Steve Fletcher has lifted the lid on the culture driving AFC Bournemouth's success, explaining why the Cherries continue to thrive despite losing stars every summer. The club legend also reveals why he believes former boss Andoni Iraola will be a huge success at Liverpool.
AFC Bournemouth legend Steve Fletcher believes the Cherries' remarkable rise is built on far more than clever recruitment, insisting the club's family atmosphere is just as important as the players it signs.
Speaking to talkSPORT from Bournemouth beach during the launch of the club's new MrQ shirt sleeve sponsorship, Fletcher reflected on another summer of change at Vitality Stadium, the departure of former head coach Andoni Iraola to Liverpool and why he remains confident Bournemouth can continue to thrive.
The Cherries have once again seen some of their biggest names depart following last season's historic sixth-place Premier League finish and European qualification.
Astute Recruitment
Last season saw a decimation of AFC Bournemouth's back-line, as well as the transfers away of two significant attacking players in Dango Ouattara and Antoine Semenyo, yet, astute recruitment and excellent coaching meant that the departures were not as devastating as initially expected, and Fletcher says that Cherries' recruitment model is the reason why - and it continues to set the standard.
"I think it's the most important department of this football club," Fletcher explained. "We are a selling club to a degree. You do lose your best players to the big boys when they come calling.
Matthew Childs / Reuters"The recruitment department have got to be one step ahead. We lose Antoine Semenyo and we bring in Rayan from Brazil and he's been phenomenal. Everywhere I go around the world, everyone says to me, 'Fletch, your recruitment department have been nothing but phenomenal.'"
However, the club's all-time record goalscorer believes Bournemouth's success extends beyond identifying talent.
Ensuring Incoming Players "Get It"
Fletcher, who now works as a club ambassador and regularly helps new signings settle into life on the south coast, says making players feel at home is crucial to helping them perform.
"When I pick a player up like Rayan from the hotel, I tell him about the history of this club, where he's at and a little bit about the town," he said.
"I just want him to feel comfortable and at ease because the sooner they can bed into the culture of the club and feel part of the furniture, the better they're going to perform on the pitch.
"There's no airs and graces. Everybody's welcome, whether you're a chef, a cleaner, in the media team, marketing team or you're a player.
"Our motto is 'Together, anything is possible' and that together is the most important part. I want the players to feel happy and part of the family."
The Arrival of Marco Rose
With Marco Rose now beginning life as Bournemouth's new head coach, Fletcher says he has already been won over by the German's personality.
"I was overwhelmed when I met him," Fletcher admitted. "I put my arm around him and gave him a big hug. We had a bit of banter and I felt like I'd known him for years.
© Steffen Prößdorf"He's got a warmth about him. He went around every department. He didn't mind what level you worked at at the club - he spent time with everyone.
"He's bought into the philosophy of the club, the ethos of the club and the history of the club. As a person around the place, he's been incredible already."
Andoni at Liverpool
While Bournemouth have turned the page under Rose, Fletcher also had warm words for his predecessor after Iraola swapped the south coast for Anfield this summer.
The club legend believes Liverpool supporters will quickly warm to the Spaniard, who guided Bournemouth into Europe for the first time in the club's history.
"I don't think he'll change," Fletcher said. "He'll play the way he wants to play - attacking, aggressive pressing football - and I think the Liverpool fans will love him.
"He's a good person. He's quite quiet and keeps himself to himself to a degree, but he's very warm and he wants the club to do well."
Fletcher pointed to Iraola's difficult start on the south coast as proof of his conviction, recalling that the Spaniard remained faithful to his methods despite waiting until his tenth game for a first victory.
"He never changed," Fletcher said. "He believed in his ways and stuck by it. That was probably the best part.
"What he achieved here was nothing but miraculous, getting us into Europe by finishing sixth in the Premier League."
Despite losing a manager to one of world football's biggest clubs, Fletcher believes Bournemouth supporters should take immense pride in what has been achieved.
A "Pinch Yourself" Moment for Cherries Fans
"If you're an AFC Bournemouth supporter, after our 127-year history, predominantly in League One, and now we're going to be battling it out in Europe, you've got to be pinching yourself," he said.
"They should be making a Hollywood movie about the rise of this football club. It's nothing but phenomenal, and Andoni has got a massive piece of that. We wish him all the very best at Liverpool."
As Bournemouth prepare for another Premier League campaign under Marco Rose, Fletcher accepts there will always be speculation surrounding the club's brightest talents, including Alex Scott.
Action Images via Reuters/Craig Brough "When your best players are performing, it's going to attract the attention of the big teams," he said.
"Do we want to lose our best players? No. Do the fans want to see them go? Of course not.
"But as long as we recruit well, if we do lose those players, we just keep the wheel turning."
For Fletcher, that philosophy has transformed Bournemouth from a club fighting for survival into one preparing for European football — and he sees no reason why that progress cannot continue.
