AFC Bournemouth
Jason Tindall is the 28th man to have held the manager’s reins since the Cherries joined the Football League in 1923 – and the 14th to have previously played for the club.
Tindall, appointed last week as Eddie Howe’s successor, made 199 appearances across two spells, having initially joined from Charlton Athletic.
He showed his versatility when he played 195 games between 1998 and 2006, lining up predominantly in defence but also in midfield and as an emergency striker.
And after Howe had been appointed manager in January 2009, Tindall came out of retirement to make two substitute appearances during the Greatest Escape of 2008/09 and played twice in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy the following season.
With the exception of Paul Groves in 2012, every permanent Cherries manager since November 1983 had previously played for the club.
The list includes Howe, Lee Bradbury, Jimmy Quinn, Kevin Bond, Sean, O’Driscoll, Mel Machin, Tony Pulis and Harry Redknapp.
It was certainly a different story at the start of the Football League journey when Harry Kinghorn was the only future boss to play for the club between 1923 and 1961.
And Kinghorn, Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic’s first manager in the Football League, was only pressed into service in an emergency!
The Scotsman, a goalkeeper during his playing days for Arniston Rovers, Alloa, Leith and Sheffield Wednesday, turned out for the Cherries as an outfield player in a 0-0 draw at Brentford in March 1929, having become the club’s trainer under boss Frank Richards.
Here, afcb.co.uk profiles the 14 permanent managers to have previously played for the club since it joined the Football League in 1923.
Eddie Howe (January 2009-January 2011 and October 2012-August 2020)
The most successful manager in the club’s history, Howe is one of the Cherries’ leading appearance-makers having played more than 300 games in two spells.
A product of the club’s youth ranks, he made his debut as an 18-year-old before going on to win two caps for England under-21s and establishing himself as a regular under Mel Machin and Sean O’Driscoll.
Following an injury-ravaged spell with Portsmouth, Howe returned to Dean Court after supporters had clubbed together to help finance a loan move which was then made permanent.
Injury forced him to hang up his boots when he was just 29 before he was handed his first coaching role as part of Kevin Bond’s backroom team.
Howe was asked to take the reins for the first time in January 2009 and plotted the Greatest Escape as the Cherries avoided the drop to non-league after overcoming a 17-point deduction.
Further promotions came in 2010 and 2013 – either side of a spell as Burnley boss – before Howe famously completed the set when he guided the Cherries into the Premier League in 2015.
With 270 league games under his belt, Howe is 17th in the club’s list of leading appearance-makers and took charge of 456 matches as manager.
Lee Bradbury (January 2011-March 2012)
Lee Bradbury netted 12 goals in 146 appearances for the Cherries before becoming manager following Eddie Howe’s departure to Burnley.
Initially signed on loan from Southend in August 2007, the former Portsmouth and Manchester City striker tasted relegation with the Cherries in his first season.
He played a starring role in the Greatest Escape of 2008/09 and again as the club reclaimed its League One status in 2009/10.
Appointed manager in January 2011, Bradbury took the Cherries to the League One play-offs in 2010/11 where they were beaten by Huddersfield in the semi-finals before being replaced by Paul Groves in March 2012.
Jimmy Quinn (September 2008-December 2008)
Northern Ireland international Jimmy Quinn was AFC Bournemouth’s leading goalscorer in 1991/92 after joining from West Ham.
He hit 24 goals in all competitions, his tally of 19 in the league helping Harry Redknapp’s team finish eighth in the third flight.
Quinn made 54 appearances during a marathon 58-game season and also scored twice as the Cherries reached the fourth round of the FA Cup.
He returned to the club as manager in September 2008 but his stay in the hotseat was short-lived, Quinn leaving after just 24 games.
Kevin Bond (October 2006-September 2008)
Kevin Bond followed in his father John’s footsteps when he became AFC Bournemouth manager in October 2006.
He was crowned supporters’ player of the year in 1991/92 and netted six times in 155 games for the club in all competitions.
An apprentice at Dean Court under his father, Bond rejoined the Cherries from Southampton in August 1988 and played a key role as they finished 12th in the second flight, then their highest league position since joining the Football League in 1923.
Appointed as Sean O’Driscoll’s replacement, Bond had a challenging task in the hotseat as the Cherries battled acute financial difficulties.
Falling into administration in February 2008 saw the club docked ten points and Bond was unable to prevent relegation despite them picking up 19 points from a possible 21 in their final seven games.
Sean O’Driscoll (August 2000-September 2006)
Sean O’Driscoll had an eventful six-year stay as manager having previously served the club in a host of different capacities.
The Republic of Ireland international was ever present in AFC Bournemouth’s 1986/87 Third Division title triumph and also starred in the 1984 Associate Members’ Cup final triumph against Hull City.
O’Driscoll’s tally of 423 league games makes him the club’s third highest appearance-maker. He also featured in 88 cup ties and scored 24 goals.
Together with John Williams and Mark Morris, he took caretaker charge of team affairs at the start of the 1994/95 season before Mel Machin was appointed.
Following spells as physio and youth team boss, O’Driscoll was handed the reins after Machin had become director of football in August 2000.
In O’Driscoll’s first season, a Jermain Defoe-inspired Cherries went within a whisker of reaching the Division Two play-offs.
Relegated the following season, O’Driscoll piloted the Cherries back to Division Two at the first attempt by masterminding victory in the Division Three play-off final against Lincoln at the Millennium Stadium in May 2003 before joining Doncaster in September 2006.
Mel Machin (September 1994-August 2000)
Roving right-back Mel Machin was a key player in AFC Bournemouth’s Division Four promotion success under John Bond in 1970/71.
He moved to Dean Court in December 1970 and went on to make 126 appearances in all competitions, scoring eight times, including in the 11-0 record-breaking FA Cup win against Margate.
Machin followed Bond to Norwich in December 1973 before returning to Dean Court as manager in September 1994.
The Cherries were languishing at the foot of Division Two and collected just four points from their first 14 games.
Almost cast adrift at the turn of the year and with just 11 points at the halfway stage of the season, Machin revived their fortunes in the second half of the campaign.
He guided the Cherries to safety in what became known as the Great Escape before plotting their first trip to Wembley in the final of the Auto Windscreens Shield in 1998.
Machin was appointed director of football in August 2000, a position he held for two years.
The second half of our player/manager articles will follow on afcb.co.uk on Sunday.
