NEIL Lennon’s future at Wanderers is under huge doubt regardless of the result of today’s derby against Blackburn Rovers.

The Whites boss refuses to resign but concedes his fate may be taken out of his hands after a demoralising 4-0 defeat on Saturday against fellow strugglers Rotherham United.

Travelling fans chanted “Lennon, time to go” at the New York Stadium after watching their side concede four goals in half an hour.

The result leaves Wanderers seven points from safety at the foot of the Championship with one win in 23, and just seven in 46 games during the calendar year.

Lennon was given a temporary reprieve by the board last week after details of his private life were thrown into the public domain in a story by the Sunday Mirror. He was warned about his future conduct and allowed to prepare for the Rotherham game – but the damaging defeat has forced a re-think and even victory against Paul Lambert’s Rovers this lunchtime may not be enough to prevent the manager losing his job.

Academy boss Jimmy Phillips has been tipped to step in and take control of first-team affairs if Lennon and his coaching staff of Steve Walford and Garry Parker leave the club.

An away contingent of 1,783 travelled to Rotherham on Saturday and backed the team to the hilt until their second-half collapse.

Embattled boss Lennon came under heavy fire from the terraces, as did his players, but after the final whistle he insisted he was still the man to turn the club around.

“I can understand it – they came out in their thousands today and they deserved better than that,” he told The Bolton News. “I have been in football a long time and I know how it works.

“It is not in my nature to resign, I don’t want to resign, I want to keep going. But more performances like that will make the position untenable.

“I can only apologise to the supporters for that performance.

“We won’t stay up on performances like that. We have to change our mentality, our work ethic. We are in the game at 0-0, even at 1-0, but as soon as the goal goes in the heads just dropped.”

Lennon denied that his own bad press had tangibly affected his team’s build-up to the Rotherham game but admitted the story and subsequent internal investigation from the club could have affected morale.

“It hasn’t affected the preparations – but, yes, it may have had a negative effect.

“I only want to say one thing on it: If it has caused anyone any upset or duress then I apologise. That’s all I want to say.”

David Wheater was one of the players to come out in support of the manager at the weekend – backing him to carry on in the job.

“I don’t think he will resign,” he said. “It isn’t his character.

“This is definitely the worst situation I’ve ever been in as a player, worse than relegations on the final day or anything like that.

“But we want to do it for him because he has been there every day for us and stuck up for us in the press when we probably don’t deserve it.”