ALAN Curbishley is tipping the Wanderers attack to become a major force in the Premiership this season.

The despondent Charlton manager admitted his side was second best in all departments at the Reebok on Saturday but picked out the three strikers -- Henrik Pedersen, Kevin Davies and Kevin Nolan -- as the players who impressed him most.

"The front three of Bolton, if they play like that, will put everybody under pressure," he said in a searching analysis of the 4-1 hammering.

"They didn't give us a moment's peace.

"They play to their strengths: if the ball pitches anywhere, they get there first; they like to run with it, and over the last couple of years Bolton have developed a way of playing and a shape, which is very difficult to play against, when they get it going.

"We saw at the end of last year that they'd got it going, and this year they look like they are up for it again."

Curbishley, who steered Charlton to seventh in the Premiership last season -- one place higher than Wanderers -- showed no sign of anger after the opening day defeat.

But he pulled no punches in his assessment of his team's performance, nor did he hold back in his praise of Wanderers.

"It's perhaps easy to look at the simpler things, like the goals going in, but there was a lot went on out there that just wasn't us," he added.

"Perhaps we are living off the reputation of last year. We've come into the new season having brought a few players and changed things around a bit and maybe lost our way.

"But one or two of the players will look back and won't believe how badly they've played. The only good thing to come out of it is that we've got a lot of games left to put it right.

"The only people who came out of this with a bit of a smile on their faces are the six I left on the bus because they won't have wanted to be anywhere near that.

"I'm not wanting to be disrespectful to the squad, but we just didn't turn up. I'm sorry for everybody connected with us.

"But I won't take anything away from Bolton. From the first minute we were second best.

"The team that went out there was a very experienced side and the only thing I will take off them is that I changed the shape.

"The rest of it, they'll have to take on the chin.

"Bolton had more aggression, more desire and more commitment.

"Right from the first minute, they won the first header, then the second, then the third. There was just no way out for us.

"They set off at a pace. They play a certain way, they are good at it, and they play to their strengths, We could not cope with that.

"When we did fashion anything Bolton defended properly; Jaaskelainen got his hand to things or punched crosses away, or a defender got there. They had the perfect day, Bolton.

"The only people I will exonerate from the criticism are the two lads up front (Lisbie and Bartlett) because they gave as good as they got.

"I should have played them at the back!"