Second bite for the Cherries is the sweetest thing

Nathan Spafford
Philip Billing celebrates scoring v Luton for Bournemouth

It might sound crazy but Bournemouth can take solace from being the only relegated club not to make an instant return to the Premier League last season; in fact, they can be the happiest of the trio too.

For while Norwich City and Watford remain pointless and flattering to deceive, with growing much animosity amongst both fanbases towards their current management, Cherries fans are unanimous in their cheer this season.

It comes with good reason of course. Bournemouth have transformed themselves from nearly men under the combined inexperienced managerial duo of first Jason Tindall and then Jonathan Woodgate, into bona fide promotion contenders under Scott Parker.

It already feels like a match made in heaven for Parker and the Cherries, who simply make each other better. Parker arrived with many questions over his suitability as a manager; could he make a team even just slightly better than the sum of its parts or would he rely largely on individual brilliance while being hamstrung by an inability to shape together a strong defence?

With less than a fifth of the season played, Parker has already answered many of the questions his critics – me included – posed. Their solid defence is a big factor in Bournemouth’s ascent to the top.


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So while Norwich sit pointless and Watford’s only win since the opening day came against the Canaries, there are doubts as to whether either is fully equipped for the task ahead. Brentford meanwhile, are the advertisement for how building in the division below into a side ready for the rigours of the top flight is far more beneficial than changing a tyre on the move, desperately scrambling for answers while dropping points left, right and centre in the Premier League itself.

To directly compare Bournemouth and Brentford would be disingenuous. Brentford’s model and success was built up over a far longer and sustained period than the two-year break from the top flight that the Cherries will have endured if they see out the season as comfortably as they have the opening nine fixtures.

But the principles remain the same. In 2020/21, Bournemouth made the play-offs – they even beat Brentford in the first leg before ceding a two-goal advantage over the course of the second – but had many problems which would have plagued their return. It does not take much to envisage they would have been far more Norwich than Brentford.

Instead, Bournemouth spent the summer upgrading their manager as well as adding quality recruits who make this squad superior to the previous iteration.

Scott Parker

Versatile Emiliano Marcondes largely flattered to deceive at Brentford until the end of their respective dual play-off seasons, going so far as to score in May’s final with Swansea City, while the additions of experienced centre-back Gary Cahill, loanees Morgan Rogers and Leif Davis on the wing and at full-back respectively, and former Celtic midfielder Ryan Christie all offer significant upgrades on last season’s team at Vitality Stadium.

Cardiff City fans relished the idea of a return to the top flight when Mick McCarthy brought an excellent run of form with him, but as recent results have shown, that was new manager bounce as opposed to anything tangible. Many fans may take promotion at all costs – that is only natural considering the nature of football fandom is to celebrate all forms of success – but remove yourself from the passion and you can see how an ill-suited promotion can push a club back years.

Bournemouth would have been in a largely similar position. Theirs was a squad comprised of players not yet ready for the Premier League and a group who had seen the club relegated from the same division under the superior managership of Eddie Howe. If they had run out of steam after half a decade in the top flight with a largely consistent spine through much of that spell, then a new pot of water had not yet been fully boiled by the south coast.

It isn’t unreasonable to suggest that Bournemouth would have found themselves largely in the same realm as Norwich, and almost certainly no better than Watford, whose first 45 minutes of the season and defeat of their fellow promoted side have put short-term fears over a return back to the Championship on hold for now.

But Xisco Munoz is facing questions from much of the fanbase, and we all know it won’t be long until similar doubts creep into the Pozzo family’s head, given the managerial history at Vicarage Road, with the choice to continue with Craig Cathcart at centre-back over Francesco Sierralta a real sticking point.

Bournemouth have no such concerns. They have a settled team, a strong squad, and are benefitting from another season of first-team football at a comfortable and prolific level for striker Dominic Solanke, the combined youthful efforts down the left side of Jordan Zemura and Jaiden Anthony and an almost perfectly balanced midfield three featuring Jefferson Lerma, Phil Billing and Ben Pearson.

All these partnerships and team units would not have had the chance to shine had promotion to the Premier League come last May. Brentford have proven that the best success is formulated over a period of time. There are a number of clubs in the top six – Coventry, Blackburn and even Stoke – who have had the wheels of upward motion in place for some time now.

Bournemouth’s starting point ensured they needn’t wait as long, but they will be glad they waited a year. There are no guarantees, but the Cherries look far superior to their competitors right now, and barring any injury crises or old mistakes cropping up from Parker, they are favourites for Championship promotion. That is a far better way to earn promotion. It’s a second season syndrome every fan can get behind.