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The Hammers finally kick-started their Championship campaign with a relatively comfortably 4-2 win against fellow newbies Wolves. But how did the Black Country take the defeat? Find out below in the latest instalment of the OV...

"A very hard game to evaluate. You can't be conceding four, they need to tighten it up at the back. We've conceded a worldie for the first, a brain cell killer of a challenge for the penalty and a wicked deflection for their third. First half we've hit the bar twice, scored two decent goals and we've had 17 shots away against the team favourites for the league. I quite enjoyed the game and for the first time in a long time, I don't actively hate watching us play, so maybe that is making me a lot more mellow in defeat right now."
- Deano

"Strange game, really. The score flattered West Ham. We will score and have scored plenty, but need to tighten up the defence. A worldie, a soft penalty, a fluke and a mess for them. Two decent goals for us and could have been more. Both teams will be there or thereabouts, no doubt."
- Black Country Wanderer

"For me, that was two pretty poor teams on show. They were there for the taking and we really didn’t do enough before they scored."
- YoungWolf

"We’ve managed to play one of our rivals in this league who were struggling and had a manager hugely under pressure into form. Great stuff. Tactically and shape-wise we looked a complete mess after Cesar made the changes. Defensively we’re still all over the shop. You don’t get promoted conceding an average of two goals a game. Sa is a complete liability. He hasn’t wanted to be here for years and we’re still stuck with him. At least we can console ourselves with the excellent work we’ve done on deadline day. Oh wait, the fucking cretins who run us think we’ve got enough because we’ve beaten a couple of lower league sides early doors this season, so now we’re stuck with this lot until January."
- Jinky

"JJ's booking was one of the worst refereeing decision I've ever seen, and I've seen Mark Halsey deciding a blatant foul three yards from goal, with the ball about to be swept into an empty net isn't a red card."
- Jack Regan

"JJ's yellow card has to be one of the worst decisions I have ever seen, by the way. How the actual fuck the ref came to that conclusion is totally beyond me, especially as it was right in front of him."
- Langers

"West Ham may have won, but they didn’t batter us. We controlled the game for large parts... they scored a worldie and a deflection... some people think they completely smashed us and we deserved to lose. It's a weird one for me as even though we lost, I thought we played well in large parts. Unfortunately it was a game of fine margins. If we went 1-0 up with the Mane deflection, it would have been a different game."
- SWest Wolf

"I thought we were the better side for long periods of the game. That being said, if we look like conceding every time the opposition comes forward then we will lose games against opponents of equal quality. The rub of the green went their way too. It’s a good job the transfer window is still open to address our shortcomings…."
- Sniffer

"West Ham hit the crossbar four times. Three went in. Wolves twice, neither went in. Add in a penalty that was outside of the box. Wolves were far from great but they weren’t dreadful and really should have won that one. Tighten up the back, get JJ more time on the pitch and should get better."
- pfafftownapp

"Bombscare at the back. Sa flakey, Tchatchoua scared to take his opposite full back on (even though he could breeze past when he felt like it). Everything we all expect, I suppose."
- sycophantia




"I’m genuinely surprised at the more optimistic takes. There are a good number of teams who must be simply way better organised and have fewer truly calamitous individuals. That likely doesn’t include West Ham today either. 7th/8th still seems about fair. It’s the lack of appreciation over how bad some individuals are that is hard for the casual observer to understand. Because they were once employed in the PL you’d be forgiven for imagining a basic level of competence. But some of these guys are truly dreadful. Perspective/reaction depends on where your realistic hopes lie, I guess."
- Mel Evo

"We are going to score a lot of goals this season, we are going to concede a lot too. It's going to be both brilliant at times and maddening, tonight was obviously the latter. That said, a bit more composure and leadership at the back (Krejci and/or Trippier) could really help with that."
- Elephant Pyjamas

"I'm afraid we're carrying far too many players who simply aren't good enough, even at this lower level. West Ham were nothing special whatsoever, but we've just given them a huge hand up!"
- WWFC4EVA

"As anybody who's been paying attention would have expected, we come up against a team that isn't complete dogshit and we struggle. The signs were there in the previous three league games even though two were victories against very poor sides. You need to be thankful for those poor sides as well. They're going to stop us from double dipping. We're nowhere near a promotion outfit at present, the mindset isn't right. I can't really describe it, but after all these years watching us, I can just tell that mid table obscurity beckons."
- KnowNuttin

"I don’t think we have a single player who is too good for this league. The problem is that we still have a few players who believe that they are. Ten games in when the clocks go back, they’ll work it out. We need over two points a game to be sure of promotion, off the pace already."
- Rowzed

"First big test and we failed. West Ham had a lot of luck but we were very short of ideas this second half. I’m still not sure what Cesar’s game plan is. We are probably three or four players short of being a very good team, but we’re not going to get those players."
- Wandsworth Wolf

"Last night was a strange game, I thought we actually looked quite good apart from moments defensively. I can accept the first goal, yes we could close down more but still a great hit - the other three goals are just terrible though. Positive is we do seem to have some fight though and didn’t just role over. Adding Trippier, Krejci and JJ into that team will strengthen it massively."
- Carsy

"We could have scored a few in the first half but were too hesitant. They scored a worldie, a penalty, a lucky deflection and a goalmouth scramble. On another day, we could have won it 2-1. Munetsi scored a great goal. They didn't dominate us, but we didn't take our chances. It's never easy to go to West Ham and hope we learn from this. This is a wake up call."
- Eastern Wolf

"I don't think we've seen enough of this team and the league in general for me personally to be either bullish or too despondent at the moment. Shipping four to probably the first promotion rival we've faced has given me pause, and thrown beating the likes of Preston into context a little."
- prawnking

"Someone said it's a good time to bet on us for the title, if any of you believe it. Decent value with tonight's defeat. Me, I’m doubling up with the Pope converting to Islam..."
- Asthmatic Wolf




"On the train on the way back now and it was a pretty weird game, not to mention a weird atmosphere in that horrible ground. Upton Park was always so vibrant, this must kill West Ham fans every week. As tasty as we can look in possession and in the final third, we’ll always concede goals with that back four - only Djiga comes out with any credit. Sa inspires no confidence. Games like this happen in this league. We will definitely win a lot of games this season, playing a lot worse than we did tonight."
- NicholasG1973

"Lee Hendrie said West Ham have been defending better at the end of the game. Which was unsurprising, as they made no attempt to leave their own half for the final twenty minutes. The fact these two teams are massive favourites to win the division tells you how bad this league is."
- Jack Regan

"My West Ham supporting mate was at game and texted at half time how much better a side we were thsn them, and he couldn’t believe scoreline. If they are the bookies favourites, perhaps we should have less to fear!"
- SilverstoneWolf

"If both teams play this game 10 times with the same performances, we win the other nine. Fair play to West Ham, but no way they score a worldie and a hugely deflected shot and we are so wasteful in front of goal."
- oldgold4ever

"Jarrod Bowen was way ahead of any of our strikers sadly, including Jimenez. I’d rather we tried to play football and trust our quality, rather than run everything 100 miles an hour."
- Rowzed

"Well we got Nuno'd at the end with 10 men behind the ball. A couple of really fortunate goals for them, not great defending at times. An off night, really."
- Skrilla

"They didn’t have a defender make an absolute clanger, they didn’t allow a shot from outside the area, their keeper didn’t drop a corner, they did get to the ball quick enough to block our shots properly, which is why they only conceded two, and the minute they decided to shut up shop we were out of ideas. We can’t just hope to outscore every team if we are averaging two a game conceded, when the teams we are playing are nowhere near the best in the division ( possible exception of WHU who I think will make the play-offs)."
- Rowzed

"Well there’s the confidence boost West Ham needed."
- Dougal McGuire

"All West Ham’s Christmas’s came at once tonight."
- oldgold4ever

"Totally outplayed West Ham tonight."
- Fenrir_

* Comments originally published on wolvesforum.co.uk and molineuxmix.co.uk.

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