STEVE McClaren offered Dougie Freedman some words of consolation after watching his opposite number go through 90 tortuous minutes at the Macron.

Chris Martin’s brace earned Derby their first win against Wanderers since 2002, and sparked furious protests from home fans directed towards the dugout and the director’s box.

McClaren knows a thing or two about standing in the technical area with the world weighing heavy on his shoulders; he famously stood on the Wembley touchline as England manager as his side wilted in the rain against Croatia to miss out on Euro 2008.

But the former Manchester United assistant believes Freedman’s players should be held just as accountable for Saturday’s no-show.

“This is management and it can be cruel at times,” he said.

“You live and die by results.

“But Bolton were unlucky at Wolves last week, were terrific at Chelsea in midweek and today we played very well.

“When the pressure is on you need a performance from your players.

“We have all been in that situation and we all feel for each other.

“I will have a beer with Dougie and hope performances and results improve because he has good players.”