 Hello and welcome to the official AFC Bournemouth podcast coming to you from Vitality Stadium. We're here to bring you closer to some of the personalities connected to the club throughout the course of the season. Now for those who haven't tuned in before, my name is Zoe Rundle and I'm part of the media setup here at AFC Bournemouth. Now it wouldn't be an AFC Bournemouth podcast without the man sat alongside me. As ever I'm joined by my colleague Neil Perrett here at Vitality Stadium. He's been covering the club for over 30 years. Neil, how are you? Are you all organised for Christmas? I'm very well Zoe, thank you and I'm not a Christmas fan so no I'm not organised at all. Leaving that one all to the misses. Now then, we often refer to Neil as our very own Mr Bournemouth but today's guest could rival him for that title. He arrived at the club over 10 years ago and has cemented his status as a true club legend. Over 350 appearances in Red and Black and now the club captain. It's a privilege to welcome Steve Cook onto the AFC Bournemouth podcast. Cookie, it's great to see you. How are things? Yeah, really good thanks. Unlike Neil, I'm a Christmas fan so I'm all ready and it was a bit of a strange one. Who are you saying that actually? I thought you was very festive and a jolly guy but you know. Well there we go. I'm sure we might come on to that a little bit later on. Now then we've got plenty to get through and lots to cover but first things first, we want to start with the here and now. After those two amazing blocks at Fulham, did you ever fancy yourself as a goalkeeper? They were quite something. Well I was saying that Zoe, from a few years ago I think I had the same kind of questions so it was nice to actually block it with a part of my body that was legal at the time so I've been known. I'm a decent goalkeeper so back in the day I actually started as a goalkeeper as a kid. Then used to get frustrated and then got out on pitch and scored a few goals. So I've always had it in the locker but luckily he last Friday was a legal block. Have you ever done anything like that before? Obviously it wasn't just one block it was two blocks it just sort of came out you can't have known too much about them. I like blocking the ball you know, big head and whatnot so yeah it was enjoyable. I kind of felt a little bit honestly I had a little bit of whiplash on Monday and I've had a bad neck this week so I'm putting it down to the block rather than being old or getting older so yeah I enjoyed that side of the game so it was quite pleasing. I know we didn't beat Fulham but it must have been a brilliant game to be involved and it was end-to-end and lots going on. Yeah it was, it reminded me of a Premier League game. I thought Fulham were very good and you can see why they're up there with us. Obviously we would have loved to have held on but I did think it was a good game, great game for the championship. Bournemouth and Fulham are setting the standards so far and I think it would take a very good team to kind of break that saying that we need to get back to winning way soon. The pundits are saying it's going to be us and Fulham and the two teams to catch in the championship but you've been in the game long enough to know there's a long way to go. Yeah especially the championship you know you don't really see too many teams running away too early. It always goes down to the last kind of few in the season so there's still so much football to be played but the lads and the staff are relishing it. We know what we've got to do with the standards we set this year so yeah it could be said it's easy to say because we're top two at it right now but I think if we can kind of get back on the horse and win a game quickly we can go on another run. Now I know you haven't been involved as much as you would have liked in the first half of the season but what have you made of what the team have achieved in the first half of the season? Yeah I thought I would stand in the football we've played, very tactical, very structured the way we've played and the passing patterns and the intensity that the lads went into the games with the intensity that the management staff kind of take training very clever coaches and yeah it was really enjoyable to watch as a ballmer fan you know you want to see that and scoring goals keeping clean sheets players running tackling winning headers like kind of full body performances and definitely the standout team so far um so yeah I think as a ballmer fan as well it was it's great to see. Being near the top of the championship playing in the Premier League that was all a very very long way off when you came here in October 2011 from Brighton just tell us what the how the move came about. Having four stands would have been nice achievement for the club back then so yeah the Premier League was miles off but yeah the the move came about it was nice I kind of was waiting to have an opportunity in league football. Lee Bradbury and Steve Fletcher I think come and watched their game I played in there I think it was a carling cup back then against Liverpool I played here for the for Brighton reserves as well and had a good game so and and then you could do month loans which I think is a huge miss in football right now for young players but um yeah it was a great opportunity because the week before two weeks before Port Vale had come in for me and Brighton I said no which turned out to turn out lovely for me in the end obviously but um I wasn't expecting a loan Bournemouth came in and it was something I don't think Brighton at the time could turn down for myself. You mentioned those one month emergency loans that's exactly what you came in on you had one training session and then you went on to win one of the match on your debut a 3-1 win at Preston what are your recollections of that day? I think I was quite naïve really as a as a football I didn't really go into the game worried or scared because I never really had it so I was looking forward to it I'd been coached extremely well at Brighton under Poyer Bournemouth wanted to go down like a similar route and had always had that kind of passing from the back and composed kind of style so yeah we went one nil down I think that day as well come back and went on a nice run but yeah really enjoyable game at a historic club like Preston as well to win yeah a strange one for myself because I probably didn't appreciate first team football at all by not playing in too much of it so yeah probably took it in my stride but without really realising kind of what the level was then. Now there were some real characters in that squad we're talking Adam Barrett, Mark Pugh, Harry Arter, Steve Fletcher, Warren Cummings how did they help you settle in did they help you settle in quickly? I always remember to coach up and I couldn't believe what was happening to be honest I can't I know this is a casual podcast but I can't even tell you what was going on um and I was thrown through me massively it was a real high open outer kind of men's football and the the antics that possibly could take place and yeah I'd add Scott Malone into that kind of bunch of characters definitely. Adam Barrett I see him a couple of weeks ago at Millwall great guy great guy loving me he was fantastic for myself as well been a young defender and experienced captain at the time I had to was so yeah I wouldn't say I got welcomed I would have said I got thrown into the deep end and kind of had to sing that night as well it was different. If you compare that group of players to the current squad now is there a big joker in there? Yeah there were jokers but it's totally different you know yeah it's a long long time ago I think you could it was totally different the they said about that you got away with back then to what you the lads are used to now is totally different we've got a great group now a lot of young players who are kind of starting on the journey as well really good players really good personalities similar to kind of compare it to where we was at last time we was in a championship when we went up but it's different you know when last time we had Harry Arthur, Simon Francis, Cannon Wilson, Junie Stanis, Gosling, Smithy's obviously still here so hard to compare both squads really but similar sort of kind of personalities. People often say that there aren't very many characters in the game these days is that something you agree with? No I think it's a different sort of character there's definitely characters so Chris Meppen great character but totally different character to Harry Arthur so it's still there it's totally different the change room now from what I was used to five six years ago is totally different still really nice to be involved in still a place a change room that you would you don't want to be out of is the best place I love it but the transition from 10 years ago 12 years ago to to what it is now there's a different sort of character it's nice back in the day yeah I think when I was at Brighton when you a kid coming through it was borderline kind of on the edge of slight bit of bullying and harsh realities and it was hard you know coming through that that era let alone what it was years and years ago so now I think football is a the change rooms a nice place is a great place to be you can create friends and it transpires on to the pitch if you've got a happy dressing room I think it's probably fair to say there was a lot going on off the pitch behind the scenes at this club when you when you first arrived I know you were really young you're in the relegation zone when you first came in what were your early memories of the club off the pitch yeah it was a it was a strange one because I was I come from quite a stable club as in Brighton and very very well structured and they were pushing the stadium was getting built there was obviously the training ground in the in the pipeline and the club was on the move upwards and I come to Bournemouth and it was in transition and they wanted that I think and the ownership was was different the owner come into the dressing room a couple of times pulled meetings obviously Fletch stood down as an assistant manager I think maybe a week or two weeks after I've been here so yeah it was a strange one I didn't really know what to think to be honest and I couldn't really see past my initial loan at the time so kind of went over my head but I think yeah this is a this is different just try and play well you know try and play well and see what happens and the kind of off field stuff was something I probably didn't even realize what was happening it was it was really strange but I look back at it now and it's kind of just shows how far the club are coming and it's an amazing amazing job that the guys behind the scenes have done so football aside when you came down you think you were 20 at the time what was it like off the pitch for you where were you living and you know sort of going out meeting people and stuff like that or did you just commute from Brighton how did it all work no so I actually got put in digs so it was a it was a weird one because I a month before I just moved in with a couple of mates from Brighton and then a month later I'm moving in with a family in Bournemouth I went into a house with Wes Fogden really nice family I still see them every so often but yeah it was a I felt I was going back to kind of live with my mum and dad so it wasn't a that's a move that I thought I'd be making moving in with a couple with three kids enjoyed it it was totally different I knew Wes from Brighton the lads were quite warm in here and instantly made friend with with with Joe Partington who was quite eager of me to to move out of there the digs and and whatnot but I remained in there for I think I don't know I think until I signed permanently which was quite nice it was quite warming but I love Bournemouth it was it was nearly night the nightlife coming from Hastings there was no real it wasn't lively it was old school pubs you know it still is come to Bournemouth stag dues and whatnot 20 hours lovin it and we was winning as well so it gave me an excuse that we could pop out but players who move into digs I know it goes back to the long-standing family with this the Sullivan family put up people like Rio Ferdinand and Jermaine Defoe and Jason Tindall and people like that do you you said you still keep tabs with the family you were in with yeah I I see them every so often around town they were really good to me to be honest they've all turned out the the kids turned out really well the lovely lovely group so yeah is it it was a big moment for them well not big moment it's probably the wrong word but to take to take players in that they don't know I think it's really nice you know the family to do that now I think this is amazing but it was big for me I really appreciate because obviously you go to somewhere and feel at home you're going to be happier so they've done that it was a lovely house I had a nice room probably the best room in the house which was nice thank the club for that and maybe for welcome and I've loved Bournemouth ever the day I got down to till now you know I love it so I'll say thank you to them back when you first sort of signed in your first few years you struck up a very good friendship with Jaden Stockley and I think that remained strong today how did that all develop was that just a case of playing with each other and just getting on really well um it was a weird one because actually when I first signed he went on loan to Akrington Stanley so it was kind of me Joe Partonton eventually Donal McDermott Jaden would come back here and there and got got friendly and myself Joe and Jaden are still very good friends now um all these years later so uh you don't often get that in football especially when they moved quite a while ago but we speak all the time um most days so yeah lucky lucky really there they've done both done really well um and really good boys kind of goes to show what Bournemouth is about you you do get a very good education down here as in how to grow up how to come through like the scholarships and um Joe Roach and what not that that kind of coach them and and give them um a really good chance to become a good man you're sometimes spotted watching the pool pirates down at Speedway did you ever fancy a go yourself no no those guys are absolutely nuts um yeah I used to go down with with was um Matt Ford obviously run it there no son does yeah I used to go down there quite quite a bit really enjoyed it um got to know a few of the racers as well who kind of go hand in hand with the the madness there the yeah the crazy Chris Holder I remember back then was was mental an unbelievable rider Darcy Ward obviously who had a horrific crash and um obviously extremely sad but those two I remember watching them too and they were they were amazing I think Paul would won everything back then and that takes some bravery and yeah I think after that that incident that was when I kind of stopped watching because there was a a guy I can't remember what he was called now who used to race he was from Hastings or Bexel and he actually died doing that sport and kind of then changes we couldn't really watch it the same way so I haven't watched it since then when we compare it to vehicles with four wheels you're quite into your cars aren't you just tell us a little bit about that how that all started and and you know a bit more about that yeah I do like cars um but I always said to myself when I was growing up if I ever got to a decent level of football I'd get myself a nice car because I was dry but Fiat Punto's and crashed crashed my fate crashed my first one after a month of having it which was devastating as you told me I'm down I think it was me and my best friend we were driving into into training down the country lanes January time hit some black ice and kind of went over hit the hit the bank and rolled so um always after that thought to myself I had to obviously downgrade into a lesser Punto at the time and thought to myself if I ever get a good contract I'd treat myself to a nice car and luckily enough for me I've over the years at Bournemouth been lucky and treat myself yeah so if you had all the money in the world what car would you buy all the money in the world for I would go for I think the Lamborghini Urus I think it's got a little bit of class with a little bit of sound as well so I'd go for that one that's the one we've seen you drive them into training is it because you have got all the money in the world not for me no not for me no um I wish I didn't quite win the Euro millions on Tuesday night so still hanging on to them them dreams but you know if I do win the Euro millions no I'll buy you one as well now then a little little secret coming out of the bag here in the car park the other day we saw you with an app and a car can you explain what you were doing with Lewis Cook yeah so I just got a Tesla the Model 3 and I added on obviously the self-drive stuff and it let me down under pressure because we actually saw Keely and Leanne who were working for the club walking around and they kind of formed a little audience and the car let me down so Elon if you're listening mate I want my money back for the self-drive because it's having one but yeah I was devastated and Lewis was devastated as well because we wanted the car to drive to us and he didn't he really let us down so that might be me being lazy or what not but yeah Elon you have one mate he said you had an audience of Keely and Leanne I take it you didn't know you had an audience of the media team as well no no no so it's even more embarrassing now so I try I go away look at myself give it a go again if not I don't know what I'm going to do it's a real shame back on to the football now January 2012 you just played for Brighton in a 3-0 win against Southampton you kept people like Adam Lalana and Ricky Lambert quiet in that game and then you signed permanently here that it was a very quick transition from playing for the Brighton first team to signing here I think it was about a hundred and seventy thousand pound yeah bargain eh um now that was a really really strange one for me because I actually a week before I'd gone back to train with Brighton well I originally went back to speak to them to see what was going on in January and I ended up training for two days which was a weird one and I had a phone call from player saying you're in the squad at weekend I was like I can't he was like why I was like I'm still I'm still on loan at Bournemouth I'm playing for them at the weekend he was like I'll call you back I was like what's going on what's going on here so I call you back they were like right you are still on loan I was like yeah I know like I've got a game they're like right play the game and then just let's see what happens so I played the game I don't know I don't know who we played or what the score was was it Yoval did we win so we're at Yoval I think we won yeah yeah so anyway I played that game driver back from Yoval had a phone call from Charlie Oatway who was the coach of Brighton and I was really close with him he kind of sorted out my he sorted out my Bournemouth line and obviously back then there wasn't loan managers but he kind of took down upon himself to to help me out rang me he was like oh Lewis Dunk is suspended I think or injured picked up a knock so you're going to be coming back to play I was like okay but at that point I'd already kind of agreed that I would sign for Bournemouth so my agent at the time was like you can't play I was like well I have to like this is what I want like I was desperate to play for Brighton at the time obviously loved my time at Bournemouth desperate to play I ended up playing right back 1-3-0 and after the game and they pulled me in and said look if you don't want to go we'll kind of offer you the same contract here but we can't guarantee that you're going to play your play the next game I think it was against Wrexham in the FA Cup and then we'll see what happens and he just didn't feel right I felt like I had promised myself and Lee Brubbery at the time that I would sign and I decided to kind of back what I said and yeah drove down I'd actually signed in Bluewater shopping centre by London Way signed there and yeah the rest of the history I was made up and I don't regret anything I loved it and I love it now so yeah strange really strange kind of few days myself had a few phone calls on the way way back as well for for different kind of options but yeah my my heart really was set on Bournemouth in a program Q&A last season you were asked Saints or Pompey and you went for Saints how come I really don't know this might come back to kill myself in a few years time I really I loved the atmosphere at Portsmouth but the fans always gave me stick and then I just really disliked them one of those fans is seeing yeah I'm not looking at her because she might have actually been in the crowd so no generally like I think Frank Park and their fans are you know one of the best but yeah I was a young player and I got abused a few times I thought do you know what I don't like you lot and I've stuck with it so yeah great great club obviously very historic and not really a a rival of Bournemouth if really I probably I think they would shrug that off as well but yeah no I chose Saints because yeah I had memories of the Portsmouth faithful giving me a bit of abuse and I've kind of held it against them yeah moving swiftly on you've been at Brighton since the age of nine was it difficult for you to leave it wasn't it wasn't so like I said I was desperate to play for Brighton but then when it boiled down to it I loved everything about being a Bournemouth player so no not really I felt like I hadn't really been given a chance at Brighton so it was more of a do you know what thanks for your thought about I'm going to go to a club that kind of trusted me and wanted me to be there and not a kind of token gesture so no I don't regret leaving it wasn't hard leaving at all it was something that I probably needed to to branch out and if I'd stayed there there's no way I would have had the career that I had no a players like you still out there you know players that cost next to nothing but end up going on to play in the Premier League for five years 100% I think there's players in non-league and league one two maybe don't get the chance you have to be very lucky in football there there's you have to have someone really trust you I had that I was fortunate but I was I was on the verge of kind of being left behind I could reach 20 and I think at 20-21 you're then the pressures kind of getting to you to to then make a career I'd 100% believe that I think there's so much talent in the English English leagues I think now they're being used more because the money side everyone wants a young player to succeed to kind of cash in whereas that wasn't the case years ago it's a young players game now and I definitely feel that there are very talented footballers out there that just need that chance need that kind of pushing first team football we have it here we've got some very good footballers in the under 23s that just need to go and play first team football need to kind of get a run that trust to go on and have a very successful career so yeah I would I would say yeah there's there's plenty out there they just need to be given that push of professional games for really competitive football and I don't think there's a better kind of way of kind of going through a career playing in non-league getting that kind of toughness a different side of playing on not so good pitches once you've done that and you can go past that I think leads you to to a bright future for you you were signed by Lee Bradbury you've spoken a bit about him already he was replaced just over three months after you joined what were you thinking then I was gutted really gutted because it was the guy that gave me my a proper chance I think he was very unfortunate I must say but at that time there was a transition there was people behind the scenes that had an influence on that owner the half-owned 50% owner at the time to end up getting the job out he was a real real harsh decision on brothers a guy that I've really really respected really respect now kind of give me that chance like I just spoke about and yeah I was I was really good for him but you could the players knew it was kind of happening because we've had like I said just before it was quite strange we had meetings with the owner at the time and it was it was all over the place I think it's probably fair to say Cookie that you experienced differing fortunes under Paul Grove's Lee Bradbury replacement and when we did a podcast with Tommy Elvick recently and say what you like about Paul he felt that the team were under achieving irrespective of whoever was the manager the team was very much under achieving because we had a great squad the great squad I think maybe the ideas were right that they had for myself obviously I wasn't playing much I was playing I played left back right back a couple of times they brought in Tommy and Miles Addison and they were they were sent back at the time obviously I was young used to playing probably didn't handle that too well but yeah I wasn't wasn't delighted with the way that kind of period went I think we was we was in the bottom four for a reason and we ended up getting promoted that season for a reason also because we did have the best squad in the league so yeah it was a learning curve myself again a game of opinions isn't it it's would I tell myself something different if I could speak to myself then yeah definitely but yeah it was I was probably more disappointed because I knew how they got the job or in my mind I thought how they got the job so and I was still quite loyal to to brothers at that time I do remember that preseason though we we were given the opportunity so you come in to Dan Hodges if he listens to this he'll know as well so you could come in and do some running right and if you pass that test you've got an extra week off obviously strange one but at the time it was seven three twenties which is 320 meters so up back up back up and a little bit very hard to run somehow I scrambled through the seven like I thought I just need this extra week off scramble for it but also they give us a list of stretches when they give it to me in the season I was like come on mate it doesn't matter about stretches I've just been the sheet anyway little did I know after the runs we had to come in and go through the sequence of stretches and they were like right cookie here we go can you do your six or seven stretches right I was just like yeah yeah no problem like it's like doing it and our jobs didn't get any of them right and they bought me back in a week early and I was so so devastated and that I think that was the start of my downfall because I couldn't do my stretches so maybe yeah not not obviously great professionalism for myself but yeah I didn't make I did make the team potentially off some seven stretches which was a funny run so Hodges that's your fault mate now one game you did start in was the four-nil defeat away at Swindon I think you got top marks in the echo I think I gave you three out of ten that day what was your experience of playing against Matt Ritchie yeah wasn't great because yeah I played right back that day and I remember the tactics before the game and their best players were the wingers Matt Ritchie and Gary Roberts I think and the striker from Andy Williams and they were very good down the sides crossing the box and we played a diamond so me being a right back was 2v1 every time I think Simon Francis absolutely read the script and was injured um we started the game horrifically I think the ball went under West Foggins for a mate smashed one in it was a real bad day real bad day I think what summed it up I think Ado Miles Edison went to pass it back to Schwann was it Schwann did you know we can go all flubs and it went for a corner uh yeah it was it was a bad one it was a real bad one um the lads in the change room we knew we knew it wasn't we let ourselves down on the pitch it wasn't just the manager the the players were poor um and I remember your echo I remember your report extremely well Neil um extremely well let me tell you they weren't they weren't happy of you um but yeah fully deserved it was it was atrocious a real bad point and actually probably the clubs I can't say in a history because the club went through some some terrible stuff but that that game was as bad as it got I think on the pitch even though you were 2021 in those early days you were always a very personal and comfortable with the media is that an area you always felt okay in dealing with no I used to kind of I used to get really nervous for their interviews um because I never was probably comfortable speaking and you never knew what I was going to come out with and if you could say it probably right now you never know what you can say and if if you're going to kind of listen to it back and regret it and think oh what have done there um so yeah if I come across that I'm amazing um but I it's what I think it's a part of the game where you have to really be respectful and face the music sometimes and be honest I used to always moan to the head of media and whatnot I used to only get interviewed after the losses and I knew it I would be walking in after a loss and I'd see am I yeah all right I'm coming out it's like so I kind of I didn't mind doing it it was one of them where sometimes you you get asked questions and you have to give the answer and then you read it after and sometimes you read the comments after and you're like you are right but I had to say that I'm sorry and it's like oh yeah we'll go again we'll go again this week we'll learn from it it's like the fans must think oh he's saying it again but I'd run out of answers because I was doing them quite regularly and apparently you don't win many games and you lose obviously a lot more so and I've been at the club where we've struggled as well so you find yourself going over and over and over the same kind of answers but there's only so much you can say so it's very difficult I think it's very difficult being a footballer that's not I wasn't amazing at school you know so if it doesn't come easy coming up with you know the right things to say or you don't want to say the things for the sake of it you want to mean it and yeah most of the time was like yeah we're in there we want to improve we want to learn from what we're doing but sometimes you know it's not what you want to hear so it's only what you can produce it and an interview and if you are losing regular you have got to improve obviously in some aspect so yeah the media side I think it is it's difficult sometimes it's set up to here where the media sort of the papers and the media size is perfect but I'm guessing other clubs they kind of set you up to fail so I've been extremely lucky in that respect now we've seen it with Tommy Elfic and Simon Francis is the media ever something you'd want to get into later down the line or is it something you would just have no interest in I don't know I don't think so for myself I wouldn't want to do it too too early because I think you can not retire yourself but put like you're coming towards the end of your career so me being 30s now I'm not really no maybe no I might have an excuse but no I've got no interest I love football you know I really want to I could talk about football a lot but I'm not really interested in kind of given opinions I don't like giving opinions on other footballers when you know I don't like criticising footballers when they make a mistake or because I've made plenty and I know what it's like to then read what it's about you know you don't need other footballers telling you so yeah no I don't I wouldn't enjoy that side I don't think if here and now maybe appear on something but no in terms of social media do you love it or hate it it's such a big talking point at the moment I really like it I don't like reading and seeing stuff that you get along with it I think it's yes it's awful but I think social media is such a huge part in in life now you have to take so I'm not talking about the the racial side and the hate that you look at you see on there because that is just it's horrific and it shouldn't be obviously allowed there needs to be obviously ways of combating them there shouldn't be allowed fake accounts and whatnot so taking that way out of way out of things now that social media the good side you can it's it's so powerful you can connect with people in the right way the videos and whatnot you see can brighten up your day of people kind of falling around and and whatnot the connection with I think fans especially at big clubs or whatnot players you can feel like alienated you know the fan kind of side of it so little things that players do I think makes a huge difference amongst the community and fans so I think social media is so powerful I think it's a great platform if used correctly I love it I like having sometimes obviously if I'm in a good mood kind of I'm gonna laugh and a joke on there you have to take the the rough with the smooth obviously if you want to be on there you have to be prepared to receive kind of criticism on football and whatnot but I enjoy that as well it makes me smile it makes me laugh so I like I like reading people's opinions on on myself here and there as long as it's not too far but yeah I think I think it's a good platform if we can make it safe and respectful for you you've used your social media in a very positive way we've seen you connecting with fans like whether it's about a game or not we've seen you reach out to the community I remember in lockdown you know you're putting a tweet out there saying if anyone's struggling you know where I am and I'm here to listen I think recently you met up with a fan that was having mental health issues you really seem to be using it in such a positive way does that sort of you know give you a good feeling you know when you can speak to fans like that yeah I think so I'm a very lucky person as in I have that chance to kind of help I enjoy it obviously lockdown you read awful lot of stuff about people struggling and whatnot so yeah it was a chance for me to try and help in a period of time where people were really struggling and whatnot so that I've always been that sort of person kind of not just on social media and normal life anyway even if players are struggling or whatnot here so yeah it was an opportunity for me to help and yeah I've never I've got so much time on my hands you know so why not use it and kind of try and add something to to myself and learn about other people as well going back to the football where it's October 2012 what were you thinking when Eddie Howe walked in through the door I was a bit scared obviously I knew I'd heard the stories of what he was like how intense he was what his standards were really excited because I wanted to improve as a player yeah it was he has from the moment I first met Eddie to now my opinion and my the way I act around him has never changed I'm still like scared of him in awe of him and yeah I don't think I've ever changed he's got that aura of him about him when he first came you were out of the team and you were in and out of the team not for the first time in your career under Eddie what was that like to start with it was fine I remember the I remember his first session I laid down a marker we done a small-sided tournament Kevin Bond was there as well he was brought in to kind of pick out player so it was like a one two three who was best training second third and then you got money I remember it well because Moles absolutely bullied me to give my money away to to to something he was doing back then as well so and that's why I remember it but I ended up winning player of the day so I knew I knew he rated me as a player because I'd heard it before it before I probably wasn't fit enough to be playing anyway because like I say under under the previous manager I probably hadn't done enough whilst I was out the team to perform when I got the chance so maybe being out the team when he first came in was was a blessing in disguise because I got up to scratch I was ready I played in the FA Cup against Dagon and Redbridge I think with my first game for him played well obviously then wasn't in the team had to wait until the next FA Cup game maybe I think it was Carlisle but he always timed his interventions very well with myself I think he always respected me as a player but then always wanted more as a person I don't think he enjoyed the side of me going back to Hastings and being with my friends and going on kind of nights out and traveling so I think he always had that in him where he wanted to kind of be that headmaster type father like get on it like come on and then Miles got injured and then I got in the team and kind of never came out but that wasn't through playing well every week that was coming through a lot of big chats between me and him a lot of a lot of him hammering me to be honest with you I was if he wasn't in charge I could have been in and out of that team more regular than I was because he gave me good chances you know he was always good I think he always knew what was inside me he was just desperate to get it out have that full commitment to football like he was as a as a player and as a manager and and yeah so I think that's why I kind of still got that opinion of him where I'm at with him I always respect him so so highly and I've still got that I still get nervous when I talk to him I get nervous when I saw him down at watching his kid play football and I was watching coaching I was like I wonder what he's going to say to me and we had no no football connection and it was just like kind of a former player kind of friend chatting and I was still nervous and scared what he was going to say to me so yeah that that will never change like you said you did force your way in and then you became if it's possible to become one of the first names on the team sheet under ready you did that and it led to promotion in that that first season that he was here almost unimaginable when you look back to the start of the season yeah yeah we we never never thought we would kind of go up and go up that year but the run that we went on I don't know how many games it was 23-24 unbeaten at the time even to then nearly messing up and going a few games without winning so unbelievable turnaround but like I said before in the interview it was the squad that we had was was really really strong in league one really strong obviously Bretty coming in like I was signed Brett Pittman from from Bristol City was like there's no way he's coming here like we've heard and he obviously turned up and he was fired us up into the championship and well where can we go you know like everyone was so excited you know Brett Pittman Lewis grabbing up front like what a combination Matt Ritchie comes in with Simon Francis who was unbelievable for Chaz and Pewie on the left how we are in the middle you know it was Tommy obviously leading the team obviously H writing around doing what he was doing we had an unbelievable squad and it was Eddie and you know the people in the background bought a perfect squad assembled a perfect squad and you know it transpired from being like I don't think we can go up this year to how can we not go up and it just goes to show after seeing the players careers after after that it just goes to show how strong we were in league one now you finished 10th in the club's first season back in the second flight you had to set out eight games due to injury but you more than played your part did you ever imagine that the next season would go the way it did not really but the way we finished that season was we used to blow teams out of water early so I don't think we we realized what we could potentially do the season after but we realized that it was clicking you know we thought we'd make the playoffs that year to be honest with you but we left it probably a little bit too late but again after that season the players that we brought in to the squad not just footballing capabilities was personalities as well was was incredible that first season the championship obviously we had a few periods where we struggled but once we got to the grip got the grips of you know playing these big teams we not in a forest and whatnot you were going going to is daunting I remember one article that year the first year and we was like they're disrespecting us whoever wrote this they're disrespecting us and we kind of felt like we ended up drawing the game puree last minute I think it was and it was like right we got we have to do something about this like we're we're good like we're better than these teams so let's not be mugged off by because these teams get 25 30 thousand people the journalists think they can be a little because we was a smaller club but we were still better team so it was like right let's go improve them we have done the club at the ever since the club has always kind of proved people wrong halfway through that 2013-14 season Adam Smith joined the club obviously someone that's still here now a great character what was his banter like in those days well Smith he actually went two weeks with no one speaking to him and I felt really bad for him but obviously the lads Harry knew him before so there's a thing in football called eggy boff like peter kraut speaks about it in his podcast and it's a true thing so someone says like so Smith he got eggy boffed so Harry Arthur said to my eggy boff Adam Smith which means you cannot talk to him you can't speak to him anyway so after that smudge actually went I just thought you was all rude and like and he was like no smudge you were you were like eggy boffed you weren't allowed to if someone spoke to you they were like getting it so and he loved it that that's him like he loves he loves that he's smithy is a dying breeding football he is brilliant like brilliant he's the most annoying person I've ever met but I love him he's one of them like he can wind anyone up on a football pitch off the football pitch he's brilliant he's a he's a great guy great football obviously really enjoyed kind of my career alongside him because he's he's got energy on and off the pitch and he's a he's a fantastic lad so he added yeah very to a good he made a good dressing room very good and the way he handled that was I think just go so sorry he's just he's just a top guy now your eye for a spectacular goal was witnessed by our traveling supporters when you scored a stunning overhead kick during a 2-2 draw away at Ipswich that's surely you want to uh to save for the grandkids isn't it yeah I don't know how I died I think we are we arrived about 15 minutes before kickoff that game because the coach driver took a coach driver shredded our bus he took us down a country lane which was just like trees and so there was sky on the tv on the bus if sky but the satellite was gone right it was an absolute nightmare he then dropped us to the wrong side of the stadium we ran across got changed came out we was never good at we were never great at Ipswich ever I don't know it was a lovely day I think we played Sheffield Wednesday on Friday before it was like that that um Easter Easter period where you played two quite quickly uh so we arrived and we were not ready for this like and then somehow I've just produced this overhead kick and nearly broke my back and whatnot but yeah it was it was a nice goal um yeah it goes down in nice in a portfolio of goals and I'll take one of them now let me tell you who was the last eggy boff Dan Hodges maybe somewhere in eggy boff Dan Hodges is warm up and it didn't go down well already let me tell you didn't go down because no one moved no one moved and Dan was fuming because obviously the management forced the players to run and it felt like he was belittled and he couldn't control the lad so he wasn't happy um yeah it's it's not a good it's not you don't want to be eggy boffed especially if you've got a strong group behind you now as this is our christmas edition of the podcast do the players indulge in secret Santa no the last secret Santa I was in was when I first signed and I can't that was led by Warren Cummings Sean Cooper Fletch yeah uh that's that's the first and last one I've been involved in and it wasn't a good one to be involved in so I'm quite glad because it can be horrible but I think it should be brought back um so maybe I'll have a word um but yeah back then it wasn't it was not nice I won't ask you why I don't sort of won't go into that no no no Warren Cummings knows we changed that quickly now children you became a father to Frey in 2015 and Eden in 2017 how did that has that changed your life yeah a lot a lot because now football I used to play football for football enjoyment you know without realizing kind of what I have to do because it is my job it's a very short career now I played a game to produce a future for them uh to they love it they love it Frey is very very emotional the oldest one he's he's six now and he I couldn't believe he's he's taken off see myself not being involved and not being playing football to heart more than me and it's been really it's been a really difficult kind of four or five months being a dad with him because he's used to become the football every Saturday now he wasn't he wouldn't come he wouldn't go and watch if I wasn't he felt like I think he felt hard done by that I was out of the team so he wouldn't come and watch which was sad because he loves former flight loves it um so that was really difficult for myself and so that was my motivation to get back in the team to kind of I wanted him to see me play because we had we had a season half or two season half with no fans so they couldn't watch anyway so when the fans came back I wasn't in the team it's difficult so yeah I'm really pleased for them because they love watching so I've my man on the match award from Friday's in his bedroom it's like a like a shrine um and yeah I'm really pleased with them that I've kind of managed to get back in the team because they love football they love ballmouth um they really enjoy kind of playing the game my aspects of of football have changed because I want to have a long career to provide for them so if I don't play well I'm out of contract in the summer so I'm kind of trying to play well trying to um a contract um kind of ultimately for them really so yeah it's changed me uh humongously did you take your turn at changing dirty nappies yeah I was hands-on I'm I was always hands-on didn't enjoy it obviously but I've always been if I'm now I put everything into it so yeah I was I was hands-on um but I wouldn't have a third one sorry I said that again I wouldn't have a third good so I'll put the the nappies behind me kick arounds in the garden in the local park and stuff like that all that you would have done as a kid with your dad yeah yeah yeah um and it's difficult because I'm coming from games and they're they're full on they're coming from training their day starts when I get home so I remember last year we played Watford here sunny day knackered early kickoff then I'm out and doing another round half in the garden playing football so it's hard it was really it's really enjoyable I love it I love I love seeing I would never force them to and I would never force them to play football I didn't would never push them down they're only four and six so they might kind of dislike football in years to come but they love it they're on it they want to be in the garden they're playing football in the house and it's actually really nice to see them improve so phrase at Southampton pre-academy at the moment which is controversial maybe and to see him actually improve over the weeks and whatnot it's really nice I think we need to bring the podcast to an end there if that's okay with everybody at six that's six you know he might eat you never know he might he might be a player or not but it the only reason he he's gone there I think because the Bournemouth had a bit of a transitional period with uh yeah that's my excuse as well um no he he just wants to play football he was a scout come up to him and said we're gonna come along it was brilliant like he plays every so often plays for Wimborn and Holt I love watching him I like really kind of seeing the improvements that they they make just mixing up the father social media question as a father are you worried about social media for your kids as they grow up yeah as much as I kind of think it is a great platform yeah 100% I'm worried for them in general you know I think uh like every parent doesn't matter when they were born you know you always got the worries of of what your child's gonna do or what they're gonna pick up and what they're gonna learn um so I don't know I don't know how you I don't know how you combat that um it's something that sometimes you can't fight you know I didn't he plays FIFA and he's six I think how I've let that happen but everyone's doing it you know kids are kids it's frightening um I think a modern day child is so different to kind of how it used to be so kind of learning on the job in terms of social media technology um what's right and what's wrong um so yeah it's I think being a parent it's getting harder now going back to the football you were ever present during the championship winning campaign of 2014-15 when did you ever fully think that that Premier League dream could be a reality was there any particular point in that season was it towards the end was it when it actually happened I don't think I ever appreciated or ever I can't I'd love to put myself back in my mind that then don't you know when you don't know what's out there you don't really have an opinion on it I never knew how big the Premier League was I always used to play football in a blasé sort of way I didn't really worry about what was happening um which is I'm like come on why did I feel like that but maybe that's changed with kind of you know the maturity of my game and my personality so I don't know I don't know I don't I can't tell you when because I'm walking into the Bolton game I'm just not even realizing what was not not realizing but not appreciating kind of what was what was ready what was ready out there for for the team and the benefits and the exposure which I think is a nice way I think I listened to Johnny Wilkinson's podcast he's like you should play sport as you used to as a kid just go out and enjoy it so maybe that's where I was at then totally different now but I think there's a positive and a negative um so yeah I don't really know to be honest like as a Callum Wilson, Jan Karmagunt, Matt Ritchie, Brett Pittman they all hit double figures that season what was Jan like off the pitch Jan he was such a good guy an unbelievable player you know he was our own countenant he was he was brilliant a great guy fantastic footballer timing wise I think he was unlucky because he was his real potential didn't come out until later in his career he was a perfect match for our team at the time um a top top top striker obviously he could play number nine ten he could play anywhere really um I'm very underrated to kind of in the footballing world I think um and a shame that he never kind of got to the top quicker because I think he would have been a top top uh Premier League striker now we've asked previous guests on the podcast about that open top bus parade and the celebrations after it what can you tell us about the squad's trip to Las Vegas or is it very much a case of what happens on tour stays on tour Vegas was was mental so we actually took two flights out so a few went on Wednesday and a few went on Thursday I think it was and the second flight I remember that because it's typical we got to Vegas and the weather was terrible like winds it was like what's going on like we weren't this is meant to be like there's it's meant to be rubbish and we arrived and then the other two arrived and they're playing with they were like shaken because they're playing on the way down and he got blown back to England like it was I remember Ian Hart and he's arriving at a ball by you know like lads like we can't enjoy today we've we've nearly like been blown off the runway like traumatized and it was it was random because the weather was terrible I always remember it was terrible but we had we had an unbelievable time kind of our group was took was was really really strong Brian Fraser it's terrific you know I'm always remember reading Charlie Daniels like just where are you I'm an hotel it's like where are you at what hotel you're not there I had no clue where he was he was like he was I think about three miles down the road thinking he was in our hotel and he was uh no we had a good group great trip away that we we deserved and kind of I think that kind of bonded us even more because we we come back and was like right we're ready to go we've had a good time no no let's crack on did you break the bank in Las Vegas did you bump into any celebrities out there we did actually you know um I think we just we got there um that was it you know it was yeah our celebrities at the time at the Fulham team we saw the Fulham team McCormack and we was like right you got you got us promoted so like let's go they were I remember it was better nearly McCormack and someone else because obviously the Middlesbrough game for them when they said they keep it forward didn't they and McCormack obviously rolled it in and kind of more or less got us promoted so yeah there was our big celebrities out there and Scott Parker there I don't know actually I don't know you have to ask him I'm not sure um you might well have been yeah now before the season started did you ever think the the boy from Hastings this is going to be a little bit too much from here too much of a step let's face it Benteke Sterling Rooney and Rashford on a weekly basis is completely different to what you're up against in the championship originally no I thought right I'm going to attack this like I'm going to really enjoy it and then a few games in a few performances I think after the Norwich game I was like yeah this might be kind of a step too far for me I thought because you can play well on a one-off game like we've seen it loads of times you know FA Cups you can play against Premier League teams and you do well for maybe that's the case with me because I've done had a few games here and there that was alright in Norwich away it was like oh what's going on they come up with us and they absolutely blitzed us so yeah definitely definitely I had that but then I had to kind of try and learn about myself and like they you know like mental weaknesses and ways to improve and the club had a guy they bought someone in and I ended up reluctantly speaking to him because I thought I don't need to I ended up did and I remember we played Everton here it was at first season when the Freel Everton here I got dragged at halftime I got abused abused at halftime by the manager and full-time full-time one I'm blaming on Silver and Distem because I'd taken an absolute hammering hammering by Eddie and it was like whoa how do you come back from that anyway half full-time I'd like to buzz him because we've drawn Freel and Silver said something and it was like the part of the Red Sea because everyone just went and it was just me and Eddie again and he absolutely come for me round two I was like Silver come on mate you've actually you try being nice there but you've you've done me and I thought I generally only thought well that's me done I thought I can't that's no way I'm playing there's no way I'm playing again after that because not many people come back from that it was a it was a big one times two and then when people say like there's there's kind of fate and whatnot for myself it was all right hadn't been told but I was out of team for Chelsea away so Silver and in front of a plan Silver got food poisoning on Friday night and I played we won my nil and then we beat Man United again after that then we beat West Brom and it was like so when I talk about luck obviously not great for Silver but my luck was was up someone wanted me to play that game and I played and never looked back in in the Premier League my confidence kind of grew I then believed that I could play and then I played for five years in the Premier League so yeah went from being my real low point by getting absolutely slaughtered twice to keeping a clean sheet of Chelsea and winning my nil so only in football yeah absolutely now you did quickly adjust and you had a great first season finishing 16th in the end for a first season in the Premier League it was a it was quite an achievement Simon Francis and Andrew Simon played every minute of every game that season now a bit of a curveball question which one of those two would you choose as your navigator if you were a rally driver? Frano 100% of serves I can't trust serves I don't know if it was my navigator 100% it'd get distracted by something I love certain serves serves again a ballmouth player that never really got the kind of send-off that he deserved because of the COVID situation same as Frano but Frano obviously still here now but serves what an unbelievable footballer it takes a good player to be voted by the players player of the season in a championship winning season when you have the numbers that the other players did so he just goes to show how appreciated he was in the dressing room as a footballer I'm pretty sure the fans appreciated him as a player too but seriously underrated and a real shame he never got the send-off he deserved I think from the club going along with probably Chas Frano they deserved it too but yeah I'm picking Frano because yeah I can't trust serves to be switched on when it really matters in a car now the new scaled new heights in the 2016-17 season a club record ninth place finish in the Premier League you played every minute of that season in the Premier League now one of your two goals was that epic four three game against Liverpool you scored that third one to put us back on level terms was that your best season yeah by a mile by a mile that was a big season for myself and a disappointing thing for me in that I had a good season and then I thought right I'll go again and I didn't give myself a summer I trained so hard and cured myself I burnt myself out I started the season I'd sign a good new contract at the club there was opportunities for me elsewhere good ones at the time which I was made me more like right come on like you can go again you can kind of see kind of where I can take my game to and I trained far too hard in the summer I think I've trained it more less every day and I come back to preseason I was done it was a ridiculous thing I was running on the beach and it's a collusion thing that we used to do like the bands around your legs and they used to takes the blood from stops the kind of the blood flow it's good for rehab but you know in the preseason it's mental and you kind of train with that jumps and runs and whatnot and it just finished my legs and yeah preseason was I was really poor coming back from from that my form tied in with having a second kick because I probably wasn't sleeping as well I did a Monday Tuesday Wednesday help out go to sleep on Thursday and Friday and wake up Saturday and like need more sleep and I was obviously a bit fatigued plus lack of sleep and I had one yeah it was a real shame took me a good couple of months to kind of get back to where I wanted to be physically and you know it was a shame because I tried kind of too hard where you kind of should just trust trust the program that you get given by the club but you know you won a lot of awards after finishing night that season do you still have those awards whereabouts are they are they in your your kids bed dreams yeah yeah I still have them obviously a big moment you know if the the award I won for the 3D Echo is kind of massive massive football players defenders that I've won that over the years it's it's huge so I have myself on that and a winner of that it kind of if I ever leave the club and knowing I've won that it makes me pleased I kind of accomplished I put that right up there with with winning winning the championship because as a player accolade playing for this club having a fans vote that that's a real nice thing for me and you obviously have to give it back because it's a shame so I've got nothing to show for it but the historic side the knowing that I've been a winner knowing that Tommy Elfic, Eddie Howe, Simon Francis you know you players come back in the day and have big big players with a club of one and I'm a part of that makes me makes me proud married in the summer of 2017 to Laura life must have been complete yeah yeah definitely um yeah nice happened quick you know it was something that I never really saw myself as a young person getting married young I've come but saying that my my mom and dad been married it was our anniversary the other day I've had years years years old school relationship um so yeah night we had we had the kids um wanted to kind of nail down you know Laura having the same name as me moving forward together um my family now drive me like I said before so um I think having a settled family um helps massively I think when she moved down to Bournemouth she's a London girl so when she moved down to Bournemouth she didn't quite know what was what she was moving to the hustle and bustle of London down to Bournemouth um been here for eight years now um knew nothing about football then apparently now she could run a football club uh so yeah that's um yeah the success I've had on the pitch and what I put obviously put down to the family side as well um the tough times I've had to kind of this year as well so I think having a solid family having a that that relationship you know is really good now the life of a football and normally involves moving here there and everywhere up and down the country you you must consider yourself quite fortunate to have been married had kids and been somewhere so long because whilst that's a two-way street and you've been loyal also um you've been fortunate as well in a way 100% especially on the kids side the school school in here is amazing um the life you get living down here is lovely you know living by the sea um the freshness the people um so lucky uh I appreciated living here you know during that lockdown period um so fresh amazing places to to walk to down the beach you know um the lifestyle here is matches my kind of personality I feel like I want to you know you don't want things to intense you you want to live a nice life outside of football as well so um like I say when I first moved here I loved it um and 10 years later I loved the area I loved the place um so yeah I do I see myself living here forever 100% you know I could commit to to to live in in this town I live in Paul so um I love it so um I wouldn't change anything you know I wouldn't you in football yeah players of Korea they're moving here and everywhere I've been lucky I'm 30 who knows but I would love to my my base always be be done here now a real goose bumps moment for all Bournemouth supporters was the winning goal in injury time away at Newcastle that following season now I want to ask you if you'd have done that now against Newcastle what would Eddie Howe be like in the changing room at the end of the game to his Newcastle players to have conceded that goal I wouldn't I wouldn't want to know because I've been on the end of it and I wouldn't wish it on the players but let me tell you I'll be celebrating and I'll be letting them I'll be letting them know that I've done them so you in the opposition changing room will be giving it stacks but you'd also be listening and what would he be like I would be I'll be scoring the goal and and my celebration would veer you know to to their dugout and just a little jog past and then I'd maybe on the way and if I walk past the Newcastle players be like that be ready and then have my ear to cut my ear to the the changing room woman see what's going on now you've said about incurring his wrath at that Everton game how was he when you handled the ball at Norwich yeah that was totally different totally different obviously after the game I was very emotional and kind of had to I apologize to obviously everyone moment of obviously madness then I kind of left it a day and then when I saw the manager and apologized to him and obviously letting him down started off okay and then obviously ended up not being okay so then I was back in there the next day again trying to kind of yeah it was a real real strange one obviously to this day I had no clue what I was doing and ridiculous let obviously the traveling fans down that day I've received obviously a lot of messages of not not nice messages because yeah at a time is it's an emotional game isn't it so I kind of let everyone down at the club and I knew that so I kind of needed to put things right with with the players and with the staff so obviously I felt embarrassed you know and in in their moments you know the outside world the football world they love it you know it was everywhere so that was harder because you just couldn't escape from it so it was a difficult difficult kind of week obviously I'll suspended we beat Brighton the the week after which was which was nice for me because I was desperate for us to win it kind of took a little bit of the pressure off but yeah it was the moments that I had with Eddie of the the bit of roughness we had made our relationship because I always kind of tried to respond and I think he I was always willing to listen and learn from what he would say I'll say I respect him and JT and the staff then extremely a lot so my ability to kind of handle that and and kind of then learn and move on I think was respected by them handled it like tried to handle it as best as possible and and try improving training the following day or the following week after that so yeah it was difficult had a few difficult moments in my Bournemouth career and that was maybe top of the list Elton John and Phil Collins discuss your liking for them I love them Queen I love it I love that that music that era the one thing about the change room which has gone is the music I think it's horrific so no I love that sort of music and yeah I've got no other answer I just really enjoy it then my mum dad maybe listen to picking up music they they listen to my sister does as well my brother my brothers you know they like music and yeah that's what I have on in the car quite regularly what's your favorite Elton John song and your favorite Phil Collins song and your favorite Queen song Queen Radio Gaga brilliant Elton John I'm still standing or that's why blues because I used to listen to that one on the way into the game Phil Collins I don't know I like them all I haven't got a favorite I like them all coaching badges where are you and where do you think they may take you if you wanted to go down that route I'm on my air license currently enjoy it been done in the academy a lot I'm doing it there to kind of because we don't get days off and current players you know we're expected to go to regional days and whatnot but me myself and junior on it together which helps really really enjoy it I must say the Bournemouth Academy have been brilliant with kind of accommodating me and me and junior they've got some great players down there as well obviously trying to get as much experience as possible hopefully I pass you know it's a long course and I would love to stay in the game and and kind of learn and coach and and what knows and who knows so I would yeah I love that side of it I love kind of learning about the game I think it benefits me on the pitch as well the coaching side because you can see both sides so yeah it's it's it's hard as well because it's a lot of hours a lot of it's on zoom now as well so you don't get quite the same feel as you would a couple of years ago so it makes it difficult sometimes but it's enjoyable now then we always end with some questions from our supporters and they're quite quick fire and I'm just going to pick a few out because we're running a little bit short of time now firstly from our Hong Kong supporter base they want to know what your favourite goal you've ever scored in a Bournemouth shirt is we talked about some classics like Newcastle one that Ipswich one I'm sure the one at full and stands out as well yeah I'll go for the Newcastle one because I'd been out the team and I kind of felt like I had to prove the weak building up to that game as well I didn't think I was playing so I was like a bit not angry but I was desperate to play and then I found out obviously on the Friday that I was playing so that kind of was still boiling in me and to score a last minute when I you know with a clean sheet at Newcastle a huge club at a time when we needed a result was an unbelievable feeling um scoring header center off scoring headers that's what it's all about yeah amazing feeling um hard to kind of it wasn't obviously the best guy I've scored but it meant the most to me one from Jack Smith on Facebook Bournemouth Beach or Brighton Beach no brainer Bournemouth you could take a picture down on Bournemouth Beach in the sun and you could be anywhere in the world it's it's amazing even though it does get very busy so I'd like a little spot to myself so but that'll be asking a bit too much but now Bournemouth Beach another one on Facebook this one's from Heather I think I might know the answer what's your favourite coffee shop in Bournemouth I'll give the ounce boys a shout out um ounce in Westbourne it's uh lovely lovely coffee and great lads really enjoyed there and just one final one which has come from Harry also on Facebook what did the lads think when you turned up with bleach blonde hair at the start of a preseason one year I think slightly they rated me for it um Simon Francis was actually come up to me and said what are you doing I was like what do you mean he's like the manager is not going to like it I was like I'll come on light his haircut or had colour and then he walked in he was like I like that I like it I was like there we go friend I what do you know and I think it actually it uh made a lot of people smile and the manager liked it so I'll take it well there we go if the manager liked it it's uh it's got the seal of approval well cookie it's been an absolute pleasure having you here with us we've enjoyed your company and your stories and looking back over you for your career today so thank you for joining us now thanks for having me on thank you now if you've joined enjoyed listening to our podcast we would absolutely love it if you could give us a like and subscribe on whatever platform you're listening on we'd also be very grateful for any shares on social media so that other fans be at FC Bournemouth related or just the general football fan can enjoy it too. Our thanks again to Steve Cook and from Neil Perrett and myself Zoe Randall thank you for tuning in to the official AFC Bournemouth podcast