Season Preview 20in20 - AFC Bournemouth

14 of 20 - The Cherries

Author

nick lochner
August 06, 2023

For Previous Team Previews: Website.

To Share the CleanSheet - Share this LINK

Are you a Bournemouth Fan?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

2022/23 Finish - 15th Place

Medium-Small club on the south coast of England who fell to League 2 (level 4) in the 1990s and again in 2000s. In 2008, Bournemouth hired former player Eddie Howe (current manager at Newcastle) who led them to 3 promotions and into the PL for the first time in their history, and then kept them there 5 consecutive years.

Betting experts predicted a relegation for Bournemouth last season, yet they found a way to win at the right times, and despite a minus 30 goal differential, they stayed up with room to spare.

New ownership, a new manager and a commitment to spending/acquisition - $100M so far in additional spending - The Cherries will work to defy betting experts again as they are projected to be near the relegation line again.

The Club

Located in Bournemouth (South Coast)

Dean Court, now called Vitality Stadium, 11,307 capacity

Rough estimates

$120M Annual Revenue

$50M Player Payroll

History on the Pitch

  • Highest finish, 9th in 2022

  • 0 FA Cups

  • Never played for Europe Cups

Ownership

Black Knight Football Club

American Businessman Bill Foley (LV Knights owner) completed a takeover bid for Bournemouth in December 2022. Foley is chairman of Cannae Holdings which owns 51% of the club. Michael B Jordan (Actor) leads the minority ownership group. Together they bought the club for $150M.

Very good article on why Foley bought the team and what he plans to do with it here.

“We will move forward with an 'always advance, never retreat’ approach”.

Sponsorship

Biggest Rival - Southampton

  • 31 miles separate the two south coast towns.

  • Southampton does not consider Bournemouth a rival, their rival is Portsmouth which is labeled the South Coast Derby.

  • Rivalries exist across the South of England, for this season expect big matches with Brighton & Hove Albion - also in the PL.

The Culture

In 2009, AFC Bournemouth was 1 match away from being relegated out of League 2 (Level 4), out of the EFL and down to Level 5. SEVEN years and three promotions later they were celebrating their first ever promotion to the PL. This was great news for other PL team’s fans, as Bournemouth is the first away match the fans look for as they can turn the trip into a seaside getaway.

AFC B has a relatively big fanbase given the stadium’s size of 11,000. The supporters were voted the best-behaved fanbase in the PL and seem to go by several nicknames: Red & Black Army, Cherries Red Army, the Cherries.

While the club has been around for a long time, it feels like the fast rise to the PL may be changing the culture, along with the new ownership. Not selling a player from last year and adding over $100M in acquisitions is quite a statement. Also, one look at the AFCB website and you can see the new owners focus - We Keep Moving.

Boscombe

The Club originally started as Boscombe FC, then in 1923 Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic Football Club. In 1971 they adopted the name AFC Bournemouth with the intention that the club would appear first in alphabetical lists of English clubs.

Boscombe is a suburb of Bournemouth, home to over 7 miles of sandy beaches.

Supporters You May Recognize

  • Seth Rogan - As the story goes, Seth appeared on an episode of Soccer AM and said he didn't have a team he supported so the show put names in a hat and Rogan picked The Cherries.

  • Several UK actors support AFC B.

Song

“Flying high, up in the sky, We'll keep the red flag flying high, From Dean Court to Wembley, We'll keep the red flag flying high.”

Red & Black Army

Game Day Pub Guide

Fan Sites

Official Twitter

@afcbournemouth

High Follows on Twitter

@RBA_app (30k)

@AFCBPodcast (5k)

@CherriesChat (4k)

The Team

The Gaffer

  • Andoni Iraola (Spain), 41yo.

  • Hired in June, 2023, this will be Andoni’s first experience as player or manager in England.

  • Played and managed most of career in Spain, with 406 appearances for Athletic Bilbao.

ODDS

  • To Win League +150,000

  • To Be Relegated +175

  • To Finish Top 4 +15,000

  • To Finish Top 10 +900

Roster Notes

Full Roster click link

Projected to finish 18th

  • No Americans on the roster.

  • Have sold NO players this off-season and spent close to $100M on acquisitions.

  • Neto (Brazil) $50M - 34yo Captain.

Reply

or to participate.