As the sun set on Boscombe beach last Sunday night any glimmer of hope to stay up had been extinguished as AFC Bournemouth’s Premier League status was no longer… the back door had been flung wide open.

After a convincing 3-1 victory over a lethargic Everton side Eddie Howe’s men were left wondering what could have been as their fairytale in  English top flight football had come to an end as Aston Villa drew 1-1 with West Ham to condem their fate.

FROM RAGS TO RICHES…

Despite having a poor season this time round and ultimately getting relegated what has been achieved down at the Vitality stadium is nothing short of remarkable, a real life fairytale! It is the classic story of rags to riches, a Cinderella moment, as the plucky underdogs beat off their rivals to dine at the top table of English football.

Since its inception the Premier League has had many underdog stories, most notably the Leicester City title winning side of 2016. An incredible achievement but when you take a look at what Bournmouth have been through and in such a short time its hard to find a better fairytale than theirs.

Arise Sir Howe…

It all started back in 2009 as the club seemed all but doomed to drop out of the football league. Then came their Knight in shining armour…Eddie Howe.

After successfully keeping them up in his first full season despite a 17 point deduction,h the young english coach oversaw three promotions, first in 2009/10 to League 1, 2011/12 to the Championship and finally their ascension to the holy grail… the Premier League in 2015/16 as champions no less.

In the space of 6 years this popular seaside town went from almost non-leaguers to Premier League ballers… the fans were living their happy ever after.

WHAT WENT WRONG?

Fast forward 5 years and the fairytale appears to be over and did they do enough to keep the dream alive?

This season’s relegation now poses some difficult problems for the South coast outfit. After 5 years the club have little to show for their Premier League experience, no new stadium built, still waiting for approval for their training ground and an inflated wage bill is probably the only legacy their fans will see as they slide down into the Championship

Despite the club’s great efforts over the last decade I feel a sense of missed opportunity. Norwich had given up on trying and it showed but Bournemouth did try…kind of?!

Plenty of players were bought but many re-sold or used in an ineffective way. Flops such as Jordan Ibe and Lys Mousset are proof of such mediocrity. However most Bournemouth fans ( and I know a few!) Would argue for every flop there have been two success’ Ake, Brooks, Lerma and Callum Wilson.

These players have had average seasons this year and with players like Cook, Daniels, Francis and Smith all having over performed for so long the cracks were just too big to paint over this year. Now, I am not going to say that players cannot improve and rise through the leagues but Premier League survival often goes hand in hand with Premier League experience, just take a look at David Moyes at West Ham or Roy Hodgson at Palace!

Bournemouth needed more leaders  and Premier League experience on the pitch and after some underwhelming defensive signings you can start to see where Bournemouth’s troubles lay. Diego Rico and Chris Mepham joined and although both are good young prospects, where was the nous, the experience and fundamentally the quality that they needed?

WHAT WILL THEY DO NOW?

The sad fact is that Bournemouth just weren’t good enough and if truth be told they had been punching above their weight for some time now. The real concern is how do they approach next year?

As the financial power of the Premier League abandons them to their second tier fate. A squad clear out is likley to happen with key asssets such as Ake, Brooks and Callum Wilson to be sold to generate funds. It still leaves them with with a squad full of young talent that will hopefully entertain us again with their attractive style, as we have become accustomed too.

The real question is… can they keep the fairytale alive or has this story finally come to an end?