Pressure was mounting on Sammy Lee last night after Bolton Wanderers drew up a list of possible candidates to replace the under-pressure manager. Paul Jewell is among the favoured choices put forward after Bolton slumped to their fifth defeat in their opening six Barclays Premier League matches of the season on Saturday, leaving them second from bottom of the table.

Bolton denied that there had been a formal board meeting yesterday to discuss the future of Lee. There were conflicting signals about whether Phil Gartside, the chairman, and Allan Duckworth, the chief executive, had held a meeting.

Lee took charge when Sam Allardyce resigned at the tail of last season. Bolton took one point from the two matches under the former assistant manager. More of a concern is that the team's poor results have been matched by limp, rudderless performances. Lee's only win came against Reading last month.

There has been speculation since pre-season that Bolton players have been unhappy with the training and tactics employed. Kevin Nolan, the captain, said that he was unsure of his role when he was substituted during the defeat by Portsmouth at Fratton Park last month. "I'm not happy," Nolan said after the match. "I don't know where I am supposed to play."

Jewell has been keen to return to football since stepping down from the manager's job at Wigan Athletic after they avoided relegation last season. He has been linked to the managerial post at Derby County, where Billy Davies has been under pressure, and Leicester City, who have since appointed Gary Megson.

Andy O'Brien, the Bolton defender, has said that the players must remain positive, but he admitted that they appreciate the concerns of the supporters and the club. "The one thing that I have learnt in football is that results are important," O'Brien said. "Football now has become more of a business. It is that financially rewarding to stay in the Premiership.

"When you are younger, you enjoy getting selected and training, but as you get older, you realise what a big business it is and the only place to play your football is the Premiership. We are determined as a team to be doing that, if not better.

"The results haven't gone as well as expected, but we have to remain positive. The principle is to get 40 points as soon as possible, whether you believe you are going to be in a relegation scrap or not. Anything after that is a bonus."

Lee's future is not likely to be resolved before the team play against against Rabotnicki Kometal, in Macedonia, in the Uefa Cup first round on Thursday. But the matches at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday and away to Derby a week later are likely to be significant because they then face the "big four" teams in quick succession.

"The Uefa Cup is not a distraction, as people have said, but another opportunity to try and get our season going," Lee said. "We worked very hard last season to make sure that we qualified for the Uefa Cup. I put myself under pressure because I'm a winner; I come from a winning culture.

"You're never out of the glare and I'm fully aware of that. I don't like being involved in teams that get beat the way we have. It's at times like this that we need to stick together."

Lee has said that "survival" and "crisis" are not part of his dictionary, but he faced chants of "You don't know what you're doing" from Birmingham City supporters during the 1-0 defeat on Saturday. "I've worked with and under some very good people in football and it hasn't always been plain sailing," Lee said. "Maybe being in this position is new to me, but we can turn it around."

Am I in the minority by not wetting myself with excitement at the name "Paul Jewell"?

I thought it was the pressure of a relegation battle which made him leave Wigan ?

I thought it was the pressure of a relegation battle which made him leave Wigan ?

 

Indeed, he was one phone call away from a bed in Prestwich hospital, I hear. I'm not sure about others on here, but frankly, I wouldn't want someone on the verge of mentalism managing us in our relegation dog fight!

I can't even see the point in talking about replacements until we are 10 games in.Sacking a manager at this stage rarely works.

I would hate to see Jewell as our manager

Jewell would be the same level of ambition as when we appointed Sammy Lee

Am I in the minority by not wetting myself with excitement at the name "Paul Jewell"?

 

You aren't.