CHERRIES picking up three points would be “big” according to boss Gary O’Neil, although the head coach also pointed out that it was not season defining.
Victory over fellow relegation candidates Leicester City last time out sees Cherries currently placed 15th in the Premier League, three points above the drop zone with eight games remaining.
Over the past eight games, Cherries have earned four wins, and added 12 points to their total, bringing them to a tally of 30 points from 30 games.
Cherries are yet to record back-to-back wins in the Premier League this season, but O’Neil insisted that their average return of three points every two games would likely see them in the Premier League next term.
Asked what back-to-back would mean for his side, O’Neil told the Daily Echo: “It could be big - but also, over the last eight, we have won one, lost one - that will be enough to keep you up as well.
“So whether we win two on the trot, whether you lose two, win one, win another one, whatever it is, just where you get to in the end.
“It feels big to put six points on the table in two consecutive games.
“Last week we had three games, but we did manage to add six points in a week, which felt big for us.
“And the nature of it, to go away to Leicester, a team in and around you and beat them.
“It's a very big ask, but if you were then able to go to Spurs, someone chasing Champions League football with the quality that they have and win there, it would be a huge result for us.
“But any positive result tomorrow would be a good result for us.”
Winning one game and losing the next until the end of the season would see Cherries record 42 points, usually enough to avoid relegation in the Premier League.
O’Neil went on to share how he felt that his side should look at each game in isolation, rather than as a sequence of form.
“I try to always just treat the next game as the next game, and the last result is irrelevant to me,” he explained.
“I'll try and get the group in that position as well, because it is the Premier League.
“When we were in the Championship last year, there's a fair chance that you've won the last game and you're going into this one off the back of a good result.
“In the Premier League it’s tougher, you don't win as many. So being able to respond to losing, but equally being able to back up a win is important.
“Regardless of the result, my messaging is always the same, that the next one is huge.
“So if we'd have lost to Leicester, this one would be big and we beat Leicester and this one's still big.
“Previous result doesn't really change what's coming at the weekend.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel