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Work-rate. Incisiveness. Nous. I don't ask for much. This is how it's gonna be. Build from the ground up. Bournemouth got rid of Gary O'Neil in the summer and brought in Andoni Iraola from Rayo Vallecano. I know nothing about him or his preferred style of play and tactics, but watching highlights of the Bournemouth game on MOTD, he looks like another one of those modern coaches who wears skinny-fit jeans and one of those badly-fitting black turtleneck jumpers so favoured by very rich people like Steve Jobs and Pep Guardiola. These things look so shit they might as well have a Balenciaga logo on them. Anyway, I digress. The corresponding fixture last season suggested we'd finally got our shit together after a pre-season of lacklustre preparation the saw our opening performances and results bring definite cause for concern. It wasn't one of those games where the job was done in the first half followed by easing up for the rest of the game, nor was the outcome the result of a late goal-fest. No, it was 5 in the first half and 4 in the second. Their manager at the time (Wing Commander Scott 'Scotty' Parker) had publicly slagged off the squad as useless and ill-equipped for the top flight in the weeks prior to that game, while also suggesting the owners were not prepared to invest. He got binned off sharpish and O'Neil replaced him. Parker somehow ended up at Club Brugge for about a fortnight, while O'Neil had Bournemouth comfortably safe in the end. Too comfortably as it turns out, as there was no fire in their belly for the final game at Everton. Anyway, I'm somehow talking about Bournemouth managers again. What about us? We have others laughing at us for a frankly disorganised approach to the summer transfer window (the sudden departures of Hendo and Fab should not be used as an excuse), and to say the fans are disgruntled is an understatement. The press are chucking loads of names out there as potential signings still. Three-quarters of whom will be tapped up by Todd Boehly and signed on the never-never by Chelsea no doubt. Current talk is that we actually have a deal in place for Wataru Endo of Stuttgart - certainly not a name anyone would have been considering. He appears to be sought after to fill the experienced and versatile roles we had Big Game James and Hendo for, but we could still a specialist defensive midfielder with his best years ahead of him, along with a left-sided centre back who can also play in a back 3 or left back. Am I asking for too much there? Our focus should be on the game. So concentration, attitude and application need to be tip-top. Any adversity needs a better reaction than we saw at Chelsea when Mo's goal was ruled out for offside. The ARE is still not finished so we'll have a reduced number in there along with the away fans. Go grab the 3 points and show that we are still a formidable side. Whatever else is for another time. Get it gone!