CHERRIES favourite and former England international Darren Anderton reckons Eddie Howe’s methodical approach has proved the cornerstone of the club’s meteoric renaissance.

Anderton, a player at Dean Court when Howe first took up a coaching position under Kevin Bond in 2006, hailed Cherries’ transformation from the struggling club he left five years ago to a competitive force in the Championship.

And after spotting the Cherries manager’s traits during that initial transition to the backroom, Howe’s unparalleled success has come as no shock to the former Tottenham Hotspur winger.

Discussing Cherries’ upturn in fortunes, Anderton told the Daily Echo: “It is great to see Bournemouth enjoying life in the Championship and holding their own.

“It is not surprising because they have a lot of good players and a very good manager in Eddie Howe.

“He was a player when I came. The squad was so small and the facilities were a bit different but you could see coaching was something he loved and enjoyed.

“As a player, Eddie was always a very organised, thorough professional who trained brilliantly and did everything whole-heartedly. You can see he has clearly impressed those values on his players.

“You could see he always had a very good chance (in management) because of his mentality. He always wanted to do it and it was no surprise to see him do so well.

“After I left, I stayed in touch with a lot of the boys and they spoke very highly of him. There was a buzz about them and Eddie's impact was instant.”