Bournemouth

My first chance as a manager came with Bournemouth in the summer of 1992. At first I was not thinking much beyond my first game - a draw on Preston's plastic pitch by the way - and neither, it seems, was my chairman, Norman Hayward.

I'd been given a club car, which was about 20 years old and, a few months into my first season, we went up to watch Grimsby play one night.

We drove there in his Mercedes and on the way back he dropped me off where I'd parked up. The windscreen was iced up so I turned on my engine and Norman got out his credit card to try to scrape the ice off.

While he was doing that, I heard him shouting: "Oh no, I can't believe it!" I thought he had snapped his credit card but he'd actually seen my tax disc. "They've given you 12 months. I told them six months!"

I laughed and said: "Thanks Norman, that gives me loads of confidence!"

Still, I was fortunate to get the chance at Bournemouth, and also lucky in that I received some good advice on how I might stick around.

I always remember the late Alec Stock - another member of the 1,000 club, who had long spells in charge of Leyton Orient, QPR and Fulham as well as with Yeovil, Roma, Luton and Bournemouth - ringing me up one night and explaining why I should work on a three-year plan.

The first season, he said, was to assess the players, staff, and get to grips with all the other aspects of how the club is run.

The second season was to reset it, to get it working on and off the pitch and win all the battles to get things my own way for the third season which, according to Alec, was the season that everyone - supporters, directors and yourself - should see progress.

He also told me any manager would only ever be judged a success by producing a winning team.

During my time at Bournemouth, I learned how true that was - never mind how hard you worked or how much you did to protect your club financially, management was all about winning.

Norman was a hard chairman, but he was honest and we remain friends today. I was left more determined than ever to get back in the saddle and go again.

Read Tony's column on the challenge of leading a club

Bournemouth president of business operations Jim Frevola insists relocating season ticket holders to make way for a refreshed hospitality offering is "critical" to retaining the club's Premier League status.

About 600 season ticket holders have been contacted to say they will have to move seats as part of the club's redevelopment of Vitality Stadium, which would increase the capacity from 11,000 to 20,000.

Speaking at a media conference on Friday, Cherries coach Andoni Iraola spoke of the need for fans and club to work together to create "the best atmosphere we can".

Fans have expressed disappointment that the long-serving loyalty of season ticket holders is coming second to the need to accommodate hospitality guests.

But Frevola said that such a decision is standard, and is required to protect the club's future.

"The reality is for a football club, this is pretty normal," Frevola told BBC Radio Solent's Cherries Unpicked podcast.

"The reality is that a redevelopment programme needs lots and lots of money, we've got to be able to add hospitality, as that's really what drives our revenue.

"It's critical for the programme to go through. Without growing the matchday revenue, we're not keeping up with the revenue.

"Squad cost ratio is a real issue - we were one of six clubs to vote against it - it puts us at a competitive disadvantage."

Frevola pointed out that, once expanded, Vitality Stadium's 20,000-seater stadium still puts Bournemouth at a financial disadvantage next to the Premier League clubs with capacities of 70,000 - "but we've got to start somewhere".

He noted that the 6% of the stadium which accommodates hospitality provides 40% of the club's matchday revenue - thus, the focus on hospitality funds the addition of 8,700 general admission seats under the redevelopment plans.

Though Frevola listed many clubs in the division who are planning to or have recently upgraded their stadiums - Nottingham Forest, Leeds, Fulham, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Liverpool, Brentford and Aston Villa - he also expressed sympathy for the supporters who will be affected by the move.

"This is the hardest discussion that we've had since we've been here," Frevola said. "We are completely sympathetic.

"We have looked at different ways to do this. I understand that no matter what we did... If we built a new stadium, 11,000 people would have to relocate in some fashion of another.

"This is the plan. It is difficult. I've gone through this with other organisations. If you've worked in the sport industry and you've redeveloped a stadium, you go through things like this. It's not easy. It doesn't make it right that some people have to move but sometimes difficult decisions have to be made."

Reassuring fans that all those season ticket holders affected have already been informed and will have first priority when it comes to choosing new seats both for next season and when the new stands open, Frevola said: "We're going to hold their hand through the process."

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Image source, Getty Images

On the surface, there are exciting times ahead for Bournemouth and their fans.

The club are thriving on the pitch and Monday's announcement has set out plans for the redevelopment of the smallest ground in the Premier League.

However, about 600 season-ticket holders have been told they will have to move seats to accommodate for extra hospitality seating as part of a stadium extension plan.

Andoni Iraola was asked in his Friday news conference about the "very disappointed" reaction of some fans, and said: "It's important to get it right first time.

"The club has to hear what the supporters want and we have to, all together, get it right because we need to create the best atmosphere we can in our stadium."

But this is unlikely to placate those fans who will need to move seats.

Cherries fan Andrew Parkin said: "Me and my parents have had season tickets since the stadium was opened back in 2001. A good chunk of our family life has been spent attending Bournemouth games at home.

"The important thing to stress to people is this isn't us being anti-progress for the club at all. We understand revenue needs to be driven with off-field activities.

"The issue for me and a lot of fans is timing and trust and the treatment of long-standing supporters. The club is making a choice and that seems purely driven by commercial reasons at the expense of 600 fans.

"The club have scored a massive own goal with this."

Bournemouth Echo senior sports reporter Alexander Smith added: "As Andrew said, and others I have spoken to, they don't feel the stadium is growing by enough capacity that they and the groups they sit with will be able to stick together.

"It's a cause for concern for a lot of people."

Listen to full reaction to the news on BBC Sounds

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Melissa Edwards
BBC Sport journalist

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Sunderland at Vitality Stadium (kick-off 12:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines:

• Lewis Cook has a hamstring injury and Iraola suggested he won't be back until after the international break at the end of March.

• Iraola said: "It's not a big one but he's had a lot of issues [this season]. When he's played, he has been very good for us but he had the MCL pre-season and then the shoulder and now he has a hamstring. In a positive way, he's someone who comes back from injuries very well, straight away he's available and he plays well but it's true that for him personally, it's been a difficult season."

• Elsewhere, Ben Gannon-Doak is progressing in his hamstring recovery and is likely to return after the international break, while Justin Kluivert faces a "race against time" to be back to see out the rest of the season.

• A portion of Bournemouth season-ticket holders have been asked to move seats by the club, as part of the planned stadium expansion, leaving some fans "very disappointed". Iraola said: "I've been asking also about these things - about how we're going to save the situation, what's going to be built, what's it going to be in two years, how it's going to be provisionally and I think that it's a moment where the club has to make important decisions. It's important to get it right first time. The club has to hear what the supporters want and we have to, all together, get it right because we need to create the best atmosphere we can in our stadium."

• On Adam Smith reaching 250 Premier League appearances and signing a contract extension with the Cherries: "We've proved that we value him with his new contract. He is still going and fighting and he has added more numbers to a very, very good amount. I think it's fully deserved because every time we need him he is there, he performs and if he doesn't play, he pushes whoever is in front of him. Now he's in a fight with Alex Jimenez for minutes and Alex knows, if he doesn't play very well, Adam Smith will be there and that's good news for us."

• On Sunderland: "It's a team that has played really well this season. Starting from the goalkeeper - he has been very, very good for them. He has a really long kick so it puts you under pressure really early. Every free-kick and every set-piece situation, they put a lot of pressure on you, they manage the situations very well."

Hit play above to hear more from Iraola on the season-ticket decision or listen on BBC Sounds here

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Got a question about Bournemouth? Let us know here and we'll put it to our experts

Bournemouth season ticket holders have been speaking to BBC Radio Solent about being told they will have to move seats to accommodate for extra hospitality seating as part of a stadium extension plan.

Those who it will affect from next season have been contacted over email in recent days, and it is reported to be around 600 season ticket holders.

Bournemouth supporter Joe Tyler told BBC Radio Solent: "We are, naturally, very disappointed with the decision. It doesn't just affect me, it's my dad and my uncle too.

"Our seats are in block 20 so we are very close to the half-way line and have a great perspective of the pitch.

"We recognise what the board have done for the club and none of it comes cheaply, but ultimately this shouldn't come at the expense of existing and loyal supporters."

Hit play above to hear everyone's opinions or listen on BBC Sounds here

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport senior journalist

Image source, AFC Bournemouth

After a month spent mainly on the road, with three away games and only one home match since 24 January, Bournemouth's supporters are ready to enjoy home comforts – with three of their next four games at Vitality Stadium, including two in the next week against Sunderland and Brentford.

However, for those looking further ahead, Monday's club announcement relating to the redevelopment of Vitality Stadium has put some flesh on the bones of how the ground is likely to look next season.

After the enabling developments were approved by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council in January, work has begun at the southern end of the ground.

The full planning application has now been submitted to BCP Council and is at the consultation phase, with the council planning committee due to rule on it in May.

That will leave a reasonably tight timescale for work (if approved) to take place over the summer, when the current Ted MacDougall Stand – surely one of the longest-standing "temporary" stands in football, having been in place since 2013 – will be removed and work on a new South Stand begun.

The club now plans to construct the lower tier of the new South Stand, and fill in two of the corners, before the start of next season, which will initially increase capacity by over 1,500 seats, and should still allow the largest attendance of Dean Court's current configuration, since the pitch was turned through 90 degrees in 2001.

So 2026-27 will be a "work in progress" season as construction of the upper tier of the South Stand – which will eventually dwarf the other stands in height and size – will continue during the campaign.

Then, if all goes to plan, further work in the close season in 2027 will fill in the other two corners, which coupled with extensions to the North and East Stands, and the completion of the South, will raise capacity to more than 20,000.

While Dean Court's record attendance looks likely, for now, to remain the 28,799 fans who somehow packed into the old ground for the 1957 FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester United, expansion of the current ground feels long overdue as Bournemouth prepare for what will be their 10th season in the Premier League.

The Cherries Trust has encouraged fans to comment on the plans, which can be found on the BCP Council website, external under the planning application P/25/04900/FUL.

Image source, AFC Bournemouth

Barcelona are currently the favourites to sign Bournemouth's Argentina centre-back Marcos Senesi, 28, on a free transfer this summer. (Football Insider), external

Bournemouth are growing increasingly confident that they can persuade head coach Andoni Iraola to commit his future to the club with a new contract. (Teamtalk), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Tom Jordan
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth may have acquired one of the league's youngest squads, but it's also worth remembering one of the older mainstays who is still at the club.

Adam Smith has recently signed an extension at the same club he initially joined all the way back in 2010! Back then, he was a loan signing from Tottenham who was raw and full of promise, but no-one could have envisaged the club legend he'd turn out to be.

Smith was signed on a permanent transfer in the Championship season of 2014 under then manager Eddie Howe, and he was soon to be part of one of the club's most memorable squads.

Part of the Cherries' first ever promotion to the Premier League, I very much doubt Smithy saw this coming when he was scrapping on loan back in League One. However, under the guidance of Simon Francis, Smith flourished in the top flight and arguably improved season on season into a top Premier League full-back.

Initially it was felt that Adam was predominantly an offensive right-back who could comfortably move into a wide midfield position, but more recently he's managed to adapt his game with his years of experience. The youthful, fiery and energetic wing-back has superbly adapted to now being the wise, consistent, leader of this current thriving Cherries group - very impressive indeed.

A plethora of competition at right-back has come in to challenge Smithy during his Bournemouth career, but he's always been the one relied upon, and the one who just "gets it", and for that, the Bournemouth faithful will always be thankful.

With 419 appearances for the Cherries, 250 of them coming in the Premier League, Adam Smith truly is an AFC Bournemouth legend.

And there's still time for some more memorable moments to come!

Find more from Tom Jordan at Back of the Net, external

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between West Ham and Bournemouth.

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans

Chris: Simply not good enough. The result means we now probably have to find at least two unexpected wins. I'm not giving up but we will need to find some unlikely wins from somewhere.

James: If you can't win, make sure you don't lose. With other teams faltering, I felt West Ham have enough to stay up if they can just get the wins over the line and build on this clean sheet.

Vigsy: Two points dropped after a dominant first half coughed up no goals. An open second half but profligate shooting by both sides resulted in the stalemate. Cherries will be far happier with the point than us.

Adam: A clean sheet is great - they've been few and far between but we really needed the win with our run-in.

Bournemouth fans

Paul: Substandard performance despite having almost 60% possession. Never really looked like scoring apart from Rayan's sublime solo effort. Take the point and move on.

Terry: Under par. We always seem to be lethargic after a break, but an away point is a good point. Rayan was SO unlucky, but MOTD said nothing as usual - if that had been Erling Haaland, Hugo Ekitike or Cole Palmer it would have been shown a million times. Onwards and upwards. In AFCB we have faith.

Bob: As usual, a poor performance against a team placed third from the bottom of the league. Indicates a 14th or 15th-placed finish because no improvement can be expected from this XI.

Pundits Wayne Rooney and Micah Richards join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Chelsea 1-1 Burnley

• Aston Villa 1-1 Leeds

• West Ham 1-1 Bournemouth

Ben Collins
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

With West Ham's biggest threat coming from set-pieces, Bournemouth were content to control possession throughout while threatening on the break.

With manager Andoni Iraola watching from the stands as he served a touchline ban, they offered little going forward in the first half.

Rayan and Alex Scott had tame long-range efforts before Rayan almost became the first teenager to register a goal involvement in each of their first four Premier League appearances.

The new signing broke forward just after the hour mark after a West Ham free-kick was cleared, running from his own half before his left-foot strike from the edge of the box glanced off the woodwork.

The 19-year-old Brazilian had another effort blocked having taken too long to get his shot away, while Marcos Senesi, Scott and Junior Kroupi tested home goalkeeper Mads Hermansen late on.

A late Bournemouth winner would have been harsh on the Hammers, and the Cherries will settle for a point and a seventh straight league game unbeaten, with two home games and a trip to second-bottom Burnley coming up.

BBC Radio Solent's Bournemouth commentator Jordan Clark is joined by Cherries legend Steve Fletcher, to discuss their goalless draw at West Ham.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore all Bournemouth content on BBC Sounds

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola, speaking to Sky Sports: "We had good individual performances. At least we have not conceded any goals and we will go with a point.

"The first half I was quite disappointed. We were not being aggressive on the ball and didn't look like a danger to them. The second half was more open. We got into good situations, it was a better game but first half was poor for us.

"It is about winning your duels, wanting the ball and attacking the spaces and we improved in the second half.

"We have recovered a bit more depth and especially in the second half this was very good. Away from home this is a difficult stadium to come to. They put you under pressure straight away and we have to value this point.

"We have 38 points and I hope next to get past 40 and then we will see where we are when we arrive."

Did you know?

• With four each, only Newcastle and Crystal Palace have had more 0-0 draws than Bournemouth in the Premier League this season, with the Cherries' three their joint-most in a top-flight campaign. They also had three in 2015-16 and 2019-20.

You can listen to Andoni Iraola and Djordje Petrovic on BBC Sounds

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on West Ham's performance

What did you make of Bournemouth's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Image source, BBC Sport

West Ham have made one change to the starting XI they had for their last Premier League game, with Soungoutou Magassa replacing Freddie Potts in the side that drew 1-1 at home to Manchester United.

West Ham XI: Mads Hermansen, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Axel Disasi, Konstantinos Mavropanos, Tomas Soucek, Mateus Fernandes, Soungoutou Magassa, Crysencio Summerville, Jarrod Bowen, Valentin Castellanos.

Subs: Kyle Walker-Peters, Max Kilman, Callum Wilson, Adama Traore, Jean-Clair Todibo, Ollie Scarles, Mohamadou Kante, Ezra Mayers, Alphonse Areola.

Bournemouth have made two changes to the side which won 2-1 at Everton last time out, with Tyler Adams and Junior Kroupi coming in for Ryan Christie and Alex Toth.

Bournemouth XI: Djordje Petrovic, James Hill, Adrien Truffert, Marcos Senesi, Alex Jimenez, Alex Scott, Amine Adli, Rayan, Evanilson, Tyler Adams, Junior Kroupi.

Subs: David Brooks, Ryan Christie, Adam Smith, Marcus Tavernier, Bafode Diakite, Enes Unal, Alex Toth, Veljko Milosavljevic, Christos Mandas.

Image source, BBC Sport

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Aston Villa v Leeds - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Brentford v Brighton

• Chelsea v Burnley - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• West Ham v Bournemouth (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Manchester City v Newcastle (20:00)

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to Aston Villa v Leeds" or "ask BBC Sounds to play West Ham v Bournemouth", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Two of the league's form teams meet at London Stadium on Saturday (17:30 GMT), albeit with West Ham United and Bournemouth experiencing rather different campaigns.

The Hammers, in 17th place, have won three of their last five in the league, drawing with Manchester United last time out. The 10 points they've earned in that timeframe is as many as they acquired in their previous 15 matches.

Hammers can flee the bottom three

Significantly, this round of fixtures presents them with the chance to move out of the drop zone for the first time since early December, should they win and Nottingham Forest lose to Liverpool (depending on goal difference).

Crysencio Summerville continued his sparkling form with an extra-time winner in a tense FA Cup fourth round win over Burton Albion, taking him to six goals in his last seven games.

Nuno Espirito Santo made 10 changes for that clash against League One opposition but had to call upon Summerville from the bench to put the tie to bed, perhaps indicative of his side's reliance on a small pool of goalscorers.

Even in the Premier League the Irons have been using the full extent of their squad in a bid to find a winning formula. Following a busy winter transfer window, they've used more different players than any other side in the league this season, with 32, yet only Everton have had fewer different goalscorers than West Ham's nine.

Cherries blossoming

Bournemouth are unbeaten in their last six league games, with four wins and two draws moving them from 15th to ninth since the turn of the year.

The Cherries' first-ever Premier League win came against West Ham at Upton Park in August 2015. In recent years though, they're winless in their last 10 meetings with the Hammers in all competitions – the last five in the league have all been draws.

Andoni Iraola's side came from behind to beat Everton 2-1 last week, with Brazilian forward Rayan on the scoresheet for the second successive game. Add to that an assist on his debut and the 19-year-old is aiming to become the first teenager in the history of the competition to record goal involvements in each of his first four games.

That superb second half turnaround at the Hill Dickinson Stadium was typical of the Cherries' resilient attitude this season. Only Aston Villa and Sunderland have rescued more points from losing positions in the top-flight this season than Bournemouth's 14.

In Rayan and Junior Kroupi – the top scorer left at the club after Antoine Semenyo's move to Manchester City – Bournemouth boast an exciting young forward line, but it's one of their former heroes they'll need to watch out for on Saturday, even if he is no longer first choice in east London.

Callum Wilson, who hit 67 goals in his six seasons in Dorset, netted twice in a 2-2 draw at the Vitality Stadium in November. He has a particular fondness for this fixture, scoring in it nine times (seven for Bournemouth, two for West Ham).

West Ham are still in the bottom three but they have shown they are up for the fight in the past few weeks.

Yes, they conceded a late equaliser against Manchester United in their last league game, but they keep on picking up points and that must have given them belief they can stay up.

Bournemouth are on a good run now too, with three wins in their past four league games but, along with Brighton, they are the Premier League's draw specialists this season - both have had 10 so far.

It finished 2-2 when these two sides met on the south coast in November and I can see the points being shared this time too.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

England midfielder Alex Scott told BBC Radio Solent that he is in the "form of my life".

"I think all season I have been at a decent level. I started pretty strong, I think there were a few games where my levels dropped, but I'm back to my best. I'm definitely in the form of my life," he said.

"I feel really good and I can probably play 90 minutes most weeks now. Defensively I have definitely improved and I'm trying to make the box to score goals and create chances a lot more."

The 22-year-old also credits his midfield team-mates in pushing him to improve.

"It's a tough role to do, any of those three positions in midfield," he said.

"It's very demanding physically in games, the way we press and jump the opposition.

"It's good to have fresh legs on the bench. For me personally, it's good to have such competition because it helps me to stay on my A game."

Bournemouth play away to West Ham at the London Stadium on Saturday.

Hit play above to listen to the interview or hear it here on BBC Sounds.

Explore more Bournemouth content on BBC Sounds

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to BBC Radio Solent before Saturday's Premier League game against West Ham at the London Stadium (kick-off 17:30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Iraola confirmed there were no new injury concerns for this weekend, with David Brooks and Tyler Adams "ready to go", while Marcus Tavernier returned to training and they will make a late call on his availability.

• On playing more away games against teams in the bottom half of the table in this second half of the season: "We are getting better results, we are getting some wins and I hope we can continue. But I think this one is especially difficult considering the circumstances where West Ham are and the run that they've had recently."

• The Bournemouth boss feels the Hammers have been "one of the best teams lately in the Premier League" and his side need to "be ready to start strong" to prevent West Ham from scoring first, as they have done in recent games.

• After receiving a touchline ban for his third yellow card of the season, Iraola has been discussing how he plans to help from the stands: "I don't wear the thing on the ear and I'm close to the analyst. Normally I go with Ryan [Dawes], and he's the one communicating everything. But it's true that we sometimes, with the subs, we use just text messages. So we see everything clear."

• He does not yet know where he will be sitting in the stadium and is a "little bit worried" about the time it might take to get to the dressing room at half time, so they will just have to "see what the best option is".

• On Marcos Senesi's future after the defender didn't move in the January transfer window: "I think the situation is still open. I think it's not easy. We have references from other seasons and sometimes they decide to re-sign, sometimes not, but I don't think Marcos has taken any decision."

Hit play above to hear more from Iraola or listen on BBC Sounds here

Hear full commentary of West Ham v Bournemouth on Saturday from 17:30 GMT on 5 Live and BBC Sounds

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Got a question about Bournemouth? Get in touch here and we'll put it to our experts

Bournemouth defender Marcos Senesi wants to join Barcelona this summer after deciding he will not sign a new contract with the Cherries. (Teamtalk, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Mark Mitchener
BBC Sport Senior Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Bournemouth's absence from the FA Cup fourth round will have allowed them a rare opportunity to fully recharge the batteries between games.

Aside from the standard international breaks in September, October and November when half the squad will have flown off around the world to represent their countries, the 10 clear days between their win at Everton on Tuesday, 10 February and the upcoming trip to West Ham this Saturday, 21 February, has been Bournemouth's longest gap between fixtures so far in 2025-26.

That win at Hill Dickinson Stadium is also the Cherries' final midweek away trip of the season, with their only remaining midweek game at home to Brentford on 3 March forming part of a Saturday-Tuesday home double against Sunderland and the Bees that immediately precedes another 10-day gap during which the FA Cup fifth round will be contested.

Head coach Andoni Iraola's high-energy, hard-running playing style demands a lot of his players physically, and as fan writer Sam Davis pointed out on these pages earlier this week, playing fewer games than some of their mid-table rivals in the final three months of the season could be to Bournemouth's advantage in terms of player workload.

For the travelling fans, particularly those hardy souls who braved the rain at Everton last week, the fixture schedule for the last half-dozen away games feels a little kinder towards the end of the campaign.

Cherries followers, by the nature of geography, will rack up more miles on the motorways and the rail network than those of any other Premier League team this season.

However, of their last six away matches, Newcastle and Burnley are the only two of the eight northernmost grounds yet to be visited by Iraola's side, with three of their last six away games in London before a final-day journey to Nottingham Forest – who have had more managers than home league wins in 2025-26.