Eddie Howe, the AFC Bournemouth manager, insists there is no magic formula behind the team’s success despite taking the club from the fourth tier of English football to the brink of the Premier League.
Bournemouth, who are in the UAE on a training camp, are a point clear of second-placed Watford at the top of the Championship table, and with seven matches left in the season, automatic promotion to the top-flight is in their own hands.
Bournemouth’s rise is made all the more remarkable when considering in 2008, when Howe took charge, the club were hit with a points deduction after going into administration and were in serious danger of losing their professional status.
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Despite their fairy-tale story, Howe believes graft and dedication have been the overriding factor in Bournemouth’s climb up the league tables.
“Our success has been based on hard work and a really good group of players who have given everything to the cause,” Howe said at Dubai Sports City where the squad is based.
“There is no secret to success. It is (about) hard work, making sure the lads are as organised and as fit as they can be and that has got us a long way.”
Howe explained the reasoning behind bringing his squad to the UAE as he looks to take advantage of the facilities and weather ahead of Bournemouth’s gruelling run-in.
“The facilities are first class and I am really, really impressed,” he said. “The idea was just to refresh the players at a key stage (of the season).
“The weather in England has been tough this winter, there has not been a lot of sun around, and hopefully this can just be the re-energising we need for the run-in.”
With only six points separating Bournemouth and Ipswich in sixth — and the final play-off spot — there is little margin for error from Howe’s men if they are to secure a historic promotion.
And Howe insists his players will be taking nothing for granted as the club seeks to reach the Premier League for the first time in their history.
“We have looked at it as 46 cup finals because of our history and where the club has come from, and to be in this position, it is an amazing story,” he said.
“Yes, we have got seven to go now, but we are really looking forward to the run-in and to see where it can take us.
“People say we have got a decent run-in but the Championship has proved that no game is easy and no one gives you anything.
“The games are very competitive, the margins are very small between winning and losing, so we respect all the teams in the division and we know it is going to be very tough.”
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