I spotted this item on the Bournemouth website
http://www.afcb.co.uk/news/article/2013-05-07-arter-confident-of-championship-challenge-809952.aspx.
It's all very well being confident after gaining promotion but the Bournemouth players may need to think a bit more carefully about the calibre of Championship teams, if Harry Arter's views are representative.
Comments
Not strictly true, Harry boy.
8 games to go, Charlton were 3 points from safety, Sheff Weds in the bottom 3, Huddersfield plummeting down the table and didn't know they were safe until the last minute of their final game.
With the euphoria of winning promotion, I think what Arter's trying to say, '..... look at Charlton after being promoted. If we can carry on pulling together as a team, we could finish 9th like Charlton - it's within our capabilities'. Or something like that.
And that's fair enough. It's what his team's supporters want to read.
(As an ex-player at Charlton, he obviously still follows our results!)
Bournemouth could stay up but it'll be very tough, sub 7,000 attendances will need to improve I'd imagine.
I know Oggy's already covered the first bit, but the latter is a huge generalization too. Bolton were only denied a Play-Off place on goal difference.
With all due respect to Arter, and he is a 23 year old footballer - not an Economics Graduate, it's easy to look at the league table and make assumptions. However he fails to consider that relegation from the Premier League causes a massive financial black hole that makes it easy for teams to implode. The Wolves team that was relegated from the Premier League (just like Bolton and Blackburn) was radically different from the one that was relegated to League One.
The gap between a relegated team that has been raided for it's best talent and with no money to replace those players, due to the wage bill of those left behind, and the Championship is, indeed, not so great. However the Championship is far from similar to League One. Norwich and Southampton spent a lot of money on their squads, and we walked League One last season. Also Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield finished four points above the drop zone.
I predict that Bournemouth will be in the bottom six for most of next season, and I can't, immediately, think of three teams that I would put money on finishing below them!
They've got a manager who was at Burnley until mid-season and has a couple of Champs seasons under his belt - so obviously he knows more or less what to expect.
It seems evident that Bournemouth have a good team ethic, like Charlton - so if you've got everyone pulling together they may well punch above their weight.
Obviously they need to make a reasonable start and will hope their present team momentum and confidence can be built upon.
But they will be an unknown quantity and may perhaps surprise a few teams.
What would Steve Coppell think?
-)
I used the economics comment as he seems to have made all his assumptions on one quick glance at the league table, not the economics (or finances) of the teams he talks about.
Anyway I don't think it matters but thanks for picking me up on it.
He's not the Messiah he's a very naughty boy.
Having said that, we know it is definitely a big step up and a league you have to work out.
Just look at Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield - are Bournemouth any better than them really? Not with Arter and Jackson as regulars.
Can be a bit of a bumpy come-down if you're not too careful.................................