Dougie Freedman is on the brink of being sacked as manager of Bolton. The Scot is due to have a meeting with Wanderers chairman Phil Gartside on Thursday following the abject 4-0 defeat at Fulham. Gartside has been loyal to Freedman - who has had to cut costs and work within tighter budgetary constraints - and believed there were signs the manager was heading in the right direction. However, results and recent performances have put pressure on to make a change before Bolton get cut adrift by the teams above them. Dougie Freedman (centre) is at a loss as Bolton are hammered 4-0 by Fulham at Craven Cottage . The Championship table . The main issue seems to be whether they can pay Freedman off - and then who would replace him. Academy director Jimmy Phillips, who was briefly joint-caretaker boss with Sammy Lee before Freedman's appointment, is the strong bookies' favourite, with Malky Mackay and Billy Davies also in the mix. Bolton have won just once in the Championship this season and are second from bottom with only Blackpool - who only had eight players the day before the season started - below them. The players do not seem to be playing for Freedman and the manager, who talked in an interview last week about trying to find a settled side, chops and changes frequently - there were five against Fulham. This has led to some horrendous performances, home and away. The fans have lost patience with him, too, as the vocal minority have become the majority. There were pitch invasions against Derby on Saturday and chants for the manager to go at Craven Cottage. Freedman and his No 2 Lennie Lawrence leave the pitch after a chastening night for the Bolton manager . Freedman's apparent inability to acknowledge that his actions play a part in the current struggle has infuriated supporters but even after a display as rancid as the one at Fulham, he still insisted he was the right man for the job and that there was a 'good spirit' among the players. He told the Bolton News: 'I’m here to work, I’m here to do my very best and that’s what I’m doing right now. 'I don’t think that way at all (about being sacked). I’m working very hard to turn this round. 'I don’t think the players have chucked the towel in, I think they have shown a very good spirit. They have shown a good spirit and kept on going.'
Dougie Freedman set for meeting with Bolton chairman Phil Gartside .
Bolton are 23rd in Championship following 4-0 defeat by Fulham .
Club fear they will drop into League One under Freedman .
Manager has lost the Bolton fans, who called for his head at Fulham .
Dougie Freedman is on the brink of being sacked as manager of Bolton. The Scot is due to have a meeting with Wanderers chairman Phil Gartside on Thursday following the abject 4-0 defeat at Fulham. Gartside has been loyal to Freedman - who has had to cut costs and work within tighter budgetary constraints - and believed there were signs the manager was heading in the right direction. However, results and recent performances have put pressure on to make a change before Bolton get cut adrift by the teams above them. Dougie Freedman (centre) is at a loss as Bolton are hammered 4-0 by Fulham at Craven Cottage . The Championship table . The main issue seems to be whether they can pay Freedman off - and then who would replace him. Academy director Jimmy Phillips, who was briefly joint-caretaker boss with Sammy Lee before Freedman's appointment, is the strong bookies' favourite, with Malky Mackay and Billy Davies also in the mix. Bolton have won just once in the Championship this season and are second from bottom with only Blackpool - who only had eight players the day before the season started - below them. The players do not seem to be playing for Freedman and the manager, who talked in an interview last week about trying to find a settled side, chops and changes frequently - there were five against Fulham. This has led to some horrendous performances, home and away. The fans have lost patience with him, too, as the vocal minority have become the majority. There were pitch invasions against Derby on Saturday and chants for the manager to go at Craven Cottage. Freedman and his No 2 Lennie Lawrence leave the pitch after a chastening night for the Bolton manager . Freedman's apparent inability to acknowledge that his actions play a part in the current struggle has infuriated supporters but even after a display as rancid as the one at Fulham, he still insisted he was the right man for the job and that there was a 'good spirit' among the players. He told the Bolton News: 'I’m here to work, I’m here to do my very best and that’s what I’m doing right now. 'I don’t think that way at all (about being sacked). I’m working very hard to turn this round. 'I don’t think the players have chucked the towel in, I think they have shown a very good spirit. They have shown a good spirit and kept on going.'
meeting with Wanderers chairman Phil Gartside on Thursday following the abject 4-0 defeat at Fulham. Gartside has been loyal to Freedman - who as Bolton are hammered 4-0 by Fulham at Craven