Bournemouth Fan View: Complacency a killer for Cherries

The expression “they’re on the beach already” to teams that are safe from relegation could not apply more to my AFC Bournemouth side at the moment.

What’s worrying is that we’re not even completely safe from the threat of relegation yet, either.

We had a chance to wrap our season up in mildly satisfactory fashion by winning at a beleaguered Southampton side on Saturday – but to the surprise of no AFC Bournemouth fan, we instead lost in hugely uninspiring style.

I’m not sure if it’s that some of our players simply don’t care – but that does certainly seem to be a factor.

Coasting on the south coast

To be honest, this entire season has been a bit of a slog to watch. We’ve rarely played well, and instead relied on snatching so many late results it’s starting to give me a headache.

We almost did it again on Saturday too, but that was largely due to the nerves of a Southampton side that hadn’t won at home since November. If we had managed to get a result, it would have been hugely unjust anyway.

It’s something that’s gained us the reputation as the escape experts of the Premier League – but it’s also masked what has been a campaign of confused decisions and misplaced loyalty.

READ MORE: Bournemouth victory one of the most important in Saints’ history – Tadic

AS IT HAPPENED: Southampton vs AFC Bournemouth

READ MORE: Hughes: Saints giving everything to avoid drop

Complacency on the coast

Part of the issue has been Eddie Howe and his bizarre selections. He still doesn’t know which players to play and in what formation, and the season is now all but over. It’s a bit concerning.

This weekend he played the 3-4-3 formation many AFC Bournemouth fans have been crying out for him to use, though – the one that saw us stuff Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

But despite the team looking good on paper, the players let him down badly. Yes, the front three should not have all been central strikers, but the effort players such as Callum Wilson and Josh King put in was shocking. Their replacements off the bench – Jermain Defoe and Jordon Ibe – weren’t any better.

Southampton supremacy

What makes this most recent case of complacency even more disappointing is that the players must have known what this weekend’s game meant to our fans.

We have never won at Saint Mary’s in our history, and this weekend was an amazing opportunity to break that record. Sadly, the entire team just let a demoralised and clearly defensively suspect Saints outfit walk all over them. It was embarrassing.

Eddie Howe sounded annoyed in his post-match interview, and I’m not surprised. He was badly let down by several players on Saturday, and many of them were repeat offenders.

Howe has one hell of a job on this summer. Not just to recruit new players – but to make sure that the complacency that’s seeped into the squad over the course of this season is completely eradicated. Good luck Eddie!

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