Little Sam blames big Sam for Bolton's demise

Allardyce quit the Lancashire club on April 29 after seven-and-a-half hugely successful years in charge before being appointed as Newcastle boss.

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Lee was subsequently promoted from Bolton assistant manager to the top job and presided over the final two games of last season, which yielded just a single point.

A dreadful start to the current campaign has seen the Trotters lose all three games to lie bottom of the table and made Lee the clear favourite with bookmakers to win the Barclays Premier League sack race.

Ahead of tomorrow's crucial home against Reading, however, the former Liverpool midfielder stressed that his summer overhaul of Bolton's squad - 12 new players have been recruited - and playing style were needed to halt a decline which has seen the Trotters win just four Premier League matches since the turn of the year.

"We've had this problem for some time now - it isn't just recently," said Lee.

"Last season, 69% of our points were gained prior to Christmas and we only got 17 points after Christmas.

"So I identified that there was a problem.

"There was a malaise that needed to be addressed and rectified.

"We've tried to do that but when you do try and implement changes and the results don't go for you then people are always going to question that change.

"I understand that, but I just need people to realise that there was a need for change."

Lee, who swiftly discarded the 4-3-3 formation which harvested so much success under Allardyce, has a point about Bolton's slide dating back to last season.

They host Steve Coppell's men having failed to win in nine games since April.

But, despite the growing pressure, Lee is adamant that he will not be unseated at the Reebok Stadium with barely a month of the season gone.

He added: "There are people who have gone on to great things in football management, despite not having the most auspicious of starts.

"It may just be a free-kick, a penalty or a goal away from things being very different for those managers.

"And I've been working very, very hard to rectify the problems that we have, both on and off the pitch.

"I'm fully aware of the pressures, I'm fully aware of the criticism and I've been in this game a long time.

"Maybe not as a manager, but I've worked under some very good managers and I've not done that with my eyes closed.

"I've had a look at all the problems they have encountered and I was fully aware of the task in hand when I took this job on."

Lee's preparations for the match have not been helped by growing speculation linking his key players with moves away from the Reebok Stadium.

Nicolas Anelka, El-Hadji Diouf and Abdoulaye Faye are all rumoured to be the targets of rival Premier League clubs.

But Joey O'Brien and Ricardo Gardner at least gave Lee some welcome good news by playing 45 minutes for the reserves against Manchester City in midweek.

Republic of Ireland defender O'Brien missed the entire 2006-07 campaign with a knee injury while Gardner had torn a hamstring in pre-season.