Second season syndrome? Not for AFC Bournemouth. My side not only survived comfortably, it also managed to finish in the top half of the table. The heady heights of ninth place no less.

We did this by playing the same attacking brand of football that saw us climb the league pyramid in recent years – although Howe’s footballing philosophy naturally has its drawbacks as well as advantages.

Namely that we’re usually involved in exciting, and sometimes heart attack inducing games – but we can also often take a real battering from the better sides due to being too open.

The positives by far outweigh the negatives of course, and I’m proud to support a team with a manager who sticks with his principles regardless of who we’re playing. The fact we were the club that scored the seventh most goals in the entire Premier League season (more than Manchester United!) says it all.

Nowhere to run

Aside from our increased (by ten) goals scored tally we’ve improved in various ways from last year though. Which conveniently brings me onto something a Middlesbrough fan was overheard saying before he watched his side get thrashed 4-0 by us at Dean Court.

“The thing about the Bournemouth team is they are all rubbish, they just run around a lot.”

Now we have never been rubbish in recent years – nowhere near as pitiful as Middlesbrough have been this campaign just gone at least – but it was certainly true that our side covered the most ground in terms of distance run last season. We led it by a significant amount in fact.

Not so this year though, where we were only the joint sixth on the ‘you ran the most’ stat table. This shows how we’ve become less reliant on energy, and more on quality, to win games. Our players have become more comfortable on the ball, and we’ve become more streetwise on how to see out matches.

This has certainly helped with our home form, which was very good indeed – we won four more games at Dean Court than we did last season, but more importantly never got embarrassed on home soil either.

Last season Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea all scored four or more goals on their trips to the south coast for example. This campaign our worst showings in front of our own fans were a trio of 3-1 defeats.

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Savvy loans

Another enjoyable element of this season was our savvy use of the loan system. Jack Wilshere was a hugely worthwhile addition to the squad for instance.

Yes, he received criticism from many who only read his goals and assist stats. But anyone who actually went to games could see he was a class above any previous player in an AFC Bournemouth shirt. He had composure on the ball, an uncanny ability to find space, and could pick out almost any forward run.

The way he came in and gave the club a much-needed boost after a sticky start. It showed we can attract top players despite our ‘small club’ reputation.

Then there was Nathan Aké. He was patient, but eventually broke into the first eleven and showed how there’s no way he should be rotting away on Chelsea’s bench.

Sadly Antonio Conté recalled him in January. The Dutchman’s winning goals against Liverpool and Stoke City still played a huge part in us surviving comfortably however.

Compare that to our pointless loans last season – Christian Atsu and Juan Iturbe anyone – and we played a real stormer with the loan market during this campaign.

The next step

Ending ninth may raise expectations yet again of course, and although I don’t see us bettering or even improving on this season’s finishing position next year there are still many ways we can become a better side in the 2017-18 campaign.

Most obviously, we need to stop conceding so many goals. Although our goals scored tally is impressive, the goals conceded total certainly isn’t. We let in 67, exactly the same as last season. This was the fifth worst in the whole league, only two less than Sunderland.

There was a worrying period of twelve league games where we let in three goals in no less than eight of them. This also coincided with a spell where we lacked fluidity going forward. Naturally this then suddenly made what was once considered a swashbuckling approach look rather naive.

What was frustrating is that these defensive deficiencies weren’t purely down to our attacking style. Instead it was a reliance on players who clearly need to be moved down to the bench if we’re to improve. Simon Francis is a legend, but he was too often exposed against the better sides for instance.

Away day blues

Away from home our leaky defence was constantly exploited by lesser sides for example. Embarrassingly spineless defeats to Hull City, Burnley, and Middlesbrough weren’t purely down to our back line of course. They did show that if we weren’t effective going forward we lacked the defensive grit to grind out a result though. Fortunately our home form often bailed us out.

There was also some real stubbornness from Howe to not invest in our defence in the January transfer market. Instead he actively made us weaker. He allowed Marc Wilson to leave on loan to West Bromwich Albion in January. This then unfortunately coincided with Aké being recalled by Chelsea.

Ultimately we have to improve our defence and away form if we’re to finish near the top half of the table again next season. But hey, just let me enjoy what my club has achieved in this campaign for now…