Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe calls on fans to help lift Cherries out of rut in crucial Watford meeting

The visit of 19th place Watford presents an opportunity for Bournemouth to find their form and Howe has called for fans to rekindle the atmosphere at the Vitality Stadium

Eddie Howe is facing one of the toughest spells of his career (PA)

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe pleaded to his side’s fans to get behind the team ahead of a vital fixture against Watford on Sunday, admitting that the south coast club “needs points quickly”.

The Cherries have only won three games at home all season and a run of four games without a win in the Premier League leaves them in the relegation zone.

But the visit of 19th place Watford presents an opportunity for Bournemouth to find their form and Howe has called for fans to rekindle the atmosphere at the Vitality Stadium.

At his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s 2pm kick off, the English coach said: “Teams used to really fear coming here. It was a tight stadium with a really good atmosphere. There’s no blame on the crowd because we haven’t performed well enough here this season. A couple of wins is not enough.

“Between now and the end of the season, we need that atmosphere back. We’ll go out with good body language, attitude, mentality and the crowd will back that. I’m desperate to see that this weekend and we have to show how much this game means to us.”

Bournemouth lost their last league game 4-0 to West Ham United and their results this season have not been helped by a string of injuries to important players.

Promising talent David Brooks has missed the season with a serious ankle injury and the Cherries’ defence has been decimated by injuries.

Regarding his injury list, Howe said: “We’re getting there on some, a couple of problems with others. The long-term absentees won’t really change for this weekend but there are a couple that are getting very close now. We’ll wait and see, still got a couple of late calls.”

Despite their injuries, Bournemouth now embark on a run of good fixtures, with four games against teams in the bottom of the table in a row – three of which are at home.

When questioned about whether the Cherries could discover some form, Howe said: “I think it’s fair to say that. Without a doubt this is a massive game for us. The players know that and I’m sure the crowd know how much we’re going to need them this weekend.

“We’ve got a key run coming up against teams in and around us and that’s going to make the difference. We can’t wait any longer – we need points and we need points quickly.”

On the subject of transfers and the January window, Howe revealed that no offers had been received for any of his players and, when asked about whether any players wanted to leave the Vitality, said: “I would certainly hope not – not with the position that we’re in. It’s not a time for that.

“It’s a time for everyone to unite together and to be totally focused on achieving our goals and our aims. It’s a really difficult window to recruit but also to sell any of your top players. The ones that are part of our plans are absolute no-nos as far as I’m concerned.”

Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has returned from a loan spell at Azerbaijani champions Qarabag, but Howe is unsure if he will remain at the club, saying “He’s back with us. He’s trained three or four days and he’s been really good. I don’t know [if he will stay]. That’s a situation where things may change but at the moment he’s part of our group.”