Bournemouth

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport senior journalist

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Sporting records are like piecrust: made to be broken. Aren't they?

As Bournemouth rose through the divisions, former manager Eddie Howe would make sure his squad were aware of when new landmarks were being set.

Before the Bolton game in 2015 which secured promotion to the Premier League, he showed his players a video of the club's history to that point, inspiring them to take that final step to the big time.

A decade later, Andoni Iraola would take great pride as his Cherries side eclipsed Howe's records of their highest top-flight points tallies and league placings, with a sixth-placed finish last term unlocking the door to Europe.

When Marco Rose's Cherries kick off against Real Sociedad in the Europa League in the Basque Country on Thursday evening, a record will be broken, San Sebastian overtaking Blyth as the furthest Bournemouth have ever travelled for a competitive match.

"Blyth Spartans" are two words which still strike terror into long-standing Cherries supporters, evoking memories of 16 December 2008, one of the darkest nights in the club's history.

In an FA Cup replay broadcast live to the nation on Setanta Sports, the Dorset side lost captain Shaun Cooper to injury after nine minutes, lost substitute Brett Pitman to a straight red card five minutes after he came on, and lost the game to a late goal by Blyth substitute Ged Dalton, a student who did not even train full-time with the Conference North giant-killers.

Blyth is north of Newcastle and further from Bournemouth than Carlisle, and it was a long journey back for the away supporters whose side at the time was teetering on the brink of relegation to non-league football, and/or potential financial oblivion.

Thankfully for those who kept the faith, AFC Bournemouth are now largely unrecognisable as a club from those days - and rather than planning trips to Blyth or Carlisle, their Europa away games will take them to Real Sociedad, Sparta Prague, Celta Vigo and Lillestrom.

Fans have had the novelty of scrambling to book overseas travel and accommodation, with the 74th San Sebastian International Film Festival, external (which begins on Friday) exacerbating the battle to find hotel rooms.

But even the rain forecast for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday will surely not dampen the spirits of those travelling Cherries.

To paraphrase Peter Pan: to play in Europe, will be an awfully big adventure.

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Marc Webber
Final Score reporter at Vitality Stadium

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The next seven days will bring the biggest moments so far in Bournemouth's 127-year history.

Some 2,000 fans are on their way to see their side play in their first Europa League match in San Sebastian on Thursday.

And Sunday sees the return of the man that got them into Europe, as Andoni Iraola brings his Liverpool side to Vitality Stadium.

Right now, as a result of Bournemouth failing again at the weekend to pick up a league win, it is hard to choose which one of those games is the most important for the club.

But there is no sense of an early season panic after the latest draw.

Sitting in Marco Rose's post-match news conference on Saturday gave me Bob Marley vibes - because, despite missing out on Bournemouth's first Premier League win under his tenure at the fourth time of asking, the theme was much "every little thing is gonna be alright" in terms of them eventually converting draws into victories.

There was no fretting over the dropped points and a staunch defence of keeper Djordje Petrovic, whose erratic clearance straight into the path of Brentford's Kevin Schade 56 minutes in allowed him to take away the lead which Bournemouth regained in the second half.

And while number nine Evanilson has yet to contribute with goals, the manager was keen to highlight his new role as assist king.

The way he settled the ball and then fed Marcus Tavernier for Bournemouth's second was impressive. It was Evanilson's third assist in four games.

Rose's calm belief that wins will come was shared by Justin Kluivert in BBC Radio Solent's post-match interview, so there is a strong sense of unity coming out of the club.

While many Bournemouth fans will be excited about their Europa League debut, experienced European football manager Rose may actually feel more at home in Thursday's game than playing Sunday in the Premier League, which he admits he is still getting a feel for.

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Brentford and Bournemouth.

Here are some of your comments:

Brentford fans

Brahams: First of all, lucky to get a point. Defensively, I think maybe having a changing back four (can't be helped through injuries) is causing us some headaches. Potentially in midfield as well. Just feels like we need some stability. But, I know we will be a very dangerous team this season.

Stanley: We need to start turning draws into wins if we want to qualify for Europe, but we were actually lucky to steal a point. It has still been a good start to the season, but just not very convincing.

Sampson: A fair result in the end. I'm happy with most of the performances, but a bit worried about our centre-back problem. I think we should have signed one in the summer.

Rob: We were very fortunate to come away with a point. I struggle to understand some of our substitutions. Thiago is not in good form and should have been benched for Wilson if we were going for the three points. The like-for-like subs are really annoying when we should be looking for tactical subs to change the game.

Bournemouth fans

Kirsi: The players are doing amazingly with Rose's tactics and our style of play has been really good and entertaining in these past few fixtures. Only problem is we aren't efficient enough and are wasting way too much shots on target. It could have easily been our first win versus Brentford in years, but the wait will unfortunately extend into 2027.

Terry: If Marco wants to thrive in charge of Bournemouth he needs to find the courage to give our finishers more time. Against Lincoln they had 12-plus minutes and helped turn 2-0 into 4-0. Against Brentford he only gave them eight-plus minutes. Those late chances before the subs came on might have been converted with fresh legs and sharp minds.

Sid: Some of the build-up play is the most exciting ever from Bournemouth. Unfortunately, the finishing is so poor and there are too many individual defensive errors so far.

Paul: Encouraging performance in terms of chances created but still not putting them away. Missing a natural goalscorer like Eli Junior Kroupi up front. I would think about giving Alvaro Rodriguez an extended run to see what he can do.

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Bournemouth winger Justin Kluivert, speaking to BBC Radio Solent on Saturday's 2-2 home draw against Brentford: "Definitely you could say frustrated on the one side, but on the other side is also the chances that we create.

"It's a lot and we draw a lot - it's a bit frustrating. But, on the other side, I am happy that we are the team that creates a lot and eventually we will score three goals, four goals in a game and it will kill the game.

"We just need to focus on conceding and the mistake at the 2-2, that won't happen every game. We had a lot of chances also with Rayan today - next game they will go in because I know the quality he has.

"I am happy we are front-footed and we are creating those chances. Without the chances you won't score so let's keep making the chances and we will score eventually."

Listen to the full chat by pressing play below or on BBC Sounds here

For all the reaction to Bournemouth's 2-2 draw against Brentford on Saturday, listen to the latest episode of the Cherries: Unpicked podcast on BBC Sounds.

BBC Radio Solent's Jordan Clark and former Bournemouth defender Joe Partington break down the point earned against the Bees, the chances squandered, and preview the club's European bow on Thursday against Real Sociedad.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore all Bournemouth content on BBC Sounds

Liverpool could break their transfer record to sign 20-year-old Bournemouth forward Rayan next summer, should they choose to meet his £130m release clause which will become active in 2027. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist

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Marco Rose will be wondering what he must do to get that first league win on the board.

Bournemouth were the first to score in each of their opening three league fixtures but still arrived at this game searching for a victory under their new head coach.

Tuesday's 4-0 win against Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup finally handed the German his first win as the Cherries boss and was a performance that raised hopes they could carry the momentum into the weekend.

However, they had to battle their way to a point after going behind.

And the hosts will feel they had done enough to win as they passed up a number of gilt-edged chances over the 90 minutes.

Silva's free header went wide early on, while Rayan failed to hit the target from the rebound after Caoimhin Kelleher's save shortly after Brentford opened the scoring.

Alex Scott also ballooned an effort over after excellent work from Evanilson and then Ben Gannon-Doak couldn't find that last-gasp winner.

Bournemouth's attention will now turn to their continental debut at Real Sociedad in their Europa League opener on Thursday.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Bournemouth's performance

What did you make of Brentford's display?

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Monday for a selection of your replies.

Image source, Getty Images

Former England striker Ellen White on Final Score: "The momentum ebbed and flowed. I think Bournemouth will be frustrated not to have gotten the three points. It was obviously a bit of a calamity at the back.

"Bournemouth had a lot more chances in that second half to obviously get the three points, so Brentford probably feel lucky to come out with a point."

Bournemouth manager Marco Rose speaking to BBC Match of the Day: "We were behind for the first time this season, we reacted well, and lucky me, we didn't concede a late goal. We had more chances, more possession, we were the best team.

"Brentford is a tough opponent, they are good for second balls and have quite big guys and ballers as well. I liked how we competed, the way we defended in most situations. I like the way we attacked, our attitude. We were unlucky in a couple of situations, so we just get a point."

On goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic's mistake for the Brentford equaliser: "It is about how we react. We are a team, we do mistakes together. Even at 2-2, I think we can win the game. So now we go for Thursday [in the Europa League], that is a big thing for the club."

Did you know?

• Bournemouth became the first team to have led in each of their first four games of a Premier League season and fail to win any of them (D3 L1).

• Marcus Tavernier scored his 21st goal in the Premier League for Bournemouth, making him just the sixth player to score more than 20 in the competition for the Cherries, after Joshua King, Callum Wilson, Antoine Semenyo, Dominic Solanke, and Justin Kluivert.

Hear more from Rose on BBC Sounds

There are seven games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Aston Villa v Nottingham Forest

• Bournemouth v Brentford

• Chelsea v Hull City - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Crystal Palace v Ipswich Town

• Liverpool v Fulham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Tottenham v Everton (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Sunderland v Arsenal (20:00)

Kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated.

Follow all of the action and reaction here

How to follow the Premier League weekend across the BBC

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on your smart speaker. Just say "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Chelsea v Hull City" or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play the Everton match", for example.

New this season: Live match updates

Fans of Premier League clubs can now get real-time scores live on their phone lock screen for every game.

Simply follow your favourite football teams on the BBC Sport app for updates throughout the 2026-27 season.

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New this season: Match of the Day Predictor

Simply predict the outcome of the six fixtures we've selected from across domestic and European competitions every week.

Players can join at any time, get involved with the latest round and start building a streak.

Read more about it here

You can find the predictor in the navigation bar at the top of this page, or on this link

To say Bournemouth keep on throwing it away is a bit harsh, but they have been ahead in all three of their league games so far and not won any of them.

Will they see this one through? I am not sure, but I like the way Cherries boss Marco Rose talks when he has been interviewed after games. He is a bright guy and he will get things right.

I was spot on with my prediction for Brentford's 1-1 draw with Sunderland last week, but the Bees were actually lucky to get a point in the end.

Brentford will play on the counter-attack here and Bournemouth will have a go at them, so this smells like a draw to me.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Sophie Brown
BBC Sport journalist

Bournemouth are looking for a first Premier League victory over Brentford.

The Cherries have led in all three of their league games this season, yet failed to win any of them.

Two points from three matches so far probably isn't a fair reflection on how Marco Rose's side have played, but they have developed a habit of crumbling late on in games. Four of the five goals they have conceded have been after the 84th minute, with two of those coming in stoppage time.

In contrast, all of the four league goals scored by Bournemouth have come in the first half. Against Newcastle last weekend, they had 13 shots in the first half, with five on target; after the break, they had four shots, none of which were on target.

"In the second half, we dropped a bit in everything," admitted head coach Rose after Bournemouth were pegged back from 2-0 up by an 88th-minute equaliser.

They started to put that right in midweek, with three second-half goals from a much rotated line-up giving them a 4-0 League Cup win over Lincoln City, which was Rose's first competitive win in charge.

But now Bournemouth need to transfer that to the Premier League, where they have lost seven points from winning positions this season, more than any other team – and 29 since the start of 2025-26, the joint-highest in the division.

Brentford are unbeaten this season but have also been struggling to kill off games in the league, having let a lead slip in their past two top-flight matches.

The Bees have drawn nine of their past 13 Premier League games (W2, L2), and have amassed 11 draws in 2026 - second only to Bournemouth, who have drawn 12.

The latest concession of a lead came last weekend when Sunderland grabbed a draw through an Enzo le Fee penalty in the 82nd minute.

Giving away penalties has also been something of an Achilles heel for Brentford in recent times. They have conceded more than any other Premier League side since the beginning of last season, with six goals coming from the nine spot-kicks they have given up.

On the flip side, they have earned more than any other side in that time, but they are the only team in this Premier League campaign to miss a penalty – that happened in the opening match of the season when Igor Thiago hit the post with his against Tottenham.

Bournemouth boss Marco Rose has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Brentford (15:00 BST.)

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Rose said Bournemouth must "continue to perform well" after their dominant win over Lincoln, adding that they were good in their first three league games despite conceding late goals.

• He said the side must take confidence from their cup performance into the weekend: "We should use this result and the performance, it was really impressive, never mind that we played a Championship club."

• On injuries, Rose said Veljko Milosavljevic is "most likely" to return first, followed by Amine Adli. Junior Kroupi is expected back at the beginning of November, while Julian Araujo is also expected to return that month, but later than Kroupi.

• Rose said he has been "really impressed" with new signing Antonio Silva, adding that the centre-back looks as though he has played in the Premier League for "multiple years" despite only arriving at Bournemouth in the summer.

• Rose, whose birthday is on Friday, said he would celebrate with his "football family" in Bournemouth and that a win against Brentford would be a good way to start it.

• On Brentford's main threats, Rose said: "They defend well as a team, their high pressing is good. Their transition, they have fast players. Igor Thiago is a good target player, Mikkel Damsgaard is a good number 10. They have quality everywhere on the pitch, and every situation."

• "I have 21 competitive players and I have some difficult decisions," he said when asked about team selection. "Better to do it like this than to have issues."

• Rose said he remains positive about Bournemouth's chances of beating Brentford: "We just have to take the challenge and be confident. Be aware of the quality of Brentford but I'm quite positive we are in a spot where we're able to win this game."

Got a question about Bournemouth? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts.

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The Premier League has announced it will stage seven matches on Boxing Day this year after releasing its festive schedule.

Four fixtures will be staged at 15:00 GMT, with further matches played at 12:30, 17:30 and 20:00.

The fixture programme for 26 December, which falls on a Saturday in 2026, is considerably bigger than last year, when one game was held.

Three matches will be played on Sunday, 27 December, while three further rounds of games will be held over a period up to Thursday, 7 January.

A round of evening midweek fixtures will staged on 29-30 December, while Leeds will host Everton (20:00) for the only match on New Year's Day.

The remainder of that round will be held over the weekend of 2-3 January, with the fourth round of games spread across the evenings of 5-7 January.

The Premier League has brought forward the announcement of fixture scheduling over the Christmas and New Year period after consultation with both broadcast partners and the Football Supporters' Association and representatives from club Fan Advisory Boards.

Television scheduling for Premier League fixtures has been announced up to Monday, 2 November, with broadcast selections for the remaining games in November and December to be announced in the weeks commencing 21 September and 19 October respectively.

The Premier League has guaranteed clubs at least a 60-hour break between fixtures over the festive period to address the concerns over a congested festive schedule that follows recent expansions of the European and international calendars.

Premier League Christmas and New Year schedule

Saturday, 26 December

12:30 Aston Villa v Leeds

15:00 Everton v Sunderland

15:00 Fulham v Brighton

15:00 Ipswich v Brentford

15:00 Spurs v AFC Bournemouth

17:30 Hull v Liverpool

20:00 Newcastle v Manchester City

Sunday, 27 December

14:00 Coventry v Chelsea

16:30 Manchester Utd v Nottingham Forest

19:00 Crystal Palace v Arsenal

Tuesday, 29 December

19:30 Hull v Leeds

19:30 Spurs v Brighton

20:15 Everton v Manchester City

Wednesday, 30 December

19:30 Coventry v Brentford

19:30 Crystal Palace v AFC Bournemouth

19:30 Fulham v Arsenal

19:30 Manchester United v Sunderland

19:30 Newcastle v Nottingham Forest

20:15 Aston Villa v Liverpool

20:15 Ipswich v Chelsea

Friday, 1 January

20:00 Leeds v Everton

Saturday, 2 January

12:30 Brighton v Manchester United

15:00 Arsenal v Ipswich

15:00 Brentford v Crystal Palace

15:00 Liverpool v Coventry

15:00 Nottingham Forest v Fulham

15:00 Sunderland v Hull

17:30 AFC Bournemouth v Aston Villa

Sunday, 3 January

14:00 Chelsea v Newcastle

16:30 Manchester City v Spurs

Tuesday, 5 January

19:30 Arsenal v Brentford

19:30 Brighton v AFC Bournemouth

19:30 Everton v Aston Villa

19:30 Nottingham Forest v Hull

20:15 Sunderland v Liverpool

Wednesday, 6 January

19:30 Crystal Palace v Chelsea

19:30 Fulham v Spurs

19:30 Ipswich v Coventry

20:15 Leeds v Manchester City

Thursday, 7 January

20:00 Manchester United v Newcastle

Image source, Getty Images

Former Bournemouth defender Joe Partington believes Eli Junior Kroupi has received "rightful recognition" after being nominated for the 2026 Ballon d'Or Men's Young Talent of the Year award.

The 20-year-old, who is currently recovering from a broken foot, scored 13 goals in 35 appearances across all competitions last season.

"It is just mad, isn't it?" Partington said on BBC Radio Solent's Cherries Unpicked podcast. "We've had some exceptionally talented young players at this football club, but never one who has been involved in the Golden Boy award at the Ballon d'Or.

"Eli Junior Kroupi did perform exceptionally well last season. Bournemouth really are missing him at the moment, there is a big hole in the team. They are missing him being a slight maverick, being a bit more creative and being able to take risks.

"Bournemouth feel a bit safe in their playing style at the moment, and he is a bums-off-seats kind of player. When he gets the ball in and around the box, people expect him to beat the goalkeeper or hit the target.

"It is rightful recognition for him to be included in those top 10 best young players in the word. Will he win the award? I would say the likelihood is probably not, but it is great confirmation Bournemouth's recruitment team continue to hit the mark.

"Hopefully he is able to overcome this foot injury now and recapture the form that put him in this position in the first place."

Listen to the full podcast below or on BBC Sounds here

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport senior journalist

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Ryan Christie may not have been aware that he was making a little history while netting three times against Lincoln City in Bournemouth's Carabao Cup third-round tie.

Tuesday's game was Bournemouth's 175th League Cup match since the competition was inaugurated in 1960, but Christie is the first Cherries player to score a League Cup hat-trick.

The Scotland midfielder's only previous treble came in Celtic's 7-0 demolition of St Johnstone in August 2019.

Since his move to Dorset in 2021, Christie had found the net only 10 times for the Cherries before Tuesday, despite scoring six goals for his country in that same period.

However, that can be put down to playing a different role for Scotland than he does for Bournemouth, where former boss Andoni Iraola converted him to a deeper-lying central midfield role in 2023, maximising his all-action style in a position where a relative lack of goals is less of an issue.

Christie has now already matched his highest Cherries goal tally for a season, having netted three in the Championship in 2021-22.

Competition for places in the Cherries' engine room is fiercer than ever, with Alex Scott in the best form of his career, with the American steel of Tyler Adams his likely first-choice partner.

But as ex-Bournemouth midfielder Joe Partington pointed out on BBC Radio Solent after Tuesday's game, while Christie "might not be the first name on the team sheet for the Premier League any more, he remains a massive part of this Cherries squad, and will have his part to play in their success this season".

With their European debut just a week away, a busy fixture programme means Marco Rose's squad will be stretched as never before - though they will hope to avoid injuries a little closer to home, such as that recently inflicted by Christie's three-year-old son.

"My little man jumped on me on the couch and broke my thumb," the Scot admitted, clutching the match ball with a heavily strapped hand.

While the intensity of a cup game with Lincoln may not match that of a Premier or Europa League tie, Rose will be relieved to have a first win under his belt.

And to complete a night of firsts, having started the season leading in all three league games but only collecting two points, Bournemouth recorded their first second-half goals of 2026-27 - as well as a first clean sheet, preventing a Lincolnshire poacher from grabbing a late consolation.

Explore Bournemouth content on BBC Sounds

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

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Referee Chris Kavanagh was correct not to award a penalty to Everton at Bournemouth, the Premier League's Key Match Incidents Panel has said.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall went down inside the area after a collision with James Hill in the 55th minute, with the referee waving away the Toffees' spot-kick claims.

The KMI Panel unanimously supported the decisions of Kavanagh and the video assistant referee, John Brooks.

Bournemouth led 1-0 at the time, with James Tarkowski scoring a stoppage-time leveller for the visitors.

"The referee's call of no penalty was supported with this being deemed a collision between the two players rather than a foul," the KMI Panel noted.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Bournemouth's 4-0 victory over Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.

Here are some of your comments:

Terry: We finally brought on the finishers with enough time to make a difference. What a superb player Ryan Christie is. A thoroughly deserved hat-trick.

Kirsi: A brilliant way to get the first win in the Marco Rose era! Everything just clicked for the Cherries and I think it was really promising to see a truly dominant victory. Hopefully this is used to boost team morale and also form going into the Brentford fixture, they're a team we've struggled against in recent years and breaking that winless run will be massive.

Derek: Great game for the Cherries. They looked fantastic.

Bournemouth midfielder Ryan Christie has been speaking to BBC Radio Solent after scoring his second career hat-trick against Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup third round: "I'm happy. I didn't see a hat-trick coming at the start of the game, to be honest, so I'll certainly take it. My favourite has to be the header, I don't score many of them so I'll take that.

"I owe the set-piece guys a couple for it. We spoke about doing something like that at half-time and it worked a treat. Here's hoping for a few more before I'm done!

"Overall, we were very good and we limited them to very few chances. The way they play can be quite sticky, but we dealt with that very well and the clean sheet shows that. Despite so many changes, everybody came in and did their bit.

On helping Marco Rose to his first win as Bournemouth head coach: "I don't think we were getting angsty for our first win or anything, given how well we've played in the past few games.

"We had been closer to winning games than losing games, so we knew we were definitely on the right track. Hopefully this result gets that thought out of the way and we kick on to another big Premier League game on Saturday."

Get the full post-match interview by hitting play above or listen on BBC Sounds

Bournemouth boss Marco Rose, speaking to Radio Solent after the Cherries' 4-0 victory over Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup third round: "I like the result, clean sheet, first time this season.

"Four goals and quite a good performance. For 94 minutes, we just gave one chance away. We had many shots on target, good phases in the game, good pressing.

"We knew that the opponents were special and different. Many long balls and second balls, but we did it very well."

On Rayan's return to the matchday squad: "It is about proving. It is important to have him back. He was injured, but he is in a good spot now. We know that he is a top player technically and not just the goals, the passes he played today. The things he sees on the pitch, the overview he has. I am really happy with him."

On utilising more players in the squad: "We were convinced because we knew everyone had a good pre-season. Now it is getting really busy with many games and we need everyone. That is what I always tell them. It is good to see that everyone is ready."

On the League Cup: "For me, I am new in this country, new to this club and getting used to English football, but it is a chance to win a title. We want to compete, and we want to please our fans and that's why it is quite important. Today we are really happy."

Listen to more from Rose above or on BBC Sounds

Bournemouth winger Rayan, 20, has a £130m release clause that takes effect in the 2027 summer transfer window. (David Ornstein via the Athletic - subscription required), external

Chelsea are ready to make a move for Bournemouth's English midfielder Alex Scott, 23, in January. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Bournemouth's performance

Reaction and analysis to follow - and come back on Wednesday for a selection of your replies.