IF nothing else, Wanderers’ management hierarchy is presenting a united front during one of the poorest runs of results in the club’s distinguished history.

Not since 1907 have the Whites lost seven games successively, and a club record for the longest goal drought has now extended well beyond 10 hours. As such, little can realistically be said to assuage the disappointment and frustration felt by fans.

Opinion around the Macron seems to be split between those who feel change is necessary to turn round results, and those who feel any manager walking into Phil Parkinson’s situation would struggle in exactly the same way.

For all the discontent, only one person holds the power to do alter the course of action – chairman, and 95 per cent majority stakeholder, Ken Anderson. And not for the first time this week, he was quick to back his manager in the light of Tuesday’s night’s defeat at Bristol City, in particular his view that the red card handed to Filipe Morais was a poor call from referee Tony Harrington.

“The record books will state that we lost 2-0 but that doesn’t give any indication of the improvement the players showed following last Saturday’s defeat to Brentford, nor the bad luck we have endured and indifferent refereeing decisions that haven’t gone our way,” he reflected. “I agree with the manager and think the sending off was very harsh, but when your luck is down you have to take these decisions on your chin and get up and go again.

“These aren’t excuses but are rather reflective of our current plight and I firmly believe, as does the manager, that our efforts will be rewarded very soon.

“We’ve got another tough game coming up at the weekend against Aston Villa, who have found some good form of late.

“But please rest assured that the lads will be working extremely hard in training to try and get something from the game before we go into the international break. I know that every single player who puts on a Bolton Wanderers shirt will do the club proud at Villa Park.”

Few of the 288 who travelled to Bristol in midweek would disagree Wanderers’ performance was a marked improvement on the one a few days earlier. Coming up against a Villa side unbeaten in seven and finally showing signs of promotion intention after a year in the wilderness, few expect the winless run to come to an end before the break.

Parkinson is well aware the mood around the terraces has changed considerably in the five months since he led the victory lap after promotion from League One.

But while his displeasure with the Brentford defeat was clear at the weekend, equally evident was his satisfaction at aspects of his team’s display against Bristol City.

Parkinson has managed five different clubs in 14 years and is determined to meet the challenge of keeping Wanderers in the division head on – seemingly with the full blessing and support of his chairman, Anderson.

“I look at myself as a manager and some of the battles I’ve had, and I’ve overcome a lot of them,” he told The Bolton News.

“There have been some very, very tough challenges. I took over Bradford City when they were nearly going out of the league, I got them promoted. I had the lowest budget in the league at Colchester United and got them promoted.

“Last year when I came in people were telling me Bolton could do a Portsmouth. We started well and people said top half would be a good finish. We got them promoted.

“I understand there are frustrations around Bolton at the moment and I share them. But on my CV I have got the capabilities of staying strong and turning it around. I am confident we will do that.”