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Neil Lennon has defended his position as manager of Bolton Wanderers, insisting he will lead the club away from trouble this season.
The Northern Irishman is coming under increased fire from Whites fans after taking just one win in the opening 11 games, leaving the club bottom of the Championship.
Saturday’s 2-0 defeat against Burnley was another bitter pill to swallow and led to questions about Lennon’s future at the Macron Stadium.
But the manager says he will not walk away from the job he took just over 12 months ago.
“We are bottom of the league and I expect to be answering questions like that,” he told The Bolton News.
“I don’t feel under pressure. I don’t feel under pressure from upstairs but I put pressure on myself.
“You know my background and you know it hurts me more than anything else in life but no-one is more determined to turn things round and I believe I will.”
Asked whether he would be putting more pressure on club owner Eddie Davies and chairman Phil Gartside to release money for signings, Lennon admits the situation has become a frustrating one.
“I have been saying that for a long time,” he fumed. “It’s difficult to spend money when it isn’t there.
“It’s difficult that other clubs don’t want to let their players go and maybe we need to push the boat out a bit more, I don’t know.
“I don’t know. I think we’ve halved the wage bill so I think there should be some money about to improve what we have.
“We need to freshen up but there are a lot of other clubs in the same boat. We need to work through it.”
Wanderers have won just seven of 36 games in all competitions this year, with financial problems biting hard on Lennon’s ability to shape his squad with quality players.
But while his pride has been dented by the poor start to the current campaign, he backs himself to win the battle long-term.
“I am alright,” he said. “I didn’t realise quite how tough it was going to be but I have got faith in my own ability and I believe we’ll turn things around. It’s alright saying that, I have got to do it.
“Forget my reputation, my employment is based on results and they haven’t been good. I am aware of that. I am not buoyed but I am pleased with what I have seen (at Burnley).
“Two home wins from the games coming up, or four points, would change the landscape but we have to start getting results away from home.”
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The Northern Irishman is coming under increased fire from Whites fans after taking just one win in the opening 11 games, leaving the club bottom of the Championship.
Saturday’s 2-0 defeat against Burnley was another bitter pill to swallow and led to questions about Lennon’s future at the Macron Stadium.
But the manager says he will not walk away from the job he took just over 12 months ago.
“We are bottom of the league and I expect to be answering questions like that,” he told The Bolton News.
“I don’t feel under pressure. I don’t feel under pressure from upstairs but I put pressure on myself.
“You know my background and you know it hurts me more than anything else in life but no-one is more determined to turn things round and I believe I will.”
Asked whether he would be putting more pressure on club owner Eddie Davies and chairman Phil Gartside to release money for signings, Lennon admits the situation has become a frustrating one.
“I have been saying that for a long time,” he fumed. “It’s difficult to spend money when it isn’t there.
“It’s difficult that other clubs don’t want to let their players go and maybe we need to push the boat out a bit more, I don’t know.
“I don’t know. I think we’ve halved the wage bill so I think there should be some money about to improve what we have.
“We need to freshen up but there are a lot of other clubs in the same boat. We need to work through it.”
Wanderers have won just seven of 36 games in all competitions this year, with financial problems biting hard on Lennon’s ability to shape his squad with quality players.
But while his pride has been dented by the poor start to the current campaign, he backs himself to win the battle long-term.
“I am alright,” he said. “I didn’t realise quite how tough it was going to be but I have got faith in my own ability and I believe we’ll turn things around. It’s alright saying that, I have got to do it.
“Forget my reputation, my employment is based on results and they haven’t been good. I am aware of that. I am not buoyed but I am pleased with what I have seen (at Burnley).
“Two home wins from the games coming up, or four points, would change the landscape but we have to start getting results away from home.”
Source
