There is an old joke in Bournemouth that when the local council offered free bus passes to residents under 21 only seven people applied – everyone else who lives in the English south-coast resort is too old.
For much of their 116-year existence, Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic, still their official title under the trading name AFC Bournemouth, have reflected the perception of the town as a nice place for a quiet retirement or a weekend beside the sea.
One statistic which perfectly sums up their sleepy image is that from 1923, the year they they were elected to the Football League as a Third Division club, until 1970, when they finally went down, they were neither promoted nor relegated.
Until the last two seasons, any impact they have had on the English game has largely been confined to the FA Cup.
In 1971 Ted MacDougall scored nine goals in an 11-0 win over Margate – still a record individual tally for the competition.
Then in January 1984 their young manager Harry Redknapp guided Bournmeouth to a 2-0 win over the holders Manchester United, still their most famous victory.
But this season they have been making headlines almost every week as they race towards a place in the Premier League.
Under another young manager, Eddie Howe, a former player, in his second spell in charge at Dean Court, Bournemouth are pushing for promotion to the top flight for the first time.
If they make it, as seems likely, it will complete one of the most remarkable transformations by any club in recent times.
Seven years ago their very existence was in doubt.
Mired in debt, they were placed in administration and going nowhere in League Two, the English game’s bottom tier.
They are within touching distance of a third promotion in six seasons with their success built on a flowing attacking game that has produced a club record 109 goals in all competitions, with Howe, architect of these achievements, still only 37.
He first took over as player-coach when he was 29 before becoming the club’s permanent manager in 2009.
After moving to Burnley in January 2011 Howe returned as coach in October 2012 and neither he nor Bournemouth have looked back since.
“The players have been magnificent from the first day to this,” he said after their 2-2 draw at home to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.
“They’ve given everything. They are the most professional side I’ve worked with and the most talented. The boys have done us proud so far and they’ve just got two more games to finish it off.
“We can only look forward with real excitement and enthusiasm for what are going to be two massive games for this football club, the biggest in the club’s history.
“We’ve been involved in this titanic battle at the top of the division all season. Everyone is fighting for the same prize and we hope we can win promotion again.”
In October, Bournemouth set their record league victory when they won 8-0 at Birmingham City and they have also thrashed Blackpool 6-1 and Fulham 5-1 away and Cardiff City 5-3 at home in the Championship and beat Rotherham United 5-1 away in the FA Cup.
The goals have flowed from strikers Callum Wilson (22), Yann Kermorgant (17) and Brett Pitman (14) while the midfield has contributed 44 goals, including 12 from Matt Ritchie.
Redknapp, who led Bournemouth to promotion from the third tier in 1987 before embarking on an illustrious career that saw him take charge of London clubs West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur among others, still lives in the area and is delighted.
Redknapp, now 68, made Howe his first signing for Portsmouth when he was manager at Fratton Park in 2002, and he told the BBC: “I had 10 years at Bournemouth and was the most successful manager in their 100-year history.
“Eddie Howe has come along and blown me out of the water. He is fantastic – I love watching them play. If I wasn’t involved next year, I’d buy a couple of season tickets and watch them every week.”
He told Talksport: “I’ve been going along to watch them with my grandchildren and I love the football they’ve been playing. I hope they go up.”
Bournemouth, who are second in the Championship standings a point behind Watford, will do that if they beat Bolton Wanderers next Monday and Charlton Athletic in their last match on May 2.
If they are promoted the party that follows is likely to keep the whole town up all night and not just the youngsters.
HISTORY
Almost 50 English league clubs have entered administration over the last 30 years including Bournemouth who are on the verge of completing the most remarkable turnaround in their fortunes.
Bournemouth’s very existence was in doubt between February and July 2008 when they entered administration as a third tier club before being relegated to the fourth tier following a 10-point deduction.
But they are now second in the Championship, a point behind Watford, and two wins from claiming a place in the top flight for the first time in their 116-year history, a long way from the gloom that surrounded the club seven years ago.
A look at five other clubs who have been in financial trouble and where they are now:
– Portsmouth: The former English champions became the first and so far only Premier League club to enter administration with reported debts of £135 million (Dh753m) in 2010, less than two years after winning the FA Cup, their first major honour for 58 years.
The club’s financial woes continued for years as they dropped down the divisions.
They are currently on a more stable footing and are the largest fan-owned club in England, but will end the season in the lower half of the bottom division, League Two.
– Southampton: Along with Bournemouth and Portsmouth, Southampton complete a trio of south coast clubs who have entered administration, although they are now thriving in the Premier League and have been challenging for a Champions League place this season.
Things were much bleaker for the club in 2009 though.
Six years after being FA Cup runners-up, Southampton were back in the third tier for the first time in 50 years with their future very much uncertain until the late Markus Liebherr bought the club, putting in place the foundations for their revival.
– Leeds United: Leeds United were formed in 1919 after Leeds City were disbanded by the FA because of financial irregularities and financial problems almost ended United's existence in 2007.
Leeds, a power in the 1960s and 1970s and English champions again in 1992, enjoyed a resurgence and reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2001.
However, they got into trouble when they gambled on earning millions from the Champions League but struggled to repay their loans after missing out on the competition in 2002 and 2003.
Forced to sell their best players, Leeds began a downward spiral that involved battles with the Inland Revenue and falling into the third tier for the first time in their history in 2007.
They are currently just below mid-table in the Championship.
– Coventry City: After reaching the old First Division for the first time under visionary chairman Jimmy Hill in 1967, Coventry stayed in the top flight for 34 years, winning the FA Cup in 1987.
They were founder members of the Premier League in 1992 before being relegated in 2001, but their problems really started after they left Highfield Road, their home for 106 years, for the Ricoh Arena in 2005.
Coventry went into administration in 2013 when they left the Ricoh Arena and spent 18 months ground-sharing with Northampton Town – 65 miles (104.61 km) away. They moved back to the Ricoh earlier this season, their third campaign in the third tier.
– Crystal Palace: Palace have enjoyed a revival since their former player Alan Pardew took over as manager in January and could finish in the top half of the Premier League for the first time since 1992.
They have had a roller-coaster ride since that time, being promoted to and relegated from the top flight on four occasions.
Former owner Simon Jordan detailed in his autobiography “Be Careful What you Wish for” how owning Palace cost him hundreds of millions of pounds of his personal fortune, before he cut his losses and reluctantly put the club into administration in 2010.
Palace now look to be on firmer ground with the current owners talking about making major improvements to their Selhurst Park ground for the first time in 20 years.
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