Coyle was a popular figure during his two-year stint as a Trotters striker in the 1990s and, despite the team losing 12 out of their 15 Premier League matches this season under his guidance and sinking to the bottom of the table, there have been few dissenting voices against the Scot so far. That is in marked contrast to the criticism endured by Gary Megson - who Coyle succeeded as manager at the Reebok Stadium in 2010 - and Blackburn boss Steve Kean, frequently the target of protests this term from a section of Rovers supporters disgruntled at their side's lowly standing in the league. Coyle is grateful for the way he has been treated by the Bolton faithful and feels they deserve better than what they have seen from Wanderers of late. "I was very fortunate to be here as a player and the fans were very kind," Coyle said ahead of the trip to Fulham. "They knew the type of player I was - not the best player in the world, but I was wholehearted and I gave everything I could. "That is the same now as a manager, but you have to accept that the fans pay good money to come and support the club loyally, home and away, and we have to start giving them something back. "As a manager I am doing everything I can, as are the staff, to help the players facilitate that. "We know how football works, and we know how quickly it can change. We can win games and get a smile back on those fans' faces." Bolton were appearing to make great strides with Coyle at the helm before a downturn in form which began towards the end of last season and has extended into the current campaign. The 45-year-old, who has been unfortunate to lose some key players to injury during that period, accepts that his job may well depend on whether he can get the Trotters out of their current predicament, but insists it is something that does not bother him. "As a manager, I totally understand that for everything I'm putting in place for the long-term future of this football club, ultimately you have to make sure you stay in the Premier League and that you will be judged on that," Coyle said. "It is something I know, and it doesn't faze me, because I'm focused on what I want to bring to Bolton Wanderers. "My owner and chairman know that, and the fans have been great. But I understand why they would be frustrated, because we are not playing as well as we could." After the Fulham game, Bolton's remaining fixtures in 2011 see them travel to Blackburn before hosting Newcastle and Wolves. Coyle is optimistic about the potential points haul Wanderers can take from that sequence and although he sees them as being "in the fight of their lives", he has stressed his players - whose attitude in the first half of last weekend's 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa concerned him - must think positively. "We have now been in the bottom three along with Blackburn and Wigan for a couple of months," he said. "It has not been enjoyable - it is hurting every day. But what that will do when we go and get back-to-back wins, which we are more than capable of. "There should be no fear attached to any of our players, because for us, the only way now is moving up. "I could understand, if we were 14th or 15th, the fear of dropping back into the relegation zone. "But if we win some games, all of a sudden some of the clubs above you will start getting the fear. "This is not five or six games in - we have now played 15 games and we have to realise we are in the fight of our lives. "But we need to write off what has happened and look at this as a fresh page. "We are going to Fulham and there are games coming up to new year where we can pick points up."
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