Cherries: Mitchell's faith in Groves and Brooks

7:21pm Monday 12th November 2012 in Sport Photograph of the Author By Ian Wadley

CHAIRMAN Eddie Mitchell insists Cherries will benefit from the controversial decision to restore Paul Groves and Shaun Brooks to the club’s youth department.

Mitchell was speaking after confirming that both Groves and Brooks had gone back to their previous “status” at Goldsands Stadium.

The management duo were last month relieved of their first-team duties having presided over a poor start to the League One season.

However, Mitchell reported that Groves and Brooks remained involved after taking up an offer to return to roles within Cherries’ youth set-up, having been under-18s manager and head of youth, respectively, prior to their elevation to the senior side.

The move has been criticised by sections of a fan-base which grew increasingly frustrated at Cher-ries’ performances under Groves.

It also means Cherries now have a bumper backroom staff as Mitchell confirmed that John Donoghue and Ross Embleton, both recruited in the summer, remained in place.

According to Cherries’ website and matchday programme, Donoghue and Embleton still officially hold the titles of head of youth and youth team manager.

When asked if everybody could be accommodated within the department, Mitchell told the Daily Echo: “It gives us the opportunity to do as much as possible with the youth team and I think there is work there to do. It is somewhere I want to focus a little bit more in the near future to really get the most out of it and push it along. I think we have got the right people in there to do that.”

Groves returned to the Goldsands Stadium dugout last month and watched as Cherries’ youngsters suffer a penalty shootout defeat at the hands of AFC Totton in the FA Youth Cup.

Comments(31)

pete woodley says...
7:41pm Mon 12 Nov 12

Money to burn.

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Talkingheadera says...
7:58pm Mon 12 Nov 12

pete woodley wrote:
Money to burn.
Good isn't it

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lionheart says...
8:00pm Mon 12 Nov 12

Obviously not Edmund's money being wasted.

Presumably Messrs Groves and Brooks are staying because AFCB would have been substantially out of pocket paying up their contracts.

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West moors 1 says...
8:06pm Mon 12 Nov 12

At any other club they would have gone. But I don't like to see anybody out of a job, so good luck to them.

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mattbo says...
8:36pm Mon 12 Nov 12

What Mitchell sees in those two clowns I don't know I'm hoping they go to pompey oh well we have Eddie!!!!

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mattbo says...
8:36pm Mon 12 Nov 12

What Mitchell sees in those two clowns I don't know I'm hoping they go to pompey oh well we have Eddie!!!!

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your having a laugh111 says...
8:53pm Mon 12 Nov 12

Ok so just like the club benefited for having these idiots as first team management, and that's why we are not in the top six, Brooks has done us proud as a player but will never learn management under the clueless Groves whatever the team it is. Groves would be better off in a circus but not performing just selling the tickets dressed as a clown. I feel sorry for the youth players.

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boyerboy says...
9:00pm Mon 12 Nov 12

no more than they desrve fter their outstanding contribution to football....next Groves receives an MBE and Brooks is knighted...you couldn`t make it up.

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Ferndown Steve says...
9:00pm Mon 12 Nov 12

Why do we need 4 managers for the Youth set-up ?....
PG & SB will spread doom and gloom again !
Please dont loose the momentum in the Club EM ! ...Please pay them off !

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Afcbpete says...
9:39pm Mon 12 Nov 12

Mitchell can't help but open his mouth and put his foot in it. Perhaps he thinks all with the supporters are rosey. Well I have news for him, as far as anything to do with Eddie/Jason, the Squad and Demin, it is!!! but most of us still believe Groves/Brooks do not warrant a place within the club, the same goes for young Tom. The Mitchell Clan and hangers on will always be under suspicion from most supporters. The HUGE difference now, is we have a management team we can ALL get wholeheartedly behind and Maxim Demin who without doubt is the one person who has made this happen. You only have to see the number of posts in recent weeks, they've plummeted, everybody are SO content, happy to sit back and enjoy our football again and leave Eddie/Jason to get on with what they do best. But Mitchell comes out and speaks again and we all rise up, quite rightly too. It's a real shame Mitchell isn't bought out!!! UTCIAD

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bargoedboy0 says...
9:44pm Mon 12 Nov 12

Mitchell will not sack Brooks because he is family (son-in-Law) and to keep the peace Groves stays as well - who cares if they are surplus to requirements, we have a wealthy Russian backer. It would be wise however to look down the road at Portsmouth and over the border into Scotland (Hearts) here again foreign backers without warning pulling the plug.These people are not in Football for the love of the game or in our case because they they love AFCB they see an opportunity to make even more money. I hope the dream lasts.

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cheeriedriteup says...
10:49pm Mon 12 Nov 12

Ferndown Steve wrote:
Why do we need 4 managers for the Youth set-up ?....
PG & SB will spread doom and gloom again !
Please dont loose the momentum in the Club EM ! ...Please pay them off !
Who actually sent young 'Seabright' packing, was it these clowns

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cheeriedriteup says...
10:49pm Mon 12 Nov 12

Ferndown Steve wrote:
Why do we need 4 managers for the Youth set-up ?....
PG & SB will spread doom and gloom again !
Please dont loose the momentum in the Club EM ! ...Please pay them off !
Who actually sent young 'Seabright' packing, was it these clowns

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gameon says...
11:12pm Mon 12 Nov 12

Jobs for the boys how on earth those two muppets can benefit the club coaching the youth players with there proven losers tactics i just dont know .

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GrayAfcb says...
11:20pm Mon 12 Nov 12

Why doesnt mitchell just shut up and let eddie howe and jason tindall decide who runs the youth set up as should reflect the 1st team ethos and follow the same team set up from the 7-8 years olds up and through youth team to development team and into the 1st team.

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Yawwwn! says...
11:28pm Mon 12 Nov 12

Mitchell, you are a fool and make stupid decisions!

Denim, don't let Mitchell waste your money, get rid of Mitchell, he is bad for the club and you!

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Dont have short memorys says...
3:39am Tue 13 Nov 12

So the two Muppets who nearly destroyed the Clubs present are now put in charge of the Clubs future
What a farce
You have to admire Groves thick skin if nothing else. Fans hate him Players hate him his Chairman went and replaced him Most people would correctly look upon themselves as a failure at that point so either Groves is delusionale and thinks he is a lot better than he is (We know Brooks does from his time here as a player) or he is a very clever Man who realises that he is unemployable anywhere else and is going to brave it out It will be interesting to see how many talented youngsters make it at other Clubs after having any natural ability coached out of them by these two

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Aussie Cherry says...
3:56am Tue 13 Nov 12

Dont have short memorys wrote:
So the two Muppets who nearly destroyed the Clubs present are now put in charge of the Clubs future
What a farce
You have to admire Groves thick skin if nothing else. Fans hate him Players hate him his Chairman went and replaced him Most people would correctly look upon themselves as a failure at that point so either Groves is delusionale and thinks he is a lot better than he is (We know Brooks does from his time here as a player) or he is a very clever Man who realises that he is unemployable anywhere else and is going to brave it out It will be interesting to see how many talented youngsters make it at other Clubs after having any natural ability coached out of them by these two
Of course like a large majority of supporters, I to was not a fan of the Groves/Brooks style.

However, I can see that they are both hard workers and have the best intentions for the club. I believe they can only improve on the mistakes they have made and with Mr Mitchell demoting them to the youth set up, they will have one last chance to prove themselves.

Perhaps they will feel less pressure than that of managing the first team and can then focus purely on the coaching aspect of developing younger players. I know Groves has proven he can coach players at Portsmouth when they were in the Premier League.

If this does not work by the end of the year, then maybe it will be time for them to go.

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cheeriedriteup says...
6:41am Tue 13 Nov 12

Talkingheadera wrote:
pete woodley wrote:
Money to burn.
Good isn't it
In terms of sustainability it isn't good actually, under E.Howe mark one , we had a good team and the financial ship was stabilising . Now we need to concentrate on slim lining the wage bill and leave the sport to EH and find someone to manage the business effectively across the board. In my opinion I think the club are being very disrespectful of Denims money injection

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AFCBade says...
8:13am Tue 13 Nov 12

These comments from EM are surreal!

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nonnogeppetto says...
8:38am Tue 13 Nov 12

Afcbpete wrote:
Mitchell can't help but open his mouth and put his foot in it. Perhaps he thinks all with the supporters are rosey. Well I have news for him, as far as anything to do with Eddie/Jason, the Squad and Demin, it is!!! but most of us still believe Groves/Brooks do not warrant a place within the club, the same goes for young Tom. The Mitchell Clan and hangers on will always be under suspicion from most supporters. The HUGE difference now, is we have a management team we can ALL get wholeheartedly behind and Maxim Demin who without doubt is the one person who has made this happen. You only have to see the number of posts in recent weeks, they've plummeted, everybody are SO content, happy to sit back and enjoy our football again and leave Eddie/Jason to get on with what they do best. But Mitchell comes out and speaks again and we all rise up, quite rightly too. It's a real shame Mitchell isn't bought out!!! UTCIAD
It would be good if as you say EM was bought out and the club totally under the ownership of Denim. I made my views about PG and SB clear before so I don’t want to go over them again but maybe just maybe PG is a decent coach (not a manager as we all know). A forester produces good timber for the joiner (Eddie Howe) if indeed he produces half decent players from the youth team than it may be (A BIG MAY BE I KNOW) worthwhile letting him take charge of the youth team. Sometimes we can’t have both worlds!!!! UTCIAD

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lionheart says...
9:44am Tue 13 Nov 12

When I think how Joe Roach was treated compared to these two it makes my blood boil.

They weren't exactly a success as youth coaches here.

I feel sorry for Embleton and the other youth coaches having these two foisted upon them.

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Square Old Codger says...
10:13am Tue 13 Nov 12

It was the back stabbing Brooks that forced Joe out, promising his Father in law, that he could double the number of lads coming through to the first team. He will start causing mischief again before long. Fire Groves and Brooks and bring Joe back ( a man with a great record and recognized within the game as a great Coach ) would be the most sensible thing to do, but not a chance I am afraid.

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Dont have short memorys says...
10:26am Tue 13 Nov 12

Aussie Cherry wrote:
Dont have short memorys wrote:
So the two Muppets who nearly destroyed the Clubs present are now put in charge of the Clubs future
What a farce
You have to admire Groves thick skin if nothing else. Fans hate him Players hate him his Chairman went and replaced him Most people would correctly look upon themselves as a failure at that point so either Groves is delusionale and thinks he is a lot better than he is (We know Brooks does from his time here as a player) or he is a very clever Man who realises that he is unemployable anywhere else and is going to brave it out It will be interesting to see how many talented youngsters make it at other Clubs after having any natural ability coached out of them by these two
Of course like a large majority of supporters, I to was not a fan of the Groves/Brooks style.

However, I can see that they are both hard workers and have the best intentions for the club. I believe they can only improve on the mistakes they have made and with Mr Mitchell demoting them to the youth set up, they will have one last chance to prove themselves.

Perhaps they will feel less pressure than that of managing the first team and can then focus purely on the coaching aspect of developing younger players. I know Groves has proven he can coach players at Portsmouth when they were in the Premier League.

If this does not work by the end of the year, then maybe it will be time for them to go.
I do understand your point but working hard is not enough on its own if you dont have the Managerial ability to make all your hard work count. I do agree that they can only improve lets face it they cant get any worse and I also accept that Groves was proberbly over promoted and was never going to make a decent Manager Brooks on the other hand was never a hard working player if he was he would have played at a much higher level as he clearly had ability. Brooks is only here because of his Family connection I sincerely hope you are right and maybe younger Players will not know any better where as Senior pros would quite correctly not take any nonsense from a wanabbee who biggest achievement was being a Grimsby player working his way down the Leagues and taking his Team with him
Thank goodness the rot was removed if in this case only contained before the same happened to us

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devon fan says...
10:41am Tue 13 Nov 12

any appointment such as this should be at the managers discretion, and should not be made by the chairman, no purpose can be served by creating extra positions when the jobs are already filled, I would imaginge that messrs Embleton and Donaghue are not pleased with these appointments and rightly so, please Mr Mitchell leave footballing matters to the people who run that side of the club

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seuthsayer says...
1:13pm Tue 13 Nov 12

...Please..Please Max pay off the Mitchells and remove them all from AFCB....we have a real chance of success ON the pitch...let's not screw it up off of it!

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The Renegade Master says...
1:59pm Tue 13 Nov 12

The fact Groves & Brooks still have a job at AFC Bournemouth is a joke. If it wasn't for Maxim Demin those two idiots would still be in charge and we'd be fighting for bottom place with Hartlepool!
Thankfully we now have Eddie & Jason back and this club is united behind them. The team are playing good football and we are headed for the Championship. I just hope when we get there (or preferably before) that Maxim buys out the Mitchell clan and we see the back of them and their hangers on.

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susi.m says...
5:00pm Tue 13 Nov 12

With their terrible record - they are not exactly going to inspire the Youth squad are they.
Proves yet again that Mitchell knows very little about football.
Sooner we get rid of ALL The Mitchells the better.

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fletch for manager says...
8:24pm Tue 13 Nov 12

Groves n brooks dear o dear aka dumb n dumber, clearly unable to inspire any players.. Maxi sack then off and the Mitchell's

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babyduck says...
10:05pm Tue 13 Nov 12

What would be interesting to hear is whether Eddie and Jason have agreed this. If they have then fair play and let them get on with it.

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Frankiesbackfromhollywood says...
8:42am Wed 14 Nov 12

Let's see what they produce before we write them off, everybody deserves a second chance! The youth set up is nothing like the first team, all reports are that Groves is a very good coach at this level, so who knows, good luck to them after the disasterous time they had in charge of the first team!

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