| The little football club from Bournemouth, England, has almost disappeared from the football map, but has made a big comeback thanks to Eddie Howe, the young coach with the lovely baby-face, and to its owner who is afraid to reach the stadium. The meteoric rise led to the "Cherries" first qualifying for the Premier League in history. For the 2008/09 season, Bournemouth's condition was critical, to say the least. The Cherries went down to the fourth division because of a 10-point cut on financial irregularities. The heavy debts made it impossible for the club to exist, and the association approved its participation at the last minute, with another heavy punishment - this time 17 points were removed from its balance. It was clear to everyone that another drop would be the end of the road, and there would be no recovery. The season opened on a left foot, without a win in the first six matches. The fans have lost hope. It was the last death throes. |
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| This was the moment when the youth coach, Eddie Howe, 31, who looked even younger than his age, was called to the rescue. Howe is a legendary figure in Bournemouth - he joined the club at the age of 10 and spent almost his whole career as a player, except for a time in neighboring Portsmouth. The dream became a nightmare when Howe was hit in the knee in his first match. In 2004, the club asked for donations from fans and raised tens thousands of pounds within a few days, but the injury finally destroyed him and he retired at the age of 29. Then, after two years behind the scenes, he was asked to save the homeland. After one year, Bournemouth has returned to the third division, which was considered its natural place. |
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| The dazzling success drew Burnley's attention, that seduce Howe to leave on January 2011. "This is a rare opportunity, and I will be sorry for my whole life if I do not take it," he said, but soon found out that he was sorry about the move. He had spent almost two years away from home, neglecting his family by the demanding work, and his group was shuffling in the middle of the Premier League Table. In the meantime, Bournemouth had known quite turbulent days without him. On October 2012 Howe left Burnley, came back and was accepted by the fans as a super hero. Ever since, he has made the team qualify to the second division, until finally, on the 2015/2016 the team qualified to the Premier League, in which it still plays, as of this writing. Do you believe in fairytales? Well, this story is certainly a modern one, and you can watch it live! Get your Bournemouth tickets now on Doctorticket! |