EDDIE Howe revealed how "difficult conversations" were an inescapable part of management but insisted he was happy to "set the boundaries" for the good of his team.

Howe will tomorrow lead Cherries into battle against a Southampton side minus the services of £16million winger Sofiane Boufal following his bust-up with boss Mark Hughes.

The Moroccan international, who has been training with Saints under-23s, was left out of Hughes' squads for the Premier League draw at Leicester City and the FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea.

Speaking generally on the issue of discipline and not about Boufal, Howe admitted differences of opinion between himself and players had occurred "many times".

He told the Daily Echo: “In management, there will always be difficult moments because you are having to manage 25 players who have different mentalities and aims.

“It’s very difficult because you have to pick 11 players on a matchday and disappoint potentially 14 or 15 players.

“You always want the players to put the team ahead of individual aims, which is sometimes difficult for players to see.

“There have been many moments in my management career where I have either had to have difficult conversations or take disciplinary action against players for the benefit of the team.

“As long as I’m in management, those moments will exist.

“What you are doing is trying to set the boundaries and the framework of a team identity and making sure the team is more important than any individual within your squad.

“Making sure you protect the team’s image, the team’s work ethic and the team’s expectations of behaviour is very important."

Cherries have never won away to Southampton in a competitive game but will hope to do so at the 14th attempt at St Mary's (3pm).

Three points would seal Premier League survival for Howe's troops and push their south coast rivals deeper into the relegation mire.

Reflecting on the target of an away win over Saints, Howe added: “I actually quite like that this club had not done a lot of things which we have gone on to achieve because we are the first team to do it. That’s a huge motivation for me and always has been.

“This would be another thing we would love to achieve together so no one can sit in press conferences and remind me we haven’t done it!

“When I was playing, if we knew we would be the first team to achieve something, that was huge for me and something you remember at the end of your career, and something supporters remember.

“You hope to be remembered in a positive way and this is a chance for the players to do that.

“It’s always been nice when we’ve done something to say, ‘that will be remembered by the people it means something to’.

“The supporters of this club will treat this game with the seriousness it deserves. I know their mentality going into it and it’s our duty to share that."