Howe claims Cherries are here to entertain
Bournemouth’s over-arching aim this season may be to stay in the Premier League but manager Eddie Howe claims they also have a responsibility to keep the fans entertained.
The Cherries finished in a respectable 16th position at the end of their first-ever Premier League season last term and are firmly entrenched in mid-table this time around.
Under Howe, Bournemouth play a fearless, open style of football – refusing to take a backward step, regardless of the opposition.
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And while the 38-year-old understands the importance of results, he won’t be short-changing the supporters by changing that attacking philosophy.
“Ultimately, the brief here is to win. When you’re a manager, you have to try to win games and get points,” said Howe.
“You then need to build a philosophy around that which gives you the best chance to win. That’s how we base what we do.
“Also, of course, there’s definitely a responsibility to entertain, to get people to want to come back each week to watch their team. I’d be desperately disappointed if people came and were bored by what they saw.
“I think it’s very difficult to change. What you do when you change philosophies or game plans, even for a half, is give mixed messages to the players.
“If you really believe in something – and you need your players to believe in it – you can’t compromise those beliefs.
“You can’t change for 45 minutes, half-an-hour or 20 minutes because then the players get confused and they don’t know what’s expected of them.
“So I’d always stick to the ideals I have. It doesn’t mean they can’t be tweaked and moulded but they definitely can’t be changed.”
