In the history of the humble English southern club "Bournemouth", the season of 2014-15 will be written in golden letters. Few outside of England know that the club is already celebrating its 115th birthday, but until now it had never played in the country's highest division.
Truth be told, even the "Championship" league is a rather foreign concept to this club - "Bournemouth" had only spent five seasons in total above the third tier of English football. However, everything changed when the mysterious businessman from Russia, Maxim Demin, took over the club.
Promotion to the "Premier" league
On April 27, 2015, the "Dean Court" stadium in Bournemouth, with seating for just 12,000 spectators, was packed. Here, the Bournemouth players faced their more famous opponents, the "Bolton Wanderers".
"Bournemouth" needed a victory to secure their promotion to the highest division in England. If they had lost against "Bolton Wanderers", the players from "Middlesbrough", who were in third place, would not only have to hope for "Bournemouth's" failure in the final round of the season, but also break scoring records themselves and erase a huge goal difference on the tournament table.
"Bournemouth", clearly, left no hope for their opponents from Bolton. The team, which had scored almost 100 goals in the season, did not shy away from the biggest game in the club's history, scoring one beautiful goal after another, essentially securing their promotion to the "Premier" league.
In the 39th minute, Marc Pugh scored the first goal with a great shot from an acute angle. Just 5 minutes later, the "Bournemouth" players executed a fantastic combination, involving Callum Wilson, Yann Kermorgant, and finished by Matt Ritchie. Another impressive carousel in the "Bolton Wanderers" penalty area took place in the 78th minute - C. Wilson scored the third goal for the team.
The scoreboard showed a result of 3:0, and after the final whistle from the referee, a sea of "Bournemouth" fans flooded the stadium, and their achievement in England was likened to a fairy tale.
Russian backing
However, the truth, unfortunately, is a bit different - the power behind "Bournemouth" is only superficial. Behind this club stands the mysterious Russian tycoon Maxim Demin. The owner of several chemical companies who acquired the club in 2011, during his four years of ownership, he had not once communicated with the English media. It can be boldly stated that after "Bournemouth's" promotion to the "Premier" league, this Russian businessman became one of the most mysterious figures in English football.
Almost nothing is known about M. Demin's personal life. It is difficult to even find an approximate value of the assets he owns. However, it seems that, despite often remaining in the shadows, M. Demin does not shy away from extravagant acts.
For instance, in 2012, when "Bournemouth" was still competing in the third division "League One", during halftime of a match where the team was losing to the "MK Dons" 0:1, the players were addressed in the dressing room not by anyone else but M. Demin's wife, Irina. Oddly enough, this method worked quite well, and the match ended in a 2:2 draw. Nevertheless, it must be recognized that this is a situation that could adorn even the biographies of Vladimir Romanov or Vincent Tan, the owner of "Cardiff City".
However, there is one thing for sure - the tycoon hidden in the shadows, M. Demin, pumps big money into the "Bournemouth" club. These are sums that probably would have turned heads for this club's fans just five years ago.
Records and losses
An impressive fact - during the transfer window of January 2012, "Bournemouth", still competing in "League One" at the time, spent more money on transfers than "Arsenal", "Manchester City", "Manchester United", "Liverpool", and "Tottenham" combined. In January of that year, "Bournemouth" spent £1.6 million on new players, including the almost £1 million striker from "Crawley Town", Matt Tubbs. The record for the most expensive player in the club was multiplied more than four times.
Entering the "Championship" competition, the Bournemouth club spent a million pounds more than any other "League One" team. The fact is also stunning, considering that the majority of transfers in the third tier of English football occur at the end of players' contracts, meaning the transfers cost nothing.
Unfortunately, the financial reports for that season showed that in the 2011-12 season, "Bournemouth" incurred losses of almost £16 million. A significant portion of the expenses was covered by selling players, but M. Demin had to dig into his pocket and "lend" almost £9 million to the club to fill the financial gaps.
Having reached the second tier of English football, M. Demin was not content to hold back. "Bournemouth" continued to break their transfer sum records, spending more than they earned. £2.5 million for the "Malmo" forward from the PSL, Tokelo Rantie. £3 million for the "Coventry City" attack leader C. Wilson. A £5 million offer to "Birmingham City" for the talented winger Demarai Gray, which was rejected. M. Demin clearly began to demonstrate his financial power to his competitors.
Based on the money spent on new players since the summer of 2013, "Bournemouth" ranks behind only the much more famous clubs like "Nottingham Forest", "Middlesborough", and "Leeds United" among the "Championship" teams. So, M. Demin's club was far from a David, surrounded by 23 Goliaths.
Unsuccessful examples
In the "Premier" league, we have already seen a whole series of similar examples to "Bournemouth".
What it means to live beyond your means is best illustrated by the fans of the aforementioned "Leeds United" club. Not so long ago, thanks to significant signings, the club reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, but eventually experienced a financial collapse, dropped out of the "Premier" league, and is now managed by the rather unsound Italian, Massimo Cellino.
The "Portsmouth" club had players like Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Sol Campbell, etc. With the help of significant investments, the southerners won the FA Cup, but ultimately everything ended in a total financial crash that almost led to the club's collapse. Now "Portsmouth" competes in the fourth tier of English football.
The history of "Wigan Athletic" should also be instructive. Their ambitious owner, Dave Whelan, also invested considerable sums in an unpopular and unfashionable club. This enabled him to elevate his team to the "Premier" league and keep them there until the year 2013. However, the sudden return to the elite without substantial budget cuts did not succeed, and this season ended in a drop to "League One" for the "Wigan" team. And these are just a few unsuccessful examples in English football.
Eddie Howe - a talented workaholic
However, there is one person who deserves the highest praise in this journey to the "Premier" league - the coach of the club with the colors of his blood, Eddie Howe. When E. Howe, a 31-year-old back in 2008, took the reins of the "Bournemouth" team for the first time, the team experienced a catastrophic period. With the club under administration, they started the season with a 17-point deficit, but in the second half of the season, after E. Howe took over coaching the team, he managed to keep them in the league, and the next season they rose to "League One".
Following that, his career had a period with the "Burnley" team, but it ended unexpectedly with a resignation due to personal reasons. That same month, he returned to "Bournemouth", which was in a division below.
Money in football does not guarantee success, so M. Demin's investments do not diminish E. Howe's accomplishments in the least. This coach managed to create a team playing a fast, passing-oriented combination football not typical for the second tier of English football.
E. Howe is the truest workaholic, recording every team training session, closely monitoring the progress of each player daily, and analyzing his team's matches into the night.
E. Howe is just 37 years old and can already be called one of the most talented coaches in England. Next season he faces the biggest achievement of his career, which will truly show what this talented specialist is worth.
Paulius Viluckas, www.15min.lt
