On the last day of the 2008-09 season, having been handed a 17 point deduction for going into administration, Steve Fletcher’s late goal against Grimsby kept AFC Bournemouth in League 2, and put in motion an incredible rise through the English football league that has now seen the club arrive at the top table after just 6 years. A year earlier they almost went extinct. Had it not been for a late financial intervention from Chariman Jeff Mostyn, another team would be celebrating promotion to the Premier League right now.
It’s going to be brilliant for the town, for the players and for the fans, which seem to have multiplied like rabbits in the last 6 months. And this is something that’s really winding me up lately.
You’ve got new fans
I’ve lived and worked in and around Bournemouth for the past 6 or 7 years, and in the local area for my whole life. Despite that I’ve always supported Manchester United. Say what you want about why I chose my club, but they will always be my club. For a lot of Bournemouth’s ever-growing fan base however that loyalty doesn’t seem to be necessary.
I understand that the general public of Bournemouth are going to start taking a greater interest in the team now, and that when the big boys come to town next season there’ll be a massive buzz about the place, but what I’m not having is “fans” of other clubs suddenly jumping ship because Bournemouth have found some success.
I personally know of at least 3 people who have suddenly started using the words “we” and “us” when talking about the Cherries. 18 months ago these people had never been to a Bournemouth game in their life. It’s sickening.
One lad I know has been a United fan all his life (although he’ll tell you he hasn’t) but now he couldn’t care less about them. By a massive coincidence, he switched teams during David Moyes’ disastrous reign at Old Trafford, which happened to be at the same time Bournemouth were establishing themselves as a force in the Championship. Why bother sticking by your club in the hard times when it’s much easier to jump ship to a club enjoying relative success right?! Have a day off mate.
Obviously you can tell this winds me up for a lot of reasons. But the influx of new spectators will no doubt have an adverse effect on fans that have been going for years and years, with the demand for tickets higher than ever. Why should a fan who has been going every Saturday for 40 years lose their seat to someone who wants to jump on the bandwagon and bathe in the glow of success? It isn’t right, and it’s the crux of the other thing that’s winding me up about Bournemouth’s promotion.
You’ve got no ground
Bournemouth’s current Goldsands stadium home holds a capacity crowd of just 12,000. That’s 6,000 short of the current smallest ground in the Premier League at Loftus Road.
Some people in the media have claimed that this is too small for the Premier League. There have been rumours of ground-shares with Southampton, and people stating that the ground is not in keeping with the image that the Premier League is trying to sell around the world. Well to that I say bollocks.
Bournemouth are in the Premier League on merit. Over the course of a 46 game season in arguably the most competitive league in Europe, they are guaranteed to finish in the top 2. That is a remarkable achievement for any club in any season. But when you look at the size of Bournemouth and think about their recent history, this really is as close to a miracle as you’ll ever see in the sporting world.
Football should be fair and open for all, and if your team has the quality to win promotion, then who gives a shit how good your facilities are? It is and should always be about rewarding the best teams, and the cream rising to the top. This is Bournemouth’s time at the top and noboy should try to take that away from them.
I personally think it would be foolish of them to increase the capacity of the ground too much until they know whether they will be able to establish themselves at Premier League or Championship level. Of course they will need more seats but if they can’t get bums on those seats then it’s a waste of money. Sustained success over a length of time will mean that the stadium takes care of itself.
Besides, tv audiences love watching the david vs goliath encounters. There’s always a sense of romance stirred up when the Premier League giants are drawn against lower league minnows, and with the greatest respect Bournemouth’s inclusion should mean that this is something that’s felt more often next season.