AFC Bournemouth
Boss Eddie Howe insisted he would draw on his wealth of experience in the game to help AFC Bournemouth through “a difficult moment”.
Howe will tomorrow take charge of his 528th game in management when he leads the Cherries into battle against Premier League rivals Norwich City.
The Carrow Road clash comes almost 11 years to the day since Howe took the reins for the first time having been appointed permanently with the club ten points adrift of safety in League Two.
Since then, Howe has presided over three promotions, guiding the Cherries from the depths of the Football League to the top flight in his two spells as manager.
The club’s meteoric rise started against a backdrop of uncertainty, with Howe forced to overcome several major hurdles during his early years in management.
He also fought periods of adversity in his playing career, spending almost two years out injured soon after leaving Dean Court for Portsmouth in March 2002.
And with the Cherries looking to pull away from the Premier League relegation zone, Howe said he would continue to work tirelessly in a bid to turn the tide.
Asked at his pre-match press conference whether he could draw on his time as a manager in League One to help the club through its current run, Howe replied: “It’s not so much the League One days, it’s more the League Two days.
“The first few weeks and months here were incredibly difficult. We were in League Two and looking like we were going into the Conference. We were in a huge relegation battle. I’ve been in this position lots of times.
“As a player, I was in this position hundreds of times – written off, not good enough and injured for two years sitting in a treatment room with no idea when I was going to be fit or kick a ball again.
“From the outside, people look at it and say “everything has always been rosy at Bournemouth, it’s been easy”.
“Far from it. Far, far from it on so many different levels. This isn’t new territory for me – trying to prove people wrong and trying to lift the team. The reality is a couple of positive results and things will look very different.”
Howe was also asked whether he felt as hungry as he ever had to prove people wrong: “Yes, of course. I would know deep down if I was spent or if the creative juices weren’t going.
“I don’t want to be deluded either. I don’t want to say everything is great and I’m great when the results say the opposite so I’m not in that position either. I’m just working as hard and as smart as I can to try to change results.
“I’ve always said in good or bad moments, the key thing for me is finding ways to improve. It’s a difficult moment, a negative moment so we’ve got to find ways to improve and change our results and performances.
“I’m absolutely confident we can do that. I’ve seen a good reaction from the players this week. They are very focused and very driven to help us out of the position we’re in and change the mood so that’s what we’ve got to do.”
Asked whether this was his hardest moment as a league manager, Howe replied: “I’m here rain or shine. I try to be very consistent with my message and how I work with my players.
“When you’re winning games and having successful spells, I try to improve my players and find the next part of their game to improve and take to the next level.
“That should not change when you’re not winning games and when you’re not being as successful as you want to be. My aims are to improve the team and each individual to become the best players they can be.
“There is a huge expectation for the team to get results and I understand that and that will never leave me either because you want to win and you want to win well.
"But all I can do is affect each player and try to get them to deliver for the team.”
The reality is a couple of positive results and things will look very different.
