Match Day Thread Saints v AFC Bournemouth Sat 27th April 3pm

Saturday is the feast of St Zita, patron saint of maids and domestic servants. What an auspicious day to be facing the powerhouse that is AFC Bournemouth. Bournemouth (originally Boscombe FC), a team whose honours include:

Runner up in Division three (South) in 1947-48 (as Bournemouth and Boscombe Athletic)

Runner up in League Division Four in 1970-71 (still the same but ready to drop)

Runner up in the Football League Trophy 1997-98 ('Boscombe' unceremoniously dumped like a used teabag)


We’re coming into this with ten points from the last six games fresh from a 1-1 draw at Vicarage Road on Tuesday evening, a game in which Shane Long set a record for the fastest ever goal in the Premier League. To be fair, we did defend our lead for 89 minutes, something of a record for us this season.

Possible team line up for Saints is eleven players chosen from the current squad.

Possible team line-up for Bournemouth is similar. Callum Wilson, their current top goalscorer, has been with them through promotion to the Premier League and was, bizarrely, born in Coventry. He has scored as many goals in 25 appearances as Saints managed in the first 14 games this season.

Match officials:
Referee: Graham Scott
Assistants: Mick McDonough, Neil Davies
Fourth official: David Coote

In all meetings in the Premier League, Saints have won 3, drawn 3, lost 1. The return fixture in October was a 0-0 draw.


Most of the information below is from the excellent Bournemopedia, the indispensable global repository for Bournemouth facts – well worth a read for anyone who wants to know more about our near-neighbours.

Bournemouth is the home town of:

Sir Rocco Forte, of hotel fame

Christine Hamilton, of 'being married to a twot' fame

Anthony Blunt, of being a KGB spy fame

Tony Hancock with his famous half hour

Sir Chaloner Alabaster, surely the best name ever

Mary Shelley with her monster book sales

Max Bygraves singer and all-round entertainer

Virginia Wade Tennis star, Wimbledon winner, commentator

With 4,000 residents per square kilometre, Bournemouth has the highest population density of any authority in the South-West region. Also Bournemouth's population has the third highest average age of any city in the UK.

 

They always bottle it against us and are generally ****e away from home.

3-1 home win.

 

Looking forward to this one

1-0













in the first 7 seconds. 4-0 by the end.

 

My wife is desperately hoping Shane Long scores after 14 minutes. I’ve booked an appointment at the doctors in case he does....





... see Watford thread if you haven’t got a clue

 

Can see a fairly comfortable win this weekend. A party atmosphere and a 3-0 home win. Ings, Redmond & Bertrand

 

Very different test - Bournemouth are one of the few teams smaller than us.
Will be good to have Ings back in the side(despite Longs good performance).
Think we may well see a 4-2-2-2 if Vestergaard is still injured

 

Racist!

 

We should not be over confident for this match........Bournemouth are no walkover........although I have that feeling again......(in my water)

 

..And that is despite the fact I have lived in Poole for the last 23 years

 

Poole is not Bournemouth though.

 

Meaning the average age should have dropped 23 years ago

 

I was confident but having seen how confident everyone else is now I'm not so confident. I just want us to get over that 40 point line.

Like Wolves, they will probably play a decent game of football so it should be good to watch. Unlike Wolves they will have more than one Brit in the starting 11. It's down to teams like Bournemouth and Saints to ensure British players get decent exposure in the EPL (before we sell them to big boys to sit on the bench)

 

The mini-skates are on their summer hols, I fancy a comfortable win for Saints.

 

My son can’t go, so taking my lucky mascot grandson, Alfie. His SMS strike rate to date; Arsenal & Wolves earlier this season

 

Keep an eye on the weather, it looks like strong winds and rain may affect the game.

 

Let us hope his mood has improved since I last heard him speak. He was really down and very tired after the Newcastle game.

 

When we win Saturday, please stroll round to the ticket office to purchase your grandson’s season ticket for next season.

 

this saturday should be good value on the nerves

cardiff, brighton and us all have winnable games but this season has been full of suprises

my tip is cardiff aint gonna beat fulham - 2-2 and their going down

 

Just bought tickets for myself and the nipper...so far he has seen Saints twice and we have lost both times (both against Cardiff)...hoping we really turn it on and put on a great performance!