Ipswich Town V AFC Bournemouth 
Friday 3rd April 2015 – 17:15
Portman Road
Opening Thought – Jamma
Having a bit of time on my hands over the international break, I decided to look back over the preview for the return fixture against Bournemouth from November. Such were the similarities between then and now that I was tempted to re-use large sections of my ‘Opening thought! Back then, we were coming off the back of three straight wins, against Blackpool, Wolves and – you guessed it – Watford! My thoughts ran as follows: ‘There’s never an ideal time for an international break but, on first sight, this one could have been scheduled better … The win over Watford in particular had the feeling of a watershed moment…’ The Cherries had also been on a seven-game winning run, drawing comparisons with their current exceptional form, which has taken them back to the top of the table. We always knew that these two matches had the potential to make or break our season, and will be facing the team at the summit for the second time in as many games. But this challenge seemed to bring the best out of us at Vicarage Road, as the Superblues turned in arguably their best display of the campaign to date to come away with a thoroughly deserved 3 points. There were some notable individual performances, with Cole Skuse and Kevin Bru running the show in midfield and Luke Varney providing a very useful outlet on the right of a three-pronged attack. But, more than anything, it was a brilliant team effort, from the players who, to a man, put in a shift, to Mick McCarthy and Terry Connor’s tactical masterplan, and not forgetting the fantastic level of support which helped suck the ball in to the back of the net!
I had mentioned in the build-up to the Bolton match how the lowered expectations after falling out of the play-off zone could help our cause. We certainly played with a lot more freedom against Watford, who became the latest club to seemingly freeze under the pressure of rising to the top of the league. Although Town have effectively gone top of our ‘mini-league’ with Brentford and Wolves, we have also drawn Derby and Norwich back into it in the process, with McCarthy going back on his belief that the top two were out of reach. If we needed proof of just how ‘bonkers’ the Championship has been in 2014/15, a quick look at recent results between the top sides will provide it. In the last few weeks alone, we have seen Bournemouth turn over Middlesbrough, who themselves had just secured eye-catching wins over Derby and Ipswich. The Blues, having dropped out of the top 6, then went and completed the double over Watford against all expectations. This was on the back of some stand-out results for the Hornets, including a win at Brentford, who provided their own sting in the tail for the otherwise rampant Cherries with a comfortable 3-1 win. As we know, no result in this league is a given and, with so many of the promotion-chasing sides still having to face each other, the race is likely to go right down to the final day. As Charnwood quite rightly said post-Watford, we need to approach our remaining seven fixtures, regardless of the opposition, as if they were ‘one-off’ play-off matches. While we will again start as underdogs against Bournemouth, there is every chance that we will be looking back on it as a very Good Friday!
The Opposition – AFC Bournemouth
Although the exact date of the club's foundation is not known, there is proof that it was formed in the autumn of 1899 out of the remains of the older Boscombe St. John's Lads’ Institute F.C. The club was originally known as Boscombe F.C.
In 1910 the club was granted a long lease upon some wasteland next to Kings Park, as the clubs football ground, by their president Mr. J.E. Cooper-Dean. With their own ground, named Dean Court after the benefactor, the club continued to thrive and dominated the local football scene. Around about this time the club obtained their nickname 'The Cherries'.
For the first time during the season of 1913–14 the club competed in the F.A. Cup. The clubs progress was halted in 1914 with the outbreak of the war and Boscombe F.C. returned to the Hampshire league.
In 1920 the Third Division was formed and Boscombe were promoted to the Southern League.
To make the club more representative of the district, the name was changed to Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic Football Club in 1923. During the same year the club was elected to the Football League.
Initially Bournemouth struggled in the Football League, but eventually established themselves as a Third Division club. Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic Football Club remain on the records as the longest continuous members of the Third Division.
As a league club, Bournemouth had to wait until after the Second World War before winning their first trophy. This was accomplished as they beat Walsall in the Third Division (South) Cup in the final at Stamford Bridge.
Under manager John Bond the club adopted the more streamlined A.F.C. Bournemouth name in 1972. However, this is only a trade name as the club is still officially registered as Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic Football Club.
Following an ownership change in 1997, they became Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic Football Club (1998).
Harry Redknapp took Bournemouth into the second tier of the English league for the first time in their history as Third Division champions in 1987. After comfortably surviving in their first season in Division Two, Bournemouth made a serious challenge for promotion to the top-flight in the 1988–89 season but they ultimately fell away after a poor run late in the season.
On 5 May 1990, the final day of the 1989–90 season they lost to Leeds United which combined with the results of other matches, meant that Leeds were promoted while Bournemouth were relegated. Violence followed and the matter was raised in Parliament by one of the town's MPs. Financially, the Leeds trouble affected the club for more than a decade, as Bournemouth were prevented by local police from staging home games on Bank Holidays until 21 April 2003.
Redknapp remained at the club for two more seasons, both of which ended with the club falling three points short of the play-offs. However, mounting financial pressures caused him to resign his position at the end of the 1991–92 season. He was replaced by Tony Pulis, who built a much cheaper squad which could only manage two consecutive 17th place finishes before Pulis walked out of the club, blaming financial pressures much as his predecessor had done.
Bournemouth went the first few months of the 1994–95 season without a permanent manager in place, and a dreadful start saw them bottom of the table for much of the first half of the season. Despite a minor upturn in form when Mel Machin was appointed as manager, they looked highly unlikely to survive, given that there were five relegation spots in Division Two for that season due to league reconstruction. However, a late run of form saw them survive on the last day of the season by just two points.
Machin ultimately remained in charge for six years, most of which were marked by unremarkable mid-table finishes. A bad start to the 2000/2001 season saw Machin removed from his position and given the job of director of football.
Sean O'Driscoll was promoted from the coaching staff in place of Machin. In O'Driscoll's first season as manager, Bournemouth narrowly missed out on the Division Two playoffs, but were relegated a year later in the new stadium. The board kept faith in O'Driscoll and they were rewarded with promotion via the Division Three playoffs in 2002–03. Bournemouth narrowly missed out on the play-offs for the 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons, and just avoided relegation in the 2005–06 season.
In September 2006, with the team in eighth in the League, Sean O'Driscoll left to become manager of Doncaster Rovers. He was replaced by Kevin Bond.
In February 2008, Bournemouth were forced into administration, suffering a 10-point deduction which put them in relegation trouble. Bournemouth had debts of around £4 million and almost went out of business completely. The off-field uncertainty continued throughout the season, with only one, ultimately unsuccessful, bid for the club accepted, and the club ended the season being relegated to League Two.
Ahead of the 2008–09 season, the team's future in the Football League was put into doubt when the league threatened to block Bournemouth's participation in League Two, due to problems with the team's continuing administration and change in ownership. It ordered Bournemouth to demonstrate that they could fulfil all of their fixtures and find a way out of administration, eventually allowing the club to compete with a 17-point penalty for failing to follow the Football League insolvency rules. The new company was also ordered to pay unsecured creditors the amount offered at the time of the original deal (around 10 pence in the pound) within two years.
Early into the season, manager Bond was sacked and was replaced by former player Jimmy Quinn, who would himself leave the club only a few months later. Former player Eddie Howe took over as manager with the club still 10 points adrift at the bottom of the league and initially on a caretaker basis, becoming the youngest manager in the Football League at the age of 31.
In June 2009, a consortium including Adam Murry finally took over AFC Bournemouth. The consortium included Jeff Mostyn, former vice-chairman Steve Sly, Neill Blake and former Dorchester Town chairman Eddie Mitchell.
Howe's first full season in charge brought success as Bournemouth finished second in League Two to earn promotion with two games to spare. Howe subsequently left the club for Burnley during the following season.
His successor, another former Bournemouth player, Lee Bradbury, led Bournemouth to the League One play-offs where Bournemouth lost in the semi-finals to Huddersfield Town. Bradbury was unable to lead Bournemouth to another promotion challenge in the 2011-12 Football League One, placing eleventh after a season of indifferent results. Subsequently, Bradbury paid the price and was replaced by youth team coach Paul Groves for the final games of the season.
Groves remained in charge at the start of the 2012–13 season, only to be sacked in October 2012 following a disastrous start which left the club near the bottom of the table. Eddie Howe returned as manager, and not only did he pull the club away from their early-season relegation battle, they achieved promotion to the Championship, returning to the second-tier of English football for the first time since 1990.
Despite outside chances of making the playoffs, Bournemouth were ultimately unsuccessful but finished their first season back in the Championship in a very respectable 10th place.
One To Watch – Harry Arter
Bournemouth’s strength over the last couple of seasons has lain primarily in their team, as opposed to the input of any one individual. Having said that, there will be a number of candidates for their Player of the Season, not least midfield star Harry Arter.
Brother-in-law of Scott Parker, Arter is a key figure in the Cherries midfield but is better known for his creativity and attacking play than Parker’s more defence-minded approach. One of the players who have seen the highs as well as the lows at Dean Court, the Irishman signed from Woking in 2010. Once he had got used to the step-up in level, he was soon a regular member of the side which challenged for promotion and eventually secured a place in the second tier. Since their return to the Championship, Arter has been a major part of Bournemouth’s success, with his vision and inventiveness integral to the passing game for which they are renowned. Nor is he averse to a shot on goal, and the odd ‘worldy’, including his sublime strike against Middlesbrough last time out (2:45 in the below video).
The Gaffer – Eddie Howe
Howe began his professional career at AFC Bournemouth, after playing for local youth teams Parley Sports and Rossgarth YFC. He soon established himself as an important player, and was capped for the England Under-21 team in 1998.
In March 2002, Portsmouth signed Howe for £400,000, making him new manager Harry Redknapp's first signing. He had played 237 games for Bournemouth.
Two serious knee injuries meant he did not return to full fitness until January 2004 after 18 months out. He was loaned to Swindon Town on transfer deadline day in March, although he did not feature for the club.
Portsmouth loaned Howe back to Bournemouth for the first three months of the 2004–05 season. He proved to be successful on his return to his first club and in November 2004 Bournemouth re-signed him permanently on a free transfer, after chairman Peter Phillips made an appeal over the Internet for fans to pledge money to buy Howe.
In December 2006, at the age of 29, Howe was promoted to the position of player-coach by manager Kevin Bond, and handed the task of coaching Bournemouth's reserve team, though he continued to play in the first team.
He retired from football in summer 2007, after he was unable to recover from a knee injury. In September 2008, Howe lost his job when Bond was sacked as manager.
Howe returned to Bournemouth as a youth coach under Jimmy Quinn and took over as caretaker manager when Quinn was sacked on 31 December 2008. Even though his two games in charge as caretaker manager were away defeats, he was hired as the permanent manager of the club on 19 January 2009 and brought the club out of the relegation zone despite a 17-point deficit.
In the start of the 2009–10 season, Howe won eight out of the nine games, despite the club's transfer embargo remaining in place for the rest of the season, Bournemouth secured promotion to League One after two years in the fourth tier of English football.
In early 2011, Howe was approached by several other clubs but on 11 January announced that he was staying at Bournemouth, however, on 16 January 2011, Howe became the new Burnley manager after the club agreed a compensation deal with Bournemouth.
Howe signed a three-and-a-half-year contract at the Championship club. In March 2011, Howe told BBC Lancashire the fact that some of the players were older than him which makes his job interesting.
On 12 October 2012, he rejoined his former club Bournemouth as manager. He won the League One Manager of the Month for November after guiding the club to three league wins and two draws, as well as an FA Cup victory. On 20 April 2013, he secured promotion to the Championship where as mentioned above he led them to a 10th place finish last season.
Past Match - Video Highlights - Trev
Trev's Trivia
Players to play for both teams
Matt Holland ITFC 1997–2003 Bournemouth 1995–1997
David McGoldrick ITFC 2013- present Bournemouth 2007 loan
Media Watch - K L Blue
New loan signing Zeki Fryers is hoping to help ‘massive club’ Ipswich Town back into the Premier League
The former Manchester United, Standard Liege and Tottenham left-back joined the Blues from Crystal Palace moments before yesterday’s 5pm deadline in a double deal that included his Eagles team-mate Jonny Williams.
With Tyrone Mings suspended for the next two games – Bournemouth (h, Good Friday) and Huddersfield (a, Easter Monday) – the 6ft, athletic, 22-year-old could go straight into Mick Mccarthy’s staring line-up if Jonathan Parr is not fit.
Town are currently sixth in the Championship table with just eight points separating the top eight sides with seven games to go.
“I’m delighted to be here and I’m looking forward to the challenge ahead,” Fryers told the official club website.
“Ipswich is a massive club and the players are doing really well this season, looking to earn promotion to the Premier League.”
Fryers moved to Palace from White Hart Lane in a £5m deal last summer but has made just one League Cup start and one Premier League substitute appearance for the Eagles. He joined Championship side Rotherham on loan in January and 10 starts for the Millers before that deal expired earlier this month.
“I played against Ipswich earlier this season for Rotherham and hopefully now I can do my best wearing the Ipswich shirt,” he said.
“I’ve had a good grounding as a youngster with Spurs and Manchester United and obviously I’m a Palace player now, so hopefully I can use those experiences to help Ipswich get to the top flight. That’s the aim anyway."
Stat Time
Head To Head
Ipswich Town Wins................13 (38.24%)
Bournemouth Wins................11 (32.35%)
Draws................................10 (29.41%)
Ipswich Town Goals...............46 (ave. 1.35 per match)
Bournemouth Goals...............47 (ave. 1.38 per match)
Head To Head at Ipswich
Ipswich Town Wins................11 (64.71%)
Bournemouth Wins.................3 (17.65%)
Draws.................................3 (17.65%)
Ipswich Town Goals................27 (ave. 1.59 per match)
Bournemouth Goals................16 (ave. 0.94 per match)
The Predicted Teams
Ipswich Town
33 Bialkowski
04 Chambers
05 Smith
06 Berra
00 Fryers
17 Bru
08 Skuse
18 Tabb
20 Sears
15 Varney
09 Murphy
Bournemouth
31 Boruc
02 Francis
05 Elphick
03 Cook
11 Daniels
30 Ritchie
08 Arter
06 Surman
07 Pugh
18 Kermorgant
13 Wilson
Marko’s Caption Competition
Not many entries this week......, the game was way too important I assume, which is totally understandable.
Scores:
Blueblood 4pts
ITNO1 (for the 3rd attempt) 3pts
Nicscreamer 2pts
TABLE:
Herforder 39
Quasar 39
Blueblood 38
FrostyNZ 35
James Scharmann 34
The Don 30
Derick Ipsw 29
Barmy Billy 21
Bluemike 21
Ashfordblue 13
Supershred 12
Nicscreamer 11
IpswichtownNO1 8
LoudnProud 7
Floors 7
Ohiotractorboy 7
Number 9 6
Jamma123 6
AndyM 5
Charnwood 4
Mr Punch 4
JimmyT 3
Morph 3
Hallamblue 2
This weeks pic;
Match Referee – Robert Madley
Final Thought - Frosty
Way Hey, beating Watford is great anytime!, but beating one of our ‘bogey’ teams at a critical junction of the season makes it seem so much better. Hopefully they played Elton John’s ‘I guess that’s why they call it the Blues’ after the match last week.
Let’s turn our attention to yet another ‘form’ team in Bournemouth. I am not so sure the International break will have done them any great favours as they have been on a bit of a roll lately. Big wins over Middlesbrough, Blackpool, and Fulham. A narrow win against the Wolves and a draw away to Cardiff comprise their last five outings for 13 points out of an available 15. Although not an easy fixture by any stretch of the imagination (they are in 1st place on the table let’s face it), I think we will go into this home fixture with just as much chance of walking away with 3 points as they do. For me, the two ‘new’ loan signings (well 3rd time for Williams …… as an aside, didn’t we end up signing Murphy permanently after his third loan spell?) means there’s just that bit more competition in a couple of positions that people have felt we have been limited in post Christmas.
In other match up’s for the round, Brighton, Fulham and Middlesbrough host Norwich, Brentford and Wigan respectively. While the ‘biggie’ for the round is Watford making a trip to Pride Park to meet Derby. The other fixture of relevance now that Wolves have caught up with the leading pack is their away visit to Forest.
For those of you attending Friday evening, have a fantastic night and to everyone else have a great Easter and lets hope the Easter bunny sticks his eggs and gives us 6 points instead come Monday night.
COYB! …… let’s pick off some Cherries.
IPSWICH TOWN 2 BOURNEMOUTH 1
Excellent, Frosty. 
