EDDIE Howe insisted games under the belt did not necessarily make a better manager and said the key factors laid in an individual's mental make-up.

The Cherries boss was speaking ahead of his team's trip to West Ham tomorrow (3pm), which is set to be his 100th Premier League game in the dugout.

Reflecting on the milestone, Howe said: "I think people naturally assume that because you have gone through those games, you are better.

"I don't necessarily agree with that. Time can be dangerous in the sense that the experiences you get don't necessarily change you for the better.

"That's why I am always analysing myself and thinking about what we are doing. Is this better than this time last year? Are we giving a better coaching session or talk to the players?

"I think time doesn't necessarily make you better. Your desire to improve and thirst for learning are the key things."

Howe's 100th top-flight game as manager will be played against a team who Cherries got their first Premier League victory against back in August 2015.

Having failed to score in defeats to Aston Villa and Liverpool, the Dorset side roared back thanks to a thrilling 4-3 win at Upton Park, with Callum Wilson scoring a hat-trick.

Howe, whose first spell as permanent manager of Cherries began nine years ago today, is the third-youngest English boss to reach the 100-game landmark.

Glenn Hoddle and Gareth Southgate were the only younger English managers to achieve the milestone and both went on to manage the national side, with the latter set to lead the Three Lions at the World Cup in Russia this summer.

Asked if he would follow in Hoddle and Southgate's footsteps, Howe said: "I'm proud to reach 100 games. A few years ago, I wouldn't have imagined managing one match in the Premier League was going to happen, so to do 100 is a great achievement.

"The only thing in my mind, though, is to win and I've dodged your question quite nicely!"

Cherries suffered a 3-0 FA Cup defeat to Wigan on Wednesday, the second time in 12 months they had been knocked out of the competition by League One opposition.

And Howe is expecting a reaction from his troops at London Stadium.

He said: "When you have players who take pride in their performance, that is a natural reaction to that game.

"The challenge we have is to put that to the back of our minds and focus on the next fixture.

"If we react well against West Ham and win, there will have been a lot of character shown by the players."

Meanwhile, Howe admitted striker Joshua King and winger Junior Stanislas, who have both been struggling with hamstring injuries, were "getting closer" to returns.

But he explained it was a case of "wait and see" over whether either player would be involved against West Ham.