Tune in to Brooks, Eddie, you’ll like what you see

High-rising Cherries are ones to watch

IT SEEMS a shame that Eddie Howe would deprive himself of watching Match

of the Day, especially after Bournemouth achieved their biggest ever Premier League away win.

Howe, you see, has strict rules. The Cherries boss refuses to take in the BBC highlights show through fear of the pundits’ comments warping his own thoughts.

Yet had he tuned in on Saturday night, he would have liked what he heard, as Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Ian Wright discussed Bournemouth’s attacking dexterity.

It says a lot that Howe’s side won 4-0 and were left disappointed, because they know Javi Gracia’s 10-man Watford were sitting ducks all afternoon.

Still, four did the job. As Lineker said on the Beeb ahead of yesterday’s games: ‘Only Manchester City have scored more than Bournemouth this season, which says a lot.’

One of the men behind Bournemouth’s lethality is David Brooks, the 21-year- old who has not looked daunted by the Premier League since arriving from Championship club Sheffield United for £11.5million in the summer.

That is beginning to look a snip. Against Watford, he opened the scoring by grabbing his second goal in successive games, then went on to earn his own separate segment on Match of the Day.

Brooks embodied Bournemouth’s fast-breaking style of play and Howe explained the simplicity to the starlet. ‘I’ve seen a player who loves his football,’ Howe said.

‘He’s not really about the outside influences, he’s not really about anything other than the training and the game.

‘The biggest compliment I can give him is that he’s not been fazed at all by the step up in league. I think the future’s very bright.’

It is indeed, for Wales as well as Bournemouth.

Over the international break, Brooks will go away with the Welsh team for the games against Spain and Republic of Ireland. He can use the time to learn from Gareth Bale and manager Ryan Giggs.

The potential is huge, with the player himself admitting he wants to play in the Champions League at some point. If he achieves what he can, England and the Football Association will be left kicking themselves that they let this Warrington-born boy get away.

After Brooks’s opener, Bournemouth made it 3-0 before half-time with Joshua King scoring twice. With Christian Kabasele rightly shown red for two clumsy challenges, Callum Wilson completed the scoring early in the second half.

‘The only frustration was once we went 4-0 ahead, we didn’t really push on and stamp our authority on the game a bit more,’ Howe said. ‘But overall, I can’t be too critical.’

Last season, it took Bournemouth 16 games to get to 16 points. Now, they have reached that total in half as many matches. They are on the up, while Watford are on the decline.

The Hornets started the season as the Premier League’s pace- setters. After winning their first four games, they are now winless in their last four. Gracia has serious work to do.