Football Season Guide

Bournemouth sealed a fairy-tale promotion to the Premier League after getting their hands on the Championship winners’ trophy, a success that capped a stunning last few years of progress for a club that was propping up League Two only six years ago and was one game away from dropping out of the Football League. Some wise investment over the last few years, coupled with the undoubted managerial nous of Eddie Howe, the youngest manager in the Football League, has seen the Cherries go from strength to strength. Having finished tenth in their first season in the Championship, they decisively made the step up to become a serious contender for promotion. They were in and around the top places throughout the campaign and there is little doubt that they were worthy of their top spot at the end. They played with little abandon, showing excellent attacking quality and were rewarded for the fearless football that they practiced. Harry Arter, Simon Francis and Callum Wilson stepped up to the plate and became key players over the season, contributing immensely in different areas of the pitch and enhancing their reputations. Of course, continuing the trend of success in the ruthless Premier League is another thing altogether and it is already looking difficult to see the Cherries beating the drop. The main positive for them from the close season is that none of the key players from the title-winning squad has departed. Only fringe players have been released so far and there has been some good additions to the squad made. Sylvain Distin is certainly not the fastest anymore but is know-how at the back could be vital, given that none of the current members of the defence has played in the Premier League before. Tyrone Mings is another excellent capture at left-back and the fact that Bournemouth have beaten off stiff competition of proven Premier League sides for his signatures speaks volumes about their ambition. Howe has been adamant that he will not change the style of his side and Bournemouth will be certainly fun to watch in the coming season. Whether they can remain consistent enough to get close to the 40-point mark remains to be seen but they will definitely give it their best and might just have enough in the locker to beat the drop against the odds.