Saints At Bournemouth The Preview
It's New Forest derby day on Saturday, but is it something that Saints fans will get worked up about or is it just another game !
Saints head across the New Forest to take on the Cherries knowing that they really need to get something out of this game otherwise the pendulum will really have swung in terms of pecking order.
Bournemouth have made a decent start to the season sitting in 6th place on 16 points and are looking to try and show the rest of the Premier League that they are this years Burnley and are the best of the rest.
But are the Cherries a good team or have they just had a bit more luck than the rest this season ?
Certainly they have earned their right to play in the Premier League this being their fourth season in the top flight, Eddie Howe's side though are an enigma, they can look good one week and awful the next as they showed in their defeat at Burnley.
Sometimes the fixture list can be kind to you and it has been that to Bournemouth, they have kicked off with a raft of winnable home games and 3 wins and a draw has helped propel them up the table, but a couple of good wins away from home cannot be overlooked.
But their detractors will point to strokes of luck in several of those wins, they played West Ham just at the right time when the Hammers were awful and at Watford the Hornets had a player sent off in the first half, indeed in three of their eight games the opposition has had a man sent off, add to that the Cherries penchant for a late goal, there are those who would say they have been lucky so far, but I say you make your own luck and they have.
Howe has set them up well, they play in bursts, they have two sections of trying to blitz the opposition in each half culminating in the final ten minutes of each game and this as much as it can win them points can also be their archilles heel in that if the opposition can keep them at bay then they can catch Bournemouth out themselves.
So Saints job is simple, we have to stay tight when Bournemouth push and then look to catch them out ourselves, although they can score they are just as likely to concede.
Mark Hughes though has to emulate Eddie Howe, the Bournemouth boss has taken an average squad over the last few years and turned it into one that believes in itself and knows what the task is in anyone game, he knows that they are just as likely to be turned over as they are to do the turning over, but the difference is they play without fear and go for it.
Saints just don't do that and that has to change, we don't have anything to fear on Saturday apart from our own lapses, in truth the only decent side the Cherries have met so far has been Chelsea, the rest are average sides who at times they have struggled against.
But you can't take it away from them they have had a good start and taken advantage of it and they know they are only a few wins from safety for another year and that's what they are looking for.
We need a win under our belts, this is a good place to get it and we have done well there in the past couple of seasons, playing away we will not have the pressure of our own support weighing heavily on our shoulders, in the main it's only going to be the hardcore down there who will get behind the team and stay behind it, of course most of them won't be happy with the past year or so, but they know getting on the teams back is of no benefit and hopefully the support we have had so far away from home and indeed last year will be replicated and we will get a win.
Sometimes football teams need a big slice of luck and we are due some this season.
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