’s 3-0 score-line against Manchester United was “harsh” on Cherries, insisting: “I thought we were very good.” Cherries trailed 1-0 at half-time to a Casemiro volley, with Luke Shaw doubling the tally early in the second half. Marcus Rashford wrapped up the victory in the closing stages, as Cherries saw Philip Billing and Jaidon Anthony efforts stopped by goalkeeper David De Gea. Assessing his side’s performance against United, O’Neil told the Daily Echo: “I thought we were very good. “I thought 3-0 was harsh on us. I thought we had some real good chances. “The first goal was disappointing of course, because we had kept them at bay really and hadn’t been under too much threat. “At 0-0 I thought the boys had nailed the out-of-possession shape, broke out a few times. So to concede from a wide free-kick when you’re 0-0 and well in the game was tough for them, because they didn’t deserve it. “Then you go in at half-time, try and be slightly more aggressive, press slightly more often. Same shape, just try and press slightly more often. “Get caught getting one slightly wrong when they score, 2-0 and then it’s a tough ask. But the response again from that moment, I thought the boys were excellent. “We had six big chances, David De Gea making good saves. And I thought the majority of Man Utd’s chances came once we had opened the pitch up. There was lots to be pleased with.” Cherries have now lost all four matches since returning from the World Cup break, failing to find the net in any. O’Neil added: “The important thing for me is that it looked like us today. “As it has done apart from the Palace game I think, since I took the job. “Every game has looked like us, for large spells at least. Obviously we lost a couple of leads in the games before the break, but if you perform like that, I thought we were well-organised, I thought we picked our times well to press. “We had a large per cent of possession for a newly-promoted team away at Man United. We had over 40 per cent of the ball and created big chances. “No-one wants to lose 3-0, but we didn’t deserve to lose 3-0. But if you are going to lose 3-0, that’s the way you do it. “I’m pleased with large parts of the performance. If we produce that every week, we’ll climb the table, no problem. It needs to look like that all the time.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Ryan Christie speaks after Manchester United loss #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 4, 2023

RYAN Christie believes Cherries showed “a good bounce back” from their dismal defeat to Crystal Palace, despite another loss at Manchester United. Goals from Casemiro, Luke Shaw, and Marcus Rashford condemned Cherries to a 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford, their fourth consecutive loss since the restart of domestic football. Scottish international Christie started the contest, playing 76 minutes before being replaced by Siriki Dembele. Speaking after the game, the 27-year-old commented: “We know it's a tough place to come and it's hard to limit it to them to no chances. “We limited them to very few in the first half. “Again the result is the frustrating thing, but I think there's a lot of positives to take from tonight and to come to a place like this and dominate parts of the game and create chances, it's something we can definitely take into the next games. “The gaffer asked for a reaction after Palace because we didn't think that was the standard we set for ourselves that game. “Albeit the result, I think we showed a good bounce back.” Cherries are now without a win on the road since the comeback victory away at Nottingham Forest in September, a run of six games and a return of just two points. Although well aware of the result, the Scot believed the manner of Cherries’ performances bodes well for the future. He restarted: “First things first, you want to win games or you want to pick up points, but obviously coming to a place like this, it's just going to be tough. “When you don't do that, look at the performance and the gaffer mentioned that if we take performances like that into the games against the other 13 teams outside of the big six and we'll for sure pick up points, especially when you look at these games that we've got at home. “I think that was the frustrating thing after the Palace game. “We felt like we'd all let ourselves down but all learn from it and tonight is a good show of what we're capable of, what we can take into the games moving forward.” Attention for Cherries now turns to their final cup competition, the FA Cup. Championship leaders Burnley visit the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, January 7 in the third round of the competition. If the contest is not decided after 90 minutes, a replay will be staged at the Clarets’ Turf Moor home, with replays remaining in situ for the third and fourth rounds of the competition.

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil hopeful of additions as January transfer window opens #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan January 2, 2023

GARY O’Neil is hopeful Cherries can “improve” their “fantastic” squad, with the transfer window now open again. Clubs in England have until Tuesday, January 31 to conclude deals to strengthen for the second half of the season. Cherries slipped to 15th in the Premier League table, following Saturday’s disappointing 2-0 home reverse against Crystal Palace. This month marks the first time new owner Bill Foley can provide funds for transfers, after completing his takeover of the club last month. He has previously stated his hope to add “four or five” new players to the squad in this window. Asked if the performance against Crystal Palace has heightened the need for additions, boss O’Neil said: “No, I don’t like to react to things quickly. “I think we’ve achieved a decent points tally in the last few games with the group we’ve got. “They’re a fantastic group. “The transfer window opens and, as with the other 19 teams in the league, we’ll be looking to improve. “It’s not always easy in January. Sometimes it’s a tricky month to get good players out of where they are. “But we will be looking to improve. Hopefully help the boys we’ve got here, who are a great group, work their socks off - honest, have quality. “But if we can add to that, of course it helps our chances.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Tommy Elphick on Lloyd Kelly #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan December 31, 2022

FIRST team coach Tommy Elphick believes Lloyd Kelly’s leadership qualities shone through during his time on the sidelines – sharing how the centre-back was a “credit to himself”. Last term Kelly became the second defender to captain Cherries to promotion from the Championship. Like his predecessor Elphick, Kelly’s first season post-promotion has been hindered by an ankle injury, with the 24-year-old missing 12-weeks of action before making his return for Cherries’ 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. Whilst club stalwart Adam Smith has donned the captain’s armband in the absence of the club captain on the pitch, there has been no need to replace Kelly off of it, with the former Bristol City man still leading Cherries whilst he made his recovery from injury. Asked if Kelly had continued to lead behind the scenes whilst rehabbing, Elphick told the Daily Echo: “100 per cent. “And people do it in different ways. You don't have to be a club captain, or wear a captain's armband to do that. “But the way Lloyd carries himself day to day, he's a credit to himself. “He's a huge asset to the football club and he's been in and amongst it. “In the interim period as well, he was great for the manager and the coaching team. “Always around it, always at the games, leading by example that way as well. “So to have him back, yes, it's great news.” Thanks to a playing career that spanned the top three tiers of English football across the span of a decade and a half, Elphick has a bank of knowledge to take into his fledgling coaching career. The 35-year-old only hung up his boots at the end of the 2020-21 campaign, retiring after a short spell at Huddersfield Town, before taking up a role in Cherries’ academy, working alongside Shaun Cooper in the under-21s. Elphick revealed how the coaching staff would be keen to offer their advice when players require it, beginning: “They'll come to you when they need it. “Our job is to coach the lads and point them in the right direction on the training pitch. “If there's ever a time that a lad needs a little bit of advice and can come and talk to you as I say, I was sitting in a dressing room not so long ago myself, so I know what it feels like to be in these situations. “I know what's going through their head, so if they ever need it, between us (coaches) we’re all there.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Tommy Elphick on Crystal Palace game #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan December 31, 2022

CHERRIES will look to “really stamp what we’re about” on their encounter with Crystal Palace this weekend, according to Tommy Elphick. The Eagles visit the Vitality Stadium with Cherries unbeaten in their last two games at home, two victories over Everton prior to the break for the World Cup. Palace and Cherries both returned to Premier League action with defeats, the Eagles unable to muster a single shot on target in a 3-0 defeat to Fulham. That defeat to their London rivals saw two red cards for Crystal Palace, James Tomkins and Tyrick Mitchell suspended for the trip to the south coast. Asked for his thoughts on Palace, first team coach Elphick shared: “They're a dangerous team. “They've got some really, really top players, some real individual quality that's right up there with the best in the league. “So we're coming back off a break right now and looking to get players back and getting embedded into what we are doing. “So I think it's a game that we have to make about us. “With the tight turnaround, high energy, we've been accustomed to fast starts over the years at home. “If we can make it like that and really stamp what we're about on the game, then I'm sure we'd be fine.” After defeats on the road at Newcastle in the League Cup and Chelsea in the league, Cherries return home to the Vitality Stadium for the first time since defeating Everton 3-0 in November. Looking forward to seeing the home faithful again, Elphick shared: “Yeah, it'd be lovely, especially with the circumstances as well. “It's the first time that the manager is going to be playing at home as well since he's been named and we saw the reception he got at the end of the Everton game. “And we did end on a real high here with the last two games, the last two home games that we had, we played some fantastic football. “Obviously with the ownership as well, it feels like there's a real good atmosphere and hopefully use that to our advantage tomorrow.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Ryan Christie proud of second half performance in defeat to Chelsea #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan December 30, 2022

RYAN Christie believes Cherries’ second half performance at Stamford Bridge was played in the “right manner”. Scottish international Christie was introduced off the bench as Cherries searched for a way back into the game following first period goals for Chelsea from Kai Havertz and Mason Mount. A formation change at the break prior to the substitution of Christie breathed fresh life into Cherries, but despite an improved performance in the second half, Chelsea maintained their 2-0 lead to pick up all three points. Reflecting on the encounter, Christie told the Daily Echo: “First things first, we don't want to lose games. “Doesn't matter who we come up against, so we're straight with that. But we lost it in the right manner, especially in the second half. “They were a great side, and some of their movements and phases of play were pretty top draw. “Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say you're thinking it's a good side, but we certainly created enough ourselves. And, you know, if we could pull it back to 2-1, it could be a different story.” After starting Cherries’ first game back from the World Cup break, a 1-0 League Cup defeat to Newcastle, Christie dropped to the bench as Gary O’Neil opted for a tactical switch, bringing in Lloyd Kelly to form a five-man defence. Speaking on what it was like to be brought on in an attempt to change the game, Christie shared: “I think as soon as you know you're on the bench, the next thing you kind of hope for is if you can, number one, get on the pitch, and when you do, try and make an impact. “Obviously it's tough for us to get back in the game, at a place like this, against a very good side, being 2-0 down. “But I think especially the last 10, 15 minutes, where we dominated the game and camped them in their half. If we had got one goal back, it might be a different story in the last few minutes.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly on return from injury at Chelsea #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan December 30, 2022

CHERRIES skipper Lloyd Kelly is keen to “push on” following his return from injury, with the defender sharing: “I’m just looking forward to the future." The Bristol City academy graduate played the full 90 minutes of Cherries’ 2-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night, with Kelly coming through the fixture unscathed, one of a few positives for the Dorset outfit. Kelly had not played a competitive game for Cherries since the 3-2 comeback win away at Nottingham Forest in September, suffering a 12-week injury layoff after sustaining an ankle injury in training. Speaking to the Daily Echo at Stamford Bridge, Kelly stated: “I mean, it's been a long twelve weeks, putting a lot of work in, to be able to get back to where I am. “I think now it's just time to push on. “The past is there for a reason, and now I'm just looking forward to the future and making sure that I keep pushing on as much as I can.” Although Kelly had the personal positives of playing a full 90 minutes in his journey back to full fitness, the club captain admitted that the first-half performance was not up to standard, requiring changes at the break. He continued: “I think everyone can see the first half is difficult. You could say we started slowly in many areas. “Then we went in at halftime, knew we needed to make a couple of changes, and we did. “We came out second half and kind of put out foot in the game a little bit, put them under pressure a little bit more, and that showed in the second half. "We were able to have a lot more progress up the field.” Last season Kelly frequently spoke about taking the highs and lows of the campaign into account to remain level-headed, Cherries’ eventual promotion from the Championship hitting a few bumps along the way. With Cherries now facing a different challenge in the Premier League, Kelly is again keen to take the rough with the smooth, insisting that the challenge of the top-flight was more than expected at the Vitality Stadium. The 24-year-old restarted: “I think it's something that we kind of realised early on (this season), it’s nothing that came as a surprise. “Of course, when you come into the Premier League, it is a different game in itself. “The teams that you're playing against, the squad depth and the quality of players nothing has come as a surprise in that sense. “Of course I'm going to keep a level head and just make sure I do the right things on a daily basis and that'll put me in good stead for the games.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil reveals he was aware of Cherries’ strong record at Stamford Bridge #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan December 27, 2022

CHERRIES’ solid record away at Stamford Bridge is something Gary O’Neil is “aware” of even if he does not believe it will have any bearing on the latest meeting between the two sides. O’Neil’s charges travel to London to face Graham Potter’s Chelsea in the first Premier League game following the break for the World Cup tomorrow (kick-off 5:30pm). Despite Chelsea’s status as a top-six club and the perception of Cherries as plucky underdogs, the Dorset outfit have won three of their five trips to the Bridge in the Premier League. Glenn Murray’s late winner in 2015 arguably marked a turning point in Cherries’ first top-flight season, victory marking their first in nine league games under Eddie Howe. Cherries’ last visit to Chelsea saw another late winner, Dan Gosling’s 84th minute strike eventually awarded after an agonisingly long wait following a VAR check. In their past three games with the two-time European champions, Cherries are unbeaten, with their last win at Stamford Bridge sandwiched between a 4-0 rout at home and a 2-2 draw in their most recent meeting. Asked if he was knew about the stat, O’Neil replied: “I am aware of it. I don't believe it will help us much in the next one, but, yeah, I am aware of it. “As you rightly say, tough place to go. Top side, obviously. Big club, top coach, fantastic players. “And, yeah, they're expected to win basically every game they play, aren't they? “So, it'll be a tough one for us, but as always, same sort of answers for you, really. “We get the boys ready, get them well prepared, and I go there expecting us to be competitive and expecting us to get a positive result.” Aside from Cherries’ record at Chelsea, O’Neil was also reminded of his visits to Stamford Bridge as a player. In nine trips to Chelsea, he tasted defeat each time. He did point out the mitigating circumstances, with the then-midfielder frequently tasked with marking generational talent Frank Lampard on more than one occasion. He joked: “Nine games, nine defeats. It's a good record. “I mean, I remember playing well there a few times and I've sometimes I've seemed to be given the job of tracking Frank Lampard. “I remember doing it really well sometimes and then he’d just pop up in the 70 or 80th minute, and he's smashed one in the bottom corner. “And you'd be like, “Ahh, I've lost him once, and he scored.” “But I've not lost there yet, as a manager. So that's good.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil on putting in hard work ahead of transfer window #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan December 26, 2022

GARY O’Neil’s approach to the transfer window will be the same as his coaching philosophy – “loads of hard work”. Cherries seem set for another busy January based on chairman Bill Foley’s comments, indicating a healthy budget for the upcoming transfer window. O’Neil has concurred with Foley’s belief that the squad will need strengthening, with the transfer window representing the head coach’s first foray into the market. Speaking on how he is prepared for making transfers for the first time, O’Neil shared:“The same as I deal with preparing for games. Do loads of hard work on it, make sure you've covered. “I'm always really confident on things once I've done enough work on them. “I remember speaking about the Wolves game and stood there a little bit nervous, and that was just because we'd only had a day and I didn't really know what I was looking at. “I didn't know what to expect. I’ve always thought if I put enough work in, I arrive at a conclusion that I'm really confident and comfortable with, and that will be the same with the recruitment. “Plus we have an incredible recruitment team who have real good track record in the players that we've managed to recruit at the club. “The work that will be done will go through a process and we'll try and make sure we get the right ones.”Asked for the biggest differences between his interim spell and operating in the role on a permanent basis. O’Neil joked: “There’s probably slightly more off-pitch questions landing on my desk than they did before. “Which I try to ignore, but they tend to come back and someone asks them again! “So there’s a bit more to do. But the nature of the job, it feels the same to me. “I treated it last time as if I was the head coach, so it won’t be too different for me.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil believes it is ‘Interesting to see’ how World Cup absentees will impact teams #AFCB #WorldCup2022

By Kanak Chauhan December 26, 2022

GARY O’Neil believes it will be “interesting to see" how teams with more players returning from the World Cup will fare, believing there to be pros and cons to having players missing during the break. Chelsea had 12 players away at the World Cup, including England trio Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling, and Conor Gallagher, whilst Moroccan Hakim Ziyech and Croatian Mateo Kovacic have been ruled out of the game with Cherries, owing to the fact they returned late as their countries reached the third/fourth-place play-off. The only Cherries to be selected for the World Cup were Wales duo Kieffer Moore and Chris Mepham, allowing O’Neil the opportunity to work with the vast majority of his squad during the break. However, the former England under-21 international was quick to point out that competitive football over the past six weeks had been hard to come by, with those in Qatar potentially remaining in better condition than those who stayed at home. Asked if that would make a difference in the fixture, O’Neil told the Daily Echo: “I'm not sure. “I think there's a couple of ways of looking at it. I think the boys that have been at the World Cup will still have rhythm, that they're used to playing through November and December, and they come back in now having been playing competitive football, whereas the boys that have been here have had to go through sort of a mid-season pre-season, basically. “So, yeah, it'd be interesting to see who is sharper, the boys that have been at the World Cup and have kept going, or the ones that have had a little break, and then I’ve had to do training to keep up to speed. “Obviously the more players that you have at the World Cup, shows that you have good players. “So, yes, I mean, regardless of who's in better condition, it will still be a tough game for us. Moore and Mepham’s World Cups ended in relative disappointment as Cymru pulled no trees in Group B, exiting after three games. Asked if the pair would use the disappointment to spur themselves on at club level, O’Neil responded: “Yeah, I think they're keen to get going. I thought they both did well the other night. “Kieffer was excellent in his work rate and still managed to cause Newcastle some problems. “Meps had suffered with the virus and he was one of the real late calls we had to make, and to get through the game the way he did, I thought he did really well considering the World Cup, on top of the illness. “He hadn't had too much work put into him before. So yeah, I was pleased he came through okay and did well and they'll both be better for another week's work before the Chelsea game.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil remains cautious over rushing back Lloyd Kelly from ‘longish layoff’ #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan December 26, 2022

GARY O’Neil will remain cautious with managing the return of captain Lloyd Kelly, despite admitting that he is “huge” for Cherries. Centre-back Kelly has not played any competitive football since the comeback win at Nottingham Forest at the start of September, with an ankle injury side-lining the former Bristol City man for 12 weeks. Whilst Cherries were in Dubai, Kelly worked on an individual rehabilitation plan, but the 24-year-old is now back on the grass training with the squad. O’Neil’s comments suggest that Kelly appears to be in contention for Cherries’ trip to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, December 27 to face Chelsea, O’Neil urged caution in regard to rushing his skipper back into action after a “longish layoff”. Commenting on Kelly’s situation, O’Neil stated: “No, he hasn't been in my ear. He just tries to show me every day on the grass, as they all do. “All the boys are desperate to play. But when you're out for twelve weeks, you're desperate to get back. “My job is to make sure he comes back in the right shape, make sure he's ready, make sure it benefits the team and Lloyd. “So there's a lot of decisions to make when someone comes back off a longish layoff. There is a lot to consider.”Whilst wary of rushing Kelly back, O’Neil is more than aware to what the centre-back gives his side.” “As I said when we lost him, he is huge for us,” restarted O’Neil. “He's huge. “Fantastic player, athletically excellent, good on the ball. “So, yeah, he's huge for us. But as I said in the last answer, he needs to be right. “He's been out for a long time, takes work, not only fitness work, getting up to speed with football things, your decision making. “So we need to make sure that Lloyd is in the right place and it's right for everybody that he comes back in. Cherries have depth at centre-back, with Chris Mepham returning from the fringes of the squad to cement himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet. Summer signing Marcos Senesi has adapted to the rigors of the Premier League to serve as a more than adequate replacement for Kelly as a left-footed centre-back, whilst Southampton loanee Jack Stephens offers a wealth of experience in the wings. O’Neil mentioned: “Jack Stephens has been excellent as well. “The two Everton games, I thought he was fantastic. So yeah, I think I'd rather be sat here discussing the four of them than going into the Everton game with only the two that we had. “So yeah, pleased that they're all back and available. I'm sure they'll all be used, and it'll be huge in the rest of the season and us trying to be successful.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil believes Chelsea will keep improving under Graham Potter #AFCB #ChelseaFC

By Kanak Chauhan December 25, 2022

CHELSEA will keep on improving “every week” Graham Potter is manager, according to Gary O’Neil. Potter swapped Brighton for Chelsea back in September, with the former Ostersunds manager struggling to find his feet at Stamford Bridge. The Blues last won a Premier League game back in October, with Potter picking up just 11 points in his eight league games in charge, although in Europe Chelsea have cruised through to knockout stages of the Champions League. Asked for his thoughts on Potter at the Blues, O’Neil shared: “I think that every week that Graham's there, I expect them to get better. “He's obviously a good coach. He has a style that has stuck for years, so a new group of players obviously need to adapt to that and learn it. “So I would think the break has been beneficial to him in sort of getting the players where he needs them to be. It’s difficult. They have changed formation quite a lot. “It's a difficult one to prepare for because, a newish manager that had a real set style at Brighton, but what he's done at Chelsea hasn't followed on from that too much, structure wise. “So, we'll prepare the best we can, make sure the boys are ready for what might come their way and give it a real good go.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Gary O’Neil on travelling fans #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan December 25, 2022

Gary O’Neil shared how Cherries appreciate their travelling support, stating: “We’re going to need them.” Cherries fans will be travelling all over the country during the first two weeks since their side returned to action, starting with the trip to Newcastle last Tuesday. Stamford Bridge is the next stop for the Cherries faithful on Tuesday, December 27, before another trek up north to see their favourites face Manchester United on Tuesday, January 3, the Dorset outfit’s first game of 2023. With only one home game over the festive period, a fixture against Crystal Palace on New Year’s Eve, those hardy souls that travel to all three away games will travel approximately 1,839 miles, based on the distance from the Vitality Stadium to each ground as the crow flies. Fans’ plans for the trip to Newcastle were thrown up in the air when the game was brought forward with little notice due to NHS strikes, with around 450 Cherries supporters making the journey to Newcastle. The Daily Echo understands Cherries’ have sold out their allocation for the fixture at Chelsea. Both games against Chelsea and Manchester United had been moved from their original dates of Boxing Day and Monday, January 2. With train strikes, adjusted transport schedules and the financial pressures the winter holidays can place on families, O’Neil shared how he was “proud” of Cherries’ away support. He shared: “I thought the support at Newcastle was incredible for considering how far it is, the weather, the late fixture change, the sort of the issue with transport as well at the moment. “I appreciate their efforts. “We're going to need them. I spoke about it a lot, speak about it when we play here, obviously, because the atmosphere we create here will be massive for us, but it’s the same on the road. “So to see that many people come and support you, I was proud of the supporters, really, to give up their evening when it's a tough one, like a long journey back on a Tuesday night. “And a lot of them will still be working, I would guess so, yes, we appreciate it. “Hopefully they see that the lads are putting in a similar effort on the pitch.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil admits he was unsure about Cherries’ Christmas training schedule #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan December 24, 2022

GARY O’Neil refused to confirm whether Cherries’ squad would be training on Christmas Day this year, ahead of their trip to Chelsea next week. There will be no Boxing Day fixture for Cherries for the third year in succession, with O’Neil’s charges travelling to Stamford Bridge on December 27. Looking ahead to the festive period, O’Neil said: “I love Christmas. The family side of it, I obviously have kids so they love it. “But I also enjoyed the fixture schedule as a player, I really enjoyed it. “It always had a nice atmosphere at the games, a lot of fans are having time off work and having a good time with their families. “There’s always a nice atmosphere around the festive fixtures. When I was playing, I used to just train and go home, so it is slightly different now.” Asked if Cherries will train on Christmas Day, O’Neil added: “We haven’t decided officially yet. We will see where we are as a group, how much good work we can get done between now and then. “My only focus is making sure we’re ready for Chelsea. I’ll review it after we’ve done some more work and see how much the boys need.” He added: “It’s funny, because when you were a player, you were like ‘I don’t know why he doesn’t just do this’. “But then when you’re sat there you’re like ‘yeah, I’m definitely not doing that!’. It’s a big difference. “When you’re sat in the head coach’s seat, you just can’t see anything but making sure the group are ready come 5.30pm on the 27th. “Yes it’s Christmas, so will try and show some understanding and not be too much of a killjoy. “But hard to see past we need to be ready at 5.30pm, massive game, another opportunity to put points on the board.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil reveals how AFC Bournemouth’s January recruitment plan will look #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan December 24, 2022

GARY O’Neil commented how January recruitment will be a shared effort, although the Cherries head coach’s say “will have an impact on what gets done and what doesn’t”. Made permanent boss in November, the winter window represents the first chance for O’Neil to put his stamp on the playing squad at Cherries. Cherries chairman Bill Foley suggested “four or five players” could be arriving at the Vitality Stadium in the upcoming window, with O’Neil less forthcoming with his transfer plans. He shared:“I won't confirm the number that we're targeting or not. "I think we are, as is everybody, probably looking to improve the squad, and as we know, with transfer windows, things can move fast or they can move slowly, and I think numbers could change as we move through the process.” Technical director Richard Hughes and CEO Neill Blake will likely be central figures in the planning of the window, as O’Neil is in frequent contact with the pair. “It will be a team effort, as it has always been, I think, at the club,” he restarted. “We have a real good recruitment team. “Obviously, I speak to Richard and Neil very often and, yeah, we'll have discussions around it and make sure that the best interest of the club and improving the squad. “The work that goes in needs to be in depth and it needs to make sure that we take as much chance and luck and things out of it as we can and make sure we arrive at the right conclusions. “I suppose clubs do it differently, but, I think as a Premier League manager, you don't have time to fly off around the world, watching players live, so your knowledge of who's out there and who's available can only be so deep. “You rely on the group, the team, everyone coming together to make sure it's a joint effort. “Then, of course, my say at the end of it will have an impact on what gets done and what doesn't.” With the window opening in nine days, clubs may look to put their ducks in a row to get a head start in recruitment, with O’Neil again coy. He added: “There's, of course, been discussions around the window approaching, so there's been discussions, but, yeah, nothing concrete to arrive on yet. “The club continue to work and make sure we put ourselves in the best place to get the work done that we need to get done within the month of January. “I think every club, if they're going to do business, would rather get it concluded early. “But, there are selling clubs involved as well. So, yes, it's not always easy.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Eddie Howe admits making late calls on first-team stars for Cherries cup clash #NUFC

By Kanak Chauhan December 20, 2022

NEWCASTLE United boss Eddie Howe is set to make late calls on a number of players ahead of tomorrow’s Carabao Cup clash with Cherries (7.45pm). For the second time this season, Howe is set to take on his former club at St James’ Park, after the two sides drew 1-1 in the Premier League back in September. This time, a spot in the cup quarter-finals is up for grabs, in Gary O’Neil’s first match since being named as the club’s permanent head coach. Howe is set to make late calls on the fitness of Dan Burn, Joelinton and Miguel Almiron, while Allan Saint-Maximin picked up a knock during Saturday’s friendly against Rayo Vallecano. Discussing Saint-Maximin, Howe said: "I think there's a slight injury - we'll see today how he comes in. “Obviously after a game things can be sore, but they can settle quickly, so hopefully that's the case." Newcastle also had five players away at the World Cup. Two of them – England duo Nick Pope and Kieran Trippier – played against Rayo Vallecano, while compatriot Callum Wilson, Switzerland defender Fabian Schar and Bruno Guimaraes of Brazil were not involved. Howe did however describe former Cherries striker Wilson’s physical condition as “fine” but would not confirm if he would be involved tomorrow. Howe said: “I spoke with all the international lads when they came back, obviously. Kieran and Nick were very keen to play in the game (against Vallecano). “Those conversations are important because those boys have had not just the physical load from being at the World Cup, but the mental side of it can’t be underestimated, so I’ll continue those conversations with the other lads and we’ll see where we are.” Discussing the importance of this fixture, ahead of the Premier League returning next week, Howe added: "We've tried to give this game the same importance as a Premier League game, and for us it is, because it's a chance to progress in a very important competition for us. “That's how we've approached the game."

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil admits changes were made after virus hit group during 10 day training #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan December 20, 2022

BOSS Gary O’Neil will make late calls on the involvement of some of his first-team players for the Carabao Cup clash at Newcastle tomorrow, revealing a virus had spread through the squad. Cherries return to competitive action after a five-week break for the World Cup, making the trek north to face Eddie Howe’s Magpies. And exactly how the side will look is yet to be fully determined. Looking ahead to the return to action, O’Neil said: “I think we have a good chance of winning the game. We’ve done some real good work. “We’ve had a tricky last 10 days, a real bad virus that went through the group. “So we’ll have to make some last-minute calls on quite a few. “Some of the boys have missed real, long spells with it – up to 10 days some of them have missed training, so it was a nasty one. “I think we had eight to 10 missing at one point last week. And that has run over a little bit into this week. “But we have enough available and I’m hopeful when we get there tomorrow things will look a little bit better and we can name a real, strong team.” Away from the first team, Cherries’ development squad face Queens Park Rangers in the Premier League Cup this evening. But their squad looks set to be depleted with some players instead travelling with the first team to Newcastle. “The under-21s play in the Premier League Cup tonight, a big fixture for them,” said O’Neil. “Hopefully we don’t have to take too many of their players off them because of the virus!”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Eddie Howe remains coy on Callum Wilson availability ahead of Cherries reunion #AFCB #NUFC

By Kanak Chauhan December 19, 2022

EDDIE Howe remained coy over a potential reunion between Callum Wilson and Cherries in the Carabao Cup. Gary O’Neil’s charges travel north on Tuesday night (kick-off 7.45pm) to face Howe’s Magpies as the season restarts, with a spot in the quarter-finals on offer. Wilson, who missed the league meeting between the two sides in September due to a hamstring injury, reportedly picked up a minor knock whilst with England in Qatar for the World Cup. Only recently returning to Newcastle from international duty, the striker missed the Magpies’ final friendly of the break against Rayo Vallecano on Saturday. Asked for an update on the 30-year-old, Howe responded: "We've only seen Callum briefly, but I don't want to give too much away, to be honest." Wilson’s fellow attacker Alexander Isak is also a doubt with a thigh injury. Howe restarted: "With Alex, there was no fixed return date on him. I think the medical team have just tried to look at his recovery day by day, and try and get him in the best physical place he can be in the ideal time. "We hoped to have him fit and available for the Bournemouth game, but I don’t think that’s going to look likely. We’ll just take it on a game-by-game basis. It’s a difficult one. "We haven’t got a return date on him. He's with the medical team at the moment, and he’s working hard and making progress. "I can’t give you a return date."

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Jack Wilshere backs Eddie Howe for England job if Southgate leaves #AFCB #WorldCup2022 #NUFC

By Kanak Chauhan December 15, 2022

FORMER Cherries midfielder Jack Wilshere believes his old boss Eddie Howe should succeed Gareth Southgate if the England manager decides to leave his post. Southgate is reportedly considering his future after England’s World Cup dream came to an end following a 2-1 defeat to reigning champions France at the Quarter-final stage. With Southgate’s future in doubt, Howe has instantly been mentioned in discussions regarding potential replacement. Wilshere, who played under Howe at Cherries on loan from Arsenal, was capped 34 times by the Three Lions. In a column for the Sun, the 30-year-old gave a glowing reference for the current Newcastle United boss. He said: “If Gareth Southgate does leave the England job, I’d love the FA to try and get Eddie Howe. “I know how good Eddie is from my time at Bournemouth but people wondered whether he could make that step up to a bigger club. “Well, now he has shown at Newcastle how skilled he is at developing players and he’s turning them into title challengers. “The problem for the FA would be persuading him to swap his club for his country — and I’m not sure they’ll be able to do that. “He might feel it’s too early for him and that he wants more time to build success in the North East. “If he delivered silverware for Newcastle he’d be a god. “But the England job is the pinnacle for any English coach and it might be hard to turn down if there is a proper offer on the table.” Wilshere then went on to discuss Howe’s strengths, stressing how his attention to detail made players want to work hard for him. He restarted: “Eddie is so thorough in everything he does — from the way he organises the season, to his well-thought-out training sessions, to the one-to-one attention he gives players. “He’s a top man-manager. I’d only had Arsene Wenger as a club boss before I went to Bournemouth and he was a great man-manager, too — but in a different way to Eddie. “Arsene would give you a lot of trust and confidence and left you to get on with it. Eddie was more detailed, probably because the level of player he had was not as good as Arsenal’s. “Eddie had to coach more. Arsene didn’t really have to tell Samir Nasri or Tomas Rosicky how to play between the lines. “Eddie would tell you how to do it and give you feedback — not always positive — but the way he did it made you really want to play for him. “I couldn’t recommend him highly enough.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Philip Billing believes in AFC Bournemouth’s attacking ‘chemistry’ #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan December 10, 2022

DETERMINED Philip Billing believes Cherries have the “chemistry” to add even more goals to their game in the Premier League. The midfielder was speaking after Gary O’Neil’s side sealed a 3-0 victory over Everton prior to the break for the World Cup. Cherries have 18 league goals to their name from 15 outings this campaign – a haul which is the 12th highest in the division. They have scored more times than the likes of Chelsea, West Ham and Aston Villa. Former Huddersfield Town man Billing himself has netted four of those, with Kieffer Moore the same amount. Frontman Dominic Solanke has three league goals this season. Asked about Cherries’ attacking prowess, Billing told the Daily Echo: “We are getting used to each other. We played and got used to each other in the Champ, me and Dom. “I am still looking for Dom every time I can really. I want him to score his goals because he deserves it. “We have got the chemistry and you can see that on the pitch. “Maybe when we get up, we can sometimes get our head up a bit more and look for our teammates because I think we can score even more goals. “I think there is even more goals for us. I’d like to have a statement win, maybe. “Of course, 3-0 is unbelievable at home against Everton but just the fact we can score even more goals – that’s what this team is capable of, we just have to keep looking for each other up front and it will come.” Having missed out on Denmark’s World Cup squad, Billing was part of Cherries’ warm-weather Dubai training camp. Gary O’Neil’s men are set to make the trip to Newcastle in their next competitive contest in the Carabao Cup on November 21. They then head to Chelsea in league action on Tuesday, December 27, before rounding off the calendar year with a home clash against Crystal Palace on December 31.

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Cherries player Marcus Tavernier thanks Jonathan Woodgate for his recognition as squad leader #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan December 9, 2022

MARCUS Tavernier praised the impact former Cherries boss Jonathan Woodgate had on his career, insisting: “I can say nothing but good words about him.” Tavernier worked with Woodgate during the pair’s time at Middlesbrough. Former Real Madrid and England defender Woodgate worked on-and-off at Boro, as part of the first team coaching staff or academy, between 2017 and 2019. He then stepped up to take the top job for a year, before being sacked in June 2020. During that time, talented Tavernier was coming up through the ranks at the Teesside club. He made his senior debut in August 2017, but only starting to become a regular in the side when Woodgate took the helm. In all, Tavernier made 32 first-team appearances under the former Tottenham Hotspur centre-back, before then going from strength-to-strength under Neil Warnock and Chris Wilder. The Premier League came calling over the summer, with Tavernier having played a key part for Cherries this season following his reported £12million move, starting all 15 top-flight matches. He scored two goals and provided four assists in the three games prior to the World Cup break. Woodgate spent almost five months as Cherries boss, initially on an interim basis, in 2021, guiding them to the Championship play-offs. He left the club that summer, following defeat over two legs to Brentford, before resuming punditry work. Woodgate returned to football in October, appointed as a first-team coach under new boss Michael Carrick at Boro. “He was great for me,” Tavernier told the Daily Echo, discussing his time working under Woodgate. “He’s the one who gave me my first proper chance at Middlesbrough and I can say nothing but good words about him. “He gave me hard times at times, but that’s what I needed as a young lad. I needed that to learn my trade and I know what I needed to do coming forward.” Asked if Woodgate had messaged him after making the switch down south from Middlesbrough to Cherries over the summer, Tavernier said: “No, he didn’t. But I’ve changed my number, so he might have on my old number!” Despite only turning 23 himself this year, Tavernier’s leadership potential could play an important role as part of a youthful Cherries squad. The versatile midfielder has previous captaincy experience with England under-20s, leading a squad which included the likes of Tariq Lamptey, Conor Gallagher and Japhet Tanganga. Asked if he sees himself as a leader given his international exploits, Tavernier said: “Yeah, it’s something Jonathan Woodgate talked about to me when I was at Middlesbrough. “He said that he’s seen that in me, me being a leader. “I believe I’ve got it in me and it’s just something that I can only learn over time as I get older and get more experience in this league.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil believes David Brooks will be huge for Bournemouth #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan December 7, 2022

BOSS Gary O’Neil believes the return of David Brooks will be “huge” for Cherries, but insisted: “We haven’t put a timeframe on it.” Brooks has not featured competitively for Cherries since a 0-0 draw at Peterborough United in the Championship in September 2021. Shortly afterwards, the Wales international was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin lymphoma and underwent a lengthy course of treatment. Brooks then announced in May of this year that he had been given the all clear and was cancer free. The 25-year-old then returned to the training pitches during pre-season following the club’s promotion to the Premier League and looked to be edging closer to first-team action, starting in a friendly for the development squad at Brentford in August. However, he did not last long, forced to withdraw due to a hamstring complaint, something he is still recovering from. Brooks has travelled with the rest of the Cherries squad to Dubai for a mid-season warm weather training camp, with the first team due back in action on December 21, following the World Cup break. He is working on an individual programme away from the main group, alongside fellow injured due Lloyd Kelly and Neto. Brooks was also pictured supporting Wales during one of their World Cup matches in Qatar last month. Asked if he can see Brooks being back available to be in the Cherries team after the World Cup break, O’Neil said: “David Brooks is coming along really well. “We haven’t put a timeframe on it, because we have a break in the middle (of the season) that allows people time to assess. “It’s a unique situation this season obviously, with a mini break and a mini pre-season type situation in the middle of it. “So that will give everybody with longer-term injuries or niggles a chance to really recover and make sure they’re in prime condition when we come back. “The thought of David Brooks is just, let’s see where we are after the break, see how he does, see how he comes along and take it step by step.” O’Neil added: “I’d love David Brooks in the team. I think he’ll be huge for us. “But we obviously need to remember that he’s been off the pitch for a very long time. “David Brooks’s health and wellbeing is of the utmost importance.” Since joining Cherries from Sheffield United in the summer of 2018, Brooks has made 90 appearances, scoring 17 goals.

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Bournemouth captain Lloyd Kelly provides an injury update #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan December 6, 2022

CAPTAIN Lloyd Kelly says he and David Brooks have helped “pull each other through” during their respective injury rehabs. Kelly has not featured for Cherries since suffering an ankle injury in training in September. The 24-year-old played a key role in helping the club clinch promotion last season, featuring in 41 of their 46 Championship fixtures. But his game-time at the elite level remains limited. Injury also wrecked Kelly’s first season in the Premier League, after joining Cherries from Bristol City in 2019. He has made 145 appearances in his professional career, but only 13 of those so far have come in the top flight. Kelly is currently stepping up his return to fitness during Cherries’ mid-season training camp in Dubai, alongside David Brooks, who himself is battling back from a hamstring problem. “In terms of myself, I’m getting up to speed,” Kelly told afcbTV. “The first half of my rehab was quite slow in terms of getting the ankle stronger. “This part is a lot more exciting for me because I can get up and do some running, which are things I’d do in training and games. “I’m definitely enjoying working hard and I’m ready to go again to be honest.” He added: “Some sessions, me and Brooksy have been together and it’s been nice to push each other. “There’s been sessions that have been tough and we’ve had to pull each other through. “Of course, when you’re off to the side and doing your own individual rehab programme, you’re seeing the team train next to you and it can affect you, especially if you’re on your own. “Having someone there, it definitely helps.” Discussing the time in Dubai so far as a whole, as preparations continue for a return to action at Newcastle in the Carabao Cup on December 21, Kelly said: “It’s great for everyone to get together and go into a different environment. “It’s definitely beneficial and helps us come back after the two weeks we had off. “It’s important to regroup and the training here is different with the weather. “It’s definitely been good for everyone so far, everyone has enjoyed it.”

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil gives his views on leaders in AFC Bournemouth squad #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan December 5, 2022

THE RETURN of Lloyd Kelly will be a boost to Cherries in more ways than one – not only will Gary O’Neil have his first-choice centre-back available, but also his captain. Kelly has been pictured back training on the grass during Cherries’ trip to the UAE, with O’Neil’s latest direct updates regarding his return from an ankle injury indicating a likely return to availability after the break for the World Cup. Named captain by previous boss Scott Parker last term, the 24-year-old led Cherries to second-place and promotion from the Championship, making the most appearances in a single season in his career to date. Club stalwart Adam Smith has worn the captain’s armband in the absence of Kelly, whilst fellow experienced head Junior Stanislas led the side during the Carabao Cup victory over Everton in November. With Premier League experience at a premium amongst O’Neil’s charges, it is no surprise that Cherries’ two longest-serving players have worn the armband whilst Kelly has been side-lined with injury. Whilst all Premier League teams have defined club captains, certain clubs in the top-flight operate with “leadership groups”. One heavily publicised example is at the Emirates Stadium, where Mikel Arteta has reported named summer signing Gabriel Jesus and ex-Gunners skipper Granit Xhaka as members of a “leadership group” alongside captain Martin Odegaard at Arsenal. Asked if there was a similar approach to leadership at Cherries, O’Neil revealed how players naturally cropped up as leaders. He told the Daily Echo in November: “There’s nothing defined. “I think you can see in the group that there are certain individuals that lead situations. “I mean, there's so many different ways to lead. “I think I was never really a shout out, but I tried to lead by example, in the way that I went about my work and training and things. “We have those and then we have more vocal ones. “So the most important thing is it's a real good, honest group that are all pushing in the same direction. Asked if he had become more of a “shout out” manager, O’Neil joked: “After the game at Leeds, I did!” Stand-in skipper Smith concurred with his boss when asked for his thoughts on wearing the captain’s armband, stressing how “it doesn't really make any difference”. “Even when Lloydy was playing as captain, I'm still the same,” he shared. “I’m just trying to help the younger lads, so it doesn't really change much.” Cherries return to action at the end of December, when they visit Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, December 21.

2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil pleased with Dubai trip but admits ‘there’s still lots to do’ #AFCB

By Kanak Chauhan December 5, 2022

CHERRIES boss Gary O’Neil is “pleased with where” his charges are following the start of their mid-season training camp, but also stressed: “there’s still lots to do”. O’Neil’s first task since being named permanent boss at the Vitality Stadium has been to ready his squad for the return to competitive fixtures at the end of the month, with Cherries currently undergoing a warm-weather training camp in Dubai. With O’Neil previously operating on a week-by-week basis as interim boss, the former Portsmouth midfielder has been able to properly put his stamp on Cherries for the first time. Reflecting on the camp so far, O’Neil told afcbtv: “It’s been good, some real good work. “Been a hard few days for them, especially training in the heat. Nice to get away as well, spend some time together between sessions. “There’s some stuff we can do to build our relationship as a group, meetings and stuff. It’s been a real good work.”The break in Premier League fixtures represents an opportunity for those on Cherries’ side-lines due to injury, with captain Lloyd Kelly, first-choice goalkeeper Neto, and starlet David Brooks all back on the grass and stepping up their return to fitness. O’Neil added: “Great to see how well they’re progressing. “Brooksy (David Brooks), Nets (Neto) and Lloydy (Lloyd Kelly) doing some real good work. It’s been a positive experience so far for everyone. A few days to go, but it’s been really good.” As well as focusing on fitness and tactics, O’Neil believes the break has helped members of his team bond. “It’s important,” he restarted. “Even from a staffing point of view, you get to spend every minute of the day together, and conversations come up. The lads get to know some of the boys that they don’t hang around with so much back home. “It’s really good for togetherness. The facilities have been excellent as well. It’s been an enjoyable trip. “More hard work, the sessions have been really tough to be fair. I’m really pleased with where the boys are. “A few weeks still until we’ve got a competitive game, so there’s still lots to do, but the boys are looking in a really good place. “Nice to be able to put down some real work now that it’s not just a week-to-week basis. “We’re working towards something. Looking forward to the Premier League starting back up.”