BOLTON Wanderers fans have reacted angrily to their team’s 7-1 thrashing at Reading with a wave of letters and emails to The Bolton News.

The tone of the correspondence ranges from depression and despair to rage and resentment, with manager Dougie Freedman bearing the brunt of the fans’ anger - and many calling for him to be replaced.

John Swarsbrick, of Harwood, wrote: “We are bound for League One, not because of today but due to the theory our present manager presents via your pages. Unlike Sam (Allardyce) and Phil Brown this manager and the team have no passion and every match (almost) is like watching paint dry.”

Ian Grozdanovic-Whittle of Horwich asked simply: “Why has Dougie Freedman not been sacked?

Marjorie Armstrong, of Bolton, wrote: “What we need is a manager who is not as complacent as Dougie Freedman.

"He is not the right man for this club and does not inspire any confidence among the players and supporters.”

Tommy Howarth, of Westhoughton, also called for a change of manager, suggesting: “Let’s get Jimmy Phillips and David Lee till the end of the season because I don’t know what Mr Freedman is trying to do but it is not working.”

Long distance fan Bill Martin, of Northumberland, felt the responsibility lay with the players themselves and not just the manager, writing: “Mr Freedman and his coaching must take a good slice of the blame, although he cannot be blamed for the players’ poor performances. It would be extremely useful if at the next training session the players introduced themselves to each other.”

Among the emails, Keith Wilcox said simply: “How many bad records does this chap need to break? His time has run out!”.

But Caroline Fairbrother, an exiled Bolton fan who was at the Reading game, praised the support: “The atmosphere was, for the most part, brilliant and reminded me why I still support Bolton as the chant went up ‘Bolton till I die’.”

Season ticket holder Tony Ambrose said the result was a "reality check" and that fans should have more realistic expectations now.