The highlights and lowlights of our first ever season in the Premier League

Our first season in the Premier League has been far more eventful than I ever expected. As a natural pessimist I thought luck was against us from the very first game – yes, that Benteke goal still irks me – and pretty much accepted at the very back of my mind that this was probably going to be a tough and gruelling campaign that I had to try my very best to enjoy. Rather than, you know, actually enjoy it.

Instead we’ve fought against the odds and have given ourselves a very good chance of surviving for another season in this league of giants. And with the international break (*sigh*) in full flow now seems like a very good time to look at what have been the best – and worst – moments of our Premier League campaign so far.

Highlight: The evolution of Eddie Howe

After his time at Burnley – where things never really seemed to click for him - it seemed like Eddie’s career as a manager might simply fizzle out. Instead he returned to Dean Court and he suddenly looked like a man reborn.

Watching him tinker with the side over the course of this campaign has been fascinating – he’s stuck to his attacking principles despite logic and injuries seeming to dictate that a change was essential, and it seems (unless a huge slump in form is forthcoming) he’s been fully rewarded for hanging firmly onto his beliefs in how the game should be played.

Lowlight: A rocky start

Howe’s achievements are even more impressive when you consider how this season started. Most AFC Bournemouth fans were braced for a rough ride in the Premier League, but we perhaps expected tough games instead of tough luck. We lost our two biggest summer signings – Tyrone Mings and Max Gradel - in just our second home game of the season to long term injuries.

We also lost games to Liverpool, Aston Villa, Stoke, and Watford that we should have grabbed more points from – and then complete disaster struck when top scorer Callum Wilson went down at the Britannia Stadium and was ruled out until (effectively) the end of the season. It seemed at that stage we were destined to drop further and further down the table…

Highlight: Seeing long-term players step up to the top level

But no! Instead I watched as players who have turned out for us in League One – such as Charlie Daniels, Harry Arter, Adam Smith, Steve Cook, and Simon Francis – take on the challenge of top flight football and actually look relatively comfortable doing so. Sure, they’ve all been schooled a few times by world class talents, but the fact that they’ve managed to actually cope at this level at all is a testament to both their character and the coaching of Eddie Howe. Well played lads.

Lowlight: Seeing club legends moving on

It’s hard to let go of those you love. So although seeing several of our players make the journey from the lower leagues to the top table of English football has been great, there were always going to be some casualties. Brett Pitman, who had played for us in League Two, was one – and he was let go before the season even began. Arguably even more heart-breaking was seeing Yann Kermogant, a key player in our promotion to the Premier League, simply being too slow to cope at this level though. It made things very clear - if we were to survive at this level some very tough decisions had to be made.

Highlight: Causing two shocks…in a row

Before the season started my friend said we’d cause at least one upset. But I didn’t think it would come away from home at the Premier League champions Chelsea. I guess it wouldn’t have been a surprise if I’d been expecting it though.

Yes, José Mourinho’s side was in bad shape at that stage, but just look at the team sheets from the match – it shouldn’t have even been a contest. Then we followed that up by beating some side called Manchester United at home. I’ve had worse weeks.

Lowlight: The Premier League ‘experience’

There’s no getting around it. The Premier League is not a division that treats fans well. Extravagantly high ticket prices are one thing, but there’s also the shifting of kick-off times to suit TV – Anfield away on a Monday night anyone?

Sure the extra TV and press coverage is very welcome, but sometimes I do miss aspects of the lower leagues - where ticket prices and fan expectations were much lower.