The Demi-Decade AFCB PL Awards

kirsikka

UTC Legend
With no football on and suddenly a lot of time on my hands, I decided these can come out a little early. After all, who knows if the season will finish and it might be a small welcome distraction for some.

All my own opinion and liable to suffer from my memory being a bit pants meaning better options could have been overlooked. Still, hopefully some nice (and a few not so nice) things to relive for you.
 
--- Best Goal ---
Judging on pure quality of technique and complete unstoppability (not a word) I can't look past the Charlie Daniels scorcher v Man City.


Gamooosh!


--- Best Goal Moment ---
Not for the quality of the goal but for the sheer moment of exuberance the goal created, I don't think anything could beat the Ake injury time winner in the 4-3 game v Liverpool. It capped off an incredible comeback and I still tingle now when I think about it.

Enjoy in full or jump to 9:15 to relish the moment.

https://www.afcb.co.uk/videos/201617-highlights/highlights-afc-bournemouth-4-3-liverpool/


--- Best Save ---
A few contenders but Boruc's second save in the double stop against Man Utd was fabulous and crucial. It feels like our season and PL life pivoted that night and that stop was as much a part of it as what happened elsewhere on the pitch.

Jump to 2:20 for the move and wait for the replay.

https://www.afcb.co.uk/videos/201516-highlights/highlights-afc-bournemouth-2-1-manchester-united/


--- Worst Refereeing Decision Not Given To AFCB ---
So many contenders but I can't quite shake this non-given penalty from my head. Away to Stoke and Wilson is clean through and bearing down on goal when Shawcross goes through him like a herd of rabid elephants. You couldn't see a clearer penalty and red card offence. The ref waves play on.

Skip to 40 seconds in:
https://www.afcb.co.uk/videos/201617-highlights/highlights-stoke-city-0-1-afc-bournemouth/

(With thanks to Coobster for remembering which match it was in, I could only remember the incident)


--- Worst Refereeing Decision Given Against AFCB ---
There's a long, long line of potential shockers but I'm going to have to call this one a tie.

1. Lerma getting sent off for Grealish throwing himself into JL. I still can't get my head around that.

Skip to 7m 30 seconds in if you want a reminder.
https://www.afcb.co.uk/videos/20192...fc-bournemouth-2-1-aston-villa/?autoplay=true

2. Refs and assistant refs spending the summer making sure they are completely conversant with new rules coming into the season. Then our first ever league match away to Liverpool and we score what is a perfectly good goal but it's disallowed.

Then Liverpool score a goal that should, under the new rules, be disallowed but it's allowed to stand. A decision so bad the PL actually sent a message to all the clubs saying this was an example of a goal that shouldn't have stood under the new rules.

https://www.thisisanfield.com/2015/08/premier-league-admits-christian-benteke-goal-error/

I think the JL sending off is worse but given the scenario of when it happened, the other probably smarted more.


--- Worse Refereeing Decision Given In Favour Of AFCB ---
I have no idea how this was given to this day, sometimes officials are mystery.

Skip to 8:40 for Callum Wilson's moment of magic
https://www.afcb.co.uk/videos/201718-highlights/highlights-afc-bournemouth-3-3-west-ham/


--- Biggest AFCB Brainfart ---
Steve Cook deciding to get himself sent off and give Norwich a penalty by, in an era of VAR and multiple cameras, diving as clear as you like to save the ball. Some may excuse it as instinctive but that's letting him off the hook, it was idiotic and cost us dearly.

If you really want a reminder, here it is:


--- Worst Opponent Tackle ---
A toss up between Billy Jones on Stanislas for Sunderland in Jan 2016 and Knockaert for Brighton on A Smith last season.

I'm giving it to Jones because I can't find a video of it but in my head it's as bad a tackle as I've see and yet he somehow escaped a red card.

To sate your bloodlust, here's the Knockaert one:


--- Best Team Performance In the PL ---
Thrashing Hull City was fun. Some of those close wins and fightbacks have been immense. However, to go away to one of the current PL royal family and stomp all over them 3-0 was one of life's joys. Savour it like a fine cheese on a freshly baked cracker.

https://www.afcb.co.uk/videos/201718-highlights/short-chelsea-0-3-afc-bournemouth/


--- Best Period Of Play In the PL ---
Ripping Wenger's team apart with swift passing and attacking verve shocked me it was that good. We were destroying one of the best teams in the world. It's a shame we let one in and then allowed nerves to take over which ultimately led to dropped points. The performance up to conceding is burned into my memory though.

https://www.afcb.co.uk/videos/201617-highlights/highlights-afc-bournemouth-3-3-arsenal/


--- Most Disappointing Single Performance ---
Wherever you stand on our relationship with that lot up the road, I think we can all agree that being the only south coast club in the PL would have been an enjoyable achievement. So, safe from relegation, we found ourselves in position to almost relegate a bedraggled Southampton. Instead we played like a team that had big money on them staying up and, buoyed by their win against us, stay up they did. I'm not sure we'll ever get an opportunity like that again.


--- Most Disappointing Aspect Of PL Life ---
Before we kicked out first PL ball, I harboured a belief that if we could survive a season we might carve out a lower mid-table niche and have a crack at the cups each season. Then, with a little bit of luck, we may even take home some major silverware for the first time in our history.

It's fair to say, this season aside, our league performance has exceeded what I thought we could do. Our cup performances though have very often been utter tripe. Up there with Blyth in their ineptness at times.

I understand the rationale but it still makes me a little sad.
 
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--- Biggest Opposition Whinger(s) ---
There are a few contenders here. If we're anything to go by, you should be wary of judging a club by those who post on it's forum. However, even given that, both Brighton and Stoke fans excelled themselves in their sanctimonious twaddle.

Brighton fans complaining about a wealthy owner funding another club up through the leagues and Stoke fans complaining about what they consider to be dubious tactics from the opposition were breathtaking in their lack of self-awareness.

They still pale into insignificance in comparison with the winner though. A man who can't get through an interview without somehow shoehorning into it how he doesn't get to spend the kind of money you see spent at 'the likes of AFCB'. Except when he does of course, but then he conveniently forgets that.

The fact that VAR cheated us out of two results against them this season rankles even further. You don't hear him talking about that a lot though, do you?

Sean Dyche. He makes me want to puke.


--- Best AFCB PL Signing ---
There are a few contenders here. I know many would go Ake, a few may even point at Brooks (too early for me) or Lerma but I think it has to be Joshua King.

Let's not kid ourselves, his career was going nowhere when EH plucked him from Blackburn. He was the third choice striker at a mid-table Championship team, another player who had started at a big club but would likely never fulfill that potential. We can all reel off a list of those.

Nobody was clamouring to sign him. We didn't have to beat off a host of suitors and even Blackburn didn't seem all that bothered about him going, more concerned about losing Rudy Gestede to Villa.

The Wilson injury thrust him into leading the line and, although some on here were dubious, once he got going he was a machine for us that season. He's continued to be so ever since. We simply wouldn't still be PL without him and if he gets properly fit for the restart, he could be the catalyst that saves us.

All that for a reported £1 million. An outstanding piece of scouting and recruiting.

It feels like AFCBTV should have a tribute video showcasing some of his best bits but I couldn't find one. There is this if you skip to 58 seconds to get past the intro:



--- Worst AFCB PL Signing ---
There were some punts that didn't work out, Iturbe for example or Brad Smith. However, you take that as given that some will be misses at that price point. When you splurge a significant chunk of our budget then that's where we really have to get a return. Therefore, for me it comes down to between Ibe and Solanke.

In his defence, Ibe's second season for us was decent and, if he'd stepped up further from there, he'd have been a good signing. However the way he fell apart when Brooks arrived and then this season's off-field shenanigans when we were desperate for numbers feels like it's wiped that good work from his record.

As much as I'm desperate for Solanke to blossom like King it's hard to see it at the moment. Sometimes it looks like he doesn't believe in himself and if he doesn't how can anyone else? It's a shame as I get the feeling there is a certain amount of affection for him out there and if he could turn it around he could become a cult hero.

In the end I have to go with Ibe. There's still hope for DS whereas, however the season finishes for us, the Championship awaits JI when his contract expires.


--- Most Improved Player In The PL ---
Fraser? Big backward step this season. S Cook? Possibly. Adam Smith? Absolutely.

For a player that couldn't get in the starting XI in the Championship, once he had made his mark in the PL he seemed to get better and better. I'd highlight the Everton sub appearance as the moment that it all came together. You could argue he's actually turned himself into the best right back and left back currently at the club. That's some feat. His forward running makes us look a different side when he's fully fit and firing.

I'll be honest, I was rather dubious about him as a player in our promotion season. Shows what I know.


--- Best AFCB PL Player ---
Sheer consistency of performance when faced with a bombardment week after week means this has to go to Ake. He really should be plying his trade at a top six club and Chelsea were foolish not to re-sign him using their buyback clause.

I really hope it has now expired although with only two seasons left on his deal, should we stay up then no signing we could bring in would be more important than extending Ake's stay here.


--- The AFCB 5 Season PL XI ---
Picked based on what they've actually done for us in the PL, not what they might yet do.

Ramsdale

A Smith S Cook Ake Daniels

Fraser Lerma Arter Brooks

King Wilson

Subs: Boruc, Francis, Gosling, Surman, Stanislas, Afobe

Player I most wished had made a bigger PL impact: Marc Pugh. Forever an AFCB legend.

Note: Afobe wasn't brilliant but we needed a striker on the bench and he did score a few at the start. However, we really have done this journey on the back of two strikers so there wasn't a lot of choice for a sub.

There should also be an award for best tackle but apart from a S Cook coming up with a wonder tackle recently or Ake doing it pretty much every week I can't think of one individually right now. Feel free to add your own.
 
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--- Best Goal ---
Judging on pure quality of technique and complete unstoppability (not a word) I can't look past the Charlie Daniels scorcher v Man City.
What a goal that was!

Always hard to judge goals because there is such a variety of techniques, skills and teamwork to choose from.

Two very different types of goals worthy of a mention are Callum’s effort at West Ham when he dribbled round their entire defence, and the incredible goal from Gosling on the counter attack at Southampton
 
--- Worst Refereeing Decision Not Given To AFCB ---
So many contenders but I can't quite shake this non-given penalty from my head. My middle aged memory is failing me as I can't remember who it was against. It feels like a Boro or Sunderland but I could be wrong. However, it was away from home and we won.

With the match already in the bag, late on Wilson went clean through and was absolutely pole-axed by a defender and the ref played on. I distinctly remember MotD that night where they were literally laughing at it. They said there was nothing they could say it was that bad but because we won, and maybe also because it was AFCB, the incident quickly disappeared from the conversation.

If anyone else can remember what game it was that would scratch an itch for me.

Stoke was it? When Bojan missed a penalty for them?
 
--- Worse Refereeing Decision Given In Favour Of AFCB ---
I have no idea how this was given to this day, sometimes officials are mystery.

Skip to 8:40 for Callum Wilson's moment of magic
https://www.afcb.co.uk/videos/201718-highlights/highlights-afc-bournemouth-3-3-west-ham/

That the worst decision given in our favour in 5 seasons is the ball glancing off the upper arm says so much about officiating bias. Doubly so when there's no VAR and the linesman is on the far side and it was legal if the ball touched your arm accidently.
 
Purely because I wasn’t there for that one (and it was a bit of a hit and hope... ;) ) the best Premier League goal for technique is this...


The main reason I prefer Ritchie’s effort is the thought behind it. Chaz’s strike was wonderful, but instinctive. Not that that lessens it at all! With Ritchie’s, the speed of thought to take a touch to set up that finish was just sublime. Easily the best goal I’ve ever seen live. Thinking about it, I’d have JD’s effort against Palace ahead of Chaz’s strike as well.
 
With no football on and suddenly a lot of time on my hands, I decided these can come out a little early. After all, who knows if the season will finish and it might be a small welcome distraction for some.

All my own opinion and liable to suffer from my memory being a bit pants meaning better options could have been overlooked. Still, hopefully some nice (and a few not so nice) things to relive for you.
Bumping this thread, enjoying it!
 
Murray at the Bridge in the first PL season pips the 4-3 Liverpool every time in my mind. The 4-3 against Liverpool was brilliant, but losing wouldn't have really mattered. That win at Chelsea was so vital and without it, I reckon we would have gone down. Good frame work was put in place against Swansea and Everton before it, but still I don't think any of us expected anything. The celebrations were simply unreal, light headed stuff and not because of the free Singas!
 

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