Eddie Howe admits that never in his wildest dreams did he envisage leading Bournemouth from the brink of extinction into the Premier League.
The Cherries were in administration and on the verge of liquidation in 2008, and were fighting against relegation from the Football League in Howe’s first season in charge. They eventually escaped the drop by nine points, despite being docked 17 points, but the following campaign was an altogether difference story as they finished runners-up to clinch promotion to League One.
Under the leadership of Lee Bradbury when Howe left for Burnley in January 2011, they finished sixth in the third-tier but lost to Huddersfield Town in the playoffs. After an 11th place finish in 2011-12 Howe returned to the club in October after leaving Turf Moor for personal reasons, and earned an instant promotion to the Championship by finishing second in the table.
Bournemouth made impressive progress last term when they ended the season in tenth place, but that has been well and truly overshadowed by their performances this term. Howe and his players knew a win against Bolton Wanderers on Monday night would virtually book their place in the top-flight for the first time in the club’s history, and this was delivered with a 3-0 win.
“I’m an eternal pessimist, but it would take some blow-up from here not to make it. Obviously we’ve got a game to play, and we want to finish on a high,” he told Sky Sports. “It’s very difficult to put into words. It’s been an amazing journey and it’s an incredible day for the supporters. This club was heading out of business, and a lot of people have put in a lot of hard work to get to this position.
“Most of all the supporters, who’ve put their hands in their pockets time and again, they really deserve this success. This was never a journey we expected to go on, I have to be honest this was not a position we expected to be in but through hard work and investment from the owner we have managed to get there. The special ingredient is the team and the players have just been magnificent.
“You don’t achieve anything on your own. It’s taken a monumental effort from the players and the management team. The players are the most professional I’ve worked with and JT (assistant Jason Tindall) has been by my side – we’re a management team, and it’s a joint achievement. We’d love to win it. Obviously it’s in Watford’s hands, but we’ll do our best and see what happens.”
The only way the Cherries can be denied their place in the Premier League is if they lose their final match at Charlton Athletic, and Middlesbrough beat Brighton & Hove Albion – with a 20-goal swing in the favour of the Riverside Stadium club. As for winning the Championship title, Howe will be relying on Watford slipping up in front of their own fans against Sheffield Wednesday.
Is the job Eddie Howe has done at Bournemouth as good as any in English football history, and how do you think the Cherries will fare amongst the elite next season?
