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Bourne(mouth) to rise!

By on May 2, 2015

On the same day in which the Duchess of Cambridge finally gave birth to the new fourth in line to the British throne, AFC Bournemouth were confirmed as champions of the Sky Bet Championship and sealed their inevitable place in the Barclays Premier League; but long before this new child may take the throne, Bournemouth have been crowned champions after 46 grueling games. Bournemouth’s fairytale story coincides with the birth of a princess, but in juxtaposition, it will be more like the ‘Princes and the Pauper’ when the Cherries’ budget comes up against sides like Manchester United and Chelsea next season.

Two promotions in three years has been fantastic enough for The Cherries, although the title will be extra sweet considering they missed out on the League One title to Doncaster Rovers in 2013. Recently, a 3-0 victory over Charlton coupled with Sheffield Wednesday’s late equalizer against Watford (a late goal for Wednesday denied Watford the title) leaves them comfortably at the top of the Premier League.

Howe did they do it?
Not many people would have predicted the Southern, costal club would have had such a successful season back in last summer. In some ways, their rise has been similar to that of nearby locals Southampton. There must be something good in the air in the South Coast, as the Saints and Cherries have both had remarkable campaigns and have also overachieved.

Bournemouth’s young and English manager Eddie Howe has led the Cherries from the brink administration to the top flight for the very first time; indeed, the 37-year-old was recently named Football League manager of the decade after his unbelievable work at the club. Although Howe has had more money to throw his weight around in recent times, by no means have they solely bought their way to the top flight considering some parachute payments for relegated clubs have gone right back into their opposition squads. Bournemouth now has their own baby-faced monarch.

Where there’s a Wilson, there’s a way!
One of the key factors in Howe’s side takes the shape of their record £3 million striker Callum Wilson. The 23-year-old England Under-21 international was signed from Coventry City in League One last summer. The addition of Wilson has made the Cherries especially dangerous up front and the investment was certainly well worth the money — his goals, in part, have contributed to an expected £120million windfall for going up. Wilson debuted with a brace in Bournemouth’s 4-0 victory over Huddersfield, and has since scored twenty goals.

The Tide is high, but to survive with sharks you need to be as hard as Rock!
Bournemouth mustn’t forget where they were not seven years ago down scavenging for points in the lower divisions, as few seaside clubs get to ride the wave of success. The Cherries just need to Pier north and take a look at Blackpool’s situation to know how south fortunes can turn in a short space of time. Hopefully, that won’t lead back to Bournemouth! The Cherries will need to invest — smartly — again this summer to have any chance of survival in the deep waters of the Premier League, but keeping hold of current stars Callum Wilson and Matt Ritchie, as well as manager Eddie Howe, could be as important as any new signings. The big question now remains, who will be joining automatic promotion alumni Bournemouth and Watford in celebrating promotion via the play-offs? The spotlight is now on Norwich, Middlesbrough, Brentford and Ipswich.

Photo credit: Matthew Jackson on Wikipedia Commons

About Richard Lewis

Richard Lewis can relate almost anything to football and quite often does! You may have seen Richard's previous ideas and work in the BBC Match of the Day Magazine, from 2011 to present. He is a Manchester United and England fan, but has gone to see Leyton Orient play with his O's season ticket in the 2013/14 campaign. Aside from football, Richard has written articles on Doctor Who and studies English Language and Linguistics at the University of Westminster. Aspiring sports journalist.