It was a tough campaign for Bournemouth, with the Cherries managing to narrowly avoid relegation by just five points. Manager Kevin Bond is planning sweeping changes ahead of next season with the news that 11 players have not had their contracts renewed by the club. One player who has been offered a new deal though, is dependable defender Neil Young, who is currently considering an offer to stay at Dean Court for another 12 months. Despite the club's troubles last term, Young enjoyed a solid campaign and no doubt Bond will be hoping his skipper will sign for another year. Givemefootball's Mark Shail is the man armed with the questions.
Q:WHAT'S THE LATEST NEWS ON YOUR CONTRACT TALKS?
A:I've been offered a new one-year deal and at the moment I'm just mulling over the situation. I'm due to have another meeting with the chairman tomorrow so we'll just have to see what comes of it. Hopefully things will be sorted out within the next week or so. I'm going on holiday at the end of the month so it will be nice to have finalised things by then.
Q:WERE YOU HOPING TO BE OFFERED A LONGER CONTRACT?
A:That would have been nice but I'm used to it because the last three or four contracts have all been one-year deals. That's the situation and I have to deal with it. It's nothing new to me and I suppose signing 12 month contracts always keeps you on your toes.
Q:IT LOOKS LIKE THERE ARE GOING TO BE A LOT OF CHANGES AT BOURNEMOUTH NEXT SEASON?
A:Yes, as it stands now I think there have been 11 players released, including a number of senior players so it is going to be different. As yet the club hasn't signed any replacements but I'm sure the manager has targeted a number of new faces he wants to bring to the club. The season has only just finished so there's plenty of time to sign new players.
Q:OVERALL WOULD YOU SAY IT WAS A DISAPPOINTING SEASON?
A:It didn't go as well as we would have liked but you have to remember there were a lot of things going on at the club last season – including a change of manager. It took a bit of time for us to get a settled side when Kevin Bond came in but towards the end of the season we were playing some good stuff without getting the results that our performances deserved.
Q:IS THE CLUB NOW ON A SOUNDER FINANCIAL FOOTING COMPARED TO A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO?
A:I think things off the field are heading in the right direction and hopefully the club can move forward now. It's been a tough couple of years but the prospects are looking a little brighter. A town like Bournemouth deserves to have a successful side, with a solid base, and the players will be looking to give the supporters more to shout about next season.
Q:WHICH TEAMS TO YOU FANCY TO MAKE IT TO THE LEAGUE ONE PLAY-OFF FINAL?
A:Well at the moment it's looking good for both Nottingham Forest and Blackpool because those sides picked up important away wins in the first leg. Blackpool were the form team in the division at the end of the season and they've carried that into the play offs, so they will be hard to beat. But Forest have some big-name players and in Kris Commons they have someone who can turn a game on his own.
