Source: Bournemouth_Echo
Cherries: Dear Eddie Howe...
LIFE has an unsettling and disturbing way of creating unexpected opportunities from the most unlikely circumstances. Who could have anticipated that one of the worst administrations that has ever been responsible for the affairs of AFC Bournemouth could have unearthed the most remarkable managerial talent that the club has ever had[LNB] We all knew it wouldn't be possible for an AFCB player to make the England first-team squad, but you did the next best thing by playing for the under-21s. You're a man of great modesty, but I doubt if you can possibly imagine the enormous pride that every one of us felt when you made your début in an England shirt. You were the pride and joy of AFCB then and have continued to be ever since.[LNB] Young supporters cried when we heard that you had been sold to Portsmouth. The older fans were more philosophical. We knew that to progress you had to move on to bigger and better things and you had joined Harry (Redknapp) so it still felt you were part of the family.[LNB] There was also the not unsubstantial matter of the fee, which undoubtedly provided the club with essential income. Little did we know that saving the club from oblivion would be a burden that would be placed on your shoulders again.[LNB] All supporters shared your pain when you suffered your career-threatening injuries. However, it was a measure of your standing and our faith in your ability, determination and will power that so many contributed to raising the funds to bring you back.[LNB] You were one of us, you were our Eddie' and, if anyone could prove the experts wrong, you could. It wasn't to be and we can only imagine what it must have felt like to be told your playing career was over.[LNB] The story wasn't meant to end that way. Roy of the Rovers would have made a remarkable recovery and scored the winning goal at Wembley. Yet again, you managed to get life to imitate fiction by doing the next best thing securing the club's league future with a goal from a legend discarded by a previous administration that had wreaked so much havoc and, bizarrely, created the circumstances that gave you your opportunity when surely you could have least expected it.[LNB] So what did you feel when asked to take over so soon after being allowed to go[LNB] It must have been a combination of fear, trepidation and excitement. And who was writing your script From being redundant to being given the most difficult job in the league in a matter of weeks. Everything was against you. And the reality was most of us thought you were just the cheap option.[LNB] So back to today.[LNB] In more than 40 years of supporting this club, no man has had such an impact on its continued existence. You've taken my club, your club, OUR club from the brink of footballing oblivion to point of pushing for promotion to the second tier for only the second time in its history.[LNB] No Bournemouth manager has ever achieved successive promotions. No-one has even tried without the financial support behind them. But none of them watched the club from the terraces as a lad. None of them was one of us. And none of them was our Eddie'.[LNB] I can only guess what you must be going through now. The reality is that events have conspired to give you an unprecedented opportunity that is unlikely to be repeated in your lifetime. The football industry doesn't work like this any more. This situation is a throwback to the times when players travelled to games on a bus with the same people who cheered them from the stands.[LNB] No Bournemouth manager has been faced with this decision before and, given what you've achieved, and the dire circumstances that you've overcome, I hope no manager will ever be faced with this decision in the future. More importantly, in your career, despite coming so soon, this situation will simply not occur again. So what happens if you walk away now[LNB] You've written your name in the club's history forever as one of the true legends. You've given us your all as a manager and a player. You owe us nothing. You will undoubtedly go on to the highest level and we all know that you will one day be recognised as one of the very best in your profession.[LNB] Whatever your decision, it's been a privilege to watch your success and you will have the undying gratitude of the supporters for what you've achieved for our club. And when your name is mentioned as a future England manager, have no doubt that to the thousands of fans who have supported you through the years and chanted your name, you will always be AFC Bournemouth's, OUR, Eddie Howe.[LNB] Tim Fox, supporter[LNB]
