Chris Evans

🍒 Europe? That’s the Cherry on top Bournemouth play the first continental fixture of their history tonight – we spoke to key figures at the club to find out how they’ve climbed to greater heights than ever before... 🧵👇 😞 Heads bowed, Bournemouth’s players were distraught. Trudging back to the Goodison Park dressing room in July 2020, they knew a 3-1 win over Everton wasn’t enough to save them. 🧚❌ Six days later, Eddie Howe stepped down. The fairytale appeared to be over. 🎭 Six years on, July 2020 was merely the end of the first act. 🫨 A return to the Premier League, one of the country’s best recruitment models, a 6th-placed finish, and Europa League qualification have replaced relegation distress with pure euphoria. 🧭 It wasn't simple. After a playoff semi-final loss in 2021, Scott Parker guided them back to the top flight in 2022. 🗣️ "The second season was really big for us," vice-captain Lewis Cook told FFT. "If we hadn’t gone up that year, it would have been tough." 🇺🇸 Repromotion paved the way for American investor Bill Foley & Black Knight Football Club to buy the Cherries for over £100m. 🤝 Foley promised an “always advance, never retreat” mindset—pledging money for a top training ground, squad depth, and the women's team. 🗣️ "Everybody has to buy into what the club is about," club legend Steve Fletcher told FFT. 🗣️ "Whether you’re a chef, groundsman, accountant, or part of the first team, everybody is pulling in the same direction—for the club to do well." 🔎 Recruitment transformed, too. Sitting in Foley's multi-club network (Lorient, Moreirense, Auckland FC), Bournemouth bought raw talent like Dango Ouattara, Antoine Semenyo, and Illia Zabarnyi—later turning a £105m+ profit on the trio. 🗣️ "It’s an incredible place for players to come and develop," defender James Hill tells us. "For some players, this might not be the end point, it could be the beginning of their journey towards bigger things." 🇪🇺 After Gary O'Neil, Andoni Iraola took over in 2023. Despite failing to win his first 9 games, Iraola's high-pressing style eventually yielded 12th place with a record Premier League points total, followed by a charge towards Europe the next year. ☄️ The turning point? Antoine Semenyo's iconic final kick before joining Man City—a 95th-minute 25-yard winner vs Spurs. 💪 Bournemouth didn't lose another match all season, beating Liverpool, Arsenal, and Newcastle along the way. 🎟️ A 1-1 draw with Man City in their penultimate game officially sealed European football. 🗣️ "To celebrate on the pitch with everyone was incredible," says Fletcher. "The magnitude of what the club and that team achieved will live forever." 🌹 Now, Marco Rose leads the Cherries into the Europa League. 🏟️ Four European nights will take place at the 12,357-capacity Vitality Stadium—likely the smallest home ground of any English club ever to play in major European competition. 🗣️ "There will be a lot of emotion when we play that first game in Europe," says Fletcher, who scored the goal to keep them in the Football League in 2009. "I’ll probably shed a tear." ⤵️ Read the full story by @ChrisEvansWrite 📚 fourfourtwo.visitlink.me/sBt…

🍒 Cherries head to Europe For the first time in their history, Bournemouth will compete in Europe. It is some journey for the club and fans as they nearly went out of the Football League less than two decades ago. With new gaffer Marco Rose replacing Andoni Iraola he will lead the club on their first European adventure. ✍️ @ChrisEvansWrite fourfourtwo.com/team/new-iss…