Marco Rose's Frustration as Bournemouth Draws After Late Error
Marco Rose’s first home game in charge of Bournemouth ended with applause, appreciation – and a sharp sting of frustration.
His side had led, had chances to kill the contest, and for long spells imposed exactly the kind of aggressive, front-foot football he wants to bring to the south coast. Then a late mistake wiped away two points.
“It was mostly about the result,” Rose admitted afterwards, “but as a coach you evaluate the performance as well and in most phases of the game it was really good.”
The match swung from end to end, open and breathless. Bournemouth pressed high, broke quickly and repeatedly carved out opportunities, but never found the second goal that would have turned a solid display into a statement win.
Rose was adamant the equaliser should never have come. The danger, he felt, had already been dealt with.
“Today for me it was not even a set piece for the goal because we had already cleared the situation,” he said, refusing to single out the player at fault. “I don’t want to blame anyone because I saw so many positive things.”
Those positives are why the German walked off to warm applause, clearly moved by the reception on his home bow.
“I am really thankful for the warm welcome and I really appreciate to be coach of this team,” he said. “It was a really nice feeling to coach this game. Like last week we would like to present our fans with a win but we will have to wait one more week.”
Alex Scott: “A mistake at the end has cost us”
In the middle of it all, Alex Scott delivered the kind of all-action midfield display that has Bournemouth fans excited about what he can become under Rose – capped by a well-timed run and finish for his goal.
He didn’t hide his disappointment at full-time.
“I think we deserved to win the game,” Scott told BBC Final Score. “A mistake at the end and it has cost us three points. We had chances to go and win the game and didn’t take them so for now it is head down and focus on Newcastle next week.”
The match turned into a personal duel at times between Scott and Djordje Petrovic, with the opposition goalkeeper repeatedly keeping Bournemouth at bay.
“He made a few good saves, one from a corner really early on and a few in the second half,” Scott said. “Probably an even game but we were the better team on the day and probably deserved the points but they stuck in there and got their goal at the end.”
Midfield drive and Rose’s blueprint
Scott’s goal summed up Rose’s blueprint: pace in behind, support runners from deep, and midfielders asked to break lines rather than just recycle possession.
“Evanilson is really good at running in behind and holding on to the ball,” Scott explained. “For me as a number eight I want to score more goals so making that extra burst to get on the scoresheet is important. Hopefully I can get a few more this year.”
The shift from Andoni Iraola to Rose was always going to be a major talking point around the club. On the pitch, though, Scott sees continuity in the intensity – with a few new wrinkles.
“It’s similar, probably a few more patterns on the ball,” he said of the change in style. “It’s high pressing football, exciting football for the fans. It’s going to take a few weeks to get used to. We’re learning, he’s a top manager and he has got top coaching staff as well so we have really enjoyed the weeks he has been here so looking forward to the season.”
Bond with supporters grows
If the late goal hurt, the reaction from the stands soothed some of the pain. Scott’s relationship with the Bournemouth supporters has been built over setbacks as much as successes, and he knows it.
“They’ve been brilliant ever since I have been here,” he said. “It’s a great fanbase, a real family club. I owe a lot to them for how they have treated me when I wasn’t in the team and came back in the team. Had a good season last year. They’ve always stuck with me and believed in me so it was great from them to feel that support today.”
Rose walks away from his first home outing with only a point, but also with evidence that his ideas are already taking root. The football is bold, the players are buying in, and the crowd is onside.
Newcastle away now looms. The performance is there. The question is whether Bournemouth can cut out the late errors and turn this promise into the wins Rose – and those fans – are already craving.
