WHEN Wanderers fans were asked at the weekend what constitutes success for the club between now and the summer, the overwhelming majority considered holding on to Neil Lennon their primary concern.

Given the question was posed in the knee-jerk arena that is Twitter and just hours after a pummelling at Derby County, the unequivocal show of support in the manager was even more impressive.

The fiery Northern Irishman has certainly cast his spell over the Macron Stadium, just as he did at Parkhead, and yet there is still a sense of concern among supporters that we might be living on borrowed time.

The jumpiness might be explained by past experience. Sam Allardyce quit Wanderers with his stock high, and walked into a job at Newcastle within weeks, while those with a longer memory will recall Bruce Rioch – linked strongly with Manchester City before finally accepting an offer from Arsenal and breaking many a young fans’ heart.

It is early days but Lennon is proving just as popular on the terraces.

And that would explain the state of panic on social media which followed the news Nigel Pearson’s position may – or may not, as it turned out – be in jeopardy at his former club Leicester City.

Within the space of a few hours, the news of a potential managerial change at the King Power Stadium had sparked fluster among the Whites faithful, particularly when backed up with a slashing of Lennon’s odds at the bookmakers.

A week earlier the same wave of hysteria accompanied a tabloid story linking Lennon with Hull City, where he was apparently set to replace Steve Bruce.

But why should that be the case? Lennon has set up a home for his family in Bolton and done nothing to court attention from elsewhere, aside from improve results on the pitch.

“You may say Leicester is a club close to my heart, but Bolton is a club close to my heart,” he said on Monday morning, reacting to the Pearson story.

“I have got a big job on here and I just want to concentrate on that. There is very little I can say on speculation and rumour.”

Pearson remains at Leicester and there is no suggestion any contact was made between the two parties last weekend.

As Pearson was left fending awkward questions in the East Midlands, Lennon carried on regardless, rebooting his team on the training ground and earning an impressive victory over Fulham on Tuesday night.

It is just four months since he replaced Dougie Freedman, whose demise was sealed against the same opponents at Craven Cottage, and his restructuring of the squad has barely started.

Much of his work so far has been based around short-term signings, be it veteran pairing Eidur Gudjohnsen and Emile Heskey or a flurry of loans.

But the fact the manager has already lined-up deals for the summer, including Dutch defender Nick Kuipers, Northern Irish striker Daniel Hughes and Portuguese full-back Paulinho, and is discussing potential budgets with Phil Gartside and Eddie Davies should give even the most nervous fan a reason to calm down.

All signs point to a fresh start for Lennon in the summer and a chance to rebuild on a reasonable financial foundation, with a unity and togetherness which hasn't been felt at the club in some time.