Cherries in late bloom
From the brink of oblivion, Bournemouth rise to mix with the elite in English Premier League next season
T here is an old joke in Bournemouth that when the local council offered free bus passes to residents under 21, only seven people applied — everyone else who lives in the English south-coast resort is too old.
For much of their 116-year existence, Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic, still their official title under the trading name AFC Bournemouth, have reflected the perception of the town as a nice place for a quiet retirement or a weekend beside the sea.
One statistic that perfectly sums up their sleepy image is that from 1923, the year they were elected to the Football League as a Third Division club, until 1970, when they finally went down, they were neither promoted nor relegated.
Until the last two seasons, any impact they have had on the English game has largely been confined to the FA Cup.
In 1971, Ted MacDougall scored nine goals in an 11-0 win over Margate — still a record individual tally for the competition.
Then, in January 1984, their young manager Harry Redknapp guided Bournemouth to a 2-0 win over the holders Manchester United, still their most famous victory.
But this season they have been making headlines almost every week as they raced towards a place in the Premier League.
Under another young manager, Eddie Howe, a former player in his second spell in charge at Dean Court, the Cherries effectively sealed promotion to the Premier League for the first time after a 3-0 win over Bolton Wanderers on Monday.
The result all but completed one of the most remarkable transformations by any club in recent times.
Seven years ago their very existence was in doubt. Mired in debt, they were placed in administration and going nowhere in League Two, the English game’s bottom tier.
But their current success is built on a flowing attacking game that has produced a club record 112 goals in all competitions, with Howe, architect of these achievements, still only 37.
He first took over as playercoach when he was 29 before becoming the club’s permanent manager in 2009.
After moving to Burnley in January 2011, Howe returned as boss in October 2012 and neither he nor Bournemouth have looked back since.
“This club was on its knees six years ago, we had nothing. A group of supporters put their hands in their pockets to keep the club alive and they are reaping the rewards,” an emotional Howe told the BBC on Monday.
“It is the club I watched as kid, the club that gave me an opportunity in the game as a player and a manager. It is a family club and deserves its moment in the sun.
“The players have been magnificent and an achievement they deserved.”
Scoring success
In October, Bournemouth set their record league victory when they won 8-0 at Birmingham City and they have also thrashed Blackpool 6-1 and Fulham 5-1 away and Cardiff City 5-3 at home in the Championship and beat Rotherham 5-1 away in the FA Cup.
The goals have flowed from strikers Callum Wilson (23), Yann Kermorgant (17) and Brett Pitman (14), while the midfield has contributed 44 goals, including 13 from Matt Ritchie.
Redknapp, who led the Cherries to promotion from the third tier in 1987 before embarking on an illustrious career that saw him take charge of London clubs West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur among others, still lives in the area and is delighted.
Redknapp, now 68, made Howe his first signing for Portsmouth when he was manager at Fratton Park in 2002, and he told the BBC: “I had 10 years at Bournemouth and was the most successful manager in their 100-year history.
“Eddie Howe has come along and blown me out of the water. He is fantastic — I love watching them play. If I wasn’t involved next year, I’d buy a couple of season tickets and watch them every week.”