Why AFC Bournemouth beating Chelsea shows team spirit can sometimes triumph over misspent millions

To be honest, I just want to joyously smash my keyboard right now rather than write out anything that makes any coherent sense – but after watching AFC Bournemouth win against the odds at Stamford Bridge I hope that’s somewhat understandable.

Although our recent performances have been promising, I couldn’t have foreseen the way the game against Chelsea ended up panning out. It displayed the attacking verve and bravery that we’ve shown all season, but also revealed a side I hadn’t yet seen – consistent defensive solidity.

The first half was fairly even, and we gave as good as we got - forcing a couple of good saves from the returning Thibaut Courtois. We even arguably edged it on chances. It was the second half that really impressed me though, with Chelsea pushing higher up the pitch, throwing Diego Costa on, and basically asking a lot more questions of us defensively.

And we actually stood up to it. True, you could argue we rode our luck a couple of times – the penalty shout against Simon Francis and Nemanja Matić’s free header – but overall we kept our shape well, and strived forward when we could. It was largely one way traffic, so to nick the goal at the end was hugely pleasing – and was a just reward for such a sturdy rearguard action.

So for a game where we demonstrated not only attacking prowess but also defensive solidity, I think it was a deserved win. Especially considering how much luck has gone against us so far this season.

That hasn’t stopped a lot of moaning and whining from Chelsea fans and their manager however, with little credit given to AFC Bournemouth. To an extent that’s understandable – they should be beating us with the side they had out, and how ravaged we are with injuries – but I saw many dismiss us before a ball was kicked, and this opinion of us is one I’ve seen before this weekend’s match as well.

On several club forums I’ve seen us dismissed as terrible, useless, and awful – as well as other adjectives I won’t repeat here - with often the only reasons given the names of our players. They’ve been dismissed for reasons including the fact they don’t have any international caps, any significant experience of the Premier League, or simply because they’ve fought their way up from the lower leagues.

This dismissal of our players is not only grossly unfair, but also fails to take into account what is unquestionably our greatest strength – our unity and team spirit. Last time I checked, football was a team game - so it shocks me that so many people blinded by the bright lights of the Premier League so often fail to take this (quite large) factor into account when judging a side.

It’s not just fans that have been guilty of this crime either, but some managers too. After we beat Sunderland 2-0 earlier this season for example, Dick Advocaat said: “I respect Bournemouth for winning the game but if you see the paper and the names, we had to do a little bit more than we did today.” The fact that Advocaat - a hugely experienced manager - struggles to understand how important an asset it is to have players that fight for each other might help to explain why the Black Cats had such a poor start to the season, and looked like a side of strangers at times.

There are exceptions of course, such as Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri likening us to a well-organised orchestra, but overall I’ve found the obsession – from fans, the media, and clubs - with big names and spending to solve problems more than a little disheartening.

This belief will like never change in the near future either, and only become more pronounced - even with results like ours this weekend. Then again, that perhaps helps to make it even sweeter when you get a result over a team with more cash than camaraderie.