From 2009 To Now: The Incredible Journey Of Bournemouth

Bournemouth have enjoyed a meteoric rise up the footballing pyramid; from League Two to the Premier League. And that sentiment is proved by this day eight years ago.

January 3rd 2017 - Bournemouth host one of the biggest teams in the country in the shape Arsenal.

But it was oh so different eight years ago.

January 3rd 2009 - Eddie Howe takes charge of his first game as Bournemouth manager by losing 2-1 at Darlington.

The defeat up north left his side 23rd in League Two. Meanwhile, in 2017, The Cherries are ninth in the Premier League.

Since then, Howe has masterminded an incredible rise up the ranks which ultimately culminated in winning the Championship to gain promotion to England's top flight.

The stark contrast in the two sides from both fixtures only underlines their amazing journey. Their starting XI against Darlington consists of football league players while the Bournemouth squad from now costs a total of £43.6 million.

Not to mention great backing from the owners including a cash injection from Maxim Demin.

Vs. Darlington

Vs. Arsenal

Topics: bournemouth, Arsenal, Eddie Howe

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar is a journalist at SPORTbible. He graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Media Communications. He's a combat sport aficionado, and has contributed to MMA websites AddictedMMA and CagePotato. Nasir has covered some of the biggest fights, while interviewing the likes of Conor McGregor, Michael Bisping and Anthony Joshua. He's also an avid Bristol City fan.

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