Cherries Chat: The vultures are circling

It’s going to be a long summer for AFC Bournemouth and, if the prophets of doom amongst the Dean Court faithful are to be believed, the off-season could be a permanent one.

The club has been in administration since February, with no sign of light at the end of the tunnel, despite claims by chairman Jeff Mostyn that he had agreed a deal with administrator Gerald Krasner.

Young star Sam Vokes has been sold for an undisclosed (translation: knockdown) fee and last season’s top scorer Jo Kuffour is now also being linked with an exit.

Sunday marks a key date as we have a number of key players whose contracts officially expire on June 1 and they will be free to talk to other clubs.

I can’t blame any of them for walking away from this mess.

Yes, it is a mandatory requirement of any fan to chirp on about players showing loyalty to the club but its time for some hard truths.

These are young men, mostly players rejected from Premiership clubs, who came to the club to play first team football and launch their careers.

I am not questioning the commitment of the squad when they pulled on the shirt last season and many of them produced heroics as we battled in vain to survive drop last season.

But when they have to choose between the uncertainty at Bournemouth and a solid offer from a club at a similar or higher level, their loyalty is to their families.

Footballers have a limited window in which to earn their money and in the lower leagues they have to make the most of any opportunities.

Us Cherries fans are all feeling sorry for ourselves at the moment (as I’m sure you can tell) but we can take solace in the fact that there is always someone worse off.

Poor Gretna lived the dream when they rose from the English amateur leagues to the Scottish Premier League in double quick time.

But the dream quickly turned sour as bankrolling owner Brook Mileson pulled out of the club and life in the SPL proved unsustainable.

Now Gretna have been relegated right back to the third division and any future they face will need to be swallowed down with a large dose of reality.

I hope they can get back on their feat and rebuild the club – if only because they were a banker on a weekend accumulator as they stormed through the lower leagues!