This Thanksgiving how-to might give you a headache.
Redditor u/Dently stumbled across the mindblowing video uploaded in 2015 and posted it to r/videos.
“Found this freaky optical illusion while watching a cooking video,” they wrote. “Stare at the center of the brine until the scene changes.”
If you look into the swirling brine before the next shot, you’ll see the turkey’s skin start to spin too. It’s wild.
Other Redditors found it just as trippy.
Some were just grateful that OP didn’t post a jump scare.
Also known as the waterfall illusion, the motion aftereffect causes your brain to see movement when there isn’t any. When you look at a moving object for a while, and then look at a stationary object, your brain will show you a moving one instead. Researchers theorize that it happens because your neurons get fatigued and more sensitive to detecting that specific movement.
Hopefully you won’t get stuck seeing spinning turkey — the end result of that cooking tutorial actually looks pretty good.
New Delhi, India –Women journalists and activists in India have hit back after Twitter apologised for a photo of its top official holding a placard that criticised the patriarchy propped up by India’s caste system.
The placard that read “smash Brahminical patriarchy” referred to the highest Hindu caste and its alleged sanction for patriarchal oppression of women.
Many Twitter users branded Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s holding the sign as “hate-mongering”.
The controversial photograph was taken during Dorsey’s recent India trip when Twitter hosted a closed-door discussion with a group of women journalists and activists.
The poster was handed to Dorsey by Sanghapali Aruna, a Dalit activist. Dalits fall at the bottom of India’s complex, and often brutal, caste hierarchy.
On Monday, Vijaya Gadde, a top Twitter official, apologised on behalf of the company following a massive backlash from mostly upper caste Indians, who were incensed by what they read as “hate speech” against Brahmins.
I’m very sorry for this. It’s not relective of our views. We took a private photo with a gift just given to us – we should have been more thoughtful. Twitter strives to be an impartial platform for all. We failed to do that here & we must do better to serve our customers in India
On Wednesday, a group of journalists and activists who were at the meeting with Dorsey accused Twitter of “misrepresentation and half-truths”.
A statement issued by a group of women journalists and activists said the apology came as a “disappointment to all of us dealing with abuse, harassment and legal threats”.
“This is also in sharp contrast to Twitter’s strong stand in favour of women and marginalised communities in other countries,” it said.
“We call on Twitter to step up and not capitulate to bigotry, disinformation and bullying and to address in serious terms the problem of trolls threatening the life and liberty of scores of women and marginalised communities online,” the statement added.
Divided over a placard
Frequent instances of so-called “honour killings”, where young inter-caste couples are killed, most often by irate upper caste families, are a reflection of just how tightly caste holds India in its grip.
A recent Reuters poll said India is the world’s most dangerous country for women while Dalits have suffered thousands of years of exclusion and extreme poverty.
“Traditionally, Brahmins have had power and privilege over others and had control over knowledge, resources and women’s sexuality. That power hierarchy is still intact,” Aruna, founder of rights group Project Mukti and who gave the placard to Dorsey, told Al Jazeera.
“Lower-caste women and those from minority communities are vulnerable to injustice and oppression from upper caste men in positions of authority,” she said.
On the other hand, Indians sympathetic to Hindu nationalists, like journalist Chitra Subramaniam, said the Twitter CEO’s photo with the placard was “an incitement to violence”.
Woke up Tuesday morning to see Brahmin names floating around on my TL. If Smashing Brahminical Patriarchy is not an incitement to violence, what is? An influential platform like @twitter must be responsible. @TwitterIndia
A government official said the placard was “a fit case for registration of a criminal case for attempt to destabilise the nation”.
Do you realise that this picture has potential of causing communal riots at a time when several States are going to Assembly Elections in India. Even now an apology is not offered. Actually its a fit case for registration of a criminal case for attempt to destablise the nation.
Twitter’s apology has sparked outrage over the perceived inability of social media giants to stand-up to far-right bullying in India.
“Jack wasn’t advocating any campaign. The poster wasn’t trying to create animosity between groups. Twitter had no reason to apologise, except they feared a backlash from the right-wing and the government,” Tejas Harad, editor at the Economic and Political Weekly, told Al Jazeera from Mumbai.
Dorsey had also met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist, during his India trip.
Thank you Prime Minister @narendramodi for having us today. I enjoyed our conversation about the importance of global conversation. Also: thanks for the ideas for Twitter! pic.twitter.com/aelfOEZ65v
“The poster upset many because upper castes in India don’t like to publicly acknowledge the caste system. It embarrasses them,” said Harad.
Meanwhile, Twitter said it is committed to remaining “apolitical”.
“We are proud of the fact that Twitter is a platform where marginalised voices can be seen and heard, but we also have a public commitment to being apolitical. We realize that the photo may not accurately represent that commitment and we apologise for any offence caused,” a Twitter spokesperson told Al Jazeera.
Hate online
But Twitter’s apology and its distancing itself from the anti-caste placard, has left many disappointed.
“These platforms back movements against oppressive structures if it benefits them. Take the case of feminism. Twitter had introduced special emojis for the #metoo hashtag. Is the feminist movement not political?” asked Harad.
Analysts point out that social media channels have given its users a platform to be heard and a role in catalysing democratic voices in many parts of the world.
“Twitter’s apology itself is a political stand,” said Aruna.
“Our communities need to be protected from any kind of hate speech and bullying that can translate into physical violence, including lynching. We don’t want India to be the next Rakhine state.”
Earlier this year in the US, Twitter faced criticism for “verifying” and handing out “blue ticks” to several hate groups and white supremacists.
Twitter, like other social media platforms, is struggling to curb online hate in countries like India, home to its fastest-growing user base.
According to networking giant Cisco, India’s internet market will exceed 800 million by 2021.
Meanwhile, online hate against critics of the government or right-wing groups has reached unprecedented levels in the past few years.
“Twitter accounts which repeatedly spew hate, post death threats – no action is taken against them. So many anti-Muslim, anti-Dalit messages go unpunished. Criticise upper-caste oppressive systems, and you are swiftly apologising for it. This is worrying,” said Harad.
Devin Lima, singer in the boy band LFO, died on Wednesday morning (November 21) following a yearlong battle with cancer, according to TMZ. He was 41.
In October 2017, fellow LFO member Brad Fischetti revealed that Lima had been diagnosed with stage four adrenal cancer after undergoing surgery to remove a large tumor from his abdomen earlier that month.
“I wish we had better news to share,” Fischetti said in an emotional video to fans after his bandmate’s diagnosis in 2017. “It’s devastating news, but at the same time, there’s nobody I know stronger than Devin Lima. No one has a stronger body, mind, or soul, and if anybody can defeat this, it’s Devin.”
Getty Images
Tragically, Lima is the second member of LFO to die of cancer — his death comes eight years after the trio’s frontman, Rich Cronin, died at the age of 36 following a lengthy battle with leukemia.
Lima joined the Massachusetts trio — LFO was short for Lyte Funky Ones — in 1999. The band broke big with their quirky ode to Abercrombie lovers, “Summer Girls,” that year, and followed it up with the hit “Girl on TV.” Their self-titled debut album went platinum in the U.S., and they released one more album in 2001, Life Is Good, before taking a hiatus in 2002.
Fischetti and Lima reunited as a duo in 2017 and released their first new song in 15 years, “Perfect 10,” that summer. The pair were planning to tour in spring 2018, but put their plans on hold following Lima’s cancer diagnosis.
Bracciali and Starace played doubles together at the 2014 Italian Open
Former top-50 player Daniele Bracciali has been banned from tennis for life after the Tennis Integrity Unit found him guilty of match-fixing.
His fellow Italian Potito Starace, who has retired, has been given a 10-year suspension for a similar offence.
Both players were also fined – Bracciali $250,000 (£195,500) and Starace $100,000 (£78,200).
They will both have the right of appeal through the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The TIU says both players were found guilty of two breaches of anti-corruption rules – one in relation to contriving the outcome of matches, and the other in connection with facilitating betting on matches.
The incidents occurred at the ATP 500 World Tour tournament event in Barcelona, Spain in April 2011.
Bracciali, 40, is ranked 100th in doubles and reached a career-best of 21 in June 2012. As a singles player, his highest ranking was 49 in May 2006.
Starace, 37, retired earlier this year with a career-best singles ranking of 27 in October 2007. His highest doubles ranking was 40 in June 2012.
He is prohibited from attending any sanctioned events organised or recognised by the governing bodies of the sport.
Both players were banned for life by the Italian Tennis Federation in 2015 but Starace’s ban was later overturned and Bracciali’s reduced to a year because the appeal panel said the evidence was not strong enough.
The super popular robot vacuum by iRobot — the Roomba 960 — is on sale for just $415.99, or $283.01 off its list price on , with a coupon that will be calculated at checkout. This is the best price we’ve *ever* seen on this item, so you should probably get on that.
Tidying up around the home is tedious enough, but taking on this terrible task on a daily basis will drive anyone bonkers. Thankfully, the robot vacuum will take the chore out of doing your chores with its easy-to-schedule cleaning modes that are accessible from your smartphone via Wi-Fi.
The uses iRobot’s new iAdapt 2.0 Navigation with Visual Localization to seamlessly navigate through just about any household surface like hardwood and carpeted floors. The robot vacuum can run for up to 75 minutes and then automatically recharges when its battery is low before it goes back to cleaning your home.
Just press “clean” or schedule a cleaning on the iRobot Home app and the will do the rest, even if you’re at the office or away from home. The vacuum is also compatible with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant.
iRobot’s AeroForce Cleaning System can lift dirt from floors with up to five times more power than previous models, while it can loosen and untangle pet and human hair with ease. The is ideal for pet owners, busy professionals, the elderly, and tech enthusiasts who want the latest and greatest in smart home technology.
Amazon customer writes:
“I am a single mother and the first night I got this my 8 year old son and I sat on the floor eating popcorn watching it. It just doesn’t get old and I’ve had it two months. I took it to my parents house and they ended up getting one because vacuuming is getting harder for them as they get older. Despite the need and entertainment factor, on my best day vacuuming I could never come close to what this thing gets. It is actually shocking. And for the tech geeks out there, you will LOVE this. I can only imagine how happy the engineer was the first time this actually worked. It has literally changed my life and my parents. Never thought I’d be so excited about a vacuum, but it is what it is.”
The death toll in the suicide attack inside a Kabul banquet hall hosting a gathering of religious scholars has gone up to 55, with authorities saying another 94 were wounded.
Tuesday’s attack at the Uranus Wedding Palace, where people gathered to celebrate Prophet Mohammad’s birthday, was one of the deadliest attacks in Afghanistan this year.
It drew widespread condemnation in the country and abroad, with the United Nations describing it as an “atrocity”.
On Wednesday morning, cleaners worked in the cavernous room where the massacre happened, clearing bloodied turbans, sandals, overturned chairs and broken glass that still littered the floor.
“It was absolute horror, people dead and wounded, covered in blood and pieces of flesh,” Ahmed Fareed, 40, told AFP news agency as he lay in a hospital bed with leg and shoulder injuries.
“My friend and his little son were also next to me, covered in blood and not moving.”
Scattered around Fareed were the bloodied bodies of men who had taken the full force of the suicide blast and probably saved his life.
President Ashraf Ghani declared Wednesday a national day of mourning for the victims of the attack, which he described as an “unforgivable crime”.
Organisers of the event told Al Jazeera that two religious events were taking place on different floors inside the hall, adding that around 2,000 people were present when the blast happened.
There was shock and horror across Afghanistan in the aftermath as it was revealed that most of the victims were young students who had gathered from across the country.
Citizens and senior officials also criticised the government for failing to provide adequate security.
This time they targeted our religious figures. It is so brutal and barbaric
Ali Mashal, Afghan student
“The government is responsible for securing these gatherings and ensuring the public’s safety,” former governor of the Balkh province, Atta Muhammad Noor, said in a statement.
“Unfortunately, the government’s weaknesses take more victims from us each passing day.”
According to a survivor, Obaidullah, security at the wedding hall included a body search by an armed guard followed by physical checks by several religious students, AFP reported.
“We see attacks on students, mosques, sport clubs and other civilian places,” said Ali Mashal, an Afghan student told Al Jazeera. “This time they targeted our religious figures. It is so brutal and barbaric.”
While there was no immediate claim of responsibility, Afghanistan’s Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah pointed the finger of blame at the Taliban.
“Whether they deny it or they don’t, they have created that sort of an environment, they are responsible for the violence,” Abdullah told AFP in an interview in Paris.
The Taliban condemned the attack in a WhatsApp message.
With additional reporting by Freshta Farhang in Kabul
Boxing was first included in the Olympics in 1904, but was not part of the 1912 Games in Stockholm because Swedish law banned the sport at the time
Ex-world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko has called for changes to how boxing is organised at the Olympic Games, to protect the sport’s future.
“For the first time ever in boxing, the worst had happened,” said Klitschko.
“We need a combined effort to protect life-changing dreams of athletes who want to participate in the upcoming Olympic Games,” he added.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has threatened the move if amateur boxing’s governing body, the International Boxing Association (AIBA), does not improve internal governance and address finance and anti-doping issues.
Klitschko, 42, wants the World Boxing Association (WBA) to replace the AIBA as the federation responsible for organising the Olympic boxing event.
“In an unprecedented shift that would rock athletics and the Olympics, boxing is in danger of being halted due to current dysfunction leading to losing the Olympic licence,” said Klitschko, who won super-heavyweight Olympic gold at the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
“I’m pleading with the national federations to continue signing with the pioneers of boxing, the world-renowned WBA.
“I’m also asking the IOC to consider the WBA as the organisation that will centralise the sport, while continuing to improve the protections and interests of its athletes and fans, and grant the Olympic licence to the WBA to represent the sport for the upcoming Games in Tokyo.”
Klitschko, who held world heavyweight titles as a professional from April 2006 until November 2015 when he lost to Britain’s Tyson Fury, said his win in Atlanta was a “life-changing event for me, my family, my country, my sport and possibly the globe”.
He later auctioned off the medal for $1m for charity. It is now on display in a museum where he says it acts “as a motivation for young visitors to become champions in sport and, more importantly, in life”.
BBC Sport has contacted the IOC, WBA and AIBA for comment.
A whole new year is right around the corner, and you know what that means for Samsung: a new Galaxy phone.
As the company prepares to launch its next flagship Galaxy phone (expected to be called the Galaxy S10) early next year, several reports of leaked features suggest the plan of attack is the same as it’s been: overwhelm rivals with tons of new features.
The latest S10 whispers come from the Wall Street Journal. The report claims Samsung’s next phone could come in three display sizes, measuring between 5.8 to 6.4 inches. These three versions are rumored to come with 3 to 5 cameras.
Additionally, the WSJ says Samsung’s working on a special fourth version with a massive 6.7-inch screen (the largest ever in a Samsung Galaxy S or Note phone) that’ll include 5G cellular connectivity. This would be Samsung’s first 5G phone and would be released initially in the U.S. and South Korea.
This 5G-equipped Galaxy S10 might have six cameras — two on the front and four on the rear. Even the most sophisticated smartphone, such as the LG V40 ThinQ and Huawei Mate20 Pro only have five and four cameras, respectively.
It’s still unclear which, but some S10’s might have a reverse wireless charging feature, which would allow the phone’s backside to wirelessly charge another device, such as another phone or a pair of wireless earbuds. Huawei’s Mate20 Pro already has this feature.
These new features alone could make the S10 stand out for the phone line’s 10th anniversary, but there’s more we’ve heard.
Previous reports suggest the S10 could have a built-in ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, displays that stretch even closer toward the edges with only a “punch hole” cutout in one corner for the selfie camera (so no notch), and Samsung’s revamped “One UI” interface for Android 9 Pie.
No word on whether Samsung will use a next-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon chip (it’s very likely), but it’s possible a rumored Exynos 9820-powered variant could be quite the powerhouse. The 8-nanometer chip has eight cores and is 20 percent faster on single-core, and 15 percent faster on multi-core operations.
The chip also has a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) just for handling AI tasks, a faster LTE modem capable of up to 2Gbps download speeds, and an improved image signal processor for possibly better video recording (8K-resolution capture at 30 fps or 4K-resolution at 150 fps).
It’s a lot to take in if you’re not a phone geek. These rumors all suggest the S10 might boil down to a classic Samsung philosophy: More everything.
Premium hardware is easy now, and Samsung needs to make software advancements a priority.
As a tech reporter and reviewer, that has me a little worried. I’ve watched Samsung cram more and more technologies into its phones over the last decade, and while it makes for an impressive spec list to boast about, it also pushes software into the backseat.
A bigger screen, larger battery, more cameras, and faster performance will always be things to look forward to, but Samsung still needs to work on its software. It’s not just slapping a new “One UI” coat of paint on top of Android and calling it day.
Increasingly, phone makers are levering AI to improve things like voice assistants, to better predict what you want to do before you do it, and even to aid mobile photography (i.e., the impressive Night Sight feature for the Pixel 3).
Samsung’s made some headway improving its once promising Bixby assistant, which was originally intended to allow users to use voice controls for all phone operations in lieu of touching and tapping. But Bixby is still nowhere near as intelligent as Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistant, or even Apple’s Siri.
Samsung’s weakness has never been hardware — it’s software. And with the S10, that doesn’t appear to be changing. I could be proven wrong as Samsung gets on stage to announce myriad ways software will be pushed front and center, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
What Samsung needs to do to make the S10 a winner — to give people a compelling reason to upgrade — is to balance both new hardware and software features. Otherwise, I predict it won’t be able to maintain a lead (if it gets one) for long.
Premium hardware is easy now. Huawei, OnePlus, and virtually every phone maker can easily catch up. Not to mention, cramming in more hardware features is a risk of its own without additional safety checks. Samsung won’t want another Note 7 situation on its hands just because it decided to pack more into a glass and metal slab.
Software is hard. Samsung needs to make software advancements a priority as well.
Eddie Howe has been Bournemouth manager for 388 games – either side of 18 months at Burnley
Ten years ago, AFC Bournemouth were dying.
Handed a 17-point penalty in League Two, they did not even reach zero points until early December. Players were not being paid on time and only received salaries at all thanks to loans from the Professional Footballers’ Association.
Bailiffs regularly visited the club shop to take stock because payments hadn’t been made, and use of training facilities had to be paid in cash because no sensible organisation would give them credit.
Nobody wanted to deal with the decaying club.
On New Year’s Eve 2008, with the club 91st in the Football League and facing relegation and potential liquidation, Bournemouth named 31-year-old centre of excellence manager Eddie Howe as their caretaker boss.
Three weeks later, he was appointed on a permanent basis and became the youngest manager in all four divisions. He had no first-team managerial experience, Bournemouth were 10 points from safety and had been knocked out of the FA Cup by Blyth Spartans of the Conference North.
They had little hope and even less money.
So to swap 91st in the English football system for sixth and to go from sitting below Chester City to sitting above Manchester United is an extraordinary tale. No other manager has overseen such a dramatic ascent in the Premier League era.
Only one thing has stayed the same: the youngest manager in the Football League in 2009 is the youngest manager in the Premier League in 2018. Howe, at the age of 40, is also its longest serving.
A career prompted by a click in the knee
Eddie Howe spent most of his playing career with Bournemouth
Howe’s managerial story did not begin at Bournemouth, but 35 miles along the south coast at Portsmouth.
In August 2002, the central defender started the Fratton Park club’s first game of the season against Nottingham Forest. Midway through the first half, he cleared the ball but felt a click in his knee.
Although he didn’t know it at the time, it was the beginning of the end of his playing career at the age of 24. He would not retire for another five years, but Howe found he could no longer jump as high or turn as sharply following initial misdiagnosis.
Everything he had worked for as a teenager was waning.
“It is strange how setbacks in your life can spark reactions that you never thought could happen,” Howe says.
“For me to sit here now and say I am a Premier League manager is something I would never have thought possible after that Nottingham Forest match. But it also contributed to where I am. If adversity can make you, that was my moment.”
As one door closes, another opens. Howe had never considered a coaching career, but began to throw himself into a new life.
Having initially become Bournemouth player-coach in December 2006, he was handed the job as reserve-team manager, briefly left after the sacking of manager Kevin Bond but returned as centre of excellence manager. This club, its strengths, quirks and flaws, are in Howe’s blood.
Making a statement to the players – and taking away excuses
Eddie Howe and his love of electric 80s piano
It is hard to overstate the achievements in Howe’s two reigns at Bournemouth.
The Premier League has witnessed extraordinary performance from smaller clubs before, but never over such an extended period and never before has it felt so sustainable.
Burnley’s success is one natural comparison, especially as Howe spent close to two years in charge of the Clarets after his initial spell managing Bournemouth, but even their ascent does not match the pace of progress at the Cherries.
Burnley, after all, are in their 92nd season inside English football’s top two divisions, Bournemouth are in their ninth.
Howe’s own spell at Burnley was not a huge success. The shock passing of his mother Anne caused him huge emotional turmoil and, in a job 250 miles from the south coast, he struggled to cope. He needed to go home.
Amid the myriad statistics that describe the speed of Bournemouth’s progression, one sticks out: the club have only spent five seasons of their 119-year history in the second tier, but next season would be their fifth consecutive campaign in the top flight.
The Cherries leapfrogged their way to the Promised Land, and then set up camp.
But after three promotions in six years, Premier League football could have come too soon for this town and this club. Dean Court required changes to even host top-flight football, and remains the smallest in Premier League history.
Howe, however, rejects the idea that life in the Premier League was ever likely to surprise Bournemouth. Being surprised, he suggests, means you have not prepared.
“We had some things we had to do with the stadium: seats, lighting and more. But the main thing for me was to get the players’ pavilion at the training centre constructed.
“It meant the players came back after the summer with a different mindset. They needed to feel a difference, to walk in and realise that Bournemouth meant business.
“I wanted a centre to help the players recover better after training. I wanted a cryotherapy chamber. I wanted to improve the gym. We spent a lot of money on the training pitches. It meant there were no excuses not to perform at the top level. This was never a one-season thing, but a permanent fixture.”
Shades of Guardiola – ‘I’m obsessed with the details’
“I have just read Pep Guardiola’s book and I can’t believe how similar they are,” Cherries winger Ryan Fraser said last year
With sporting stories such as these, it is tempting to talk of magic and miracles. The reality, as Howe is keen to stress, is far less mysterious. Even the greatest tales rely upon masses of hard work and determination.
“I have a burning desire to achieve and that leads to a high amount of work,” he says when asked if he is a workaholic.
“I am committed to the job and I will try and do anything I can to affect results, however much work that takes. I think I am addicted to the game. I think you have to be, with the volume of games you are watching and the amount of interest you have to have. You have to love the game.”
After speaking to several Bournemouth players, the name that keeps cropping up is Pep Guardiola. Key members of Howe’s squad believe their manager shares principles and an ethos with one of the greats of modern management. What does he think of the comparison?
“I would like to think it’s about commitment and being obsessed with details, being obsessed about the small things that make the big things happen.
“I am passionate on the training ground about things being perfect. It’s about taking a performance, breaking down every single aspect of it and then working on making each aspect a little better.
“Every moment, every game, every season. I don’t know how Pep Guardiola works, but that’s certainly how I am.”
Howe’s commitment to improvement through detail is astonishing. In the players’ lounge at the training ground, a team of six video analysts have been asked to study a montage of recent missed chances in order to replicate the scenarios in specifically-designed training drills.
On the walls around the room are wipe-clean boards with data from the season so far.
At a glance, you can learn in which match Bournemouth recorded the highest number of regains in the attacking half and which player is responsible for the most entries into the final third.
“I think the most important thing is the mentality to improve,” Howe says. “We find players with the right mental characteristics that fit the club.
“I know we demand a lot from our players. So if a player doesn’t have a desire to improve or a thirst for knowledge and doesn’t want to grow, it will be difficult for him here.
“But with an open mind, working with them, it’s incredibly exciting to see what you can achieve.”
Taking new players out to dinner – ‘They have to know I care about them’
Marc Pugh, Ryan Fraser and Simon Francis (pictured) are among the Bournemouth players to have featured in the lower leagues for the club
If Guardiola is one buzzword among Bournemouth’s players, the other is “family”.
The squad feels they are appreciated, respected and trusted by their manager – which is exactly the atmosphere Howe wants to create.
“I think this has always been a family club,” Howe says. “When I was here as a player everyone knew everyone’s personal lives and truly felt an attachment to each other.
“I don’t think that has changed even although the club has got bigger. That is so important to me, the feeling at the training ground and club.”
There are few Premier League managers who are so hands-on as Howe. When Ryan Fraser joined from Aberdeen, his new manager took him out to dinner to get to know him and help him settle a long way from home.
“I just wanted to make him feel comfortable where he is living and help him to make friends in the area that would be positive for him,” Howe says.
“You have to spend time with your players because that shows them you care about them as individuals as well as footballers.”
This season, Howe has used five different players – captain Simon Francis, Steve Cook, Ryan Fraser, Charlie Daniels and Marc Pugh – who appeared regularly for the club during their League One promotion campaign in 2012-13.
If the club’s rise is highly unusual, a cluster of players keeping pace with each promotion is almost unprecedented. How has Howe improved third-tier regulars to the level of top-half Premier League performers?
“Those players have been absolutely incredible in representing this club, their families and themselves,” he says.
“Every challenge they have faced, they have usually overcome. The improvement in those players is truly incredible, and I’ve been delighted to have been a part of that journey with them.
“The path for learning is there at Bournemouth if the player wants it. Not everyone chooses that path. But every one of those players you mention has had setbacks along the way.
“They have fought, they have gone again and they have challenged themselves. And that’s why they more than anyone are a shining example of what you can achieve with hard work and discipline.”
‘My personal ambitions are matched by Bournemouth’s ambitions’
Eddie Howe has led Bournemouth to three promotions
Bournemouth are 12 points above the bottom three, but Howe is determined not to let complacency creep in.
Howe’s mantra is that rather than being better than Manchester United, Newcastle or Cardiff, just make sure Bournemouth are the best they can be. That removes the glass ceiling. Your only limitations are the ones you place upon yourself.
But being level-headed does not mean he lacks ambition. He has been described as England’s “special one” by Gary Lineker and mentioned in passing for the top job at Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United and England.
Jurgen Klopp was approached by Borussia Dortmund and Maurizio Sarri by Napoli after overachieving at provincial clubs and Jamie Carragher believes if Howe was managing in Germany or Spain he would have been approached by a Champions League club by now. But that can – and must – all wait.
“I am massively driven, and hugely ambitious,” Howe says. “I have never hidden that, and never wanted to. But in this job, and I’m not just saying it, I’m hugely ambitious for Bournemouth. My personal ambitions are matched by Bournemouth’s ambitions.”
So can a club from a provincial seaside town, one that came so close to tumbling out of the Football League a decade ago, really look higher still?
“Only the sky is the limit,” Howe says. “The one thing this journey has taught me is that you should never put limitations on what you can achieve.
“If we had done that at the start, we would never have even thought about the Championship, let alone the Premier League. But we did it. So never say it is impossible to do anything.”
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