Source: Bournemouth_Echo
Cherries: Howe hails fans and chairman's support
EDDIE Howe guided Cherries to the brink of promotion and then underlined the important role off-field events had played in his team's remarkable transformation.[LNB] The Cherries manager watched as his men defeated Darlington 2-0 to open up an eight-point lead on their rivals and move a step closer to League One.[LNB] Having masterminded the team's pursuit of automatic elevation to the third tier, Howe believes a bright future could be awaiting the Dean Court outfit.[LNB] As well as performances on the pitch, he thinks the stability provided by Eddie Mitchell and the turmoil which came before the current chairman's reign has contributed to Cherries' success story.[LNB] The chairman has come in and he has been fantastic from day one, said Howe.[LNB] He's got the club's interests at heart and that's all you want from the leader of the club. Hopefully, the club will see better times in the coming years.[LNB] I feel good for the fans who have had such tough times in the past few years.[LNB] I'm just pleased for the people of Bournemouth that they've still got a football club to support and, hopefully, a football club playing decent football and one they are enjoying coming to watch.[LNB] Since taking charge on New Year's Eve 2008, Howe has reinvented Cherries, plotting their rapid rise from relegation strugglers to League Two stars.[LNB] He led the club to a Great Escape last season and has continued to defy the odds this term by taking Cherries to within sight of promotion. Those achievements have come against a backdrop of off-field sagas, most recently a transfer embargo and winding-up petition, and last term a points deduction, managerial changes and late payment of wages.[LNB] He said: Going through the tough times is very good any experience like that can only help you. You can draw on it in the future.[LNB] It sounds strange, but I'm really pleased we went through what we did because it made everybody stronger and brought us closer together.[LNB] Mitchell has steered the ship into steadier waters since taking the reins in the summer, staving off a winding-up petition by clearing the club's tax debt last month and then successfully negotiating a relaxation of the embargo.[LNB] When asked about the stability behind the scenes, Howe added: It's made a huge difference.[LNB] The players are no longer thinking about things they shouldn't they are just concentrating on football.[LNB] As a manager, that's all you want them to be thinking about. Last year was very difficult for a number of reasons.[LNB] But, in hindsight, it was all good experience for the players. I think they now appreciate being treated well and things running smoothly off the pitch because they've had it the other way.[LNB] It was a fantastic grounding for all the young lads and, hopefully, it will serve them well in the rest of their careers.[LNB]
