Eddie Howe writes new chapter for Bournemouth – now for the legacy

It was approaching 11pm on Monday night by the time Eddie Howe, his back slapped raw with countless congratulations, extricated himself from the delighted throng out on the pitch and emerged into the youth team classroom that doubles up as a media suite at the Goldsands Stadium. The Bournemouth manager looked more exhausted than ecstatic. It was against his better nature to bask in a sense of satisfaction, his instinct always to look forward to the next challenge even if, for once, reflection seemed the safest option.

This club’s backstory, from minus 17 points at the foot of League Two to the top flight for the first time in their history and all within seven years, demanded acknowledgment. However, confronting aspects of what now awaits may have dampened the mood. “I never really thought this would be possible, if I’m honest,” Howe said. “People have been waiting for us to slip away for so long and it’s all been so intense. As for next season, that’s not one for now. It’s going to be incredibly difficult and there will be some hard times no doubt but now is about savouring the moment. We’ll worry about the Premier League another time.”

The days ahead, perhaps when the nagging doubts about a freakish set of results on the last afternoon have been allayed, will focus minds. There is so much to thrill Bournemouth, their players, hierarchy and support, about the top-flight campaign to come. Elevation is often summed up in cold, hard numbers: promotion is effectively worth in excess of £120m given TV and media income, increased commercial revenues and gate receipts, and the safety net of parachute payments. For a club whose last accounts, for 2012-13, revealed a £5.1m annual turnover, the transformation will be marked.

There are logistical issues to address. A decision will have to be made on whether to increase the capacity of 11,700 to nearer 15,000, with its associated complications in terms of segregation. The lease on the South Stand, erected for a prestigious friendly against Real Madrid two years agoin 2013, is up for renewal this year and that end of the ground could be redeveloped at a cost of just under £2m. Yet it may be that these become long‑term objectives rather than short‑term realities. Undersoil heating will have to be installed, while improvements will definitely have to be made to the floodlights and broadcast facilities. Live football from Dean Court will be beamed to 200 countries and four billion people. Bournemouth will not remain a secret for long.

Yet those are relatively minor costs to meet given the influx of monies to come. There is also the romance of promotion. Howe allowed himself a brief moment of exhilaration at the thought of travelling to Goodison Park to play Everton, the club he chose to support as a six-year-old having been enticed by those in blue as they defeated his local club, Watford, in the 1984 FA Cup final. Bournemouth have hosted eye‑catching opposition in cup ties in recent times but, next season, the elite will visit on a near fortnightly basis. “The fixtures announcement, that is when it will sink in,” Howe said. “That’s when it starts to feel real and then it will be a case of – and I’ll try not to swear – concentrating on getting some points in the bag. When you’ve had the journey we’ve had, you can’t fear it.”

He faces his own challenge. The core of the team who dismissed Bolton on Monday night have enjoyed elevation through the divisions under Howe’s guidance. He has remained faithful to such as Tommy Elphick and Steve Cook in central defence, Simon Francis and Charlie Daniels at full-back, Marc Pugh and Matt Ritchie on the flanks, the industrious Harry Arter in midfield. Some in their number will thrive at the higher level. The pace of Callum Wilson will be as menacing in the top flight as it is in the Championship. However, the owner, the elusive Russian petrochemical billionaire Maxim Demin, will have to sanction spending in all areas to provide the depth of quality to survive. “Some of the players are ready,” Howe said. “Sometimes others surprise you and step up to the plate. Others will struggle but we were always looking to keep things fresh, regardless of the division we were going to be in. It’s a natural progression.”

His players are not daring to assume they will become Premier League regulars. “It’ll be up to us, like it is every year,” said Elphick, who had started sluggishly in the second tier only to convince Howe he could thrive at that level. “He’ll assess things pre-season and, if you’re at it, sharp and fit on the training ground, then he’ll back you. But if someone is being sloppy or not pulling his weight, he’ll be quick to replace him. I know that more than anybody. I wasn’t ready for the first day of the season in 2013 and he told me that, so I had to work to get myself back in the team.” Those regulars have relished working under this stewardship.

Howe’s approach ensures nothing is missed. He may be only 37 but he commands respect, largely through the amount of work he puts in and the empathy he has for his players. He has shaped the whole set-up and all have bought into his approach. This is the manager who made a point of warning the waitresses at the hotel in Wrightington, where they were staying before the corresponding fixture at Bolton last October, not to “sell any chocolate to my players”. That is a small example of a meticulous work ethic‚ “a familiar blend of sports science, psychology, painstaking preparation and innovation on the training ground all aimed at eking the best from a squad, which cost around £8.5m to construct”. His principles will not bend now his team are at the higher level. If anything, they have been gearing up to this moment for a while.

“We always felt that, by implementing a football philosophy that could be transferable from League One to the Championship, and the Championship to the Premier League, it would give us more of a chance,” Howe said. “If you rip it all up and start again just because you’re in the top division, it’s too difficult. I don’t think we’d forsake our principles just because we’ve gone up. Sure, if you could guarantee me success playing a different way, being more direct and crossing balls in earlier, then we’d look at it. But in the Premier League the best way to win is to dominate the ball. That’s what we seek to do.”

There will be suitors for the Football League’s manager of the decade. West Ham having thrust Howe high up their list of possible replacements for Sam Allardyce but it feels inconceivable he would walk out on his own. “The man is unbelievable: he’s a machine and we owe all this to him,” Elphick said.

The players return to training on Wednesday after a night of celebrations and a golf day to catch their breath, with Howe now seeking a title to go with elevation by winning at The Valley. “We’ve written another chapter in this club’s history,” added the captain. “Hopefully, next season we can leave a legacy.”