GARY Megson has urged fans to lay off him for the sake of the players.

The Wanderers manager believes the abuse he is receiving at the hands of some supporters is having a negative impact on the team.

He celebrated his 50th game in charge with a hard-fought 1-0 victory against Hull.

But an element of the huge Bolton support still made their anti-Megson feelings known at the KC Stadium on Saturday.

A section of the travelling fans called for Phil Brown, the former Whites assistant now in charge of the Tigers, to be the new Reebok boss.

Megson says the criticism does not bother him but that it is not helping his players.

The negative vibe flies in the face of the feelgood factor which has been created by successive victories over Manchester City and Hull which has lifted Wanderers from the bottom of the Premier League up to 11th.

“It’s like water off a duck’s back and doesn’t bother me too much,” he said. “I just have to cope with that, which is quite easy for me because I just stand there and try and ignore it. But it’s difficult for the atmosphere the players have to play in."

Read the full story in Tuesday's The Bolton News