AS THEY say, Rome was not built in a day, and a new way of playing football is not implemented over six-weeks of training and non-competitive games.

The Andoni Iraola era did not start in an explosive manner, the spoils shared between Cherries and West Ham on the opening day.

Overall, fans seemed to be pleased with the manner of Cherries’ approach, a front-foot mindset let down perhaps by a lack of fluency.

There were positive moments to highlight.

Illia Zabarnyi and Marcos Senesi enjoyed the freedom of spraying balls over the top, although it took a while for Cherries to make much use of it.

Max Aarons did not stand out as someone who had been on an 'extended summer break' as Norwich described, the full-back fittingly showing potential on an afternoon filled with glimpses of more to come.

On the other flank, Milos Kerkez has already shown in pre-season that as soon as Cherries receive the ball and start to move it forward, he will be storming forward in order to support an attack.

Still just a teenager, Kerkez was constantly demanding the ball from his older colleagues, an already animated character almost becoming cartoonish with his exaggerated gestures, beckoning passes and pointing out the space he was going to run into.

Aside from the brief moment of brilliance for the opening goal, Jarrod Bowen was kept relatively quiet, indicating that Kerkez also has the defensive chops required for his position.

Joe Rothwell will not look back at that goal fondly, either, having lost possession dangerously close to his own box in what was his only glaring mistake of the game.

That is football sometimes, a standout performer ruthlessly penalised when making a slip up for the first time.

Cherries are hopeful of further reinforcement to the midfield before the window closes, Alex Scott’s return from injury aside, but Rothwell has more than proved he can compete in the top flight after an inconspicuous start to life in Dorset.

There was less joy for David Brooks and Jaidon Anthony on the wings, although that could be attributed to strong defensive showings from West Ham’s Emerson and Vladimir Coufal.

Brooks at least showed a tendency to take any appropriate opportunity to shoot, his quick snapshots providing the most dangerous moments for Cherries in the first half.

Plus, it should be pointed out that as the game went on and fresher legs were added, there was more success out wide.

It seems overall that there was enough on show to confirm supporters’ hopes heading into the new campaign.

The concern will be Cherries’ upcoming fixtures, a tough run that rivals last season’s baptism of fire following the opening day.

Last year, visits to the Etihad and Anfield sandwiched a home game against a resurgent Arsenal.

This term, there is again an August trip to Liverpool, as well as the welcome of London rivals Tottenham and Chelsea to Vitality Stadium, alternating with visits to Brentford and Brighton.

To round off September and the gauntlet of games, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are back in town, looking even stronger on paper than last year.

From those same fixtures last season, Cherries took a grand total of zero points.

Just as a win over Aston Villa tided over Cherries until the sacking of Scott Parker, there was a sense that three points against West Ham would have helped Iraola’s men weather a potentially lean month of fixtures.

You could view the run of games more positively, surmising that games against more fancied opposition will suit Cherries in the sense those sides will look to attack, and thus allow Iraola’s style of play to be more effective.

As you would imagine with such a distinct brand of football, it has taken Iraola time to start producing results at his former sides.

With Mirandes in the Spanish second tier, there was just one league win in Iraola’s first 10 games.

That season ended with a respectable midtable finish and a run to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, Spain’s equivalent of the FA Cup.

Even when he moved on to Rayo Vallecano, a side with more resources in the same division, it was not an immediate success, five wins and four losses to begin the 2020-21 season.

Iraola had many things to task his squad with this summer. Not only was he having to implement a new style of play, but a new level of fitness in order to sustain it.

If that was not a big enough challenge, Cherries’ deficiencies at set pieces also needed addressing.

On Saturday, every West Ham free kick and corner drew a bated breath from the Dean Court crowd, a nerviness brought on by the 21 goals Cherries conceded from dead balls last term, concerns amplified by the fact the Hammers contributed four towards that record.

Pre-season did not show any sign of improvement, with Iraola admitting that spending time defending dead balls on the training ground was lower down the to-do list than other, more pressing concerns.

A few near misses aside, Cherries came through set plays on Saturdays unscathed, but the paranoia every time a referee gestures to the corner will remain for some time.

That is learned behaviour from last term, a trait shown in some of Cherries’ play.

Last season teams learned that if they sat a little deeper and allowed Cherries time to dwell on the ball, Gary O’Neil’s men would find it very hard to break them down, so reliant on counter attacking.

West Ham tried the same against Iraola’s new look Cherries, denying the vital space in behind needed for organised chaos, and it worked, to an extent.

There were passages of play where the ball would slowly shuffle amongst the centre-backs, no opportunity for the dangerous long balls that had gotten Cherries up the pitch throughout the contest.

It was a moment where had it occurred last season probably would have quickly drawn moans and shouts of urgency from the crowd, a sense of inertia that is not appreciated by Vitality Stadium.

But one thing Iraola certainly has at the moment is patience from his home crowd, and the wider Cherries fanbase.

That patience may be required, and it may be tested in coming weeks.