Eddie Howe ‘not frightened’ of setting high targets

Eddie Howe is not afraid of setting high standards for his ambitious Bournemouth side after the Cherriesenjoyed another fantastic season in the Premier League.

In their second successive campaign in the top flight, Howe guided his side to a ninth-placed finish on 49 points.

The south coast side struggled at the start of the new year but rallied towards the end of the season to finish in the top half.

And Bournemouth’s young manager is not frightened of setting the bar high for the Cherries, despite thembeing in League Two as recently as 2009.

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Howe said: “ You set markers for yourself that you want to surpass – but you do then get problems with expectations.

“I think we suffered with that to a degree at times in this past season, where expectations were so high. It is difficult to achieve them every single year.

“But they are the demands you place upon yourself and no one has got higher standards for this team than I have.

“I can only go with my own expectations and they are incredibly high. I am very ambitious, so I have no problem with setting the bar high. My most common statement during the season was that I wanted to improve on the season before. That is what we stuck to and tried to achieve.”