Cherries Chat: Still playing the waiting game

Another week goes by and still the AFC Bournemouth administration circus rumbles on.

It seems an awful long time ago since the club went into receivership in February and there is still no sign of a concrete rescue plan for the club.

Chairman Jeff Mostyn has occupied the position of preferred bidder to take the club forward almost since day one but, despite numerous claims that he had the financial backing to salvage the club, the Dean Court outfit appears to be stuck in the mire.

The start of the new season is getting perilously close and many fans are starting to lose patience.

There is even talk on some fans forums of a breakaway club, a la FC United or AFC Wimbledon, but I cannot see it happening.

The majority of our supporters have invested too much time and emotion in the club to simply walk away and start watching Wessex Premier League football on a Saturday afternoon.

We are constantly reminding the club bosses how much they need us, the fans, how we are the lifeblood of the club.

That is absolutely true but one thing that often goes unmentioned is the fact that we need them just as much as they need us.

Bournemouth is a massive part of our lives and we just cannot let it go, so the attention turns to next season.

We currently have four players on trial but we are unable to sign any of them because of the financial restrictions imposed on the club.

One of those players is former Bristol Rovers and Swindon midfielder Sammy Igoe who, judging from what I saw when he turned out against the Cherries in the past, certainly has enough quality to make an impact in League Two, even if his best days are behind him.

But, even if we were allowed to sign these players, why would they want to join us in our current uncertain financial state?

More importantly, what would it say about their ambition if they did want to sign for us?

It’s time to get things sorted off the pitch so manager Kevin Bond can start making plans for the imminent campaign.

Bond is probably one of the few people at the club to come out of this sorry saga with his reputation enhanced.

At the start of the campaign, as the side struggled for form, he was considered the devil incarnate amongst certain elements of the Cherries faithful and chants of ‘We want Bondy out’ were commonplace at home games.

Now, following a great end to season culminating in a run of six wins and a draw in our last seven which left us narrowly short of survival despite a ten point deduction, his star is on the rise and he was even linked with the vacant managerial post at Leicester City before Nigel Pearson got the nod.

Perhaps compared to the world of administration, compulsory voluntary agreements, due diligence, consortiums, preferred bidders and creditors, the day job of preparing a football team capable of winning matches must seem relatively simple – it does to me, anyway!

For me an even greater achievement than the heroic run at the back end of last season was Bond’s ability to persuade the majority of the players who contributed to stay on despite the boardroom antics and the prospect of starting life in League Two next season with a further fifteen point penalty.

But we are desperately short of squad cover and Bond needs to be able to bring players in.

Last season’s run was based on having a small, tight-knit group of players and that is fine over a period of seven games, but over a season injuries and suspensions will pile up and we are desperately short of back up.

We also have a number of young players for whom this will be their first full season and, realistically, one or two may simply not be up to the pace, or at the very least will need some time away from the front line.

I have always said that this was going to be a long summer but, as the startling lack of progress continues, I am beginning to worry it may not be long enough.