Bournemouth

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Former Bournemouth chairman Jeff Mostyn believes owner Bill Foley has "changed the landscape" at Vitality Stadium since his arrival in 2022.

After stepping down to take up a new role as club ambassador in December 2022, Jeff Mostyn handed the job over to owner Bill Foley and head coach Andoni Iraola, who he believes have done an "incredible" job.

Many would also argue that Mostyn himself was a pivotal figure in the Cherries' ascent to top-flight football, having led the club's takeover in 2007.

"Bill Foley came in overnight and dramatically changed the landscape," Mostyn explained on the Cherries: Unpicked podcast. "It is incredible and I'm so proud of what he has done alongside his big consortium.

"But then the most important person in the football club - Andoni Iraola - arrived in town on a white horse. What he has done is incredible - he is the new messiah, the new Eddie Howe.

"I often think about how lucky this football club has been to have been on this journey - and it has been down to the stability we created over those years from League Two to the Premier League.

"Iraola's style of play is just a joy as well. I've been to 95% of all the games since he took over and I'm the first on my feet. It is a joy to behold."

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Asked whether Bournemouth are in a position to challenge for European football, Mostyn replied: "Using the baby steps analogy, we've got to the Premier League so we have already made the impossible possible.

"European football is taking the impossible to another possible level. It is absolutely achievable for this football club, having got to the cusp of it last season.

"I know the boys have already put a marker down for this season. There is nothing to stop Bournemouth from achieving whatever we set our sights on because Europe is expanding and more clubs are qualifying."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

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Former Bournemouth chairman Jeff Mostyn has revealed all about administrator Gerald Krasner's famous news conference where he nodded his head at the back of the room to confirm he would inject another £100,000 to "save the club from liquidation".

The English businessman - who is often hailed as 'the man who saved Bournemouth' - put his hand into his pocket to save the Cherries from going out of existence, leading a takeover in 2007.

On a special episode of BBC Radio Solent's Cherries: Unpicked podcast, Mostyn explained what really went on behind the scenes:

"I remember Gerald Krasner and David Holiday first telling me the terms of the administration at a breakfast meeting, no holds barred," he said.

"What I was signing up to was a commitment of £500,000, so £100,000-a-month for five months. With hindsight, they were being very conservative about it because we still hadn't saved the club after that.

"The club then needed a further £500,000 from me, so that took the whole thing over seven figures and counting.

"Gerald told me not long after that they had found the buyers and I remember feeling relieved. I'll never forget the moment my wife and I were in Spain having a drink and Gerald rang to tell me the deal had fallen though. It was like the gift that kept on giving.

"On the flight back to England I decided enough was enough, but I don't think I realised the magnitude of his words at the time. There's a big difference between someone saying 'administration' and 'liquidation' - the latter is scary.

"I didn't even realise what was happening before the press conference which was scheduled for my return. Gerald pulled me aside just before it and told me what was going to happen: I was to stand at the back, he was going to say he needed another cheque, and I was to nod in agreement or disagreement.

"He didn't know what my answer would be - but when I'd left my house that morning, my wife and I had already said there was no way I would agree to it. I had already seriously jeopardised my family's financial security.

"But we went into the room, he asked the question and I heard the words: 'Jeff, can I have an answer?' I literally gave it a couple of minutes thought before nodding.

"That crazy nod was the biggest sliding doors moment of my life, apart from meeting my wife. I had no idea what significance it would have for anybody that had any ounce of love for Bournemouth, but it had a stay of execution."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

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Bournemouth are yet to give an exact start date for their Vitality Stadium redevelopment project, but former Cherries chairman Jeff Mostyn says the modernisation and expansion will "lighten up the club's vision" once completed.

If everything goes to plan, the club are hoping work will begin at some point between January and March 2026.

"It is massive news," Mostyn told BBC Radio Solent's Cherries: Unpicked podcast. "It will complete the circle in so many ways.

"Maxim Demin decided that he wanted to invest in players because, as we both always said, we had never seen a seat in a new stadium jump up and score a goal that can keep a club in the Premier League, but we had seen footballers do it.

"That was Maxim's DNA - he was all about making sure we had the players to keep us in the top flight. Bill Foley then had the ability, having taken over the club in its existing form, to complete the task.

"The purchase of Vitality Stadium also elevated the status of the club. So, for a club of our size, these redevelopment plans are huge.

"It is going to look beautiful cosmetically and the players are going to continue feeling like they are part of a huge, professional football club that's here to stay.

"When we're looking at bringing in players, a new stadium will lighten the vision."

Mostyn went on to reveal that he did in fact try to buy the stadium back himself.

"I had been up to structure Dean Court and David Pearl has become a friend of mine," he said. "Whether that helped the long-term relationship I don't know, because I wasn't there at the final negotiations before the purchase.

"We had made many visits to David with numerous offers, but one of the problems we had is that he's a very wealthy man. With interest rates at zero, David would ask us what he was going to do with the money.

"It was like manna from heaven, so nobody in their right mind was going to accept our offer at that time."

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We wanted your suggestions for Bournemouth's all-time best Premier League XI.

And you delivered!

Here's a first bunch:

Will: 4-4-2. Ramsdale, Smith, Huijsen, Ake, Daniels, Ritchie, Arter, Christie, Semenyo, Wilson, Solanke. A blend of legends and good footballers.

Jeff: 4-4-2. Ramsdale, Ake, Huijsen, Zabarnyi, Kerkez, Adams, Cook, Christie, Kluivert, Semenyo, Wilson.

Jon: 4-5-1. Boruc, Smith, Ake, Zabarnyi, Kerkez, Semenyo, Christie, Cook, Lerma, Brooks, King. Most positions pick themselves to an extent. King on his best day up top with Wilson omitted due to injury proneness. Left-back the hardest as arguably on his day Kerkez is the most world-class player in that position that we've had.

Keith: 4-3-3. Boruc, Smith, Cook, Huijsen, Daniels, Ritchie, Christie, Cook, Brooks, Wilson, Semenyo. A real challenge, trying to balance the classic team that rose to the Premier League in 2015 and the current favourites. Hope this has been achieved!

Geoff: 4-4-2. Boruc, Huijsen, Ake, Truffert, Semenyo, Kluivert, Adams, Ritchie, Wilson, King. A Cherries team to beat anyone.

The latest episode of Cherries: Unpicked has landed - and it is a special sit-down chat with Jeff Mostyn.

BBC Radio Solent's Jordan Clark is on hand to take a deep dive into the former Bournemouth chairman's impact at the club.

The pair talk about saving the club, Bournemouth's rise from League Two to the Premier League, working with former owner and chairman Eddie Mitchell, and selling his 50% stake in the club to Maxim Demin in 2011.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport senior journalist

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As Alex Scott waits on a possible England debut on Thursday against a Serbia side likely to include club-mates Djordje Petrovic and Veljko Milosavljevic, it is perhaps an apposite time to look back at which other Bournemouth players have represented the national team.

Scott would become only the third man to win a full cap for the Three Lions while being a current Bournemouth player, after Lewis Cook (for one night only) in 2018, and Callum Wilson, who debuted later that year and won the first four of his nine England caps while with the Cherries.

Jermain Defoe (in his second Bournemouth spell) and Jack Wilshere (in his first) were both named as unused substitutes under Gareth Southgate as their international careers petered out.

The most notable 'home-grown' players to have come through Bournemouth's youth ranks and subsequently play for England are Kevin Reeves, Jamie Redknapp and Danny Ings.

Adam Lallana is a category of his own, having been on the Cherries' books up until age 12 before joining Southampton. He later re-joined Bournemouth on loan in his late teens, before winning England caps while at Saints and Liverpool.

Also capped after leaving Bournemouth were Jack Rowley, Phil Boyer, Tyrone Mings and Aaron Ramsdale, while Dominic Solanke uniquely won England caps before and after his time at Vitality Stadium, having been overlooked while he was there.

Defoe, Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Bertrand, Jack Cork and Morgan Rogers all had loan spells at Bournemouth as teenagers, later earning England caps.

At the other end of the scale, Bert Bliss became the first ex-England player to turn out for Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic (as they were then) in 1925-26, four years after his solitary England appearance.

Charlie George and Luther Blissett were in the twilight of their careers when signing for Bournemouth, while Nathaniel Clyne had a loan spell in 2019 and is still playing for Crystal Palace, nearly a decade since his last cap.

Ex-England internationals who ended their playing days with the Cherries were 1960s player-manager Bill McGarry, David Armstrong, and more recently Darren Anderton, David James and Gary Cahill.

It's international break so let's have a bit of fun to pass the time.

Now we know football existed before 1992 but for the purposes of this little exercise, keep it Premier League please.

So tell us, who would be in your dream Bournemouth's Premier League XI?

The debate starts here.

Send your suggestions

Sam Davis
Fan writer

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Bournemouth's England international!

There have been many shining lights to emerge from the Cherries in recent seasons, but one star boy who has gone under the radar up to this point has been our midfield magician Alex Scott. Now an integral member of Andoni Iraola's side, Alex has been rewarded with his first senior call-up for England - and it is richly deserved.

Dubbed the "Guernsey Grealish" by many, Scott's signing in the summer of 2023 was met with huge excitement by the Bournemouth fans - a real coup with an incredibly high ceiling.

Unfortunately, though, his Cherries career did start with a number of injury setbacks - and this made it difficult for Scott to cement a place in the Bournemouth XI.

However, at 22 years of age, and after staying injury free, he has now firmly arrived on the south coast and is impressing every time he graces the field. It was often a conundrum for Iraola on how to utilise Scott in a regular role, with Alex possessing many qualities to suit both a deeper and a more advanced role in the midfield.

With Tyler Adams being so pivotal in a deeper position, though, it has allowed Scott to play a little higher and try to get on the ball and make things happen for the Cherries.

Tyler does more of the 'dirty work', which enables Alex to roam and be a creative outlet. With Bournemouth and Andoni's current system, Scott has had to adapt and get better in the press, which has added vital components to his game, and he is certainly relishing the challenge.

So while he is a key cog to a well-functioning Bournemouth machine, maybe he can also be a vital new weapon for Thomas Tuchel's England going forward too.

Find more from Sam Davis at Back of the Net, external

Sin bins? Bonus points? Two goals if you score from distance?

Imagine a world in which you could reinvent football.

It's a dream, of course. Just a bit of fun. But stick with us.

What if you had the power to change any of the game's laws and potentially bring to an end countless hours of discussion about handball, offside, video assistant referees, or anything else you want to?

Some of BBC Sport's familiar football faces have offered their own potential rule changes.

Watch them above or read more here

Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott says he is "over the moon" after receiving a "dream come true" first senior England call-up for the World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania.

The 22-year-old played non-league football in Guernsey until December 2019 when he signed a pre-contract agreement with Championship side Bristol City.

"I'm over the moon," Scott said. "It is everything I dreamed for back then.

"Six years ago, I was playing non-league football and I wasn't even sure if I was going to make it as a football player, so to now be in the England senior team is a dream come true.

"When I got the call and he [Thomas Tuchel] told me I was going to be in the squad, it was an unbelievable feeling. I couldn't stop smiling."

Asked about his rise from the eighth tier of English football to the national squad, Scott replied: "I don't think it has sunk in too much yet.

"Everyone's dream is to be in that World Cup squad. The World Cup is a dream of mine, but I'm just taking it one step at a time.

"If I get the chance to play, hopefully I can impress and show what I am capable of."

We asked for your views on Sunday's Premier League game between Aston Villa and Bournemouth at Villa Park.

Here are some of your comments:

Aston Villa fans:

Jon: For once, Villa played on the front foot and battled for every ball in the first half. Emi Buendia was man of the match by a country mile. He tackled, chased and made space for himself and opened up the pitch for others. Simply sublime.

Ian: That's more like it, Villa! Excellent all-round performance and could have scored more but Emi Martinez's penalty save was crucial. Ollie Watkins worked so hard and his goals will come. We now have a very strong bench and when all are fit, Unai Emery will have some difficult decisions to make but that is a good position to be in. My only concern is what is going on with Harvey Elliott. I think he is a real talent and I do hope it works out. Keep the faith!

Prit: Probably Villa's best performance of the season so far. Our transition was much quicker and we actually put our chances away. Bournemouth have been fantastic this season but were just off their pace. Emi Buendia must be contributing to his own goal of the season competition, surely he must be close to a call up for Argentina. Martinez was much better and shoed what a great goalkeeper he is when he concentrates. Still a worry for Ollie Watkins, who just needs a goal bouncing off his backside to bring the confidence back.

Mike: This was a terrific performance from Villa that should really set the benchmark for the rest of the season. When the game started to swing against us in the second half the substitututions made us even more attack-minded which was the perfect strategy. More please!

Bournemouth fans:

Peter: Bournemouth have been on a great run. But this was a wake-up call. The intensity was missing and Villa took advantage of winning the midfield battle with ease. The early clash of heads affected the Bournemouth players and Amadou Onana and John McGinn dominated the game. Bournemouth didn't deserve anything. It could have been a bigger scoreline.

Davie: The keeper is terrible. How people think he is an upgrade on Mark Travers astonishes me.

Mick: Well played Aston Villa and a wake-up call for the Cherries. Two tough away games, as thought we might get a draw out of one of them. I'm sure they will regroup and be much better when we get back from the international break. At least it might take some of the hype away from us and we can get back to flying under the radar.

Bob: Poor defence again. We tired in the last 20 minutes and had a definite lack of physical presence at the back. 4-0 flattered a tired team performance.

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Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott says the side's displays in consecutive defeats - first by Manchester City and then 4-0 at Aston Villa - are "concerning".

Sunday's result left the Cherries ninth in the table going into the third international break of the season.

Speaking after the game, Scott told BBC Radio Solent: "It was a tough game. They're a top team and we knew it was going to be difficult.

"It's two weeks in a row we haven't been good enough, which is concerning, but we have the international break to get things right and a big game against West Ham when we get back.

"The first half was terrible from us. There were a lot of fouls and stoppages, and a few chances early on that if we take, it's a whole different game.

"They took their chances. We were stronger second half, and if the penalty goes in then it's a different last 30 minutes to the game."

Hear more from Scott on BBC Sounds

Pundits Wayne Rooney and Danny Murphy join host Gabby Logan to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Aston Villa 4-0 Bournemouth

• Brentford 3-1 Newcastle

• Crystal Palace 0-0 Brighton

• Nottingham Forest 3-1 Leeds

• Man City 3-0 Liverpool

Timothy Abraham
BBC Sport Journalist

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Plenty of plaudits have come the way of Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola this season for his team's impressive start.

But the supporters who follow Bournemouth on the road might be slightly frustrated by the lack of cutting edge away from home.

They have now won just one of their last six Premier League away games this season.

Against Villa, they had their chances but failed to be decisive in key moments.

Evanilson should have done better with a couple of opportunities - heading against the post from a corner, and miscontrolling when put through on goal.

Iraola was also guilty, perhaps, of a tactical misstep.

Bournemouth were 2-0 down but applying the pressure, and Villa were wobbling.

However, Iraola decided to make a treble substitution just after the hour mark.

From that point, the Cherries lost momentum and rhythm, and Villa killed them off.

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola speaking to BBC MOTD after their 4-0 defeat to Aston Villa: "Everything has gone wrong from the beginning, we had the clash and had to make the change. But it's not a reason to lose. I am worried about the first half. We were poor defensively, it's a warning from the league. We've had two difficult away games but we have not been at our level.

"Three goals from set plays. The first is an amazing goal from Emi Buendia. Three goals from set pieces is too much but it's not just this, we have to focus on the things we can do. We were pushing them a lot in the second half, more like us, but this first 45 minutes worry me a bit.

"We hit the post, had the penalty, clear chances to score at 2-1 and make the end of the game more nervous for them. But we didn't take them, you have to punish them and we didn't."

On Adam Smith: "It was a very hard knock, he was bleeding and I don't know if he lost consciousness but he was not feeling well enough to continue. I feel more calm now because I talked to him and he's fine, he remembers everything. In the moment it was a hard knock and I hope it's not something more serious."

Listen to more from Iraola on BBC Sounds

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Aston Villa's performance

What did you make of Bournemouth's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery makes six changes from their 2-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League during the week.

Matty Cash, John McGinn, Emiliano Buendia, Ollie Watkins, Lucas Digne and Boubacar Kamara are all recalled to the starting line-up.

Ian Maatsen, Victor Lindelof, Lamare Bogarde, Jadon Sancho, Evann Guessand and Donyell Malen all drop to the bench.

Villa XI: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Onana, McGinn, Buendia, Kamara, Rogers, Watkins

Subs: Bizot, Lindelof, Barkley, Tielemans, Malen, Sancho, Maatsen, Bogarde, Guessand

Andoni Iraola makes four changes to the Bournemouth side which lost 3-1 at Manchester City in the Premier League last weekend as Evanilson, Adam Smith, Justin Kluivert and Veljko Milosavljevic all return to the side.

Bafode Diakite, Alejandro Jimenez, David Brooks and Junior Kroupi are the players named among the substitutes.

Bournemouth XI: Petrovic, Truffert, Senesi, Milosavljevic, Smith, Scott, Adams, Tavernier, Semenyo, Evanilson, Kluivert.

Subs: Dennis, Cook, Brooks, Christie, Gannon-Doak Diakite, Jimenez, Adli, Kroupi

There are five games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Aston Villa v Bournemouth - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Brentford v Newcastle - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Crystal Palace v Brighton - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3

• Nottingham Forest v Leeds - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Manchester City v Liverpool (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction from the 14:00 games here

And go here for Man City v Liverpool

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Aston Villa v Bournemouth" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Man City v Liverpool", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Aston Villa were on a really good run until they lost at Liverpool last weekend, and they were quite unlucky at Anfield too.

Even so, I find it very difficult to write off Bournemouth in games like this. They can cause any team problems and I always feel like they will score.

I admire Unai Emery for sticking to his guns tactically. He has his principles and, even with people talking about teams having success by going direct this season, he hasn't changed his approach.

However, that might have given Liverpool a bit of encouragement and it may give Bournemouth some encouragement too.

Playing in the Europa League on Thursday won't help Villa either and that toll of games could catch up with them at some point.

The Cherries rescued a point with a 96th-minute goal in this fixture last season and I have a feeling it will end up all square this time too.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Noel Sliney
BBC Sport senior journalist

Aston Villa will be attempting a sixth home win in a row in all competitions on Sunday (14:00 GMT) at the expense of a Bournemouth side in danger of losing back-to-back games for the first time this season. BBC Sport explores some key themes ahead of the fixture.

Villa struggling up front

A third Europa League victory from four matches on Thursday maintained Aston Villa's recovery from their longest winless start to a season since 1969. Their home record remains formidable, with 20 wins, seven draws and only one defeat – against Crystal Palace in August – from the past 28 fixtures at Villa Park.

Nonetheless, Villa's attacking deficiencies remain. Their tally of nine league goals is the fewest by an Unai Emery-led side after 10 top-flight matches of a season. They'd scored 17 times at this stage last season, and 26 the year before that.

Striker Ollie Watkins, left out of the latest England squad, is rightly under scrutiny for a return of one goal and no assists in 17 games since his winner away to Bournemouth in May. His faltering form is inextricably linked to a wider team issue, with Villa ranking near or at the bottom for a number of attacking metrics in the Premier League this season.

Villa have also lost possession in their defensive third on a league-high 48 occasions prior to the weekend fixtures, and their tactic of playing the ball short from the back will be severely tested by Bournemouth.

Bournemouth press aggressively

The Cherries have consistently been the most active pressers in the Premier League under head coach Andoni Iraola. Data analysts Opta measure the intensity of a team's press using a metric called passes per defensive action (PPDA). It divides the number of opposition passes outside of the pressing team's own defensive third by the number of defensive actions by the pressing team in those areas of the pitch. A lower figure indicates a higher level of pressing intensity and Bournemouth's PPDA of 9.9 is the lowest in the division, as it was last season.

Consequently, Bournemouth rank second only to Brighton for high turnovers – winning the ball in open play 40 metres or less from the opponent's goal. Iraola's side have also scored five goals from counter-attacks, the most in the division prior to the weekend.

Bournemouth's aggressive high press means opponents are launching long passes to avoid giving them a chance to win the ball in dangerous areas. Only Liverpool, who also press high, have faced more long passes this season, but Aston Villa puzzlingly opted not to adopt that tactic during their defeat at Anfield last weekend. A rethink may well be needed by Unai Emery if Villa are to extend their unbeaten league run against Bournemouth to six games.

Image source, Getty Images

On the latest episode of Cherries Unpicked, there's debate over who Andoni Iraola should select to lead Bournemouth's line at Aston Villa on Sunday.

In Friday's news conference - which you can read about below - Iraola explained he has a full squad to choose from, though the Spaniard explained he isn't sure both Junior Eli Kroupi and Evanilson can feature in the same team at this stage, implying Kroupi may need to get more used to English football before he can sustain the physical demands of playing in a role behind Evanilson.

Kroupi has four goals in three league starts, while Evanilson has one in seven.

On Cherries Unpicked former Bournemouth defender Joe Partington said: "If it was me I'd bring Evanilson back in if he's fit. I know Kroupi has scored a lot of goals. I just feel Villa's defence are quite a presence - having said that so are Palace's and Kroupi scored two - so I think Bournemouth have a bit more control of the ball if Evanilson plays up against Konsa.

"Villa's line are pretty strong and stubborn. I feel Evanilson could hurt them. Maybe Kroupi isn't as able to play up against defenders as Evanilson but he has an eye for goal and if Bournemouth can sustain enough possession near Villa's box then Kroupi can come alive.

"I think Evanilson being on the pitch for me just feels like it makes Bournemouth a little bit stronger and gives more presence. It's hard to argue against goals and Kroupi has scored goals. But in terms of what they bring to the team my opinion is to go with Evanilson. I hope he can contribute with some goals that cement the fact he is playing well and doing a good job for the team.

"I think you go with Evanilson if he's fit. If Kroupi is not playing, he'd be rightfully upset but I think for the greater good of the team I would go with Evanilson."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds