SUPERSTITIOUS Cherries owner Maxim Demin rarely attends the club’s matches because he feels he is a jinx.
Demin stayed away as Eddie Howe’s heroes wrote two new chapters in the Dean Court record books inside four days.
He was not present at Birmingham on Saturday when Cherries thrashed the hapless Blues 8-0 to register the club’s biggest victory in the Football League.
And he chose not to take his seat in his executive box at Dean Court last night as Cherries booked a place in the quarter-finals of the League Cup for the first time in their history.
Demin purchased a 50 per cent stake in the club in November 2011 before taking full control when he bought Eddie and Brenda Mitchell’s shareholdings last year.
The wealthy Russian businessman has watched a number of games since arriving at the club – although the majority have ended in either draws or defeats.
As a result, the 45-year-old has tended to avoid visiting the ground on matchdays, instead choosing to keep abreast of events on the pitch by telephone and on the Internet.
Although Demin, whose main residence is in Switzerland, spends a lot of time abroad dealing with his various businesses, he still opts to give games a miss when he is at home in Dorset.
Boss Howe, fielding questions from the Daily Echo, said: “He is very superstitious. I had to text him at a certain time before the game against West Brom on Tuesday. I won’t say what the message was but he asks me to do certain things to follow his superstitions.
“He rarely watches our games because he thinks he is bad luck. I try to convince him to come but he prefers not to.
“He has invested a lot of money and he isn’t here to enjoy it. But wherever he is, I know he is a very proud man because he is a huge supporter of the club and wants to know everything that is going on.
“The fact he isn’t here for games doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to be here. It is his genuine belief that he doesn’t want to curse us.”
Howe, who was brought back to the club by Demin in October 2012, again acknowledged the vital role he has played in Cherries’ progress over the past two years.
“You don’t get anywhere without support and backing. And that is not just financial because that is only one part of it.
“For me as a manager, it is the support of an owner who trusts us and lets us get on with the job. Max is someone I have a really good relationship with and someone I want to bring success to. I think it is so important that you share that success and, hopefully, there will be more to come.”
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