The downfall of Bournemouth is heartbreaking, but the heroics of Eddie Howe is nothing less than a fairy tale. The Cherries were 91st out of 92 teams in the English League pyramid with club liquidation imminent when he was handed the managerial role. They didn’t have money to pay for the water or electricity rent. Still, the Englishman not only revived the Dorset side but also guided them towards earning a Premier League status in 2015.
Bournemouth enjoyed five years in the English top-flight before going down this summer, but the legacy of Howe will remain forever and keep on inspiring the lower league dreamers. Miracles have made this game an emotional roller-coaster since its inception, and the rise of some Buckinghamshire minnows under a certain ‘rockstar manager’ reminds me about the early days of the ex-Cherries gaffer.
The long-awaited Premier League title earned Jurgen Klopp the Sir Alex Ferguson Manager of the Year trophy pipping Marcelo Bielsa, Chris Wilder and Gareth Ainsworth a couple of weeks back. Nobody remembers who comes second, third or fourth. Yet the charisma of Bielsa or Wilder helped the mainstream media win brownie points with extensive coverage and reporting of the duo.
How many of us are aware of Ainsworth though? Before you ask or rather paste it in your search engine and click enter, let me share one amazing story.
No Money To Sack The Gaffer!
Wycombe Wanderers, run by a supporter-owned trust, could not afford to sack Ainsworth back in the summer of 2014. It was a pensive 2013-14 for the Chairboys who were on the brink of being relegated to non-league football. A 3-0 win over Torquay United as well as some other favourable outcomes elsewhere on the final day helped them retain the League Two status on goal difference. Still, the idea of the dismissal was too expensive for the board who had no money to buy nets at their training base.
Having already scrapped the academy in 2012, Ainsworth was left with no nets and a few free signings for the first session ahead of the 2014-15 campaign.
“I knew the club was in absolute financial turmoil. Purchase orders, they were saying please don’t put them in unless absolutely necessary, and I knew if I put one in it would be put to the bottom of the pile and maybe we wouldn’t have goal nets for the first day of pre-season.”
Revealed Ainsworth in an interview with the Guardian two-and-a-half years ago.
He opted for eBay to buy a couple of ‘Buy It Now’ £29.95 full-size nets and eventually assembled a squad of aged free agents and rookie loanees en route to clinching a playoff place finish. It was distressing for the supporters when they lost the final to Southend United in sudden death, but they now had a guardian in Ainsworth who turned them into believers despite not having an academy, reserve team or even a goalkeeping coach in their possession.
Welcome To Wycome (If You Are In Your Thirties)
At the twilight of an eventful playing career, the Blackburn-born midfielder joined Wycombe (in 2009) when they were struggling in the third-tier. His arrival could not avoid a relegation scare, and the club went down again in 2012 to become a regular League Two outfit. A player-manager role was offered to him to save money and Ainsworth; also a part-time rockstar and the lead singer of the Cold Blooded Hearts, welcomed the challenge of attaining the unthinkable with no resource and an amateurish setup.
Age is just a number these days if one is playing in the MLS. But the gaffer had no other option but to implement a similar model to pull off the miracle. Wycombe finished 13th in 2015-16 with Paul Hayes failing to replicate his scoring streak from the previous term and the manager, therefore, had to explore the ‘Free Agent’ market once more to resolve the conundrum.
Beast Mode On
“I think I’m technically unemployed, so any managers hit me up on the WhatsApp and get me a job.”
Pleaded 34-year-old Adebayo Akinfenwa in the aftermath of winning the playoff final with AFC Wimbledon. Someone actually ‘hit him up’ on the WhatsApp a few days later and no reward for guessing, it was none other than Ainsworth who roped ‘the beast’ on an initial one-year contract.
Wycombe failed to grab a playoff place finish in 2016-17, but the famous Football League centre-forward kept on hitting the net guiding the Chairboys through to the semis of the EFL Trophy as well as the fourth round of the prestigious FA Cup. They were defeated 4-3 by Tottenham Hotspur after conceding a couple of late goals in the closing minutes of the match. Akinfenwa was unimpressive in that seven-goal thriller but led the club to League One promotion next year firing in 18 times across competitions.
Playing Like A Pub Team
Although they were tipped to go down straightaway, a 17th-placed league finish depicted their perseverance despite limitations. The youngsters, on loan, were desperate to prove their worth, whereas the veterans showed steadfastness for one last time before hanging up their boots. Ainsworth succeeded in channelising this hunger towards scripting history but, at the same time, faced yet another awkward task of forming a competitive squad last summer with only nine players (including a couple of trialists) to train on the first day of pre-season.
The loan recruits, as well as Bosman transfers, were spot on once again and the boss, well aware of the constraints and shortcomings, introduced a style of play that made them look like a pub team that had won some contest to take part in the tournament. Funny as it may sound, Ainsworth had a definitive strategy behind this unconventional approach.
The Blues boys were not sharp enough to play the passing game. They lacked pace and creativity and therefore, focused more on long-ball football with big man Akinfenwa (now 38) upfront taking on two-three defenders on his own with sheer physical supremacy. A traditional 4-3-3 was a camouflage to confuse the opponents as the Wanderers did not go for the width rather dominated centrally by shifting to a 4-5-1. The wingers kept on operating more as midfielders to add strength in the centre of the pitch and create chances down the middle (38% of their opportunities were created centrally).
Playing possessional football was never a part of the plan as Wycombe banked on a stable backline to defend deep and win the ball back before surging forward in an old-school outlook. They were the side with least ball possession (40.8% possession, 3.7% less than the second bottom AFC Wimbledon) in the League One, but the philosophy was apt and executed with accuracy week in, week out. Set-piece expertise was essential too, and the left-back Joe Jacobson ended up being their top scorer of the 2019-20 campaign with 11 goals from dead-ball scenarios. Seven including the decisive winner against Oxford were from the spot, one free-kick and the rest were incredibly converted from direct corners.
The final against the Yellows speaks in favour of the above when they stunned Oxford with only 23.9% of possession. Wycombe were standout defensively and rightfully got rewarded for their resilience and philosophy.
A Character Larger Than Life
The gaffer had to call off a practice session for the Cold Blooded Hearts after securing a place for the Wembley showdown. He might find it more challenging in the coming days to balance his passion and profession, but the charm and aura of the Adams Park chief would drive his little squad to defy the odds time and again.
“When your gaffer drives into training in a Mustang, wearing a leather jacket, and plays rock‘n’roll while working out in the gym, how can that not be contagious?”
Defender Darius Charles was spot on prior to their epic victory against Oxford United.
The words reflect how his players are ready to walk through a brick wall to repay the faith. He is most certainly a character and the commitment shown by not leaving for bigger clubs with greater goals and big fat paychecks due to Wycombe’s trust in him during those struggling days epitomise his dignity and class. You won’t find many such examples in the modern-day game.
It would still take a herculean effort to be in the Championship next year. Still, the club now holds a corporate structure following the majority share acquisition of the American businessman Rob Couhig earlier this year. Gone are the days when the locals reached out to Ainsworth with the proposal of handing an opportunity to their kids. The boss, himself, used to play the iconic Sunday League football for Finchampstead as well as the six-a-side games with the dads from his children’s school on Tuesday evenings.
“When I was released from Blackburn my dad told me that he still thought I would make it. The only regret would be not playing for Blackburn’s first team, but apart from that I wouldn’t change anything about my career.”
Ainsworth told the Lancashire Telegraph back in 2013 while calling it a day at the age of 40. He will now return to Ewood Park as a rival, instructing his men to get the better of his boyhood side from the sidelines.
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