EDDIE HOWE managed to win the Championship last season when no-one thought Bournemouth had a chance. Now, can Howe keep them in the Premier League when the odds are once again stacked against him and his team?

It will be a very hard task and with the club about to embark on their debut season in the top flight, they will be keen not to be seen as one-season wonders.

The shrewd signing of players with top flight experience such as Sylvain Distin and Adam Federici mixed with up-and-comers Josh King and Tyrone Mings will provide the drive and hunger needed to remain competitive at this level.

The fact that there hasn’t been an upheavel of players should work in their favour. Howe has built a tight-knit group and the last thing it needs is to be ripped apart and put back together with mercenary men who are only interested in a top flight paycheque.

Another striker may be needed, one with Premier League know-how and who can guarantee 10 or more goals just to take pressure off King, who for all of his speed isn’t the most clinical of finishers.

The next 38 games are all about the old footballing cliches. Dean Court stadium will need to be a fortress and the earlier they reach the 40 point mark the better.

Away from home, they need to be competitive and it is imperative that they beat the teams around them. The games against the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City will be seen as freebies. Anything out of them would be a massive bonus but the matches against the other two promoted teams as well as the teams earmarked for a relegation battle will be must win games.

It is the annoying side to life in the Premier League when you are a newly promoted side, all the cliches, but that’s the way these things work.

However, Howe isn’t a cliche manager. He’s young, dynamic and plays attractive football. Shutting up shop in an attempt to win games 1-0 isn’t his style and the Cherries have been set up to do nothing but attack.

That is fine in the Championship but in the Premier League it often leads to high-scoring losses, just ask Blackpool from a few years ago.

The difficulty is finding the right balance. Not parking the bus week-in week-out but not going gung ho from the opening minute.

Howe comes across as a manager who won’t sacrifice his style for survival this season but will adapt to his surroundings.

If Bournemouth are still in with a fighting chance come January, it will allow the club to potentially bring in one or two signings to secure their place in the league for another season.

Leicester showed last season that minor miracles in football can happen as long as the team doesn’t implode.

Bournemouth are a solid unit who will enjoy their inaugural league campaign.

Whether they can achieve their target of survival remains to be seen but with Howe in charge, they are in secure hands.