SUPPORTERS of AFC Bournemouth should “focus on what we have, not what we don’t have”, the club’s manager has said following the announcement that stadium and training ground plans had been put on hold.

Despite reiterating the need for new facilities, Eddie Howe said that the decision was the right one for shareholders and directors.

On Thursday, the club released a statement on behalf of the board of directors and shareholders which said that they had been “overly optimistic” in aiming for a new stadium to be ready in 2020.

It said that “every penny” earned by being in the Premier League, as well as additional funds, had been put into maintaining the club’s top-flight status.

“The board acknowledge we were overly optimistic that a new stadium would be completed by the summer of 2020,” it says.

“Any future developments will be undertaken around a health financial strategy that does not take away our ability to perform at our strongest levels on the pitch and risk what has been achieved to date.

“With regards to the developments, when we have a reliable timeframe we will make those facts known.”

As well as meaning a halt to work on creating plans to build a stadium at the King’s Park athletics centre, its project of constructing a new training ground at Canford Magna golf club, which already has planning permission, will also not be progressed.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Eddie Howe said that everyone at the club still wished for the new facilities to be developed but that it was “not the right time” for the investment to be made.

“It was the right decision for the shareholders and directors,” he said. “They have given the club so much financial backing and support in the past few years.

“I know their will is to complete the stadium and build the training ground and take the club forward.

“They want what every Bournemouth fan wants and what I want.

“But it’s not right for them at this moment in time so I think you have to respect that decision.”

He urged supporters to “focus on what we have, not what we don’t have” and that he and the club’s owners were aware of the “need to improve facilities”.

Increasing the capacity of the Vitality Stadium - the smallest in England’s top division - has been on the club’s agenda for several years with a planning application to increase the capacity of its South Stand put forward but withdrawn earlier this year.

Plans to build a new stadium were announced in December 2016 after the club was frustrated in its attempts to buy back the stadium from London-based property firm Structadene.

However, Howe admitted that news that the training ground scheme had been shelved was the biggest disappointment.

“That’s the one personally for me that we would love,” he said. “The day-to-day environment for the players, we’re always looking to help them improve and be the best players that they can be.

“A bigger area for us to work in would be ideal for us but we do have a training ground and historically at this club we’ve never had one.”