Cherries new American owner meets fans after cup defeat

Cherries new owner Bill Foley was spotted signing autographs after the club’s FA Cup defeat to Burnley on Saturday.

Foley’s arrival at the club has ushered in a new era on the Dorset coast and the way in which the club is looking to operate is already showing signs of change.

In stark contrast to former owner Maxim Demin, who never spoke to the media in his 11 years at the helm of the club and was rarely seen at Vitality Stadium, Foley has already immersed himself with the media and fans with his willingness to be available to both the media and fans.

However, the Cherries suffered their fifth straight defeat in all competitions since the American billionaire took charge of the Dorset club after individual errors cost Gary O’Neil’s side as they lost 4-2 to Championship side Burnley and many would have probably excused the 77-year-old if he had left quietly.

But despite some discontent from the stands for the on-field performances, some fans waited to see the club’s new owner as he left Vitality Stadium after the game.

Whilst Foley’s presence at the game had gone under the radar, O’Neil was well aware that the club’s new owner was at the game and said he has “communication all the time” and saw the 77-year-old earlier in the week.

Speaking to the media after the defeat to Burnley, the Cherries head coach said: “Yeah, I’ve seen the owner this week, he was around this week.”

“Whether the owner is sitting there or not, losing football matches is disappointing. We have communication all the time.”

O’Neil believes the defeat to Burnley is not an accurate reflection of where the club is and that individual mistakes cost the team on the day.

He added: “The three huge errors for the goals make it impossible to win the football match – that is the story of the game really.

“We have a real clear understanding of where we are, today’s result is not a true reflection of where we are and there is an understanding of where we need to improve as a club – we are all working extremely hard to make sure we do.”