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.

“But the last two games they’ve played in that (atmosphere), and managed to get the results.

“They are having to play in an atmosphere that I don’t think exists in any other Premier League club at the moment, but they are coping with it really well.

“I’m not bothered about whatever stick or sarcasm is going. I can take that and it’s my cross to bear.

“I really couldn’t give a chuff. It’s about the players.

“From my point of view it doesn’t matter because I’ll only be judged on what the players do.”

Despite Megson’s concerns, Kevin Davies praised the large numbers of fans who travelled to Humberside.

“They were brilliant,” said the stand-in captain. “When we pulled into the ground we saw the masses of coaches, and the fans got right behind us.

“It was good to see them all over there. They were loud and kept us going to the very end.”

Wanderers, meanwhile, have announced plans to extend the club’s popular Fanzone for three more dates.

Following the success of the pre-match initiative, in which supporters can meet for refreshments and a chat in the Reebok Stadium’s Premier Suite, at the home matches against Blackburn and City, Bolton are to extend it for the games against Chelsea, Portsmouth and Wigan.

Fans liaison officer Tony Kelly said: “After meeting and speaking to many fans during the first two Fanzones, I quickly realised how popular they were.

“The club also received plenty of plaudits from supporters who benefited from the facilities on offer.

“For me, the highlight of both events was seeing our supporters bringing their own flags to decorate the Premier Suite. As the events go on, I’m sure there'll be more and more flags and the place will look better each time.”