AFC Bournemouth v Fulham - Boxing Day

Reality and Realism said:
An excellent result and performane to follow up after the Forest. We couldn't have asked for more. Well done AFCB!

The only thing that may taken a bit of gloss off of our win was Luton winning again. I was hoping we could have extended the points gap between them and ourselves in view of the fact that they occupy the last relegation position.

But we cannot do any more than win ourselves. Well done to AI, players and staff.
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Wow, you still think the bottom 3 is a thing.

Meanwhile in the real world we have two true 6 pointers coming up ;-)
 
Reality and Realism said:
An excellent result and performane to follow up after the Forest. We couldn't have asked for more. Well done AFCB!

The only thing that may taken a bit of gloss off of our win was Luton winning again. I was hoping we could have extended the points gap between them and ourselves in view of the fact that they occupy the last relegation position.

But we cannot do any more than win ourselves. Well done to AI, players and staff.
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Yeah, lets put a negative on another good win.
You really should seek help.
 
I was thinking just before half-time that it was a fairly uneventful game, but then it just lit up.

We were so in control for the second half.

And fair play to their keeper for going and making up with the ball boy. I don’t understand why they get moved as they’re probably only doing what they’ve been told to do.

**************************** tenth!
 
Well that was some festive fun. carry on like this and the Eddie Howe goalbots are going to be replaced by AI goalbots : )

Dang-go, what a dang good player he is and I think he'll get better : )

We got one of those penalty things we used to get years ago and Dom converted it in to a goal but it seems we're rationed to just the one a game : )

The "Ballboy incident".
We had a shot, it ended up high in the North Stand. Leno watched it coming back, it hit the advertising boards and bounced back over our side. Leno rushed to the Ballboy, tried to take his ball, all of a hurry. The BB showed him the match ball was back by Leno's goalpost. Leno had a momentary lapse and pushed the BB. Everyone around us were, I think rightly, incensed. A few minutes later, Leno must have realised what he had done. First chance he got, he went over, apologised to the lad and made sure the NS knew he knew, he'd done wrong : )
I noticed shortly afterwards the ball boys were withdrawn from the NS. However after the 3rd went in, the Ballboy reappeared behind the goal, smiling broadly, asking loudly, if Leno knew the score : )
 
A routine win to just show how far we have grown this season

Neto 7 Safe hands but never really stretched
Smith 7 Looked a bit off the pace in the first half but recovered himself in the second 45
Senesi 7.5 not the most trying afternoon but coped well with all thrown at hom
Zarbarnyi 7.5 locked up the back with solid play
Ouatarra 9 Magnificent at LB both defensively and going forward MOTM
Tavernier 6.5 subdued and often lacking to give Smith sufficient cover
Kluivert 7 Scored and worked hard all game
Scott 8 great run for the first goal and looked tidy on the ball, he gave Smith good cover in the second half
Semenyo 7 energetic but didn’t really stamp himself on the game
Solanke 7.5 solid game not many scoring opportunities but must have been feeling the pressure for the penalty so long had he not taken one!
Billing 7 good sub to have ready to steady a game
Sinisterra 8 gets an 8 just for his beautiful strike to make it 3
Brooks n/a

Referee 7 did okay handled the stupid Leno reaction to ball boy without sensationalising it
 
As Garbo said it felt all fairly routine in the end. Which makes you take a step back and think, hang on, when did 3-0 wins in the PL become routine?

Second half we really kicked on, despite limited options to rotate things, players out of position etc. It just doesn't seem to matter to this lot.
 
Waz afcb said:
Yes undoubtedly, but every side is suffering from injuries right now. We were missing our first choice centre mid and only had one (partially) fit full back, you just have to deal with it and they still should be expecting to pose a lot more of a threat even in spite of those injuries. If they’re hanging all their hopes on a 35 year old winger and a forward who has 4 goals in the last year then they might just struggle.
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Looks quite like they will. 26 goals in 19 matches, 10 goals of which came in 2 consecutive games. That's less than a goal a game on balance, which certainly is "struggling" level.
 
I think we controlled the game from start to finish really,yes Fulham were tidy on the ball but most of the game was played in their half in the first half and Neto had little to do.
We had a couple of chances that Leno dealt with before Scott decided to channel his inner Gazza and supplied Kluivert with his second top flight goal that Leno perhaps could have done better with.
Possession stats at HT were 50/50 that surprised me as I thought we had more of the ball.
Second half we soaked up the pressure and broke when we needed to which led to Antoine being fouled giving us the penalty thingie .
Dom despatched that and there was no way back for Fulham after that until Sini put the icing on the Christmas cake with a strike that reminded me of Danjuma at Norwich in the Covid Champo season.
So yes in the end it felt like a routine win and I expected a bit more from Fulham.
 
A few post match thoughts (which reminds me, where is @kirsikka ?)

- Can hardly remember the last PL game where we looked so in control, especially 2nd half. Back 4 looks solid, Neto is claiming everything and we were able to let them play it about in front of us and then break at pace. We looked so comfortable. What's great about Iraola's tactics is that the Villa/Sheffield United (all out attack), Man United (devastating counter attack) and Fulham (controlled throughout) games have all been different types of performance but equally effective.
- Everything AI touches turns to gold at the moment. Dango at LB looks to be almost as inspired as at Christie DM. Let's maybe judge after a sterner test against a top team, but we now know we have another option there and it probably saves us a few million at least in January.
- Crowd seemed a bit flat from watching on TV in first half? Not really my place to judge from 7,000 miles away. Definitely picked up by the end and sounded like the whole ground chanting Iraola's song.
- Is it time for a start for Sinisterra? Aside from the goal he looked lively again and Semenyo could probably do with a rest.
- Scott has the 'glide' across the pitch that few players have. Grealish, Wilshere, Gazza, Foden, Salah to name a few. Brooks at his peak had it too. A joy to watch and let's just enjoy it while we have him. Some players you know from the start that they're passing through. Ake was one, Wilson was another. Scott is in that same bracket.
- No surprise that we start spending more time in the opponents penalty area and we get a penalty. I thought we should've had 2.
- What an absolute joy to watch this team at the moment. We are practically safe by January and looking up. The next 3 or 4 games are tricky, if we can take a few points from those we should start looking at top 8.
- Will this encourage Kelly to stay?
 
AFCB_Liam said:
A few post match thoughts (which reminds me, where is @kirsikka ?)

- Can hardly remember the last PL game where we looked so in control, especially 2nd half. Back 4 looks solid, Neto is claiming everything and we were able to let them play it about in front of us and then break at pace. We looked so comfortable. What's great about Iraola's tactics is that the Villa/Sheffield United (all out attack), Man United (devastating counter attack) and Fulham (controlled throughout) games have all been different types of performance but equally effective.
- Everything AI touches turns to gold at the moment. Dango at LB looks to be almost as inspired as at Christie DM. Let's maybe judge after a sterner test against a top team, but we now know we have another option there and it probably saves us a few million at least in January.
- Crowd seemed a bit flat from watching on TV in first half? Not really my place to judge from 7,000 miles away. Definitely picked up by the end and sounded like the whole ground chanting Iraola's song.
- Is it time for a start for Sinisterra? Aside from the goal he looked lively again and Semenyo could probably do with a rest.
- Scott has the 'glide' across the pitch that few players have. Grealish, Wilshere, Gazza, Foden, Salah to name a few. Brooks at his peak had it too. A joy to watch and let's just enjoy it while we have him. Some players you know from the start that they're passing through. Ake was one, Wilson was another. Scott is in that same bracket.
- No surprise that we start spending more time in the opponents penalty area and we get a penalty. I thought we should've had 2.
- What an absolute joy to watch this team at the moment. We are practically safe by January and looking up. The next 3 or 4 games are tricky, if we can take a few points from those we should start looking at top 8.
- Will this encourage Kelly to stay?
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Will Kelly get in the team if he stays?
 
AFCB_Liam said:
Scott has the 'glide' across the pitch that few players have. Grealish, Wilshere, Gazza, Foden, Salah to name a few. Brooks at his peak had it too. A joy to watch and let's just enjoy it while we have him. Some players you know from the start that they're passing through. Ake was one, Wilson was another. Scott is in that same bracket.
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A player from the past that fits this is Ian Bishop.

Pure class.

 
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Toronto John said:
Looks quite like they will. 26 goals in 19 matches, 10 goals of which came in 2 consecutive games. That's less than a goal a game on balance, which certainly is "struggling" level.
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Think you're right. Maybe Silva should have gone to Saudi. His "defence" of Leno is appalling...
Leno did a remarkable copy of a falling sack of spuds for first goal.
 
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