Search the Community

Work-rate. Incisiveness. Nous. I don't ask for much. This is how it's gonna be. Build from the ground up. This fixture marks our return to action following the winter break. While long gaps between games normally see us struggle for rhythm, the 10 day break gives players a chance to spend more time recovering from injuries, dress up like Phoenix Nights doormen for fashion shoots (looking at you, Trent!), and for the coaches it's an opportunity to refresh their coaching ideas and plan for the business end of the season. One in which we hope to be competing on multiple fronts like we did a couple of years ago. Last season's corresponding fixture in March saw us up against a side led by Gary O'Neil, who has shown that he has the ability to extract performances from teams that the sum of their parts might suggest isn't likely. We'd battered these 9-0 at Anfield earlier in the season, which meant Wing Commander Scott 'Scotty' Parker was given the heave-ho. There was an air of complacency about us, leading to our undoing as we conceded exactly the sort of goal on the counter that we had struggled against, while also failing to make our dominance in possession count. Dave's boy Billing got the only goal of the game in the first half, and our best chance to level was wasted when Mo blazed a penalty wide after Diogo had had a far-post header handled by a defender. It was one of those where the defender doesn't know much about it. Still, it was a reprieve we did not take. Yet another crap performance in that awful 'petrol spill' away kit. Bournemouth replaced O'Neil with Andoni Iraola in the summer, and initially it looked a risky move as his players struggled to get to grips with his methods. He simply looked like yet another Spanish coach who wears those black Steve Jobs turtlenecks and is hyper-animated on the touchline. They have improved a lot since those early days, and ex-Red Dom Solanke has started to look prolific. It's nearly 6 years since we sold him! They have a bit of pace in their side, as we saw when we travelled to the Vitality Stadium a couple of months ago in the League Cup. For us, hopefully the walking wounded are on the mend and we have more options available. Not sure how close either Robbo or Kostas are to a first-team return, but either would be handy. Trent will be absent but I'm not sure if Dom is ready to return. Another option that would be handy. What would also be handy if at least one of those chances that fall to Darwin regularly can be put away. While he can be guilty of glaring misses, there are loads of chances that have fallen to him recently that haven't found the net for one reason or another, despite him basically doing exactly the same thing as Haaland, whose every goal attempt seems to beat the keeper. Squad options for rotation would be great. Playing with some rhythm would be great. Motivation, concentration, attitude and application must be spot-on though. 3 points please. Get it done!