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If big Martin Jol, the beleaguered Tottenham Hotspur manager, has big problems, little Sammy Lee, the Bolton Wanderers manager, has little local difficulties. At least Lee, six matches and five defeats into his first full season at the Reebok Stadium, would appear to have the backing of the Bolton board.

However, the natives are getting restless. As Lee replaced Andy O’Brien with Gerald Cid, the defender, near the end at St Andrew’s on Saturday, when the introduction of Kevin Davies would have given Bolton an extra edge up front as they sought an equaliser, chants of “You don’t know what you’re doing” rang out from the visiting team’s fans.

Bolton had been poor, chasing ineffectually the first-half lead that Olivier Kapo had given Birmingham City, and it was simply not good enough.

“You’re never out of the glare,” Lee said. “It’s at times like this that we need to stick together. We didn’t compete. We’re in a difficult position, but I wouldn’t use the words survival or crisis.”

Steve Bruce, the Birmingham manager, is a great survivor. The club’s directors have stuck by him through thick and thin for almost six years and he empathises as Lee attempts to emerge from the shadow of Sam Allardyce, Lee’s larger-than-life predecessor who moved to Newcastle United in the summer.

“I’ve had stick myself,” Bruce said. “There’s going to be bad times and I’ve had some lows here. Whoever replaced Big Sam was going to find it difficult, even a really experienced manager, but Sammy just needs a little bit of time to do it his way.”

Birmingham City (4-4-1-1): Maik Taylor 5 - S Kelly 7, J Djourou 6, L Ridgewell 6, F Queudrue 5 – S Larsson 7, M Nafti 5, F Muamba 5 (sub: B Meléndez, 88min), G McSh-effrey 5 (sub: R Schmitz, 90) – O Kapo 6 – C Jerome 6 (sub: G O’Connor, 90). Substitutes not used: R Kingson, M Forssell. Booked: Ridgewell. Next: Liverpool (a).

Bolton Wanderers (4-5-1): J Jaaskelainen 7 – N Hunt 5, A O’Brien 5 (sub: G Cid, 76), A Meïté 6, J Samuel 4 (sub: R Gardner, 73) – K Nolan 5, M Alonso 3 (sub: D Braatan, 54 5), G McCann 6, G Speed 5, E-H Diouf 6 – N Anelka 4. Substitutes not used: A Al-Habsi, K Davies. Booked: Nolan, Speed, O’Brien. Next: Tottenham Hotspur (h).

Referee P Dowd

Attendance 28,124