WITHOUT Jeff Mostyn and Steve Sly, Cherries probably would have been long gone some months ago.

In the club's hour of need, the unlikely alliance came together to give the ailing Dean Court outfit the kiss of life.

They both put their money where their mouths were, stumping up their cash to save the club from almost certain extinction.

For that, Cherries supporters will be eternally grateful.

Now, some seven months after the takeover, everybody connected with the club need Mostyn and Sly to make another huge commitment.

For the good of the club, they must either back manager Kevin Bond to the hilt or relieve him of his post.

And their decision, how ever unpopular or otherwise, should be made public and should be made now.

The uncertainty surrounding Bond's position is not helping anybody, least of all the manager and his players.

As cash-strapped and injury-ravaged Cherries lurch from one defeat to the next, the threat of relegation intensifies.

Nobody is feeling the heat more than Bond, a dead man walking in a managerial minefield.

And despite indulging the media's every request, he can only say so much.

Since his appointment, Bond has almost single-handedly worked the club's PR machine to great effect. He is a journalist's dream.

But, ultimately, the buck stops at the top and the time has now come for the club's owners to address the concerns of the fans following a poor start to the season.

Chairman Mostyn has already gone on record to describe the prospect of falling attendances as "a recipe for disaster".

Cherries have lost five of their opening six league games at Dean Court and host unfashionable Walsall on Saturday.

The arrival of the Saddlers could coincide with the lowest recorded gate at the Fitness First Stadium, while the possibility of a sub-4,000 crowd could also be on the cards.

With attendances tumbling and Cherries struggling for form, an abundance of pre-match publicity may do the club no harm at all. Who knows, it could even help the turnstiles tick and put a few bums on seats.

This newspaper devotes thousands of column inches to AFC Bournemouth every year, with the majority of our stories focusing on the positives. We would love to see Dean Court packed to the rafters every game.

On Sunday, we tried, without success, to contact Mostyn for a comment on the current situation. We have since discovered that he is out of the country for a few days.

Yesterday, our request to speak to Sly was met with an "unavailable for comment" response.

We fully respect that everybody has a right to privacy, although some may suggest that a co-owner of a football club has a duty to communicate with its supporters.

As much as possible, we have remained positive on the club's plight in recent weeks, but now believe the time has come to draw a line under Bond's future so everybody can move on.

Now is not the time to put up the shutters.

  • WHAT DO YOU THINK? POST YOUR COMMENTS BELOW OR EMAIL sportspostbag@bournemouthecho.co.uk.