If Bournemouth qualify for the Champions League, it will be just as big a miracle as Leicester’s 5000/1 title triumph in 2016.
That’s the view of talkSPORT’s chief football correspondent as the Premier League winds down to its fascinating conclusion.
If Aston Villa secure fifth place and lift the Europa League trophy, sixth automatically becomes an extra qualification spot for the Champions League.
It has boiled down to a ‘Battle of the Beaches’ between Brighton and Bournemouth, and on the latest edition of talkSPORT’s Fiery Fridays, the debate has completely split Crooky and Adrian Durham.
For Crook, it’s a fairytale story. For Durham, it is a ‘joke’ that threatens the credibility of English football.
The new Leicester City story
Bournemouth are a club that has experienced life at the bottom of the football pyramid, less than two decades ago, they were 30 minutes away from losing their professional status.
Having covered the Cherries during their dark days, Crook views their potential ascent into Europe’s top table as one of the greatest accomplishments in modern football.
“I think it will be just as big of a miracle as when Leicester won the league and defied the odds at 5000/1.
“One of my first ever jobs was covering Bournemouth at their new stadium when they played Tranmere. I remember the dark days and it was only 17 years ago when they started the season on -17 points.
“Eddie Howe came in to save his beloved Cherries and not only kept them up but kept them in the Football League. If they had dropped, they would have gone bust.”
What makes this season’s form even more remarkable is the adversity they have faced throughout the season.
Many expected the south coast outfit to crumble after losing their entire backline last summer – Ilya Zabarnyi, Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez.
He added: “It will be a fairytale after they stumbled upon Andoni Iraola and had lost their key players.
“Their entire defence and their January player of the season Antoine Semenyo, yet they are still on the cusp of European football for the first time in their history.
“I wonder who they will build a statue of first, Iraola or Howe.”
Little old Bournemouth
However, if Crook was trying to create a romantic narrative, he hit a brick wall with Durham.
The talkSPORT host launched a counter-argument, dismissing Bournemouth’s success as only achieved by ‘stretching the rules’.
He argued: “What a load of rubbish. It’s little old Bournemouth in their little old stadium, they shouldn’t even be in the Premier League.”
“Yes, this is a golden moment in their history, but they haven’t really earned it. If you finished sixth in a 20 team league, that’s almost a third of the teams going to the Champions League so it’s not even an achievement anymore.
“Also, they’ve never won anything, so how can they be going into the League of ‘Champions?’ There’s a reason Iraola is leaving because he knows it’s short term.
“It’s going to be so embarrassing to have a club representing the English Premier League that will barely be able to score a goal, nevermind win a game.
“It’s not another Leicester, it’s a joke.”
As the season reaches its inevitable end, one thing is for certain: fans at the Vitality stadium will be celebrating as they will be welcoming European giants like Real Madrid and Bayern Munich to the South Coast.