AFC Bournemouth v Swansea City

billythekid

billythekid

UTC Legend
Kevin Friend is the referee for this game,.

We have had him three times this season.

Brighton and Arsenal home which were both AFCB wins.

Crystal Palace away which was a draw.
 
This a weird one for me - my daughter and son in law will be coming down from Swansea trying to relegate my Cherries! She told me last night that the way Swansea are playing we should thrash them. I told her the way we are playing we will...mmmm I do talk some s##t sometimes! Here's hoping she's right!
 
Let’s hope Smudger is fit to play to give us more dynamism going forward and also more help for Lewis C in midfield would be good. Swans will be up for this one so we must improve on last weeks shambles.
 
Spent a period of months working beside a Swansea bloke not long ago. One of the nicest fellas you could possibly wish to meet, very self-deprecating, wry sense of humour, friendly as you like. Once you got a drink or two in him he became a complete lunatic mind. But a lovely bloke. Until you got him onto the subject of the city of Cardiff, the people there of, and their football club.

Swansea will be desperate to avoid going down with Cardiff coming up the other way, that's very possible scenario is unthinkable for them. They will be up for this, just as Southampton were up for their crucial game. We either wake up and show some grit, or we will get knocked aside again. They've had a very tough run of fixtures recently - Chelsea, Man City, Man United in their last 5. They will have been targeting us for some weeks now as potential points.

They do have an even more massive game v Southampton coming up mind. They might cause some small distraction.

Whether it would be better for us to send the same team out again with a flea in their ear, or whether we'd be better served making some changes, I'm really not sure.

It is tempting to go back to some basics, and put 3 in central midfield to try getting a grip on our game again and have an extra option to pass to, hopefully cutting out some of the stupid errors and gifting away of possession in such dangerous areas. So many of our lads are having trouble finding Bournemouth shirts with simple passes at the moment, adding Surman might bring a little more composure there. King up front on his own, supported by runners from the 5 man midfield, either as we build possession, or on the counter attack.
 
Excellent viewpoint Northstandmark!
Difficult choices...emotively id say same team with' flea in their ear' but if Smith's fit he's gotta be there, our most effective player imo. If it's changes generally I'd want Moussett and King either side of Ibe ' in the middle'. Pugh on for last 20 mins. Callum rested or benched. Defoe benched. Fraser in a role somehow free to raid from anywhere at Swanseas weak areas! Defenders staying back or getting back quicker if that's possible.
Swansea will be up for it like no other team this year at DC!
 
...I can't see us losing this one on the back of recent results the players should want to redeem themselves enough to beat them...

I really do hope that Howe is ready to axe some deadwood if we fail!!
 
My choices would be (1) Prefer to see surman gosling and cook in midfield this week. Surman steadies the side and enables cook and Ibe to push up further. (2) Time for mings/smith at left back to give Charlie a breather.
 
AFCBade said:
My choices would be (1) Prefer to see surman gosling and cook in midfield this week. Surman steadies the side and enables cook and Ibe to push up further. (2) Time for mings/smith at left back to give Charlie a breather.
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We will need 11 men on top of their game Saturday. We can't afford passengers like Ibe, its like playing with 10.
 
Another Side In Need Of Points

After a very poor show against local side Southampton, a game that will remain in our fans minds for all the wrong reasons and our third defeat on the trot. April’s four games, two home, two away has yielded just 1 point. Our last home game of the season is against Swansea who after losing at home on Saturday against Chelsea and our side ‘gifting’ Saints two goals and 3 points, find themselves 1 point above a relegation spot and desperate for points. This will be another hard game with a side fighting to remain in the Premier League, just hope our side are not feeling ‘generous’ again! After Saturday’s poor showing against Saints, this is our last home game for them to play like we know they can and get 3 points.

Since we last played Swansea back in November, they have changed managers, Paul Clement lost his job a month later with Swansea on the bottom of the league after 18 games with 12 points. He was replaced by Carlos Carvalhal who had left his job as Sheffield Wednesday manager by mutual consent on Christmas Eve after a bad run of results. A few days later he was the new Swansea boss. He had a good start with his new team beating Watford away in the last game of the year and in January of the New Year, Swansea on their home ground, taking the scalps of Liverpool and Arsenal.

In the January transfer window Swansea signed Andre Ayew from West Ham for a club record fee of £18 million, he rejoins Swansea after just a season and a few months away, he also joins up with his younger brother Jordan. They also brought in Andy King for the rest of the season on loan from Leicester City.

Swansea’s results at home in January, losing 0-2 to Spurs, and then beating Liverpool 1-0 and Arsenal 3-1. In February they beat Burnley 1-0. March beat West Ham 4-1. April drew with Everton 1-1 and in their recent game lost to Chelsea 0-1. Away from Wales, in January they drew with Newcastle United 1-1. In February drew 1-1 with Leicester City, lost at Brighton 4-1. March drew at Huddersfield 0-0, lost at Old Trafford to United 2-0. April Drew with West Brom 1-1, lost to the other Manchester club City 5-0. Swansea after 35 games are in 17th place with 33 points. AFCB after 36 games are 12th with 38 points.

Form Guide
AFCB last 6 Home games LDWLDW – Swansea last 6 Away games LDLDLD

The Cherries in their PL games against Swansea at Dean Court, 2015-16, AFCB won 3-2. 2016-17, AFCB won 2-0. Away in 2015-16, AFCB drew 2-2. 2016-17, AFCB won 0-3. 2017-18, drew 0-0. In all home league games, AFCB have won 15, drawn 4 and lost 7. In all competitions, AFCB have won 22, drawn 12 and lost 23.

AFCB Team News
Harry Arter missed the Saints game with an Achilles injury. Adam Smith could make a welcome return to our defence.

AFCB Player To Watch
Nathan Ake, must be our player of the season and has given consistent performances. So no doubt he will be a player to watch as he picks up an award on Saturday. He has scored 2 goals and has 3 assists. Good to watch when defending or moving forward. Our most expensive signing, but has proved to be worth the money.

Swansea Team News
Kyle Bartley is out for the rest of the season. Swansea are hoping to have centre-back Federico Fernandez and winger Luciano Narsingh for the game on Saturday.

Swansea Player To Watch
Jordan Ayew been in good form for Swansea and is also their leading scorer with 7 goals and 2 assists.
 
Some of us have pinpointed and questioned leadership aspects of the team and management at various times. I decided to refresh my outlook on the subject and looked at a documentary and actual film on u-tube of Shackletons expedition in Antartica, early 1900s : It contains many themes including near mutiny and drastic decisions, u- turns, stubbornness of the Captain, challenges to his authority, clashes between tradesmen, scientists and sailors ,brutal survival necessities and much more. Fascinating but above all how men in a group interact in dire circumstances. Football of course is only entertainment but because we take it so seriously we can look for clues and answers in other walks of life.
 
...??

Would say that we don't appear to have a natural leader ON the pitch this season, I have witnessed some dissent in the ranks when we have conceded goals and growls and finger wagging...the sense of frustration from Ake sometimes is tangible...the forwards have even looked disjointed and unable to form any sort of communication with each other...

Our success was built on those little partnerships between Daniels & Pugh, Francis & Ritchie, King and Wilson...good interlinking between Arter and the strikers...we have obviously lost this through loss of form or changes in personnel...quite normal I guess in transition...
 
horndean_exile said:
We will need 11 men on top of their game Saturday. We can't afford passengers like Ibe, its like playing with 10.
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Think Ibe has improved considerably vs last season (from a low base admittedly!) and looks one of our most creative players in a central role. Not so keen playing a wide midfield role.
 
Mousset, King, and Ibe up front rotating round would be great to watch but I think we'd be constantly trying to 'Arsenal' the ball into the net, can't see any of them shooting and scoring (despite recent goals all coming from those quarters)
 
To be fair, Mousset and Ibe are 2 are the most likeliest players in our squad to have a shot. Despite the perception amongst our fans, we do take on quite a lot of long range shots - its just we aren't very good at them!

EDIT: Just to confirm the above, AFCB actually rank 6th for percentage of shots outside the box but last for percentage of shots inside the 6 yard box. That might just be an indication that we don't create many real close range chances, but there is no evidence we are guilty of walking the ball into the net
 
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