Well it is very nice to be able to write about a win for once, not only is it all three points, but I was also at the stadium and saw it right there! It is a wonderful experience, watching a football match live, even with a relatively tame crowd, such as Bolton's. And this was the first match in a long time (excluding bits of the City match) that the crowd got behind our boys, instead of chanting 'Megson out' or merely sitting there in a depressed silence wondering why on earth you've given your money to these people.
Oh yes, being a Bolton fan can lead to some quite dark times indeed, but we appear to be in the middle of a resurgence. If you missed the game, well you'll have to go find your own highlights as I've been trying for 45 minutes and this internet really is just too slow. You could see that the Bolton boys have pulled themselves together, as they really started to play like a team instead of just 11 men running about a bit of grass.
One thing that became quite obvious as the game went on is Bolton's lack of speed. Really the only player with any pace on him is Chung-Yong Lee, our three strikers are all above the age of 28, so quickness really isn't to be expected. This does leave Bolton terribly susceptible to the break away attack, which West Ham duly employed.
Despite the occasional gasp-inducing moment Bolton did enjoy dominance throughout most of the match. Jussi only made two saves, though they were great ones. Zat Knight had quite a good game for Zat Knight standards, which aren't very high. The man can defend alright but his distribution is crap. The only pass he's mastered is the sideways pass to fellow defender Gary Cahill who can, in fact, distribute.
I would like to recognize the valiance of the West Ham fans. I was sat near the away section and could hear them most of the game. To their immense credit they came all the way up from London to watch their team lose to Bolton and didn't sit down once. They kept singing through most of it, and though there were only about 200 of them they comprehensively out-sang us Bolton fans.
Right I'll be back later today (probably) to do a bit on the Wigan match (which was postponed) and a little news rounding up.