Bournemouth

Tom Jordan
Fan writer

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It is now 11 games unbeaten for Bournemouth after demolishing Newcastle at St James' Park. This came after a well-earned point at Chelsea a few days earlier, and the relentless energy shown by the Cherries was in full force for both encounters.

So, with that being said, you would be excused for not being totally aware of the current 'crisis' Bournemouth find themselves in.

Despite an impressive unbeaten run, the club are currently without 10 first-teamers.

James Hill recently joined Evanilson on the sidelines, along with Enes Unal, Alex Scott, Marcus Tavernier, Adam Smith, Luis Sinisterra, Marcos Senesi, Julio Soler and Julian Araujo, making this particular run of results even more impressive.

Looking at the current available side, there appears plenty of 'square pegs in round holes'. The club's pivotal central midfield cog, Lewis Cook, is having to operate at an alien full-back position, while wideman Dango Ouattara is plugging the gap up top - yet still the Cherries look no worse off.

The players deserve an enormous amount of credit for continuing to play with such high levels of intensity and quality and, quite evidently, coach Andoni Iraola is really sprinkling his magic on the squad.

Whoever is available, Iraola's side play in the same vein - pressing high and aggressively, rarely giving their opponents time to breathe. It is stunning to watch.

It seems as if the gaffer has managed to get every member of the squad buying into the way he wants the game to be played, so whoever is available to him, they go about their jobs and roles in similarly majestic fashion.

There is no need for excuses when you have Iraola, it seems.

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Milos Kerkez will remain at Bournemouth despite interest from Manchester United, but the left-back is likely to move during the summer transfer window. (Florian Plettenberg, Sky Germany), external

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Bournemouth handed Newcastle, one of the Premier League's most in-form teams, a heavy defeat on Saturday in a fantastic display at St James' Park.

The three points sees the Cherries climb to seventh and in the mix of teams fighting for a Champions League spot.

"They will be very, very happy with a place in any European competition," said former Premier League striker Glenn Murray on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"The job Andoni Iraola has done is absolutely superb given the size of the club.

"But I also think you have to give a little tip of the cap to the recruitment department. It is the best group of players Bournemouth have ever had or seen.

"If you get a group where you can believe in them then special things can happen, and special things are happening."

Former Premier League midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker added: "A lot of managers should take note that he does not moan about having a lot of players missing. I admire it.

"The players have bought into him and believe in him. All of the players know their role and they are a well-coached team."

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We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Newcastle and Bournemouth.

Here are some of your comments:

Newcastle fans:

Chris: Newcastle have had a great run of results, and some fantastic performances, but the recent run has flattered defensive frailty. Too much being caught delaying distribution, misplaced passes and poor positioning (leading to reckless tackles and shirt pulls). Overall the team need to be more clinical and relentless.

Anth: Bournemouth were better on the day and deserved to win. They never let us settle and worryingly other teams will see this and no doubt try and replicate it. Eddie needs to regroup and start another run of wins. Bournemouth 'Newcastled' Newcastle.

Christopher: I say as a Magpie, thanks, Bournemouth, for exposing the ludicrous chat as regards our supposed 'title challenge.' We believed the hype and have received a deserved boot up the backside. If we'd just lost out, people might say we were unlucky. We weren't - we got a stuffing. Back to the drawing board for Eddie. And yet another yellow for Joelinton.

Theo: Two games in a row at home that the away team has started quicker than us. We built this run of wins on starting quickly. Maybe this was a bit of overconfidence?

A very off performance from the full-backs, it happens, they're young and improving. Perhaps more protection from midfielders would've helped. Final ball let us down and left Isak isolated.

However, can't complain too much and Bournemouth were excellent. Their movement off the ball to find space was exceptional. We had to drop points at some point, Southampton away (on paper) is a nice next game.

Bournemouth fans:

Bryan: Absolutely demolished Newcastle. It could have been six or seven. Get those passports ready?

Jonathan: To get a result like that at St James' says a lot about the team we have. Even with the amount of injuries we have, the team still believe in themselves and it is such a solid unit. We have a team a fraction of the price of others in the Premier League, but Iraola has them going toe-to-toe with the best.

We've had some horrid periods in our history, but it's an absolute joy to be a Cherries fan right now!

€11m for Kluivert, €10.25m for Semenyo, €26m for Adams. Bournemouth's shrewd transfer deals are paying dividends now.

Tom: Unbelievable, a truly magical performance. Sat in a hospital waiting room, jumping for joy listening and getting strange looks from other patients! Dare to dream, Cherries, dare to dream!

James: As a 50-year-old Bournemouth fan I can't think of a better performance I have ever seen. I can't quite believe what I'm seeing. Considering we have a thread-bare squad due to injuries, every player was superb. A thoroughly deserved win against a flying Newcastle. If I'm dreaming don't wake me up.

Watch highlights and analysis from Saturday's five Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Brentford 0-2 Liverpool

• Arsenal 2-2 Aston Villa

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Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola talking to BBC Match of the Day after today's win: "It was very, very good. I am very proud of the players. We played very well and a very mature game. I can't say a lot. It was a fully deserved win. They are a very good team and you can never feel confident because they always push but we played a very complete game.

"Until they scored we played very well. We were brave and created chances. We finished strong and hats off to my players. I can't say anything else.

"It is difficult to find a better win, it is very difficult. We came into this game very thin and everybody has played their part and a little bit more. As a manager you feel very proud. We have very young players - centre-backs and a left-back and Lewis Cook playing out of position - and having to deal with top players. They were fantastic.

"I was concerned coming in because the difficulty of the game is very hard. They are flying. I was quite confident because of the second-half performance at Chelsea. I saw how we are dealing with the difficult situation. We've been very good.

"Justin [Kluivert] has been amazing. His duels and his defensive work was very good too. He scored very, very beautiful goals. I am happy for him and everyone. The club is working on a centre forward but the winter window is difficult, particularly for this position."

Matthew Howarth
BBC Sport journalist

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Over 20 years have passed since Patrick Kluivert scored his only Premier League goal for Newcastle at St James' Park, in a 3-1 win over West Brom in September 2004.

Another Kluivert was among the goals at the Magpies' home on Saturday, but unfortunately for the home supporters it was Patrick's son, Justin, who was in the thick of the action.

The Dutchman scored his second hat-trick of the season to wreck Newcastle's nine-match unbeaten run and extend Bournemouth's unbeaten streak in the Premier League into double figures - an astonishing achievement given the Cherries' injury list.

After two composed first-half finishes, Kluivert completed his treble in the second half with a magnificent effort after Anthony Gordon had given the ball away cheaply deep inside the Magpies' half.

Milos Kerkez put the seal on a remarkable victory in second-half stoppage time as Bournemouth became the first team since Manchester City in 2021 to win a Premier League match at St James' Park by three or more goals.

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Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo spoke to Premier League Productions after their victory: "It was a crazy performance from us. We just knew we needed to get the press right and if we did we'd get opportunities and as you saw from a couple of the goals we got the press right and got the three points.

"We knew they had moments when they'd keep it at the back and we wanted to catch out the back four. As soon as the goalkeeper passed to the centre back that was our trigger to go and it worked out perfectly.

"Justin [Kluivert]'s finishes were special. He's a top player for us. It was a well-deserved hat-trick."

On Bournemouth's 11-game unbeaten run despite injuries: "It is all mindset. Our mindset is just so strong, we are mentally tough. we go through all these tough moments with injuries but we know collectively we can do it and nobody can tell us differently.

"We are taking it game by game and not putting any pressure on ourselves."

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Bournemouth have won four of their last six Premier League away games (D2), taking more points (14) away from home than any other team since the first victory in this run on November 30th (4-2 against Wolves).

With three goals and an assist today, Justin Kluivert became the first Bournemouth player to be involved in as many as four goals in a single Premier League match.

Bournemouth's Justin Kluivert is just the seventh player to score multiple hat-tricks (2) away from in a single Premier League season, and the first since Raheem Sterling in 2019-20 (also 2).

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Bournemouth's hat-trick hero Justin Kluivert, spoke to BBC Match of the Day after today's win: "It's amazing, wonderful. The best feeling ever.

"We always know we're good. The start of the game is one of the most important things we focus on. That was good today. I'm super proud of the team.

"The squad isn't that big at the moment. We have 12 fit first-team players. A result like this is just amazing. We trust in each other and believe in each other. I think that's the spirit in our team.

"We can go very far. Players will come back from injury who we really need. We can dream big, but we just need to stay humble and keep working hard. We'll see at the end where we can finish."

On his father, Patrick, who played for Newcastle in 2004-05: "I heard I had more goals than him here already, so that is one win over him. It's nice to come here. I followed Newcastle when I was younger. Unfortunately for them, Kluivert now plays for another team."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Newcastle's performance

What did you make of Bournemouth's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

There are five Premier League fixtures on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you all the action.

• Newcastle v Bournemouth (12:30)

• Brentford v Liverpool - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Leicester v Fulham

• West Ham v Crystal Palace

• Arsenal v Aston Villa (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

This is a hard one, because Newcastle are on such a brilliant run - but Bournemouth have not lost for a long time, either.

The Cherries are 10 games unbeaten, since 23 November, while Newcastle would set a new club record of 10 wins in a row if they beat them.

Magpies boss Howe has never beaten his old team in five attempts in the Premier League since he came to St James' Park in 2021, but I am expecting that to change on Saturday.

Bournemouth will score and they are very capable of nicking a victory here, but Newcastle have momentum and belief - and they also have Alexander Isak, who is absolutely flying at the moment.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

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Eddie Howe has been in charge of all 13 Premier League meetings between Newcastle and Bournemouth – however, he has won only two of these 13 games (drawn six, lost five). He is also yet to beat his former side as Magpies manager.

Bournemouth have scored more goals via substitutes than any other side in the Premier League this season (11). With their combined goals and assists, substitutes have been worth 17 points to the Cherries this term, another league-high.

Former Bournemouth captain Steve Cook believes the Cherries can "take advantage of where this league is" and make a concerted challenge for Europe this season.

Cook spent a decade at the club between 2012-2022, a spell that started in League One and included a top-half Premier League finish under Eddie Howe in 2016-17.

However, he wonders if the current crop is even better than the vintage he captained. Andoni Iraola's side are on a nine-game unbeaten run and are eighth in the table, just three points behind Chelsea in fifth.

"The togetherness looks amazing," the now-QPR defender told BBC Radio Solent's Cherries: Unpicked podcast. "It is arguably one of the best Bournemouth teams ever right now. They're pushing heights that the club has never had.

"I really feel like they can make the next step into challenging for Europe which is crazy because you never would have thought that, even when Eddie was in charge. We had a good team then but were still quite far off breaking into the next level of the Premier League.

"I think this Bournemouth team, even with a lot of injuries, can really take advantage of where this league is at.

"They're still getting fantastic results which shows the kind of team they are. It's not necessarily down to individuals. They obviously have extremely talented footballers but as a group they are so strong.

"When they lose players, others are ready to come in and take their opportunities. I think that's something the manager really insists on - being ready to play and excel on the pitch."

But what do you think, Bournemouth fans?

Is this the best Cherries team you have seen?

And what is the secret to their fine season?

Let us know here

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Former Bournemouth defenders Steve Cook and Joe Partington agree Antoine Semenyo would be a "nightmare" to defend against.

Semenyo, 25, won a penalty before thundering in a fine strike in Tuesday's 2-2 draw with Chelsea to take his goal contributions tally to six Premier League goals and two assists this season.

"I think he's been a defender's nightmare," former Bournemouth captain Cook told the Cherries: Unpicked podcast. "He's got everything; pace, power and technical quality.

"Bournemouth's game is about getting the ball forward as quickly as possible and getting their forwards into the game and exposing back fours.

"He is everything that the manager and staff have wanted. When he plays well, the teams plays well. He gets them up the pitch, he can finish and he takes people on.

"What an amazing signing for the club. Everyone around him is given the service and freedom to play. The players seem like they complement each other and Semenyo has really taken advantage of the stability behind him to play freely."

The Ghana winger has started all 20 Premier League games he has been available for this season - missing one through suspension - with Andoni Iraola's side eighth in the table, four points behind Newcastle in fourth.

"At the moment, he keeps hurting every team he plays against," added Partington. "He's a nightmare to defend against.

"If you face him up, he goes past you, if you get tight to him, he'll roll you. If you let him shoot, he'll score. He can chop and fake and you never really know what you're going to get from him.

"He's playing amazingly well."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Henry Brownsey
BBC Sport journalist

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game at Newcastle (kick-off 12:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On the club's striker search: "It's not close - it's difficult in the market. No-one wants to get rid of number nines. It's a position you sub a lot and you want just in case. The club continues to work on it and we have a lot of days in the market."

• Despite their striker problems, they have scored seven goals in their past two games: "Everyone has been contributing. The amount of chances is bigger - we don't depend on one goalscorer. As long as we keep performing well someone, is going to score goals."

• On other targets: "We are not specifically targeting anything other than a number nine. When the market is open, you never know. If some great player becomes available - why not?"

• He dismissed questions about outgoings, saying: "We are very short of players so we cannot lose anyone."

• On injuries: "It's not going to be the most difficult starting XI to guess. We are not going to recover anyone from the other day. Half the teams in the Premier League have seven, eight or nine injuries - but in our very short squad, we suffer it more."

• On the 10-game unbeaten run in all competitions: "The big merit is the players that we have healthy and available - they have all the excuses to take but they don't. They keep fighting and doing their job and extra, in whatever position and condition. I admire them - it's not easy."

• On Newcastle: "It's going to be very difficult - they are flying, they have players in great form especially [Alexander] Isak and [Anthony] Gordon. Their midfield is super strong, they have a very good squad and almost everyone is available. It's going to be very tough but we are in a good spot - we finished super strong against Chelsea and we are ready for the challenge."

• On Eddie Howe, who he respects and gets on well with: "We don't speak before the games - there is no communication one to two weeks before we play. But we will probably speak after. He is a top coach. Every season he has been there, they are playing very well.

• Are they title contenders? "They are not so far off Arsenal, who are title challengers. It's not a question for me."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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A new episode of Cherries: Unpicked is available to listen to and download on BBC Sounds.

Jordan Clark is joined by former Bournemouth defenders Joe Partington and Steve Cook to analyse an excellent performance from Andoni Iraola's injury-hit team in Tuesday's 2-2 draw at Chelsea.

Cook and Partington also look back on their time on the the Cherries, where they played together between 2012 and 2015.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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We asked you for what's the one thing - good or bad - that nobody is talking about at Bournemouth but really should be?

Here are some of your comments:

Patrick: We're still not strengthening the squad from a striker and potential goal scorer perspective. We are not clinical enough with our attempts on goal and need to address this.

Ben: Tyler Adams' performances and influence on games is remarkable, especially given his lengthy spells out of the side. He protects the backline and gets things going when we're on the attack. It's so pleasing to see him playing.

Wing: One thing we must really appreciate is how well our backroom staff (on and off the pitch) has done at Dean Court to elevate this club to this level.

We had Sean O'Driscoll as manager in the early 2000s and he taught his players to use their initiatives on the pitch in-game and be tactically astute.

What that has produced was the likes of Eddie Howe, Stephen Purches and Jason Tindall - who plucked us out of lower leagues into the top flight with their adventurous endeavours - and are now flourishing with one of the top clubs in the top flight. Now, as Andoni calls them - "Tom and Shaun" - we have Tommy Elphick and Shaun Cooper flanking our brilliant manager on matchdays, taking in info and suggesting tactical moves with him.

We have a balance of grounding in tradition - in terms of staff who have the best interests of the club at heart - and new innovations combined to provide AFC Bournemouth with the perfect harmony for more venturing into to more uncharted territory.

John: With Forest doing well it's taken the spotlight off the Cherries somewhat. Long may this attitude continue. We will quietly go about what we do best and see were we end up at the end of this campaign.

JD: No one is talking about the fact we have 12 fit first team squad members (with Hill going off injured against Chelsea). The squad is absolutely threadbare and simultaneously relying on very inexperienced players. The fact we let Aarons and Billing leave in this window while seemingly having no replacements inbound, or recall clauses in for the seven players out on loan at other clubs, seems very naïve for what the second half of the season will bring. We are one more injury away from having to field inadequate youth players in what is potentially our best season in history. Despite all Iraola's amazing work he could yet be scuppered by the lack of squad available to him through injuries and poor decision making from the recruitment department.

Watch highlights and analysis from eight midweek Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Chelsea 2-2 Bournemouth

• Nottingham Forest 1-1 Liverpool

• Everton 0-1 Aston Villa