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.”
