Bournemouth

Sam Davis
Fan writer

On Saturday, Aston Villa secured all three points at Bournemouth in a game dubbed as "must win" by both sets of ers. The result means we are possibly reg ourselves to the realisation that this season probably has come too soon for European football.

As fans, we're always wary of the rollercoaster ride that football brings. We've experienced a multitude of emotions during this season. It has been a campaign that has seen the club break records in the league, plus we secured another FA Cup quarter-final appearance too, however, naturally - we always have the intrusive thoughts about "what if".

Indeed, the European dream isn't even over, and perhaps securing an improbable result against Manchester City might cause Bournemouth fans to dream again, but chances do now feel slim.

Andoni Iraola's job at Bournemouth has been nothing short of remarkable, but with players set to depart and an influx of summer gs that will have to learn the "Iraola" way of playing, there is a thought that maybe we have blown our chance.

As the club gets "bigger", we are aware that Bournemouth's conveyor belt will move faster than ever in of incomings and outgoings, and that is testament to the job that the manager is doing. But how do we know that we can replicate this synergy in the next campaign?

Truth is, we'll never know, and as fans, all we can do is trust the process. It's a process that has seen us entertain on the pitch, develop a brand new training facility, as well as the promise of stadium expansion too.

The future is bright at Bournemouth, so while a defeat by a resolute Villa may cut deep right now, the overall picture has not changed - Cherries are still on the rise.

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Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth captain Adam Smith's 400th appearance for the club ended on a bitter note as they lost 1-0 to Aston Villa.

The defender stated that he didn't really care about the milestone as much as he would have liked to win against Villa.

"Maybe it's something I will look back on as an achievement once I've retired but now, just so disappointed with the game really," Smith said to BBC Radio Solent.

"Obviously, it's nice for my career that I've done that but I'd rather win today, to be honest. Kind of spoilt my weekend.

"I am just taking game by game and hopefully we can finish the season strong and I can enjoy my summer and celebrate with my family."

Tell us how you would sum up Smith's 400 games with Bournemouth

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Bournemouth and Aston Villa.

Here are some of your comments:

Bournemouth fans

Sam: Credit to Villa - they kept us quiet, created chances and deserved to win in the end. I was hoping we might nick a goal but not to be. Here's hoping Europe is not a step too far as ultimately for all the good results, it would end up being a disappointing season considering where we have been in the table at times. Come on Cherries, let's attack these final two games with all we have got and then what will be will be. At least we could end the season knowing we have given it our all.

Peter: Just one question - how on arth did Tyrone Mings get away with that elbow? Blatant violent conduct - straight red card.

Kevin: Bournemouth couldn't get into any rhythm, Villa did a great job stopping Bournemouth attacking. They deserved the win.

Tim: Possibly Bournemouth's worst display of the season. es went astray, dead ball situations wasted and, until the final 10 minutes, an untypical lack of urgency.

Aston Villa fans

Jonny: Matty Cash stole man of the match with that goalline clearance at the death. He performed irably, shutting down Bournemouth's attack all game. Ollie Watkins taking Gabriel Agbonlahor's record is an achievement well earned by his time at Villa. One step closer to the Champions League!

Simon: Substance over style. The points are more important than the performances at this point of the season. So pleased for Ollie Watkins getting our Premier League goals record.

Ian: Great three points for the Villa after a very hard fought game against a very good Bournemouth side. We defended very well and could have had another couple of goals. A vital win and two more to go that hopefully will see us back in the Champions League.

Rob: Great three points for the Villa. Very hard fought game against a very good Bournemouth side. We defended very well and could have had another couple of goals. Vital win, two more to go, which hopefully will see us back in the Champions League.

Joe Rindl
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Defeat ended Bournemouth's five-game unbeaten run and checked their rise up the table.

The hosts were limited to a few half-chances for the first 80 minutes but then sparked into life, creating a hatful of opportunities once Aston Villa were reduced to 10 men.

Of all their late chances, Bournemouth will especially rue not putting the ball in the net with almost the last kick of the game when Martinez got a crucial touch on Semenyo's header and Matty Cash managed to clear from under his own bar with Daniel Jebbison lurking.

It meant the Cherries stayed 10th, two points behind Brentford in eighth place.

They have lost five of their last seven Premier League home games (W1 D1), with their previous five defeats at the Vitality Stadium coming over a 25-game spell (W13 D7).

Eighth will be enough for a European spot this season if Crystal Palace lose in the FA Cup final to Manchester City.

Bournemouth are at Manchester City in their next match on Tuesday, 20 May, before hosting already-relegated Leicester City on the final day of the season.

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola speaking to BBC Match of the Day after their 1-0 defeat to Aston Villa: "I think the game has gone more similar to the one they wanted to play. I think in the first half it was a lot of stop and go and not a lot of rhythm. It hasn't been enough for us. Overall I think they managed better. We haven't been able to punish them.

"We need to manage the small things better. It is a very experienced team and probably they have competed better than us. For us the situation changes. Now we are behind some teams and we have to wait on some results and make sure we recover and finish the season well.

"We want to be in this fight and we have to continue. We don't know where we are going to finish but we have to keep going."

On Adam Smith reaching 400 games: "We are talking about big numbers. You have to be here in the good moments, bad moments. Adam trains very well and the players who get these numbers, it is not just a coincidence."

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth have lost five of their last seven Premier League home games (W1 D1), with their previous five defeats at the Vitality Stadium coming over a 25-game spell (W13 D7).

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Bournemouth's performance

What did you make of Villa's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

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This should be a cracking game. Aston Villa really need a win to boost their hopes of making the top five, but how can I back against a Bournemouth side that beat Arsenal last time out?

Part of my predictions strategy last week was to back the teams who are going for the Champions League places, but I don't think you can just ignore how well a team like Bournemouth are playing.

Sutton's prediction: 2-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here.

Five matches make up Saturday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Fulham v Everton

• Ipswich Town v Brentford

• Southampton v Manchester City - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Wolves v Brighton

• Bournemouth v Aston Villa (17:30 BST) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport Journalist

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Aston Villa (kick-off 17:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Iraola says that Dango Ouattara is unlikely to feature again this season because of an adductor injury. Ryan Christie, Enes Unal and Luis Sinisterra are still not ready to return to action.

• Regardless of what happens in the final three games, he classes this as a special season for the club: "We have been really good this season. Offensively and defensively, we are up there with teams who are better than us - it is something to be proud of. Now we have to give the last push to get something tangible. To get big rewards you have to do big things."

• On Saturday's opponents: "If we want to make them suffer, we have to play like the big teams do at home [against them] and this is not easy. They have been a little bit better than us [in previous matches against them] but we have been quite competitive. We need to change some things to close the gap."

• He spoke highly of club captain Adam Smith, whose next game will be his 400th for the Cherries: "You have to be consistently performing very well [to reach 400 matches] and fighting against your team-mates for your position. He wants to train well every day and is someone who is very reliable. He understands his strengths and weaknesses. I think he can still add more games to that amount."

• On the importance of data in his success on the south coast: "Data is very valuable for me - now we maybe have too much! I like to analyse, we have data from past games and seasons, there are patterns and you see there are reasons behind things. You can't only focus on data but for the scouting department and us analysing our performance, it is a big help."

Listen to live commentary of the match on BBC Radio 5 Live

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport senior journalist

While Bournemouth recently broke new ground (literally) with the opening of their new training centre, and hope to break more (metaphorically) if they can meet owner Bill Foley's ambition of qualifying for Europe, it will soon be the end of another era.

BBC Radio Solent's long-serving Cherries summariser John Williams, 64, announced at the final whistle of Saturday's historic win at Arsenal that he would be retiring at the end of the season after an association with Bournemouth stretching back for nearly four decades.

Universally known as "Willo" to team-mates, fans and colleagues alike, John's accent immediately reveals his Merseyside origins. Born in Liverpool, he grew up as a staunch Everton fan and began his playing career at Tranmere in 1979. A square-jawed, old-school central defender, he moved to Port Vale in 1985 but the following year he caught the eye of a certain Harry Redknapp.

Although Redknapp must have signed thousands of players across his long managerial career, he has repeatedly cited Williams as his best g (yes, even above luring Paolo di Canio to West Ham). Moving to Dean Court in December 1986, he played a key role as Redknapp's Cherries won the old Third Division title to reach the second tier for the first time in their history.

Long before assists were a common footballing metric, Willo would have racked up an impressively high number for a centre-back, with his physique (receding hairline included) perfectly suited to flicking corners on at the near post for a team-mate to score. There was even the odd goal too, such as an overhead kick at Leicester on Boxing Day 1989 reminiscent of Pele in the film Escape to Victory.

But his playing days were ultimately cut short by injury. Ruled out of the final run-in of the 1989-90 season, Willo had a glimpse of his future radio career as a guest summariser for Radio Solent's commentary as the Cherries were relegated following defeat by Leeds.

He remained on Bournemouth's books for a further season, being loaned to Norwegian side Stromsgodset and Wigan before leaving for a brief spell with Cardiff. However, he was soon back at Dean Court, brought back by Redknapp's successor Tony Pulis as community officer and soon promoted to youth team coach.

When Pulis was sacked just before the start of the 1994-95 season, Willo found himself elevated to caretaker manager for the first half-dozen games, but stayed on as assistant manager to Mel Machin for nearly six seasons.

Since the early 2000s, he has remained as Radio Solent's regular summariser, forming a popular on-air partnership with commentator Kris Temple for many years, travelling up and down the country as the Cherries rose through the divisions to the Premier League.

Willo was recently asked the big question - who does he want to win when Bournemouth play Everton?

"Well, it's like Everton's my girlfriend, but Bournemouth's my wife," he said with a chuckle.

Tom Jordan
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

We're now into the final month of the league season and Bournemouth fans are STILL dreaming of Europe. It feels a tall order, but whichever way you look at it, the Cherries have had a phenomenal season.

It looks as if Bournemouth are competing with Fulham, Brighton and Brentford for that final European spot, albeit this may change depending on whether Crystal Palace can surprise Manchester City in the FA Cup final.

There are plenty of differences in this campaign in the way Bournemouth have gone about things, but what could be key is their healthy goal difference. Before this season, the club's best ever goal difference in a Premier League season was minus 12. Currently, they sit on plus 13 with three to play!

It's a sizable turnaround for the Cherries, so what's changed?

Bournemouth will rarely be described as a "defensive unit" under Andoni Iraola, but the improvement in defensive numbers has been evident throughout. However, it is because the side have been offensively aggressive and playing on the front foot, perhaps proving that such an approach can still provide healthy defensive metrics.

Suffocating their opponents has prevented many sides from being able to significantly hurt Bournemouth, and in turn, the Cherries have been able to cause a substantial amount of damage to the opposition themselves.

There is no doubt plenty of individuals have lifted Bournemouth, with both Dean Huijsen and Kepa Arrizabalaga being key at one end, with the arrival of Evanilson at the top end nicely filling the hole that Dominic Solanke left.

As for their current competitors' goal differences, Brentford sit on plus nine, Brighton on plus one and Fulham on plus three. With the run in looking like it will go to the wire, so Bournemouth's remarkable elevation in this particular statistic could end up being the all important deciding factor.

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Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth attacker Justin Kluivert has praised the club for delivering on the vision they used to attract his signature.

The former Ajax player was signed by Bournemouth in 2023 and has been instrumental this season, chipping in with 12 goals and six assists in the Premier League.

"They came to me and they knew what they wanted -, they didn't sell me lies," Kluivert told a special episode of BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"They sold me this [Bournemouth's new training facility], and they gave it to me. They sold me many more other things and they backed it up. I did my part, they did their part, and I think it's a very good match."

The Dutchman also stated that his goal was to ply his trade in the Premier League even when coming through the ranks with European giants Ajax.

"If you are in the youth of Ajax, you are thinking about playing in the Premier League," he said. "The Premier League for footballers is the best there is. That will stay for always, and I am thankful to be here."

You can listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Following Saturday's victory against Arsenal, Julian Araujo spoke to BBC Radio Solent after making his first start since returning from injury: "It was a long five months without any games. To come back and get three points at a stadium where we have had no points at is a great feeling.

"I just keep my feet on the ground and work hard. It was a very tough recovery but this group and the staff have made it easy for me. Being in a whole new country alone is hard but I'm very happy to be a part of this club.

"The team and club is going in the right direction. We have a lot of belief in ourselves and the manager and staff have the belief in us too."

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Arsenal's Premier League match against Bournemouth.

Here are some of your comments:

Arsenal fans

Rachel: Same old, same old. Seriously worrying Arsenal performance. Another pathetic display from Martin Odegaard who didn't bother to turn up. It doesn't fill me with optimism for remaining games and looks like we're going to fade away yet again.

Dan: Simply pathetic, again. If Arteta had rested the first team, I wouldn't be as mad, but well done Mikel, you've tired your starters, with the most important game of the season just days away. Given we're almost guaranteed to fail to beat PSG, I think we have to focus on qualifying for the Champions League. We'll struggle to finish top five in this form.

Terrence: Pitiful, clueless, effortless and so on. We played like a tired bunch that have never seen a football match. As I said weeks ago, Arsenal will be lucky to finish in the top four. They deserve the criticism, sad end to the season.

Bournemouth fans

Bernard: Firstly well done Cherries! We've done the double on Arsenal. We started well and seemed to come to a stop after their goal but kept them at bay until half-time. Great substitutions by the gaffer in the second half. Once we equalised, Arsenal appeared clueless. The second goal was deserved, however contentious it appeared. VAR went our way for a change!

Matt: I had a feeling on the way up we could get something at Emirates Stadium, especially if Arsenal rested a few players. Very surprised to see them put out a full-strength side, but that just adds to our satisfaction in finally winning at N5. Superb set-pieces and bringing on fresh legs were key. The European dream is reignited.

Bob: A fortunate win - have to learn how to hold on to winning positions. I keep saying we need a hard defender.

Image source, Getty Images

Former Premier League midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker was full of praise for Evanilson after the Bournemouth striker scored the winner against Arsenal on Saturday.

He told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast the Brazilian has been a fantastic g.

"I've been a fan of Evanilson since he was at Porto so I saw the quality striker that he was," he said. "When I saw he was coming to Bournemouth, I thought that was a fantastic g.

"He is a top class striker. He knows where the back of the net is and is going to get goals. Great movement in the box, a great natural finisher and old-school striker. He's just gone from strength to strength since coming to Bournemouth.

"He really is a great player and he has got the luxury of playing with Justin Kluivert and Marcus Tavernier. He has been sensational and it's great recruiting on their part."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Real Madrid sent scouts to watch Bournemouth's 20-year-old centre-back Dean Huijsen and 21-year-old left-back Milos Kerkez during Saturday's win at Arsenal. (TBR Football), external

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