Joe Rothwell
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Joe Rothwell on competition for starting spot #AFCB

April 4, 2023
After arriving on a free transfer in the summer following his departure from Blackburn Rovers, Rothwell is currently enjoying his longest spell in the Cherries team, featuring in all but one of the previous 12 fixtures and starting the last four games. Considering it took until October for the former Oxford United man to make his Cherries debut following a quad injury, it seemed like Rothwell would be a bit-part player this campaign. The arrival of further players in January seemingly reduced his chances further, but since the end of the window, Rothwell has earnt the bulk of his minutes this campaign. Asked if he took personal pride in earning a starting spot despite the influx of January signings, Rothwell told the Daily Echo: “Definitely. “It was a tough start to the season for myself, especially picking up the injury and then coming back with a break and then it was basically starting all over again. “But I always have I believe in myself. “I knew if I got in, I could give the manager a headache and try and force my way into the side and stay there. “Thankfully, at the moment, I've done that, but we’ve got some quality coming back now and the bench (against Fulham) was probably the strongest it’s been all season. “It's a fight for us to even get into the 20 now. “So I just go out there, give everything I've got every game and give the manager a headache.” With all but two players returning from injury, head coach Gary O’Neil has the unenviable task of leaving out at least five members of the 27-strong first team squad for a Premier League game. Rothwell continued: “Everyone's role fighting for the same goal at the end of the day, but internally, players coming back, it gives you a bit of a kick up the backside to perform every week. “You know if you don't, there's someone there to come take that shirt and it drives everyone on. “We've got a massive 10 games now to achieve what we want to achieve.” Cherries are in action again on Tuesday evening, hosting Brighton at the Vitality Stadium. “A brilliant team, fantastic with the ball,” began Rothwell. “We went there earlier on in the season. We were unlucky, I thought. “I felt we definitely deserved something out of the game and they just nicked it with one goal. “We'll sit down, we'll look at what their strengths and weaknesses are and hopefully put a game plan together that can end in a positive result for ourselves.”
Gary O’Neil
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

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

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.”
Joe Rothwell
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Joe Rothwell keen to ‘crack on’ after playing waiting game at AFC Bournemouth #AFCB

October 22, 2022
For Joe Rothwell, a total of 118 days had passed since signing for Cherries and making his competitive debut for the club. Having featured in pre-season with the Dorset outfit, a quad injury rocked his start to life on the south coast. He had joined on a free transfer in the summer, following the expiration of his contract at Blackburn Rovers. But after being named on the bench for last weekend’s trip to Fulham, the 27-year-old finally earned his first minutes in the Premier League, coming on in Wednesday’s 1-0 defeat against Southampton. Rothwell is expected to be part of the squad which heads to West Ham in the top flight on Monday (8pm). Describing his wait for match action at Cherries, the former Manchester United youngster told the Daily Echo: “I came in, felt good in pre-season and picked up that injury which set me back three months. “It’s been long, hard graft and thanks to the staff and the players. “They have really helped me through it and finally I have reaped the rewards of it and made that Premier League debut. “It’s part and parcel of the game. Most lads in there have had injuries of some sort, some long-term, some not so long. “But every day they have tried to keep me included. I have felt like that, I’ve finally come out the other end of it and it’s just a dream come true for me. “You are in earlier, leave later but when you are injured there is only one thought and that is to get back and get back on the pitch. “Especially with how the lads have been doing and the run we have been on. I wanted to get back and try to be part of that.” Having signed for the club in June, Rothwell previously admitted the “pull” of Scott Parker played a big part in his decision to arrive at Vitality Stadium. But having been working through his injury, he never played competitively under the former England midfielder before Parker was sacked in August. Despite that, the Manchester-born midfielder is now looking to “catch the eye” of interim head coach Gary O’Neil, while building his match sharpness. “Personally, it was a blow when the old manager left because he was the one that brought me in. A big part of me coming here was down to him,” said Rothwell, when asked for his view away from the field on how the managerial situation unfolded. “But these things happen in football. Gaz was here and I’ve worked under Gaz when Scott was here as well. “I spoke with Gaz. He knows exactly what I can do and he just wants me to come here, express myself and do what I was brought in to do. “I think that’s all you can ever ask from a manager. He will tell you how he sees it and tell you what he wants to do. “He knows the qualities that I can bring and hopefully now with these minutes, I can keep adding to them and produce on the pitch.” He added: “That’s the next step now. The lads have been doing brilliantly, so the next step is to try to break into the team from the start. “The lads have been doing magnificent. If I can get on, keep picking up some minutes, then just go from there, hopefully catch the manager’s eye and crack on.” As well as having to deal with his injury issue, Rothwell revealed it had been a waiting game with regards to setting up a permanent base in the south. “I have still not moved into my house yet – so it’s been a bit stop-start in terms of off the pitch,” he added. “But hopefully now that will get sorted in the next few weeks and can finally crack on with the football. “My missus plays a huge role in what I do, with the kids as well. “This is what I do it for. I do it for them and I hope there are many more games and I can keep making them proud.”
Gary O’Neil
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth interim boss Gary O’Neil provides Joe Rothwell injury update #AFCB

September 22, 2022
GARY O'Neil insists summer signing Joe Rothwell is “extremely keen to get involved” having yet to feature competitively for Cherries. Arriving at the Vitality Stadium after his contract with Blackburn Rovers expired, Rothwell has been sidelined since picking up an injury in a pre-season friendly with Bristol City. Speaking earlier this month, Gary O’Neil told the Daily Echo: “Joe has a few more weeks of work to do but will be fine. Footballers know they are going to get injured at certain times. “It’s never nice and it’s tough to go through those times in the gym on your own where the other boys are out there playing football, doing what you want to be doing but can’t. “I’ve spoken to him a couple of times and he seems fine and understands the process. “He knows everyone is keen to get him back out there but only when it’s safe and right to do so. “He's working hard and is extremely keen to get involved, as players always are when they are injured.”