AFC Bournemouth vs Everton - Eddie Howe pays credit to Sylvain Distin's professionalism - 7M sport

AFC Bournemouth vs Everton - Eddie Howe pays credit to Sylvain Distin's professionalism



Posted Saturday, November 28, 2015 by PA

Evergreen defender Sylvain Distin can prove his enduring Premier League class against former club Everton, according to Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe.

The former Manchester City and Newcastle centre-back will turn 38 in December, but Cherries manager Howe admits the Frenchman continues to set the Dean Court pace.

Distin set a record 450th Premier League start for a non-English outfield player in Bournemouth's 2-2 draw with Swansea, and will take on Everton on Saturday for the first time since leaving Goodison Park in the summer.

Bournemouth boss Howe hailed Distin's work ethic and clean living as central to his 16 years of top-flight English football.

"For this game to come off the back of his 450th league game, it's good times for Sylvain," said Howe.

"That's an incredible landmark. And now he's coming up against his former club it will be interesting to see how he does.

"He's a very good player: I don't think you make that number of appearances without being a good performer at the level.

"What amazes me about Sylvain is his physical well-being, how he's managed to look after his body at his age and the games that he's played.

"You still look at him and think he's a lot younger than he is."

Howe added: "He's been a really good role model for us this season away from the games, in training and how he conducts himself.

"How he treats his body has been an eye-opener for a lot of our squad. That's how he's managed to stay in such good shape, so full credit to him for being himself really, in how he manages his body."

Boyhood Everton fan Howe admitted it would still come as something of a shock to take on a club whose players he idolised as a youngster in Watford.

Despite supporting the Toffees in his formative years though, Howe insists his long-term bond with Bournemouth has turned him into a hardened Cherries follower.

"I've never envisaged managing a team against Everton, I would never have thought that was likely," said Howe.

"I was an Everton fan when I lived in Watford, in the 80s Everton were a really successful team and the 1984 cup final sticks in my mind as a game I watched from a Watford perspective, then really enjoyed the way Everton played and ended up following them from then onwards.

"Everton was really important to my early memories and involvement in football, but moving down here, I ended up falling in love with Bournemouth."

Everton boss Roberto Martinez is not surprised Bournemouth want to stick to the playing style that launched them into the Premier League.

And Martinez has emphasised the threat they could pose for his team this weekend.

The Cherries go into Saturday's contest at the Vitality Stadium having taken only two points from their last seven games and lying second-bottom of the table.

However their manager Eddie Howe has stressed they will not be abandoning the attacking, expansive game that took them all the way to promotion from the Championship.

Martinez, associated himself with a flowing brand of football, said: "I don't think I'm revealing a secret when I say Bournemouth were not one of the favourite teams to get promoted from the Championship - so when you see that enormous success, why would you change it?

"I think their success over the years has been that clarity and understanding of how they want to play, and it has been a really successful story - there is no need to change anything."

Bournemouth have been hit by some serious injuries, not least the knee problem sustained by striker Callum Wilson that looks to have ended his season.

Martinez has no doubt that has been a key factor in recent results, but he still sees Howe's men as dangerous, full of belief and likely to "click" again at any moment - something Everton need to be on guard for.

"I think Bournemouth carry a winning mentality from what they achieved in the last two or three seasons," Martinez said.

"To lose some of your most influential players is always gong to have an effect.

"But they are very clear in the way they want to play, based on what they do on the ball - they want to break teams down and bring on attacking play and score goals.

"At the moment they are in a run of negative results, but I think the way they perform is not like a team that has not got belief or confidence in what they are trying to do.

"They are a team that can click at any time and get a positive result, and we need to be very wary that it doesn't happen at the weekend.

"I know we are going to be heavily tested and need to be at our best."



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