Andoni Iraola has revealed that Newcastle United supervisor Eddie Howe despatched him an excellent luck message when he took over Bournemouth at first of the 2023/24 season.
Iraola, in the meantime, has identified about Bournemouth for years. Whereas nonetheless Rayo Vallecano boss, he took Eddie Howe out for dinner not lengthy after the latter had left the Vitality Stadium, following their relegation in 2020. The previous Cherries chief had frolicked shadowing Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid and stayed an additional week within the Spanish capital with Iraola at Vallecas, as a part of a peripatetic European tour.
Andoni Iraola reveals messages with Eddie Howe after being appointed Bournemouth supervisor
Howe and Iraola on the touchline for his or her respective sides (Picture credit score: Getty Photographs)
“We had a extremely good expertise,” Iraola tells FourFourTwo . “I already knew him from Bournemouth earlier than. They have been an excellent reference for us at Rayo due to the creativity and their set items – it’s very nice if you’re coaching to have the prospect to talk to different managers.”
Howe did supply the Spaniard properly needs when appointed Bournemouth supervisor in the summertime of 2023, although stopped in need of giving him any recommendation – they might be rivals that season, in any case.
“He texted me and wished me all the perfect, however we didn’t discuss an excessive amount of,” Iraola reveals. “He was already at Newcastle , and if you’re a coach at one other membership, you don’t textual content one another typically!”
Howe tasted nice success with Bournemouth
They might be rivals now, nevertheless it’s laborious to flee reminders of Howe’s excellent achievements at Bournemouth. The Steve Fletcher Stand serves as testomony to the trendy roots of the membership, named after the person who scored the aim that stored the Cherries within the Soccer League in 2009, early in Howe’s first spell as supervisor.
“I hear about it day-after-day,” Iraola says. “I work with Steve, Tommy Elphick, Shaun Cooper – they have been at Bournemouth as gamers for years and each time we go to a brand new stadium or play a pleasant, they’ve tales about elements of the membership I didn’t know.
“Once I first arrived, I attempted to study as a lot as I may concerning the membership’s historical past. Followers keep in mind this stuff 15, 20 years in the past when the membership was in bother, and it’s good to contribute and be a small a part of the story if you’re within the Premier League.”
Issues have gone extraordinarily properly for Iraola, too, with Bournemouth attaining their best-ever factors complete final season, with 48. They’re on target to interrupt that in 2024/25, although there have been preliminary teething issues final time period that he needed to overcome.
In implementing tactical modifications, Iraola generally requested gamers do unfamiliar issues, however making it look like no large deal.
“The calls for of each supervisor change and the calls for of each place in any tactical setup are totally different,” Iraola explains. “It’s possible you’ll be an excellent winger in a sure system, however for our system it could be totally different.”
Winger-turned-ball-winner, Ryan Christie is a working example. “He had the physicality, the tactical understanding, the standard on the ball to be a No.8. With Dango [Ouattara], we thought he could possibly be comfy at full-back – even Lewis [Cook], he used to play larger however now he’s extra comfy as a defensive midfielder and is taking part in very properly.”
Unsurprisingly, gamers took time to search out their ft. The epiphany would come, nonetheless, towards former Bournemouth supervisor, Eddie Howe.
“The sport when every little thing modified was Newcastle at dwelling,” Iraola provides. “We beat them 2-0, performed very well and contemplating the opposition, it was the primary sport during which we had an entire efficiency. The whole lot began going our approach after that.”
