The Cherries may have come from no where to claim automatic promotion from League One, but the Dean Court management team are under no illusion as to the challenge that awaits in the Championship.
Speaking in the Bournemouth Evening Echo, Eddie Howe is quoted as saying: "We are going to be playing clubs with bigger squads, bigger resources and bigger stadiums so we are really going to have to be smart. We are going to have to try to compete in different ways and be different with our playing style. We are going to need an edge and that is where we need to try to get it because it is going to be difficult trying to go toe-to-toe financially with these clubs. We are going into a really tough division and you only have to look at the Championship this season to see how competitive it was. Lots of promotion and relegation issues were only decided in the last couple of games so that shows just how tight it was and I don’t expect it to be any different next season. There are three clubs coming down from the Premier League with the parachute payments and a host of others who have recently been in the top flight and still receive the extra funds. They are all really well-resourced clubs and are looking to get back up so are going to be very strong. There are a number of clubs with long histories and huge traditions behind them, institutions of English football. It is a great division but a very competitive one as well. It is a really big step for us but, hopefully, one we can bridge. We are going to be underdogs in a large proportion of the games and that was very much the case during our first spell here. It is what it has been like in the club’s recent history so we are going back to territory we know. We have to look to get our edge in terms of team spirit, preparation, training, sports science and the medical department – all areas where money is not the governing factor and it is more about how you operate. It is going to be up to me, Jason and all our staff to make sure we are as well prepared and organised as we can be and that is what we will be looking to do over the next few weeks".