Gary O’Neil
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil ‘gutted’ for Marcus Tavernier after latest injury setback #AFCB

May 4, 2023
Cherries look set for a second season in the top flight, moving nine points clear of the bottom three with a 4-1 win over Leeds United on Sunday. That followed a 1-0 triumph at Southampton three days earlier, Tavernier netting the winner. The only negative from that night at St Mary’s was seeing Tavernier forced off injured towards the end of the contest, with another hamstring issue. The 24-year-old has had an impressive first season at this level, since joining Cherries from Championship Middlesbrough for a reported £12million in the summer, contributing five goals and four assists from 23 appearances. However, his campaign has been hampered now by three separate hamstring injuries, which has seen him miss 11 Premier League matches. The severity of his current setback is yet to be confirmed, but head coach O’Neil says Cherries will now take their time to get him fully fit again, with the threat of relegation no longer looming. Discussing Tavernier after Sunday’s win over Leeds, O’Neil told the Daily Echo: “I think it’s important to mention Tavs. “He’s played a big part this season. Even though he’s had a real tough run, I’m gutted for him that he’s hurt his hamstring again. “To bounce back every time and to come straight back in and have the impact that he does. “He’s played a huge part on the points tally that we have, even though he has suffered a frustrating season from his part.” Cherries are awaiting further medical opinions to assess the current damage to Tavernier. Asked if he feels Tavernier’s hamstring issues could be a concern going forwards, O’Neil added: “It will fall on me eventually, but I won’t be the one planning how we make sure that he stays fit. “There will be some work that goes in, definitely. “Obviously in the midst of a relegation battle, which it has been, there’s always a pressure, because you know what he can do, a pressure to get him back and to use him. “So now we’ll see how he is, he might not even be that serious yet. “But if it is similar to the others, we have a nice, good block now where we can try and help him get in some real good shape and see if we can get him back stronger.” Cherries host Chelsea on Saturday (3pm), knowing a win would see them leapfrog Frank Lampard’s Blues in the table.
Marcus Tavernier
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Marcus Tavernier reveals family support for premier league clubs and goal celebration during Southampton win #AFCB

April 30, 2023
Tavernier is hoping to shake off a hamstring complaint to feature at Vitality Stadium tomorrow afternoon, having netted the winning goal at Southampton on Thursday night. Born in Leeds, Tavernier spent much of his early life growing up in the north east, but most of his family remain staunch Leeds United supporters. The Whites head to the south coast today, with both sides scrapping for the points they need to ensure Premier League safety. After netting at St Mary’s, Tavernier ran towards the away fans, flapping his arms like a bird. Asked what was behind the celebration, the 24-year-old told the Daily Echo: “My uncle is down and before the game I like to have turkey sandwiches which my auntie makes. “I had one before the game. And they said ‘if you score today, you’ve got to promise me that you’ll do that celebration’. “I always keep my promises and that’s what I did! It went to the turkey sandwiches!” Asked if he will now be eating them before every game, Tavernier said: “It might have to be! “I might have to get my uncle down a bit more often so he can make me those turkey sandwiches.” Tavernier found the net for Cherries against Leeds earlier in the season, in a 4-3 defeat at Elland Road. Discussing his Yorkshire background, the winger explained: “Pretty much my whole family are Leeds fans. “So obviously it’s a big game in the household, but they’re all cheering me on. “My brother and my family are looking at the Leeds results and they’re not wanting them to win at the moment, because they’re supporting me!” He added: “I grew up in Newcastle. But all of a sudden I became an Arsenal fan, that’s Thierry Henry for you! “So I’m a bit of a loose one in the family for supporting teams. “But everyone in the family is a Leeds fan, so I’m going to keep them quiet this weekend hopefully!” Cherries moved seven points clear of the relegation zone with victory over Saints. With just five games to play, Gary O’Neil’s men are on the brink of securing a second consecutive season in the top flight. Reflecting on the win at St Mary’s, Tavernier said: “The manager said before the game we have to make sure we come here and come out with what we want. That’s exactly what we did. “We played the football we wanted and it showed in the performance again. “Everyone can be happy right now, but it’s not over yet, which we know. We have to go into Leeds fully focused and put on the same performance. “If we’re being critical, we could’ve put more chances away and made it easier. But the end result is we got what we wanted and that’s the main thing. “It’s a derby game and I’ve played in a few in my career. There’s no better feeling than to get a win over your rivals. “They played us at our patch and we got beat. I remember seeing the celebrations after from their fans and it hurts, because you know you’re leaving your fans a bit deflated. “But I’m sure they’re going to be happy with that performance.” Put to him that one more point against Leeds this weekend could well be enough to keep Cherries up, Tavernier said: “We’re not thinking like that. We’re taking it each game at a time. “We want to finish the season strong and get as many points as we possibly can. “That starts against Leeds. We have no intention of getting one point. “We go in there fully wanting three, and the following games after that, we keep the same mentality.” Asked if he will have many relatives at the game to watch him this weekend, Tavernier said: “No, unfortunately not. “I’ve got my uncle there again, so maybe some more turkey sandwiches before the game! “They’ll be supporting me to full effect and that’s all I can ask for.”
Gary O’Neil
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil believes Marcus Tavernier is getting closer to starting line up #AFCB

April 8, 2023
Following a second spell on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury, Tavernier returned with a bang against Fulham last weekend. Introduced off the bench, the former Middlesbrough man smashed in a stunning equaliser as Cherries went on to win 2-1. Tavernier was again named among the substitutes on Tuesday night, coming on for the final half an hour of the 2-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion. Asked how close the 24-year-old now is to starting a game for Cherries, O’Neil said: “He’s closer. He’s had two decent sub appearances, so we’ll see how he’s feeling in the morning. “Hopefully we can get him in the starting XI soon.” Asked if he is erring on the side of caution to avoid Tavernier suffering a setback, O’Neil added: “We have people at the club who are specialised in that area. “So of course I’ll listen to the advice and speak to Tav himself, see how he’s feeling and try and make a real good decision on it. “Everyone would love Tav to have been available for 90 minutes in the last two games, of course. “But it’s also important that Tav is available for the rest of the season. “We need to handle it correctly, but he’s come through another good week. “There’s potential that he could play a big part at Leicester tomorrow.” Cherries’ head coach continued: “There’s a lot that he can bring that could be a difference. “The group has been doing okay already, but he’s a lovely addition to add to it. “He’s a great lad. He brings enthusiasm, a buzz around the place, as well as his quality, his athleticism. “He’ll be a big player for us, of course. He’s getting fitter by the day. He’ll be back in full throttle in no time at all.” Asked how much of a setback losing to Brighton was ahead of the big trip to fellow relegation-threatened Leicester, O’Neil said: “Performance-wise, you can win Premier League matches performing like we did on Tuesday night.”
Marcus Tavernier
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Marcus Tavernier on goal against Fulham #AFCB

April 2, 2023
Brought on at the break with Cherries trailing to Andreas Pereira’s opener, Tavernier restored parity with a beautiful curling effort five minutes into the second period. Dominic Solanke bundled home with what proved to be the winner 11 minutes from time, lifting Cherries to 15th in the Premier League table. A summer signing from Middlesbrough, Leeds-born Tavernier has now scored four goals in his debut Premier League season. In an interview with BBC Radio Solent, he shared: “I knew as soon as the ball came to me that my first thought was to shoot. “I know my touch wasn't the best to start off with, but that was my first intention. “As soon as the ball left my foot and watching it go into the back of the net, that was an unbelievable feeling.” The goal marked the winger’s return from injury, with Tavernier having missed the last four with a hamstring complaint. He had scored in his last appearance, grabbing the only goal in Cherries’ 1-0 win at Wolves, his first start since the World Cup break after recovering from a different hamstring injury. He continued: “I've had a tough few months recently, being injured, coming back and getting back on the pitch there, so it's great. I've got to thank the medical team for getting me back again and now I've just got to stay fit and help the team stay in this league.” Hailed as a gamechanger for his goal-scoring appearance off the bench, Tavernier insisted that it had been a team performance that changed Cherries’ fortunes. “It’s about the team,” he restarted. “Some players have good individual games, but at the end of the day, it's about the team. “And the team performance in the second half was amazing. I think you've seen that with the reaction we gave and the way we pressed and played football. “It was great. We got the two goals and then we defended for our lives at the end.” Asked what was discussed at half-time, Tavernier responded: “It was just more of a calmness to us. “We know that it wasn't going in the way we thought it was, but the manager spoke to us about pressing and getting in the faces and I think we did a real good job of that in the second half. “We got up against them and caused them to make mistakes and played on the front foot.”
Gary O’Neil
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Gary O’Neil talks about Marcus Tavernier #AFCB

February 23, 2023
The 23-year-old marked his first start since recovering from a hamstring injury with the game’s only goal on Saturday, helping Cherries to their first win since November. Former Middlesbrough man Tavernier had missed eight games prior to returning to first-team action off the bench in Cherries’ 1-1 draw with Newcastle. Injury came at arguably the worst possible time for the winger, Tavernier ruled out right before domestic football restarted following the World Cup. Before the Premier League break, the Leeds-born attacker had scored two goals and provided four assists in his last four appearances. Discussing Tavernier, O’Neil told the Daily Echo: “I thought Tavs did well to get his goal, but I felt you could see that he'd been out for a while. “I thought some of his decision making, understandably so, he’s been out for a very long time and the Premier League moves fast. “So, yeah, some of his decision making, some of his ball handling, maybe wasn't quite at the level that it was before the break. “But delighted to get him back.” Despite admitting his star was yet to reach full match fitness, O’Neil did credit Tavernier for making the required run to get on the end of Dominic Solanke’s cross. He explained: “We worked hard this week on trying to arrive (in attacking areas). “That sort of half space run that Dom produced for the goal and making sure we arrive in the goal frame. “And maybe some of our other wide players wouldn't have arrived, or some of our midfield players would have been on the penalty spot looking for cutbacks, and Tavs fully commits, arrives in the penalty area. “Tavs is a big player for us and big players sometimes come up with moments even when they've not been at their best.” Tavernier was replaced after 57 minutes at the weekend with a complaint with his other hamstring, with O’Neil stating precautionary checks would be carried out ahead of Cherries game with Manchester City this weekend.
Marcus Tavernier
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Marcus Tavernier credits Cherries’ defence for Wolves win #AFCB

February 21, 2023
Tavernier returned to the starting XI for the first time since November, having recovered from a hamstring injury. The 23-year-old had a mixed afternoon, but did grab the game’s only goal before being substituted just before the hour mark. Wolves dominated possession and shots at Molineux, but Cherries’ defence held firm, with centre-back duo Jack Stephens and Marcos Senesi in particular singled out for praise by boss Gary O’Neil after the contest. “It's just good to contribute to the team and help us get a win,” Tavernier said. “It was massive. We've been saying in every other interview that we needed to build on last week (against Newcastle) and I feel like we did that, both in going forward and a big, massive thanks for the defence, for the performance they put in. “I feel us forward players (in the first half) could have could have been better in going forward and be more clinical on counter attacks, with the final pass and myself included, we could have been a lot better. “But the manager told us at half time to just compose ourselves and take that into the second half, and we did that. “And then the defence played the same way they did in the first half, keeping the ball out of net. And that's got us the three points. “It’s massive, always, to get the first goal, so you're not chasing the game and we've done that. As attackers, our job is to put the ball in the back of the net and we've done that. “The defence is there to keep the ball out and they were great throughout this game.” He added: “We've got a lot of belief in that changing room. And we know we can't get too high or too low in this league. “We have to just keep taking it a game at a time. And I think with the last couple of performances, we can be happy with that, but we can't get settled. “We have to just keep building on it and getting better each week.” The win lifted Cherries outside the relegation zone, sitting one point ahead of West Ham United with 13 games remaining. Cherries remain odds-on favourites with the bookmakers to go down, with their next three fixtures against the league’s current top two Manchester City and Arsenal, before hosting Liverpool. “I take no notice and we haven't got here by luck,” Tavernier said, when asked about people writing off Cherries’ chances. “It's not luck to get in this division so we have every right to stay in it and it’s just up to us to do that and make sure that happens.” Asked how confident he is of Cherries’ survival chances, the former Middlesbrough man added: “That's why we're here. We're in this league, like I said before, we're not in here by luck. “We've earned it. The boys did a great job last season to get promoted, and now it's our job to stay in here and it's not going to be easy. “It’s the toughest league in the world, but we’re here to fight and do that.”
Marcus Tavernier
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Marcus Tavernier on return from injury #AFCB

February 17, 2023
Summer signing Tavernier was one of Cherries’ standout performers before the World Cup break, the former Middlesbrough man coming into his own on the south coast just before the Premier League paused midway through November. When domestic football restarted, Tavernier was absent, with the winger sidelined with a hamstring injury. The 23-year-old made his return to competitive action off the bench during Cherries’ 1-1 draw with Newcastle, having missed eight games. Discussing his rehabilitation, Tavernier told the Daily Echo: “I can't thank the physios enough off for getting me back this quick. “It was going to be a little bit longer, but I'm happy to be back now, playing and doing what I love. “It was a hamstring injury. “ It was one which we didn't expect. We didn't think it was as bad as it seemed, and then the scans and the MRI came back and it was a lot worse than we presumed. “But like I said, the physios have been nothing but great. “They helped me through the process and they've got me got me back for this game (Newcastle). “We pencilled it in as soon as I was injured and we worked towards it. And here I am now.” Cherries have struggled for points in the absence of Tavernier, with their draw with Newcastle producing just their second point since Gary O’Neil was appointed on a permanent basis. “It's been hard to come by at the moment, to get points,” restarted the Leeds-born attacker. “It's been tough, but it's good to get one on the board and with a strong performance as well from the whole team, it's great. “We’ve got a few more lads back now from injury and a few more to come. So it can only get better from here.” Tavernier then went on to detail how he found watching on from the sidelines as his side struggled on the pitch. He explained: “That’s been the toughest part for me. “It's probably been the longest time I've been injured and the worst thing is just watching and not being able to have an impact on the game. “But I feel like I'm back now and I can only have that impact I had beforehand and help the team.” The World Cup break and injury came at the worst time, with Tavernier scoring twice and producing four assists in his last three appearances. “I feel like it's probably the best form I’ve been in my life so far,” he continued. “But I'm happy now just to be back playing again. Hopefully I can get that form again and contribute to the team.”
Marcus Tavernier
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

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

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.”
Marcus Tavernier
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Marcus Tavernier reveals joining Cherries ‘best decision I’ve made so far’ #AFCB

December 3, 2022
MARCUS Tavernier has labelled his summer switch to Cherries as “the best decision I’ve made so far in my career”. The 23-year-old arrived at the Vitality Stadium from Championship side Middlesbrough in August for a reported fee of around £12million, making Cherries just the third club Tavernier has represented at a senior level, after a six-month loan spell at Milton Keynes Dons in 2018. Leeds-born, Tavernier started his footballing career in the youth system at Newcastle United, before making the switch to Teesside at under-14 level. Apart from the aforementioned loan at MK Dons, Tavernier spent just shy of a decade at the Riverside, joining the club in 2013 and progressing into the first team, where he made 155 senior appearances for Boro. Tavernier has been ever-present in the Premier League since joining Cherries, starting in all 15 league fixtures under both Gary O’Neil and his predecessor Scott Parker. Whilst Cherries fans were largely impressed with his livewire performances early on in his career on the south coast, Tavernier quashed doubts regarding his output in the final three games before the break, bursting into life with two goals and four assists. The former Boro man attributed his seamless transition to his teammates with helping him settle quickly in Dorset. Reflecting on his transfer this summer, Tavernier told the Daily Echo: “I think this is probably the best decision I've made so far in my career. “I can't thank the boys enough for helping me settle in down here. “I just feel like I can be my normal self and play with confidence on the pitch.”Cherries as a whole will take confidence from their league position heading into the second half of the season, with O’Neil’s charges sitting in 14th with 16 points from their opening 15 games. Although only three points separate Cherries from the relegation zone, Tavernier believes his team have shown they have what it takes to go and secure safety in the latter half of the campaign. “I think everyone looking at us and the performances we've put in, we've shown that we're capable to stay in this league. “We've had a couple of performances where we haven't got the results, and we haven't put the points on the board but I think if you see and watch us play, that we're more than capable to stay in this league.” Tavernier is currently with Cherries in Dubai as O’Neil’s side gear up for their return to competitive fixtures at the end of the month. Cherries return to action on Wednesday, December 21, when they travel to Newcastle in the fourth round of the League Cup.  
Marcus Tavernier
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Marcus Tavernier on World Cup dreams #AFCB

November 29, 2022
CHERRIES star Marcus Tavernier’s dreams of one day going to the World Cup seem that little bit more real by watching his teammates on the biggest stage. Tavernier’s fellow Cherries Kieffer Moore and Chris Mepham are gearing up to salvage their World Cup campaign when they face England tomorrow evening (kick-off 7pm), with Wales knowing an unlikely victory over their rivals may not be enough to secure passage to the knockout stages. By swapping Championship Middlesbrough for Premier League football at Cherries this summer, Tavernier is frequently rubbing shoulders with world-class internationals, as well as sharing a dressing room with those that have experienced a World Cup, such as Jefferson Lerma. The 23-year-old has eased into life in the top-flight, recently adding goals and assists to his game after a bright start to his Premier League career. In the three league games prior to the break, the Leeds-born midfielder grabbed two goals and set-up four goals, opening his account for the club in the 4-3 defeat to Leeds United. Asked if seeing his teammates playing on the biggest stage in Qatar made his dreams of playing at a World Cup feel more like a possibility, Tavernier told the Daily Echo: “Yeah, definitely. “I congratulated them when they got announced, and I'm looking forward to seeing them out there. “It's every kids’ dream to play at the World Cup and I'm no different. “It’s something that I want to do in my life, but I know that I have to keep working hard and putting the right performances in on the pitch. “Hopefully I can do that, and one day I can get a call up to the national team.” Members of the squad who were not called up for international duty, either for friendlies or the World Cup returned to training this morning, with Gary O’Neil leading his first session since being confirmed as permanent head coach. Cherries will shortly fly out to Dubai later this week for a warm weather camp, where they will also play a friendly with Belgian top-flight outfit Royal Antwerp on December 4. Speaking about the job O’Neil had done prior to the announcement that he was Cherries’ solution to their head coach vacancy, Tavernier commented: “Give him all the credit in the world because he’s been nothing but great for us. “It was a tough ask when he first came in and you see straight away the performances and the way that we're playing, it's been great and we can't thank him enough for what he's done so far.”  
Marcus Tavernier
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Marcus Tavernier speaks on fine form and World Cup break #AFCB

November 13, 2022
MARCUS Tavernier joked that the break for the World Cup has come at the “worst time” – with the midfielder in fine form in the final third. Despite impressing in his first appearances in red and black at the start of the season, Tavernier did not produce a goal involvement in his first 12 Premier League appearances. Since grabbing a first assist in the 3-2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in October, the former Middlesbrough man has become a frequent provider, opening his tally for Cherries in the defeat away at Leeds United last weekend. He set up the other two goals of the 4-3 loss, before again scoring and assisting in Cherries’ 3-0 win over Everton on this afternoon. The 23-year-old arrived to poke home the opener before seeing his header nodded home by Kieffer Moore in the first-half, before Jaidon Anthony made sure of the result in the second period. Speaking after the game, Tavernier told the Daily Echo: “I’ve really hit form at the moment - it's probably at the worst time, in a way, now we've got a break. “But I'm just happy that I'm contributing to the team and can't thank them enough for showing me the support. “It's helping me and my game and it's now showing on the game.” Critical about his performances prior to breaking his duct, Tavernier was again looking to where he could improve further. He added: “I feel like me myself, I could have got another goal and assist. “That’s something to look back on but right now, all that we can do is be happy about the performance and the three points on the board. Asked what was the contributing factor to adding assists and goals to his game, Tavernier revealed: “It's definitely hard work. “I've been working hard on the training pitch, in the final third and working on that end product. “Finally seeing that now on the pitch, and hopefully that can continue.”
Marcus Tavernier
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Marcus Tavernier admits they can’t keep have teams keep coming back against them #AFCB

November 8, 2022
GOALSCORER Marcus Tavernier could not hide his disappointment after his stellar display at Elland Road went unrewarded, insisting: “We can’t let this keep happening.” Tavernier scored his first Cherries goal and also provided two assists as Cherries went 3-1 up against Leeds United on Saturday. But the hosts battled back, eventually completing the turnaround in the 84th minute to win 4-3 and leave Gary O’Neil’s men facing up to a fourth straight loss. It was also the second week in succession Cherries had squandered a two-goal cushion to lose, having also done the same against Tottenham Hotspur. “I’m just devastated,” Tavernier told the Daily Echo after the loss at Elland Road. “We can’t let this keep happening where we feel like we’re in control of the game, we’ve got a two-goal cushion. “It’s happened back-to-back weeks now where we’ve been in that lead and we’ve let ourselves down. We have to really focus on defensive work this week and keeping the ball out the back of the net.” Asked there was a similar feeling on the pitch at Leeds as in the closing stages against Spurs, Tavernier added: “You don’t feel it on the pitch. I still felt like we were in control of the game. “I feel like we conceded sloppy goals and I can only say we weren’t good enough. “That’s all I can say right now. I’m sure the staff will pinpoint the areas that we need to work on and we really do need to fix up on this area of our game, because it’s happened. “Although we’ve played well, it doesn’t mean anything when you don’t get any points on the board.” Cherries impressed for the first hour of the contest, scoring three goals and also creating further chances to add to their tally. “I can’t pin this all on our defensive side of the game,” said Tavernier. “We had some other chances which we could’ve scored and us attackers, we have to put the ball in the back of the net. “That’s our job. I feel like we had a couple of chances where we could’ve done that. “It’s a team one to take and we can all look at ourselves in the mirror and really have a look at ourselves and see where we need to improve.” Having failed to record a goal or assist prior to the game against Tottenham, Tavernier now has three assists to his name as well as a goal in the past two fixtures. “Obviously it’s a bittersweet moment scoring my first goal in the league,” said the versatile midfielder. “At the end of the day, we haven’t got any points on the board and I can’t be happy right now. “All I can do is focus on next week, because we do really need to change the way we’re going into games and our performances on the pitch. “We need to be putting points on the board because we can’t afford to be letting teams get back in the game. Because at this magnitude and in this league, it’s just unacceptable.” Cherries now face two matches against Everton before the six-week World Cup break. The Toffees head to Vitality Stadium tomorrow in the Carabao Cup, before returning in the Premier League on Saturday. “We need to put as many points on the board before that break comes,” said Tavernier, with Cherries now sitting 17th in the table, just one point outside the relegation zone. “That’s what we’re working to do. I’m just disappointed, so, so gutted that we couldn’t do that (on Saturday) when we were so comfortable in the game, then it just slips out of our fingers. “I don’t know what to really say.” He added: “The beauty of it is we have a game with a quick turnaround. “We have to go into that showing a different side to our game. “We really need to prove to everyone that we can stay in this league and it’s a great opposition to do it against as they’re another Premier League team, so we need to be fighting and ready to go for that game.”
Kieffer Moore
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- AFC Bournemouth’s Marcus Tavernier discusses teammate Kieffer Moore #AFCB

November 1, 2022
MARCUS Tavernier believed Kieffer Moore gave Cherries a “different aspect” in their 3-2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend. Summer signing Tavernier teed up Welshman Moore for the opener midway through the first-half, before the towering striker crashed home a header to make it 2-0 early on in the second period. Cherries were unable to see the result out, with Spurs’ pressure eventually telling via goals from Ryan Sessegnon, Ben Davies, and Rodrigo Bentancur. Moore’s brace was his first since the opening day victory over Aston Villa, his inclusion in the starting XI a first start since the 0-0 draw with Brentford earlier in October. Speaking about the forward, Tavernier told the Daily Echo: “He was great for us, helped us out. Gave us a different aspect up there and contributed with two goals. “We couldn't ask anything more from him. Me and the defenders, we're sorry that in a way we let them down and we conceded three goals, when they've done their job.” In the build-up to the game, former Middlesbrough man Tavernier had commented how he was looking to end his duct of no goals or assist since arriving at the Vitality Stadium this summer. The 23-year-old admitted his job was made easier with Cherries operating with two strikers in the form of Dominic Solanke and Moore. He restarted: “It definitely helps me. “There's more people to find in the box then and I think we did that more often and hopefully we can do that going forward. “Happy to get my first contribution to a goal. I'm just disappointed in the result, that's all I'm worried about. We didn't pick up any points and we know it is crucial in this league to pick up as many as we can.” “Just a disappointing result, you know, kind of feel for the strikers. Obviously midweek (against West Ham) we struggled to create chances, and (against Spurs) we're 2-0 up. “Some defensive errors there from myself and other players when it comes to set pieces. “We know we need to work on it, and it's something that we really do need to look at.”