Source: Bournemouth_Echo
Cherries: Quinn couldn't manage him, but Howe Pitman could miss Eddie...
BRETT Pitman could have been plying his trade at another seaside resort two years ago under Jimmy Quinn. But Pitman looked more likely to end up somewhere like Eastbourne Borough on loan than Blackpool as Quinn opted to dub the Jerseyman an impact sub in this very newspaper. He's certainly a goalscorer, said Quinn at the time. But at this moment in time, I feel he's an impact player. I think to start him on a regular basis would probably be too much because he's a young player and a lot of it is psychological. Even Quinn could well be laughing at how unbelievably wrong he was as, 42 league goals from 69 league games under Eddie Howe later, Cherries are in League One and Pitman is up in Lancashire discussing personal terms with a Premier League club. Any move could depend on how much Pitman rates the sunshine of the south coast against the chance to play against Manchester United and Arsenal, of course. But the Channel Islander has never been your stereotypical striker. He's goal-hungry, sure just ask Maxi Gradel about that penalty squabble back in 2007. But whether the chance to lock horns with the likes of John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic means more to Pitman than being at Dean Court with his mates, only Pitman will know. Regularly described as enigmatic and mecurial, Pitman is frequently mis-read and often misunderstood. The simple arm waving and huffing and puffing on the pitch masks much more. A Channel Islander who knows where his home is, Pitman is actually a deep thinker and he won't take the prospect of upping sticks to the other end of the country lightly. Indeed, whoever gets to show him round Bloomfield Road today will probably be lucky to get two words in return as he contemplates his future. Of course, he needs to be managed. Kevin Bond and Quinn couldn't do it, but Eddie Howe could and the results have been nothing short of miraculous. Howe's arm and Pitman's shoulder are almost the perfect double act. But Brian Clough was nothing without Peter Taylor and it remains to be seen, should Pitman put pen to paper in the North West, whether he would be the same player without Howe's guidance.