Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
You may have almost forgotten the fact that Bournemouth earned an impressive 1-1 draw away at Old Trafford last Saturday such has been the furore over the Tyrone Mings and Zlatan Ibrahimovic skirmish. Ibrahimovic would eventually pick up a 3 match ban after accepting a charge for Violent Conduct but it seems that the F.A. were not so merciless when it came to Tyrone Mings.
That is because he has been handed a 5 game ban for his apparent stamp on Ibrahimovic, a blow not only for the player who has missed so much of his Bournemouth career through injury but also the club itself as they look to stay clear of the teams fighting the drop.
That point would have been incredibly welcome after a barren run of results which saw them lose their last four matches prior to their trip to Manchester last Saturday. That said Eddie Howe’s side still have not won any of their last eight league games but at least the rot has been stopped temporarily.
Today they will look to build on that hard earned draw when West Ham make the trip to The Vitality Stadium. Bournemouth currently find themselves 5 points clear of the relegation zone and with a lot of teams not in action today it gives them the chance to pull further clear and put the onus back on the teams below them.
To do so they are going to have to get the better of a West Ham side who are the latest team to full by the wayside at the hands of this all conquering Chelsea side. Monday saw the two London sides go head to head and Antonio Conte’s men exacted revenge for being dumped out of the EFL Cup earlier in the season.
Going into this game West Ham find themselves in 11th but they know that a win could see them step back into the top half of the table. It seems as if they, Stoke and Southampton are going to be duking it out for places 9-11 in the Premier League this season with all three obviously wanting a top half finish come May.
If West Ham are to return to the top half of the table then they will have to bring an end a run of results which has seen them unable to win any of their last three. Although at the same time in that run they had managed to draw two and the other was the aforementioned defeat to Chelsea so perhaps no real cause for any concern.
A win would be most welcome for both sides but definitely more so by Bournemouth but with neither team coming into the game with any real remarkable form it could be a close one to call. West Ham have the edge in regards to form but Bournemouth will be spirited by their draw at Old Trafford. I think this also could end up as a share of the points this Afternoon.
