Eddie aware of Howe tough the challenge is

Eddie Howe has long believed this will be the toughest ever season of the Premier League and the first three games of the campaign have done little to dissuade him.

The Cherries boss saw his side pick up their first point of the league season on Saturday, but they were cruelly denied victory against Palace by Scott Dann’s last-gasp equaliser.

But after beating Morecambe in midweek in the EFL Cup, Howe has some positives to take from the last seven days.

However, the challenge of survival is going to be even harder this season – according to Howe.

“The key thing for us is that we need to keep working as hard as we are, believe in what we’re trying to do and how we play and the results will come,” he said.

“We got a point and beat Morecambe in midweek so for me we’ve got to be positive rather than negative.

(Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)

“We’re up and running in terms of away points and West Ham and Crystal Palace were always going to be tough away fixtures, as every away game in the Premier League is.

“I’ve always said I think this is going to be the toughest Premier League ever with the players and managers coming in. We are in our second season and that brings its own pitfalls and challenges.

“You have disappointments and the players will have two weeks to think about today. The main thing for us is that we hit the performance levels we’re looking for.”