Megson was sacked by Wanderers yesterday with the club in 18th place in the Premier League but with two games in hand on most of the teams around them. His relationship with the club's supporters was a troubled one from the start, but the former West Brom and Nottingham Forest manager is confident his record at the Reebok Stadium stands up to scrutiny and believes the club will survive in the top flight. Quoted in several national newspapers, Megson said: "Despite all the stick I seem to have been getting from Bolton fans, I've been delighted that my peers and people who know football seem to say that it's gone okay since I've been there. "But I don't want to comment on the spectators. There are 10 clubs in a battle at the bottom of the table, but the other nine aren't having to operate under the same conditions and circumstances we were. "I'm bitterly disappointed to lose my job, but I don't think the decision is unfair. They've made it in the best interests for the club. "The club has made the decision and I have to accept it. You stand or fall by those decisions, but I hope Bolton can stay up." Former Wigan boss Paul Jewell has emerged as the favourite to succeed Megson at the Reebok Stadium and was quoted yesterday at odds of 7-2. Stoke assistant boss Peter Reid, a former Bolton player, ex-Manchester City manager Mark Hughes and former Peterborough chief Darren Ferguson are also among the contenders for the job. Megson took over from Sammy Lee in October 2007, lifting the club out of relegation danger to finish 16th in his first season and managed a 13th-place finish in his only full campaign with the club in 2008-09.
