Bournemouth have been in the Premier League since the 2015-16 season. So it must be a little depressing to hear that they’ve not even made a big enough impact for John Cena, the wrestling star, to pronounce their name right.
Cena called Bournemouth ‘Four-nemouth’ on the BCC’s football magazine programme before their match with Liverpool on Sunday. Well, Bournemouth played like ‘Four-nemouth’ and got tanked 4-0 at home. It would be lazy to say that this could be the start of a tricky period for Eddie Howe’s team because they are forever seemingly in bother. And for possibly the first time in their top-flight spell we have a situation where they not only look terribly vulnerable to relegation, but also that they are, most importantly, the right price at many green-listed bookmakers.
You can get +333 with Skybet about the Cherries enduring a bitter end to the season and it’s a price worth taking. They are seemingly on a downward curve and are finding it increasingly hard to compete with bigger, more fashionable clubs.
It’s a shame because Bournemouth are, in fact, the value punters’ dream. They have upset the odds hugely by surviving in the Premier League for as long as they have. It has been a noble fight.
It’s one they’re losing. They have won four this season and are on a stinker of a sequence. It’s now, no wins in six and their age-old problem of conceding big occurred again, admittedly against a free-scoring Liverpool.
Bournemouth’s biggest problem in that game, though, was a worrying lack of energy and verve. They looked unsure on the ball and it is possible that pressure could be starting to build on them. Ordinarily, a Bournemouth team under Howe would treat a Liverpool game at a shot-to-nothing and play with pace and fizz. It didn’t happen.
Another issue is that down at the bottom, two of Bournemouth’s rivals are suddenly energised. West Ham United have picked up under David Moyes and they may be able to soon forget about relegation worries. And Crystal Palace have done the same under Roy Hodgson.
If Mark Hughes gets things right at Stoke, then Bournemouth could be in a dogfight with Swansea City, West Brom and Newcastle. Although the latter, under Rafa Benitez, could well spend big in January with takeover talks ongoing.
With matches against Chelsea and Manchester City up next, that +333 is likely to look a very good bet indeed in a very short space of time. Two defeats there and Bournemouth will probably be around the +200 mark.
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