KEVIN McNaughton feels Wanderers’ players need to take more responsibility for matters on the pitch.

While the fans’ scorn rained down on manager Dougie Freedman and chairman Phil Gartside in Saturday’s home defeat to Derby – the experienced Scotland international admits the ease with which the Rams took home three points was a worry.

He hopes for a more focused approach at Craven Cottage tonight, where victory could ease a little of the pressure on his manager.

“We have been lacking a bit of identity,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve really shown what we are all about.

“Derby are a good team and they showed it, they were much better than us, but there have been times when we’ve played better and still got nothing.

“We seem to be looking around at each other, trying to find the answers. It is up to the players.

“The manager takes the abuse and I feel for him. He is going to take a bit of stick when things are going like this.”

McNaughton reckons the players will benefit from analysing the mistakes made in recent weeks, even though they may be tough to watch.

“As players you don’t like looking at videos, studying away and looking at what has gone wrong,” he said. “But at this stage we’ve got to get on with it.

“There’s no point in saying the league position is ‘one of those things’ and shrugging. You need to take some responsibility, look at what you are doing and try to improve.

“We’ve gone back to work. I have worked with managers who can let a performance like that (Derby) linger and they are in a bad mood for the rest of the week, but this one is not like that. He’s on to the Fulham game.”

McNaughton hopes his evening at Craven Cottage is a little more comfortable than Saturday – his first game back since a spell of injury and illness.

“I was searching for oxygen the first 50 minutes or so,” he said. “There wasn’t much in the stadium.

“I’m hoping that 90 minutes puts me in better stead. Getting back has taken me longer than I thought.”