When Andoni Iraola came through the doors at AFC Bournemouth in the summer of 2023, that was likely the sentiment of many in the fanbase – a relative unknown, arriving from the lesser-known Madrid side Rayo Vallecano and replacing Gary O’Neil, who was sacked after keeping the club in the Premier League.
But, as Iraola said in his farewell speech to fans at the Vitality Stadium after reaching Europe for the first time with a draw against Manchester City, the club and fans persevered with him and have more than reaped the rewards.
That first season had a rocky start.
He did not taste victory in the league until his tenth game, when Bournemouth beat Burnley 2-1.
The Cherries beat Burnley for Iraola's first league win at the club (Image: Richard Crease)
But the direction of the club was becoming increasingly clear, and their faith in the Basque boss was rewarded.
A run of seven games unbeaten, with six of them wins, came up to Boxing Day to leave the club in the top ten in the division after 19 games of the season.
That included the an historic 3-0 win at Old Trafford against Manchester United, and more memorable results followed, like the remarkable comeback to beat Luton from 3-0 down.
Iraola’s first campaign at the helm ended with a record points tally of 48 points, with a 12th place finish – and the next season built on that success.
(Image: Richard Crease)
A solid start to the campaign, but with some highlights including a 2-0 win over Arsenal and a first-ever victory over Manchester City, saw Bournemouth sit 13th after 12 games.
A superb unbeaten run of 11 games saw Bournemouth soar up the table, with big wins at Manchester United (again), at Newcastle and at home against Nottingham Forest to put them seventh after 23 matches, and then fifth after 25 following victory at Southampton.
That had Cherries fans singing of trips to Bayern Munich and Barcelona, and the Cherries also saw success in the FA Cup, reaching the quarterfinals, where they were beaten by Manchester City.
In the league, though, patchy form and seven games without a win saw them slide down the table.
AFC Bournemouth v Arsenal at Vitality Stadium. Andoni Iraola celebrates after the game. (Image: Richard Crease)
They recovered some momentum at the end of the campaign and completed the league double over Arsenal for the first time in their history.
A 2-0 win over relegated Leicester on the final day earned the Cherries another record breaking points haul of 56, breaching the 50-point mark for the first time, and a record-equalling ninth-placed finish.
A summer of change followed.
Iraola saw first teamers Illia Zabarnyi, Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Dango Ouattara all leave the club, with a number of new arrivals.
Some raised concerns over Bournemouth’s place in the Premier League, but the start of the season showed the team were there to compete.
Andoni Iraola. (Image: Richard Crease)
A 4-2 defeat on the opening day at Anfield was a harsh scoreline as Bournemouth pushed the champions Liverpool, but the Cherries went eight games unbeaten after that.
They were, albeit for a matter of around an hour, top of the league when leading at Crystal Palace in October.
After nine matches, Iraola’s side were second, but a barren run followed as the Cherries went 11 games without tasting victory, dropping them to 15th and starting to look a little over their shoulder at the bottom reaches of the table.
That was after a 3-2 defeat to Arsenal and 20 games of the season. The date was January 3 – and that was the last time Bournemouth tasted defeat in the league.
Andoni Iraola. (Image: Richard Crease)
What was to follow was remarkable.
Momentum continued to build to the end of the season, as Iraola led his side to a quite simply superb 18-game unbeaten run, bringing with it a sixth-place finish and another points record of 57 points.
Iraola took the Cherries to the promised land of European football, with that confirmed after their penultimate game, a draw with Man City, as a draw on the final day confirmed a top six finish.
That 1-1 stalemate at the City Ground vs Nottingham Forest saw Iraola bow out of the club on a high – and he leaves having made history with the Cherries.