GARY Speed has given a cautious so-far-so-good assessment of life at the Reebok.
The man who has made more Premiership appearances than any other player has shown in just four games that he can be a major influence as Wanderers look to consolidate a place among the leading lights of English football.
But the highly-respected former Newcastle midfielder is too long in the tooth -- he turns 35 next Wednesday -- to make snap judgments and premature predictions.
"I'm enjoying playing with two very good players," Speed said, delighted to have struck up an understanding with Jay Jay Okocha and Ivan Campo at the heart of midfield. "We haven't done badly at the start of the season and you can't help but enjoy it.
"But it's early days. We've had a good start, which the lads didn't have last year and which the manager emphasised we needed. We just have to make sure we build on it now."
It was smiles all round at the Reebok after Sunday's victory over Liverpool took Wanderers back to third in the table, behind Arsenal and Chelsea, where they had started the weekend. All the signs suggest that the posse of new signings -- Sam Allardyce's foreign legion now numbers 12 different nationalities -- have been seamlessly integrated, adding to rather than
diminishing the spirit that has served Wanderers so well down the years.
Speed, who holds great store by team spirit and the work ethic, has been impressed but, once again, he is reluctant to go overboard in his judgment.
"Good results help," he said in a feet-on-the-ground survey of the current situation. "It's easy coming out after winning 1-0 against Liverpool and talking about what a great dressing room it is. It is, there is a lot of nationalities and we get on great, but that's down to the manager and the staff and people like Jay-Jay who bring you all together and make sure you're a team on and off the pitch."
Speed does not hold back, however, in his opinion of Allardyce -- the man who had no hestitation in matching Newcastle's £750,000 asking price the instant he heard the Welshman was surplus to requirements at St James' Park.
"He's very focused on the team and that's something I like," Speed said, without reservation, as he joined the growing band of experienced players who cannot speak too highly of the Bolton boss and his methods.
"Although we've got fantastic individual players, we've got to go out there as a team.
"Against Liverpool we worked great as a team the we had that little bit of magic from Henrik on the left hand side and the cross for Davo (Kevin Davies) to get the goal.
"It can be the difference between winning and losing when you've got those special players in your team, but you've got to work as a team and make sure you keep the clean sheets at the other end.
"We had to be solid against Liverpool and we were. They have quality players and, if you give them time on the ball, they are going to hurt you.
But we backed each other up so well and that's something we'll have to work on all season.
"Liverpool changed things a bit in the second half and caused us a few problems but the back four and everybody else thoughtout the side worked hard and that's just what we need."
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