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West Ham United's latest sojourn to the north west resulted in maximum points returned and three more goals to add to a very healthy season tally so far. It was a tough night for the Bolton fans at the Toughsheet Stadium - insert your own jokes here...

"A good performance with nowt to show for it again. Plenty positives tonight. Best we've seen from Dong. Looked way off it pre-season, but has improved every time he's played. We've more than held our own thus far despite problems at both ends where it matters most, but enough encouraging signs that we'll improve as the team continues to bed in. And it's been entertaining to watch. Will be a roller coaster, but I think we'll have enough [to stay up]."
- wakey

"Christ, I've just looked at that last goal again and it's all kind of feeble. Left back not getting close to your man and allowing someone to do a pea-roller in the box. Bowen's marker being on the wrong side of him. Then watches ball go past him. Defender just sticking his arm up and not thinking to cover. 'Keeper diving over the ball. Lol."
- deeane Koontz

"Was it just me who that thought their first goal was offside?"
- waffer cup 07

"I’m so conflicted. Another great performance - and another with nothing to show for it. I can’t tell whether we’re unlucky (it feels like it) or it’s the fine margins of the Championship and we’re on the wrong side of them. Loads of positives (again) and in that first half, we looked like we had the better of them time and time again. End of the day though, you can’t concede 10 goals in three games and expect to get many points - it needs sorting. First lesson has to be defending set pieces - that’s the fourth game in a row that we’ve conceded from one. We might get carved open by a bit of extra quality here and there, but don’t fucking concede from set pieces, it’s schoolboy stuff and it’s making it very hard for ourselves."
- Eddie

"Just back and for me a draw would've been a fair result. Matched them for most of the game and didn't deserve to lose. Regarding their third goal, our 'keeper was making a slight movement to his right then had to try and go left, I don't think Bowen actually meant to go near post."
- 1969

"After watching the highlights, I do think there's a case for offside on their first goal. The striker is practically lying on top of Bazunu when Bowen puts it in."
- boltonboris

"The WHU goals. A sliding cut-out that could have gone out for a corner from Sheehan is well saved by Bazunu whilst being tackled ends up popping right up for Bowen. A throw-in, taken 20 yards from where is should have been (though to be fair, the ref let Larry Ball get away with his foul throws all night) ends up with a three-on-one at the back post, Bazunu nearly had it. Decent move but Bowen went to kick it with his right that sent Bazunu, only to miss it and scuff it with his left. Our luck will change, we have all seen it when it goes in runs then suddenly switches."
- Krimzon

"Really enjoyed last night, especially the first half. Proper game/atmosphere under the lights. Compare that to the grim nights where we’ve played Burton or Cheltenham. We’re playing some nice stuff and I think we’ll do ok in our 'mini league' and end up finishing 18th or so this season to kick on next. Ok for me."
- Bertie

"If Bazunu didn't let a bullshit goal in we had a point. Bowen scored two bullshit goals tonight. Conway played him well."
- Arrested development

"Another decent performance but we ran out of steam and the opposition made the most of it. They were fast tonight and we kept up with them for spells until the same mistakes and naivety crept in. Better show than I expected, to be honest."
- FrancisFogarty




"The difference at this level is you don't get away with little things you might in League One, when the opponent might fluff the chance you give up or not be quick enough to take advantage. Little switch offs, misjudgements, misplaced passes etc are quickly pounced upon and punished. A factor behind some of that is fatigue, physical and mental fatigue, tired brains as well as bodies late in games played at higher intensity than a division below. Not all of it of course, their second last night came in the first half and just rank marking, but there's a pattern developing of those costly slip ups coming in the last 10-15 minutes of games."
- ianofcleveleys

"The team's still bonding, lots of new players but we took it to them and went for it. It will click. They'll finish near the top this season and we were pretty equal throughout. Dong was superb. Stats wise, he was one of the worst players... barmy that!"
- only1swanny

"Tonight is why we want to be in the Championship. Great atmosphere, over 25,000 in playing against top Championship teams. I don't want to go back to playing Bromley on a cold, wet Tuesday night!"
- Hoppy

"Dong had offered virtually nothing in his sub appearances so far but looked lively last night, needs some refining and made some wrong choices but had Walker-Peters on the ropes a lot of the time. I remember Okocha being wank when he first joined, if X and Facebook was about in those days he's have been written off in spades! We have shown we are more than capable of being competitive at this level but we cannot keep playing fairly well, missing good chances and allowing individual errors to cost us points. Hopefully that starts on Saturday as that has to be a game we pick up three points."
- BeeversLeftPeg

"We lost, for the fourth consecutive time. Despite a decent performance in all games. That needs to stop. However, we all expected to be pasted last night. We weren’t. Some players really stepped up. Rodriguez is a very good player and it seems Dong has some ability after all. There's a team there, it just needs some breaks."
- Dr. Feelgood

"Can't fault the effort again, but conceding 10 goals in a week is unacceptable. That's now seven games we've played this season (including Sheff Wed) and we've conceded at least one goal in the last 25 minutes in six of them. Aggregate score of 9-1."
- Tombwfc

"I know that’s said jokingly that we're still just five points off the play-offs, but it really does illustrate how much just a win or two can change things. We’ve had a tough start, a few bits of bad luck and a few slip-ups but so far nobody has outplayed us, including West Ham last night. A win on Saturday and we’re probably in lower mid-table so let’s not get too down on where we are. Surely we can only get better when the players get titter and the interaction more fluid?"
- Whitesince63

"I can't stand losing and I can't cope with losing! It's not good enough to say we played well and, generally, we have in the last four games, but how many fucking points? I thought we gave a good account of ourselves, but it makes no difference, we're not picking up points. Playing well, as we've seen in the last four games doesn't equate to points but I thought we gave a good account of ourselves."
- woolly

"We're all going to over-analyse it but Sheff Utd, Millwall, West Ham, I'd say the majority of us had us getting nowt and getting nowt quite badly. We all know we should have more points than we currently do, we have shown we can play, SJM had it right last night in that we are being naive in defence. Trust in SS to get things right."
- W.cramp

"They will likely win the league and there is a huge gulf in budgets between us and them. Yet we matched them and showed some class attacking play. Their squad depth quality edged it for me. It just hurts more because it's on the back of three losses and our defence is looking shambolic. It's games like Lincoln at home that we just can't afford to be losing. Saturday is a massive game against Cardiff. Will be worried if we lose that."
- London Wanderer




"I am not sure about this 'we should have more points'. Our season won’t be defined by games v West Ham and Millwall, but losing five on the run including home games against the two other promoted teams might. Saturday, even this early in season looks massive. West Ham fans are weird, some were bemoaning how ‘pony’ they are despite being top of the league. Another said we have sold a lot of Premiership [sic] players and not signed similar replacements. No shit Sherlock, that is because you ain’t in the Premiership. When they started on about how weak their squad is I thought it was just a wind up. But no, those cheeky loveable rogues meant it. They are up there with Everton fans for bitter delusion."
- Ani

"West Ham hadn't won either of their two away games and chucked in a home defeat to Charlton. I don't get the inferiority complex. It's not Dog and Duck vs Barcelona. I'm not expecting us to win every game, but we don't play Preston or Blackburn at home enough times to get to 50 points. At some stage we're going to have to take points off teams who'll finish in the top 14."
- Tombwfc

"No matter what anyone says, West Ham are full of quality players. We matched them for a lot of the game, but again individual errors cost us."
- waffer cup 07

"I just wish our goals conceded were us being carved open and we could all rest at being beaten by a Premier League team. But they weren't. They were shit cunt self inflicted piles of wank that are already systematic of our season so far. It's OK being brave and taking it to teams. It's magic scoring two at home v a team worth £300m. Conceding like a massive bunch of idiots every single game is not. Oh, and nice casual songs about paedophiles and sex attacks from the West Ham fans, by the way. That 'she was 10, she was 10' all the way down to 'she was one' was pretty grim. "
- gonzo

"No chance are West Ham winning the league. We're so short of attacking quality, can't defend set pieces, and seemingly have a new goalie who can't make saves. Anyone would beat us, no matter how well we play."
- Stig

"If we had Bowen we would have won. That's the difference a top class striker makes!"
- Hoppy

"Did anyone have Talksport on post match? There was some fucking gammon on there. West Ham fans claiming their squad is bare bones, miles off the level it was previously and talking about how they’re going to walk the league without playing well if ‘this’ is what they’re coming up against every week. A £200m+ squad still laced with Premier League quality vs a League One squad still in transition..."
- matty2094

"Just got back. Familiar story. Can’t fault the effort and created plenty of chances, but too many daft errors being punished against sides who cost the equivalent of a small Caribbean island."
- Leyther_Matt

"This lot will win the league easily. We've really competed against them, but some mistakes and poor quality at times has left us short. Much to be positive about though."
- Winchester White




* Comments originally published at www.wanderersways.com.

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