A.F.C. Bournemouth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| AFC Bournemouth | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Athletic Football Club Bournemouth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Cherries | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1899 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Fitness First Stadium Boscombe Bournemouth |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Capacity | 10,700 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman |  Jeff Moyston |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager | Kevin Bond |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | League One | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005-06 | League One, 17th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
AFC Bournemouth are an English football team currently playing in Football League One. The side plays at the Fitness First Stadium (Dean Court) in Kings Park, Bournemouth, Dorset. The club has existed since 1899. Its nickname is The Cherries. The team traditionally plays in red and black stripes but reverted to predominantly red for the 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 seasons before announcing a return to the stripes for the 2006/2007 season due to fan demand.
Unfortunately due to significant debts the club are forced to sell key players to raise cash for the club, for example Matt Holland, Carl Fletcher, Brian Stock and James O'Connor.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Cherries rarely hit the headlines but long-serving player James Hayter allowed this to happen when he scored the fastest league hat-trick in English League Football history during the 2003-2004 season. The Cherries were leading 3-0, thanks to goals from Steven Purches, Warren Cummings and Warren Feeney, when Hayter was brought onto the field as a substitute. With 86 minutes gone, Hayter managed to net three goals in the space of 2 minutes 20 seconds, making the final score 6-0 to AFC Bournemouth.
The south coast club are also the only football team to have scored 5 goals at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, beating Lincoln City 5-2 in the 2002/03 Division 3 Play-off final. They are also famous for defeating holders Manchester United in the FA Cup in January 1984, while they were managed by Harry Redknapp.
Harry Redknapp is the most successful manager ever to take charge of Bournemouth. Apart from the 1984 F.A Cup shock win over Manchester United, he took them into the second tier of the English league for the first time in their history as Third Division champions in 1987. They stayed there for three years, and he remained at the helm for two years after their relegation in 1990, before leaving for West Ham United.
Bournemouth's last manager was Sean O'Driscoll, who was promoted from the coaching staff in place of Mel Machin at the start of the 2000-01 season. In his 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 have remained in the league's third tier ever since, closely missing out on the playoffs for the 03/04 and 04/05 seasons, and narrowly beating relegation in the 05/06 season.
Whilst the fans are usually good mannered and rarely get into scraps, a group of supporters, it is said, confronted referee Barry Knight in the car park after their 4-0 defeat to Crewe Alexandra in 1995. After Bournemouth's 1-0 away defeat to Cheltenham Town on the 10th February 2007, various Gloustershire newspapers reported violence in a local pub in which bottles and glasses were thrown as Cherries supporters fought with Cheltenham fans. Also on the 17th March 2007 after the 1-0 victory over Millwall FC, a few fights broke out near the North Stand and on the adjacent cricket pitch, these were all started by the notorious football firm, the Millwall Bushwackers.
Their red and black kit introduced in 1971 was based on the old AC Milan strip.
They have recently agreed a new shirt sponsorship deal with Focal Point Fires PLC, ending their long association with Seward Cars.
The club also recently sold their stadium, and surrounding land to property developers out of town to ease debts. This deal was done on a Sale and Lease back agreement between the club and developers.
Peter Philips stepped down as club chairman on 1st September 2006 due to constant fan pressure after 4 years at the helm. Local entrepreneur Abdul Jaffer has been promoted from vice-chairman to temporary chairman until a new permanent one is appointed by the board of directors.
Manager Sean O'Driscoll and Assistant Richard O'Kelly left on 9 September 2006 to join Doncaster Rovers. However, this bad news was sweetened with the confirmation of the signing of England 1998 World Cup star Darren Anderton on a pay-as-you-play basis. On his debut versus Scunthorpe United he scored the Bournemouth equaliser with a spectacular 40-yard free kick in a 1-1 draw. He also scored his first hat-trick against Leyton Orient Football Club in the 5-0 home victory.
After a 5 week search, former Cherries favourite Kevin Bond was named as O'Driscoll's successor, beating off stiff competition from Phil Brown and Andy Hessenthaler. Bond's father, John, was at the helm when Cherries achieved promotion in 1973.
On New Years Day 2007, Bournemouth beat Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 with an amusing goal from Brett Pitman in the 90th Minute. As the Brighton goalkeeper Wayne Henderson conrolled the ball just to the left of his 6 yard box he took a step back to clear the ball as Pitman chased the ball down. Unfortunately for Henderson, he slipped on the floor, Pitman got the loose ball, took it around a defender and smashed it into the back of the net at the North Stand end. Henderson has since left Brighton.
In February 2007, temporary chairman Abdul Jaffer quit amid allegations that he and his family had been hassled by Cherries fans, citing the message board of unofficial fans site www.rednblack.net as one of the main contributors. By this stage, Bournemouth were deep in the relegation mire, very disappointing when many of their fans had started the season hoping for a promotion challenge.
Currently, Bournemouth are fighting off relegation with a mixture of results on the pitch including a 2-0 home win against Nottingham Forest(giving Forest their first away defeat of the season in early December), a 2-0 home defeat to local rivals Yeovil Town, a late 3-2 home win and 2-1 away win against Oldham Athletic. In Bournemouth's two stright home matches, The Cherries beat an in-form Millwall F.C. 1-0 (17/03/2007) and Tranmere Rovers 2-0 (24/03/2007). With only a handful of games left in the season, manager Kevin Bond has said that "Every game is more important than the last."
[edit] Current squads
[edit] First-team
|
|
[edit] Out on loan
|
|
[edit] Reserve and Youth teams
For Bournemouth's Reserve and Youth players, see here.
[edit] Retired numbers
- 27- North Stand
- 32- 12th Man (Sponsorship)
- 99- Cherry Bear (Club Mascot)
[edit] Management and coaching staff
- Manager: Kevin Bond
- Assistant Manager: Rob Newman
- Head of Youth: Joe Roach
- Player/Coach: Eddie Howe
- Goalkeeing Coach: Alan Knight
- Fitness & Conditioning Coach: Mark Burley
- Physio: Steve Hard
- Kit Man: Bernie Morton
[edit] Past managers
- Vincent Kitcher
- Harry Knighorn
- Leslie Knighton
- Frank Richards
Billy Birrell- Bob Crompton
- Charlie Bell
- Harry Kinghorn
- Harry Lowe
- Jack Bruton
- Freddie Cox
- John Bond
- Trevor Hartley
- Tony Nelson
- John Benson
- Alec Stock
- David Webb
- Don Megson
- Harry Redknapp
Tony Pulis- Mel Machin
Sean O'Driscoll
[edit] Notable former players
- England
- Russell Beardsmore
- Ian Bishop
- /
Luther Blissett - Jimmy Case
- Jermain Defoe (Loan)
- Rio Ferdinand (Loan)
- Matthew Holland
- Gavin Peacock
- Jamie Redknapp
- Liam Ridgewell (Loan)
- Nigel Spackman
- Nigeria
- Northern Ireland
George Best (1983)- Colin Clarke
- Republic of Ireland
- Matt Holland
- John O'Shea (Loan)
- Scotland
- Wales
[edit] External links
| Football League One, 2006-2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Blackpool | Bournemouth | Bradford City | Brentford | Brighton & Hove Albion | Bristol City | Carlisle United | Cheltenham Town | Chesterfield | Crewe Alexandra | Doncaster Rovers | Gillingham | Huddersfield Town | Leyton Orient | Millwall | Northampton Town | Nottingham Forest | Oldham Athletic | Port Vale | Rotherham United | Scunthorpe United | Swansea City | Tranmere Rovers | Yeovil Town edit |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
