 preview show in three months. It's great to be back and BBC Radio Solence Chris Temple is virtually alongside me as we look forward to Premier League football returning to Vitality Stadium this weekend. Here's what's coming up. We discuss project restart and what lies ahead for the cherries. Aaron Ramstell joins us and sheds light on his coronavirus experience. And finally we look ahead to the weekend as Crystal Palace visit Vitality Stadium. Well plenty coming up today but before we go into that Chris it's great to be back isn't it? It is good to be back it's obviously good to see your face first and foremost so I haven't seen you for a while since since it all round down really so yeah it's great to get it all in motion it's great that we've seen a couple of games now as well just to get a flavour of what it's going to be like you know mixed reviews in terms of a lot of the things that have happened in the first couple of games we've seen obviously Friday night will be the next couple to sort of look at before everything gets going for the cherries on Saturday. Well as you say football returns for us on Saturday I was actually going to ask you what you made of those two games that we've seen so far this game games happening on Friday and you know it we had our first taste of it was certainly very surreal wasn't it? Yeah I mean first and foremost I was watching without crowd noise I know that was quite a sort of lots of people were messaging by WhatsApp groups were going backwards and forwards with you watching with or without crowd noise I was watching without and the reason I was was because that's the environment I'll be in commentating on the Bournemouth games we will be in the stadium for BBC Radio Solent and obviously AFCB TV through the website as well so for me I'm going to be commentating in silence so effectively I didn't want that candid noise I wanted to hear what it was genuinely like I did flick over to the crowd noise selection I didn't like it it was it just didn't even feel realistic remotely it just seemed like someone just put a CD on in the background I know they're trying hard with the use and the Rs or whatever but the crowd doesn't stay the same volume for the whole way through I know some people enjoyed it and actually I saw a survey that said two-thirds of people preferred it it wasn't for me but yeah in terms of other things that happen in the game I mean everyone's going to talk to death about the goal line technology failure which my only sort of thing I would add on that is that I think the linesman's got to get involved he's got the best view he was banging line yes I know they don't like to overrule technology and the technology is there for a reason but the linesman in that situation has got to get its flag up or at least talk on the comms to the ref and say that looks very close that might be worth checking and so that's my observation really from that that fiasco wasn't a great game that it should be united was it and actually to be honest thank goodness Billy didn't go on and win it after that clangor because that would have really you know butchered the cherries where it hurts if you like and so I guess anything that kept Villa below Bournemouth was it was good and now it's a level playing field if you like everyone's played the same number of games and then city against Arsenal I mean David Lewis had a nightmare city looked pretty good and I think that would be a you know that's going to be a tough game as we know it would be when Bournemouth eventually go there so lots of little bits I'm sure the players are watching on with interest at quite a few of the protocols I wasn't sure how good the social distancing was and a lot of the protocols that have been put in place about celebrations and handshakes and all that sort of other stuff because it was quite a bit going on but again I think that's it's only natural people have done the same thing for years and years and put yourself back in that environment it's like any environment you are going to take a bit of time to get used to change so I think as you know there'll be a little word in the ear of few people to say just watch the handshakes just watch the hugging when you score Chris Wilder and you know was hugging people at the end so I think the sort of the upper bodies will be looking down to say just be careful of that be careful of that and from a Bournemouth perspective nine games to go you know all to play for do you think the break came at a good time for Eddie how in a squad two ways to look at it yes in terms of injuries because of course we know how thin the squad's been this season and any if you if you said right you can have David Brooks on at Dan Juma Lloyd Kelly Steve Cook you know just to name a few off the top of my head you can have all of them back for the last nine games of course you'd say yes please the down so there's that actually Bournemouth we just pick it up a bit of a momentum I just found a little bit of a formula albeit they were sort of forced into it with the personnel they had they switched to the 433 let's not forget last time out in Liverpool feels like an eternity ago but for James Miller scooping that one off the line from Ryan Fraser Bournemouth could well have got a point in Liverpool obviously you know the draw with Chelsea you know good performances in other games as well so I thought from a first sort of a momentum of the season point of view it probably came at a bad time but from a fitness point of view of the players and yeah and of course the other the other side of it is that now presumably Ryan Fraser won't be involved so again you sort of you're bringing back a few but you're losing a good player as well so probably 50-50 did it come at a good time yes and no which is not really helping is it well we mentioned well you mentioned several names there Steve Kirk, Chris Mepper, Manat Dan Juma, David Brooks all these players they've been pictured in training since you know the lads were back and even for Eddie Howe and the rest of the boys to have them back in training what a massive boost yeah brilliant I mean you look at the squad now and I just written down sort of on a bit of paper that the positional sort of challenges for each position you look at the defenders now suddenly you've got Kelly, Mepper and Francis back fit Steve Cook back fit to add into the IELTS of ACA and Stacey and Smith and Rico and Jackson to the course so there's a lot of options all of a sudden there you throw you know the midfield five to be fair essentially have been pretty consistent all season in terms of they've all been relatively fit I think Phil Billings the only one who's picked up a bit of a problem in in this sort of mini preseason if you like but I think the wide positions in the attacking positions where it's going to be really interesting what shape Eddie goes with he's obviously got to accommodate if he's fit the likes of David Brooks I know you've missed a couple of sessions I think but he seems to be back amongst it which is good Dan Juma obviously Harry Wilson's been occupying the wide positions is there an argument and I've been arguing this for a lot of the season that he should play as a number 10 and play more centrally does the sort of presence back in the squad of Brooks and Dan Juma allow you to shove Harry Wilson in field does Brooks play more centrally as he's done before we imagine Fraser won't be involved so therefore that's there's sort of another wing slot opening up if you like so and then obviously where do you fit King in if you're playing Harry Wilson as a 10 Solanke Callum also obviously you know will be in as a nine so I think the attacking part of the field I think the back four will probably pick itself I think it will probably be the back four that you pick so probably Stacey Akke Steve Smith and Smith at left back I would think because that's the way they went when they had those guys fit pre pre the lockdown but yeah I'm fascinated by how it's going to line up attacking wise and you talked about Harry Wilson there obviously signing a contract and extension you've got you know the other four that have signed theirs you know until the end of the season and we'll wait and see what happens until then but for them to have that all tied up and they can just focus on the nine games ahead that will be again another added bonus yeah it's a decision that you know probably no footballers will never have to make again and haven't had to make before is do I agree a contract extension for nine games when I thought my my time either was winding down or I'm not sure where my future lay I think obviously the four guys you have signed are all in you know completely different parts of their career than the Ryan Fraser for example who hasn't signed so yeah I think the future for them is obviously they will have had talks behind the scenes I'm not party to those talks to Charlie Daniels has got the toughest job because he hasn't been fit for a year and the best part you know really so do they give him a chance to sort of have another year and to get himself back involved now that they've got Rico now they've got Lloyd Kelly fit now they've got Smith that can play left back as well with Stacy doing so well at right back so I think Charlie Daniels has got a tough job on Andrew Sermon obviously slid down to sort of four and the fifth central midfielder now behind the other four you have two for each position so does Andrew Sermon become surplus to requirements I don't know there's there's some difficult decisions Simon Francis is your club captain does he add in the you know Steve Fletcher would would keep getting contracts a year a year here and there because of what he brings as well as his his football what he brings to the place and his experience so Simon Francis probably got that on his side so yeah there's an utter barrage of course seems to be getting fitter and fitter even though he's about 84 so there's you know there are decisions to be made there I'm not sure all four will still be here next season I'd like it if they would because they're all great lads and they've all been a part of the journey for a long time and they you know they really have contributed a number of you know key key roles if you like down the years but of course romance is one thing and you know the part people play just look at Mark Pugh for example either Ryan Fraser to a certain extent although that's a relationship that's gone a bit sour but yeah it's it's difficult times for them and I'm not sure how much will have been decided already because they don't know what division they're gonna be in and just finally here when you look at the running as a whole what do you make of it I mean there's certainly some very tough games in there but there's also games where you've been looking at getting some points from yeah I mean I've actually I've actually sort of I've had plenty of time on my hands as you have as well so I've had time to divide the nine games up into sort of three sections if you like I've got two marks next to the ones where I think they're absolutely must wins and two of those are in the first three games Palace and Newcastle at home I think I've got to be must wins I think six points from the first three games is a minimum really Wolves away I've got one in the mark next to was a sort of it would be nice to get something there you know possibly a point but it's certainly not a must win Wolves are chasing the Champions League of course so that's going to be tough but again not to you know not to underestimate the fact that some of these places that are hard to go to without crowds they're not going to be quite as as hard to go to still good football as you're playing on the pitch of course and then you look down at men United away man City away you're putting them down as blanks to say you get in there brilliant but that's not where you're gonna that's not where you're gonna stay up talking about home and Leicester at home again the fact they're at home the only problem with those games is they do come when everyone's probably kicked into their stride a little bit and then of course at home and Everton away to finish with you know so that's at home I've got that as a must win and you wouldn't want to be going to Everton on the last day having to get too much let's face it although they might well be in mid-table and and sort of drifting I think the key to key to it all and as we saw a bit in the opening games on Wednesday night it's who's going to be the least rusty out of all the teams because people are going to be rusty I'm not sure it's a huge advantage for Bournemouth to have big games straight up they've got no time to ease into all this new surroundings and everything they've got to get straight at it I know that he's clever he's been having them training under lights and sort of re re-enacting if you like the way things are going to be but I've got to beat Palace and I've got to beat Newcastle at home some of the walls would be lovely so there's no messing around here they can't blame anything for you know it took us a while to get going we're not fitting up blah blah blah that may well be the case but still got to get results absolutely well we are just one day away from that Premier League return and someone who's been enjoying a brilliant season between the six is Aaron Ramstell let's take a look at his best for that young man more pay with the shot what a save again for the high flying Aaron Ramstell he's shot top save again from Ramstell terrific save Mason mounts and deflected and brilliantly saved by Ramstell let's find the gap he seems to getting better and better Calvin the win will give chase Ramstell is out quickly enough he sets up again Ramstell and it's a terrific save from Aaron Ramstell Ramstell this season and we are delighted to say that Rambo was dropped in on our preview show this week Rambo thank you for joining us I'm sure the first question on everyone's mind is how are you doing and how are you feeling thanks for having me first of all yeah I'm fine obviously what went on was a strange time but luckily I wasn't affected affected by it so the time and isolation was reasonably okay and now yeah back to normal I've been for a few weeks so get that routine in and be back with the lads was it was great fun and now we look forward to the next few weeks and sort of for you preparing to come back to training I know you were up north and then you came back down so preparing to come back it's all starting to come together and then you get told you have to isolate seven days what was that like for you mentally yeah it was tough being back up in Stoke was was great I got to to be with my family I haven't been there that long since I was in school so it's been a good five six years and they were helping me with my fitness and stuff like that knowing that I was there for the whole of lockdown and I was fine I was negative with my tests and things that was a huge relief mentally that obviously I didn't pick it up when I was in in Stoke with my family and obviously they were okay because my previous test was negative and that was the last time I saw them so that was one sort of side of it and over than that it was just sort of I was confused just because you hear of some of the stories and the news and obviously it sort of gets blown out of proportion or the ones which get reported on are the severe cases and I just wasn't feeling anything I was feeling fine I felt cold I was in training that week and then obviously just staying at home not allowed to do anything just in case something happens or something flares up and it was just almost like a week would obviously taken away from me where I could have been a week ahead of where I should have been so after the first few days I got my head around it I was fine now you're back in training how nice has that been and how nice has it been not to do it remotely it's been great to see the lads training with the lads obviously with social distancing it's been hard you want to just go and sit next to your mates and have a good chat and obviously we're always made aware and we all know from seeing things we're doing the rules that we have to be a distance but just being back and just being having that sort of competitive edge and seeing the lads and getting the spirit back with the team it's just been fantastic and hopefully we can take some of some of that into the last few games and I know you said before about how tight all your goalkeepers are it must have been great to get back and see those familiar faces. Yeah it definitely was I would say it was for young lads and then just loads of energy and then Arthur came back and he was like he was 20 again scoring celebrating making saves and it's just people must look over at us and just think everyone thinks we're crazy and weird but just must think we're having a great time and we are we're working hard and it's just great to see them them free when things go well and big smiles on all of our faces it just brings back good memories of obviously when you first start the game or just something which happened I don't know in the season it's just being great fun being back with them diving about and getting stuck in and one thing that you've also done since being back is you went to go and visit young George on his birthday just tell us about that because we all saw how emotional he got you know when he'd not been very well during lockdown and seemed to find cool for me. Yeah so his dad still sort of keeps in touch with us oh I drop a message every now and then asking how he is and he's still waiting for one of his test results sort of any day now really and it was his birthday and they were just sort of having a drive by party they were just in the front garden and it was like it's almost like going to football there was like designated spots for people to park their cars on the other side of the road and just went over and sort of showed my face obviously getting a pair of gloves and it was just nice he's doing well he's fighting he's a lot healthier than what he was before he's just waiting for the results to see what needs to be done further down the line but he's just buzzing that the foot he's coming back on and he gets to watch he gets to watch not just Doorsport the whole league and I think everyone is the same just want that to be on TV and I think everyone's counting down the days. Turning our attention to the weekend Crystal Palace at home how important is it to hit the ground winding straight for you? Yes it's huge no one really knows what this is going to be like over the next nine games no one's got an advantage everyone's at the same playing field so it's whoever goes into it with the best mindset who's prepared the best so if if you can get a bit of momentum going where in a place which won't have any momentum because the fans being taken away it can be huge and getting off to a good start not just in the game itself but against Palace hopefully getting three points everything you can just build so much momentum everything can roll into the match on Wednesday but it's going to be a bizarre feeling playing behind closed doors isn't it? Yeah I think those younger lads might deal with it a bit better it's not been too long ago when I was playing under 23s football and you've got a handful of fans there or an international friendly for the under 18s, 19s and you go into Slovenia or somewhere like that and there's only a small number of their fans so it's not something which is alien to me and possibly some of the young lads but I think if you if you go in with the right mindset that and not thinking about how it's an empty stadium it feels like training then we'll have no problems but it's definitely be strange in some ways obviously just warming up with no fans, celebrations things like that don't really know what I'm going to do when we score I don't really want a knee slide to no one in the stand but I'll have to figure something out and just finally we all know how much the fans want to be there but it's so important to reiterate the message of staying at home and staying away from the stadium Yeah, 100% we all know the rules which have been put in place and it'd be detrimental to the rules and obviously the fans came to the stadium to try and get pictures and signatures and obviously it would be hard not going to see the people obviously you adore and your support if something were to happen to one of the players and that was through people breaking rules and obviously it would kill us as a team and obviously the fans who come obviously don't want that either so I think the best way they can help is just by obviously supporting the hearts out at home and when they do that and when the time's right then I'm sure they can all pile back into the stadium but for now I think we all know the rules we all just need to stick to them and sort of be together and wait for the outcome Well Rambo thank you so much for your time thank you for joining us it's great to see you back out on that pitch and I'm sure I speak on behalf of all the fans wishing you the best of luck this weekend now this weekend is where our attention is going to turn to you next and that game against Bristol Palace and earlier in the week we spoke to Eddie Howe to gather his thoughts Thank you so much from the team that we saw the experienced team very well drilled very good defensively this season and a real threat with the attacking players that they have so a very well balanced team but very very pleased now to be back to football and the results will define our future not elsewhere we don't have too many players that I can say ruled out of this game you know our players 100% fit i.e. David Brooks are they 100% fit we might have a few doubts on a couple of players but as I said the squad is the healthiest it's been no one could have predicted what would have happened with the virus and the season shutting down and being extended and Ryan's then found himself in a very difficult position because of that so yeah not a surprise he has now played his last game for the football club he won't be involved with us for the last nine games I only want to players who are fully focused on the relegation battle that we have ahead and I'm looking forward to doing that with my squad well that was Eddie Howe looking ahead to this weekend's game now this is normally the bit Chris where we would go back and we look at Palace's recent form and we look at the players that are doing well for them but with a three month gap it all seems a bit irrelevant doesn't it well that's the thing isn't it I mean Palace had just actually found their stride before they got locked out so they've had a sort of slow start and in and out season really unspectacular season but they find themselves with an outside chance of getting into Europe and of course they're one of the teams now that can come back and have a right crack at this and you know if they get into Europe bring in if they don't they don't want to go down so they've got a proverbial free roll if you like they won the last three before locked down all by a 1-0 scoreline they don't score that many goals I think Jordan Ayu is their top scorer with three I think but they certainly don't score too many with Zahar and Townesend and obviously Jordan Ayu, Benteke you know dangerous player but can't score and of course the away game at Southhurst Park in early December or Tuesday night Bournemouth played against 10 men for the best part of about 70 minutes and lost 1-0 to a late goal and I think Eddie called that his lowest moment as Bournemouth manager and I remember it well because I just landed back from New Zealand that morning so I was sort of spaced out and jet lagged all over the place couldn't believe what I was seeing so yeah I'll be one that Bournemouth will look to be correcting I don't forget this fixture at Bournemouth it's been a good fixture down the years David Brooks of course scored his first Premier League goal against Palace on a Monday night so maybe a bit of an omen if he's to come back into the team but Roy Holston is I think Palace fans think he's done a great job they've steered him away from trouble managed to keep hold of their best players added quite sensibly as well the likes of Milovoyevich central midfield hardy campaigners the hustle and bustle with Lermer in there will be interesting to see it's not the worst game you can have it's probably quite a nice game in a way because Palace are not going to be yes they're chasing Europe but I don't think they're going to be all guns blazing like the teams down the bottom are when you look at the run in actually Bournemouth are the only team out of the bottom six who don't play any of the other bottom six pointers in there in terms of huge swings you know if you suddenly lose to West Ham or something there's a big swing in West Ham's favour but Bournemouth don't play any of those teams down the bottom you look at West Ham for example play three of the bottom six in their last nine games Norwich play three of them don't rule Norwich out by the way I want to throw that in there I think they've got a chance of if they can get if they can get out of the traps I think they have got a chance of making something happen they've got Southampton at home obviously and then Everton at home their first two games but in there Brighton, Watford West Ham they've got some six pointers in there against the teams down the bottom so I'm going to throw them in there and say don't quite rule them out just yet well funny enough I was going to ask you we've got Crystal Palace coming up this weekend Freddie Howe and his squad is that quite a good game to have back because as you say Palace they're not scrapping at the bottom they're not necessarily competing too much higher up the table and back at home and you know live on a Saturday night that's quite a good game Freddie Howe surely yeah I mean great great to be sort of a herald a new era in terms of being the first Premier League game live on the BBC as well as I've mentioned I think before before we did this program before we before the fixtures came out I think it's a great chance for people if they ever want to watch the TV and have the radio pictures the radio commentary from us on BBC radio so it syncs up and the fact that games on the BBC makes it a lot easier because anybody tries to do it when it's on satellite we know there's all sorts of delays but the BBC pictures should be roughly in tune so although don't do that because then you'll spot my mistakes anyway to answer your question I think it is quite quite a good game yes because Palace as you say they've got an outside chance nothing to lose for them which is sometimes the games where Bournemouth can express themselves or they don't like to have as much possession this season they've been sort of sitting back and catching teams on the counter attack so the wide open games haven't actually always you know been as as Bournemouth born with performances as they have been in the past but yeah I think I think it's not a bad game if you were sort of choosing somebody you want probably someone not I would say Burnley but not necessarily Burnley but someone who's maybe out of the out of the I mean Southampton wouldn't be a bad game if it wasn't a local game the fact that they're probably out of the relegation picture but not going to make Europe that would be the ideal game Palace is probably in the next tier and one thing we haven't mentioned is the additional substitutions that can be used for Bournemouth obviously we've talked about them having players coming back from injury that could be a really useful tool couldn't it it could I think it advantages the bigger teams more we saw Man City the other night make five subs and look who they brought on you know some unbelievable players, Aguero's coming on as the what was he the fourth sub or the fifth sub some fantastic players coming on so those with deeper squads those with better quality squads are going to feel the benefit of that it's great for as you say the guys who are coming back that they may well have themselves with some more match minutes and again the schedule three more games have been announced in the last couple of days of course it's mainly you know four or five day turn arounds and there's one seven day turn I think but mainly it's going to be pretty quick fire now we know the games aren't as intense because of a number of external factors you know we know the crowd makes a big difference and the fact that players are easing themselves back in so the early games aren't as intense but mentally they're still you know they are going to be intense mentally if not physically so I think we will see a little bit of rotation from Eddie but correct me if I'm wrong though but I think more than for one of the teams who voted against the five subs rule because I think they back themselves to be fitter and obviously bearing in mind that they didn't know who they would have back as well so I think it advantage is the bigger teams but it is a good chance for those guys who haven't played to get themselves on the field and just finally Aaron Ramstiles just touched on it but it is absolutely paramount isn't it that supporters stay at home watch the game when they're safe and don't travel to the stadium there's absolutely nothing to gain by travelling to the stadium you won't see anything you won't even see the team hardly coming into the ground because there are all the protocols in place you know Vitality Stadium is quite isolated in terms of the fact that it's in Kings Park and there's a lot of space around you won't be able to get near it so there's absolutely no point on BBC One people are making a good thing of Saturday nights as much as you can social distance following the rules having friends on video conferencing or however many friends you're allowed to have round if you've got a big garden and the weather's nice then follow the rules and take your TV into the garden or something but absolutely there's no point in coming to the stadium there's nothing to see there's no way you can support the team so I would say yeah make an evening of it in front of the BBC absolutely well that is all we have time for today as Chris has just said please avoid any travel to the stadium on Saturday for your own safety and that of players and staff wherever you're watching we hope you enjoy the game and we'll be back next week to preview the fixture at Goulds bye for now Gribble and James alright so stop recording for our loser alright see you soon boys