Ryan Fraser has shut down suggestions that his relationship with Eddie Howe came under strain after AFC Bournemouth’s relegation in 2020. Back then Fraser opted against signing a short-term extension for the last nine games of the season after lockdown and the pair went their separate ways. Fraser has denied any ill-feeling with Howe
Ryan Fraser said: “It’s very, very good. Everyone looked at the end of it and thought it wasn’t good. But we have always been good. I don’t know what that came from. It was nothing personal, we have done a lot for each other, he’s done a lot for me and I’ve done a lot for him. We did go for coffee in the summer before. We respect each other better.”
Fraser then offered an insight into some of the changes Howe has made at the training ground.
Ryan Fraser said: “You come in and the first thing you see on the screens is what we’re going to be doing in training. Not just what we are doing, why we are doing it and what it affects. He’s not just doing it for the sake of it. Straight away you see they (the opponents) are weak here, or strong there. It’s little things. You go into the dining room and we see what is good, bad or what needs to change. You look at it and it switches you back on.”
Howe has arrived with Jason Tindall and his coaching team with Fraser claiming that the workload has doubled at Benton.
Ryan Fraser said: “They get you and say: ‘This is what we are going to improve. Here before lads would just go in after an hour of training. Even after two hours they will grab you and say: ‘No, no we’re doing this today’. The place is a lot happier, I don’t want to say anything about the previous, it’s disrespectful, I think everyone is seeing changes. We haven’t had much time since the Arsenal game for the next one. No days off with this gaffer. He’s got us planning, out on the pitch again today. Straight away after Arsenal, he looked at what we could have done better. You could see him on the plane on his laptop. Straight away he’s on it.”
And when speaking about the reaction from players since Howe came in,
Ryan Fraser said: “Everyone respects him massively. You can tell in the meetings everybody is quiet. Everyone is listening to what he has to give you. When you listen to him you are kinda in awe, you’re learning every day. I think everybody has bought into that and everybody wants to be better players. That’s one thing he will make you a better player. He told the lads he was gutted he couldn’t go to his first game now he will get a glimpse of what it’s like and enjoy it.”
