I've always felt that former Cherries boss Sean O'Driscoll never got the praise he fully deserved for keeping the debt-ridden club in League One for so long.

And AFC Bournemouth's present day predicament, with current manager Kevin Bond desperately fighting for his job as they lie bottom of the table, has only emphasised that feeling.

O'Driscoll wasn't comfortable talking to the press - including the Echo - during his six-year stint in charge at Dean Court.

He also didn't have the best of relationships with the supporters, many whom found it difficult to understand his lack of emotion in pre and post-match interviews.

But, after the disappointment of relegation to the old Division Three in 2001-02, he did his job well, guiding Cherries straight back up the following season via a memorable 5-2 play-off win over Lincoln at the Millennium Stadium.

O'Driscoll followed that with solid ninth and eighth place finishes despite working on a shoestring budget before they slumped to 17th in his final full campaign in 2005-6.

To me, in this day and age when managers of most middle-of-the-road clubs have to cope with unreasonably high levels of expectation from supporters and directors, that is success of a kind.

Especially for an outfit who had a £4 million-plus debt for most of O'Driscoll's reign before he jumped ship to Doncaster only seven matches into last season with Cherries lying eighth.

Now, I'm not silly enough to launch a Bring back O'Driscoll campaign' because times move on.

And he hasn't exactly been pulling up trees at relatively cash-rich Rovers despite prising Cherries' top scorer James Hayter north at the beginning of this season.

But how Bond must wish his side, still seriously hindered by that same £4m debt, were lying eighth in the table ahead of today's vital home clash against Walsall - not 24th!

I wrote in this column on October 14, 2006 - the day Bond's Cherries reign began with a 1-0 defeat at Millwall - that he was "inexperienced" as a manager.

That wasn't a criticism, it was a fact, as his only previous spell in the hot seat was a brief eight-month sojourn at Dr Martens League Stafford in 1997-98.

In the same article, I stated that Bond "appears to have the right contacts within the game" to be successful at a club with "limited resources" following his backroom management-coaching stints at Portsmouth, West Ham, Southampton and Newcastle.

Well, handicapped by this season's well-documented Dean Court injury crisis, it seems the boss desperately needs to call in a few more favours, and quickly, to help beleaguered Cherries stave off relegation.

Bond did it last season, when he cajoled them into 19th spot, five points above the drop zone with one match to spare.

If he can do it again this term, it will be a great achievement, particularly following their dreadful start of only eight points from 12 games.

I hope, now that Bond has been given a vote of confidence from Cherries chairman Jeff Mostyn, he can pull it off.

He needs help, however, from all his players, those still standing and those on the treatment table, from the stands and from the directors' box.

I, personally, found it hard to believe, but O'Driscoll, at times, was castigated for not getting Cherries into the League One play-offs.

Well, their fans can't be too demanding now. League One survival is what it is all about.

And the knowledgeable supporters, who understand the economics of the club, must stand by Bond, whatever today's result against Walsall, as he tries to ensure Cherries get out of their current mess.