League One side AFC Bournemouth have appointed a permanent replacement for former manager Lee Bradbury, who left Dean Court in March of this year. They've chosen to go with the caretaker duo they appointed on an interim basis with Paul Groves and Shaun Brooks getting the nod on a permanent basis. Both have been given two year contracts, with Groves as manager, and Brooks as his assistant.
Both are well known to the club, having been part of the Cherries youth set-up, whilst Brooks was Dorchester Town's manager under Chairman Eddie Mitchell. However, during their interim period in charge, they managed just two wins in eight matches - albeit with two defeats, with some Cherries fans a little non-plussed about an appointment, with the inference being that the pair are 'yes men' for the Chairman, although Groves unsurprisingly denies this to be the case.
With the pair having previously concentrated on the club's Centre of Excellence sides, Groves has said that he believes that gives them an advantage in taking the club forward:
"I feel that we are well placed, in terms of getting to know the first-team players, but also with the whole structure of the club. Between me and Shaun we know almost every player from the Under Eights to the Under 18s, from the development squad to the first team. We've got very ambitious owners and we are very ambitious too, so it bodes well for the future."
Whilst on the subject of the Cherries, they have announced plans for a new South Stand at Dean Court, to replace the current vacant end of the ground. Proposals include a 36 bedroom hotel. It would appear that matters are at an early stage, with nothing as yet submitted to their local council, and no word on what the capacity of the stand will be. The Cherries are holding a public exhibition later this month, with a view to submitting their plans at some point after that event.
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12 May 2012 : 
