Fletch: Howe will be under no illusions

AFC Bournemouth legend Steve Fletcher doesn't think that returning manager Eddie Howe will be under any illusions following his return to Dean Court.

Howe and his assistant Jason Tindall decided to leave Championship side Burnley and return to the Cherries last week.

The pair were paraded on the pitch ahead of the Leyton Orient game and their return appeared to inspire the Cherries to their first home win of the current campaign.

After a week of taking the side for training, Howe will officially begin his second spell as manager of AFC Bournemouth against top of the table Tranmere on Saturday.

When Howe first took over in 2009 the Cherries were in the relegation zone in League Two and on this occasion, the Cherries find themselves once again in the drop zone albeit in League One and with very different circumstances.

In 2009 the Cherries were ten points adrift at the bottom of the table following a seventeen point deduction from the Football League following administration.

The club were also placed under a transfer embargo, which would go on to last sixteen months and would sometimes force Howe to name a squad of just 14, including then 15 year old Jayden Stockey, a youth team goalkeeper and twice retired assistant manager Jason Tindall.

Despite the circumstances Howe steered the club to avoiding the drop out of the Football League and within twelve months would also win automatic promotion to League One.

This time around with investment from new co-owner Maxim Demin, Dean Court has been transformed with training pitches built next door to the ground in Kings Park, big investment in the facilities at the stadium and in the squad, which includes over thirty professionals on the back page of the match day programme.

Fletch told the Daily Echo...

"...Everything is at the opposite end of the scale now at the club and this is a fresh challenge for Eddie, one I know he is relishing.

"There is no comparison between now and 2009. The squad is much bigger, the club is in a much healthier financial position and, perhaps the biggest difference, the expectations are high.

"Eddie will be under no illusions about the size of the task. I just hope people appreciate that it is not going to happen overnight or at the click of a finger...'

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