Eddie Howe calls on Bournemouth players to end Premier League campaign on winning note
A run of one win in eight league games has seen the South Coast side stutter as the season draws to a close
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has called on his players to end their Premier League campaign on a winning note in order to match their feats of last season.
The Cherries currently occupy 11th position in the table and are in no danger of relegation. However, a run of one win in eight league games has seen the South Coast side stutter as the season draws to a close.
Despite that, Howe said that he has no intention of letting the season peter out in the last four games and is targeting as high a finish as possible amidst a handful of inconsistent results in recent weeks.
"Our form since Christmas has been really good but there's a frustration that we haven't really kicked on and found the fluency in the performances we've created," he said.
"We are in exactly the same position as were this time last year, we finished really strongly last season so the challenge is there for us to do that again.”
Bournemouth finished ninth last season and now look set to play a fourth consecutive campaign of Premier League football. The side could also potentially end as high as eighth, which would be the highest-ever finish in the club’s history.
But if their indifferent form continues, a spot in the lower reaches of the table beckons for Howe and his side.
The 40-year-old admitted that he originally targeted the same placing as 2016/17 this year and is disappointed to have seen his team drop into the bottom half recently. He also suggested that ninth is still the target for the Cherries, signifying how crucial the final few games could potentially be.
He said: "It is a motivation; it is something that we want to do. Our target at the start of the season was to do that again so these are important games for us.
"One or two disappointing results and you can tumble down the league.
"We've been picking up points all the way through, and we don't want to lose that position. When you've worked so hard, you've got to finish the season off properly."
Bournemouth play host to Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments