BOURNEMOUTH have signed ex-Saint Andrew Surman on a season-long loan deal from Norwich.
The 26-year-old, who made 133 appearances for Saints before departing for Wolves in 2009, is Cherries boss Eddie Howe’s fourth summer addition as the club gear up for their return to The Championship.
And Surman, who made 26 appearances in a loan spell at Cherries at the start of 2005-06, is confident his new club can emulate his Norwich side that one back-to-back promotions from League One to the top flight.
“Anything can happen,” he said.
“When I first joined Norwich, people were saying they had done well to get out of League One and were asking whether we would settle for finishing just above the relegation zone. It shows what can happen.
“There are some good teams in the league but the best teams don’t always necessarily win the league or get promoted. If you can gain a bit of momentum, you never know where it might take you. You have to go into it positively and aim for the top.
“I have had my ups and downs in the Championship. I was relegated with Southampton and reached the play-offs with them. It was a great achievement getting promoted with Norwich.
“The tempo is higher and there is a lot more football played. No disrespect to League One but you come up against better players.
“When we won the title with Norwich, we had a great team spirit and a winning mentality. Those are the key things with regards to doing well in the Championship. If you can put together a run of wins, you can shoot up the table and put yourself in contention for the play-offs or the top two. You just don’t know.
“There is a good group of lads here and the spirit seems good so you are halfway there. If you can take that on to the pitch and put together a run of wins, that breeds confidence. That is what you need in the Championship even if you are not playing well.”
Signed by Sean O’Driscoll during his first loan spell with Cherries, Surman netted six goals and played alongside current boss Howe.
“I was only 18 and first-team football was quite new to me,” said Surman. “We had a good manager in Sean O’Driscoll and some decent players but the financial side wasn’t great. That seems to have changed now and everyone is talking about them having a go this season. It can only be positive.
“I played with the manager when I was here on loan and he has gone on to bigger and better things. It will be a different relationship this time because I am a player and he is the manager. You have got to have that respect for the manager and I have huge respect for him. I am looking forward to working with him.
“He has outlined the way he likes the team to play and where I might fit in. Once I start to work with him and the rest of the players over the next few days, I will get to grips with it. I am going to have to learn pretty quickly with a game on Saturday, if selected. He laid down how he likes to play and what is expected of every player.”
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