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Opposition Q & A

Opposition Q&A: The Cherries

This week I spoke to Peter Bell from Premier League newcomers AFC Bournemouth who runs a blog called Cherry Chimes

How do you rate West Ham’s new manager Slaven Bilic and how will he get on in the Premier League?
It’s early days. I’m a little unsure to be honest how well he will go. While he has shown great tactics in leading Croatia and has done well at Besiktas the Premier League is hard as Bournemouth themselves are finding out. As long as he can keep the West Ham fans off his back then he’ll have a chance of putting his print on the team, but if things start to go against him in terms of results, then pressure will only mount on him with the importance of this season with the need to be in the Premier League with the new stadium. I’m interested to see how he copes with the pressure.

What league position can West Ham achieve this season under Bilic?
I think that is may be a question you are better asking West Ham fans. Still, the team has been strengthened and if things do click for Slaven Bilic then I can see West Ham getting to about 10-12th. I think other teams are also improving though like Stoke, Swansea and Crystal Palace so it is going to be tough to get above 12th this season.

Eddie Howe was frequently linked with the West Ham job before Bilic’s appointment. How do you rate him and do you see him moving on to bigger and better things?
Eddie is AFC Bournemouth through and through. I am not surprised that he was linked with bigger teams but this summer was not the right time for him to leave. He wants to achieve more things with the Cherries and when it has gone so well for him at Dean Court and he has an owner and chairman that back him to the hilt he has all he needs for the moment. He is getting Premier League experience and he is managing the club he loves with the players he has coached for several years in some cases. The bond with Eddie and Jason Tindall with the club is very strong. If at the end of next season a top half Premier League club came in for him he might consider it but we know where his heart is and I can imagine him waiting for the right club at the right time which may not be for a few seasons yet if AFC Bournemouth manage to establish themselves in the top flight. How do I rate him – perfect for AFC Bournemouth!

How do you think Bournemouth will fare in the Premier League this season? What league position can they realistically finish?
We have no surprise in finding that it is going to be tricky to pick up points. The gap between the Championship and Premier League is great but the club has a very steady manager that will find solutions when the team is under pressure and I believe most Bournemouth fans are confident of avoiding relegation, unlike the majority of pundits. While it looks like we’ll have a slow start I believe that when the wins start to come they will start to build up as this is a team that knows how to make unbeaten runs and win away from home. My prediction is a 14th placed finish.

Which three teams do you tip for relegation this season?
Aston Villa, Sunderland and Newcastle.

If you could have any current West Ham player in your team who would you choose?
I’d say Aaron Creswell from your current team as he was one of the best players last year. We have only just brought in Tyrone Mings though so we probably have not got need of another left back. Diafra Sakho of course would be an obvious choice as a goalscorer, but I’m happy with our squad.

What is your favourite West Ham player of all time?
Ian Bishop, as he also played for AFC Bournemouth and was my favourite player when Harry Redknapp managed the Cherries in the 1980s. I used to rush to get a place in the stands where I could get view of him on the wing and while he did not score a shed load of goals he was always beating his man and providing crosses for others to score.

Who is the Bournemouth player to watch out for? Which Bournemouth player should will include in our Fantasy dream team?
Matt Ritchie is probably the player that will get noticed the most by fans who don’t know much about AFC Bournemouth. Apart from his striking hair cuts and small stature, he always shoots when he is anywhere near goal, and he has that ability to drift into a space effortlessly which enables him to get into scoring positions on a regular basis. He may not be the best defensively, but he always puts a shift in. he’s a fabulous player.

West Ham fans were looking forward to a nice sunny away weekend in Bournemouth by the seaside but instead we got a cold Tuesday night in January when we play you in the return leg. What is the likely allocation for away tickets for West Ham? I am told our allocation could be 1,000 or less. How many tickets were Aston Villa allocated for the first game of the season?
It would probably only be raining on a Saturday anyway! Ha, ha. You’ll get 1500 tickets I expect. That is about what Aston Villa will have received. Dean Court holds 11,700 and there are about 7000 season ticket holders. Another 2000 seats are generally on sale to home fans for each game.

How do you expect Bournemouth to setup against West Ham on Saturday/ Team/formation prediction?
Having seen a couple of changes in the previous match against Liverpool that worked fairly well I expect the starting XI to remain the same if there are no injuries.

(4-4-1-1) Boruc, Francis, Elphick, Cook, Daniels, Ritchie, O’Kane, Surman, Gradel, King, Wilson

West Ham & Bournemouth have only played each other three times in our combined history with two wins for the Hammers in 1990 and 1999 and one draw in the old second division. What is your score prediction for Saturday?
My boss is a West Ham fan so if we lose I’ll get reminded all week and if we win I’ll get the rotten jobs. Still, we need the points so I’m going for a shock 0-1 away win!

Thanks for having me on West Ham Till I Die.
Pete

My Thanks to Pete for answering the Oppo Q&A

Blog Twitter: @PeterBell19

Come on you irons!

Sean

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