Sunderland 1 Bolton 4:"I DON'T think I'm a quitter," said Roy Keane after this defeat, but there remains doubt as to whether he can bear the burden he places on himself.

Keane has been given to introspection throughout his 27 months as Sunderland manager, but, after watching his side capitulate against Bolton in his 100th match in charge, his self-analysis verged on self-flagellation, although a senior source inside the club yesterday did insist he would be remaining for the immediate future at least.

"If we get beaten 4-1 at home I haven't done my job well enough," said Keane. "I can't blame the players. It's the manager, simple as that. We're coming up short at this moment and there's only one person responsible for that and that's myself."

No matter how much he would like to, however, Keane cannot legislate for the individual errors that presented Bolton with a plethora of opportunities at the Stadium of Light but, after a spending spree that has totalled more than €72 million, he is right to point the finger at himself if his side continue to produce such lacklustre performances. This was their sixth defeat in seven games and their fourth on the bounce at home.

"I look at the players and we're almost there and I think the bit we're missing will come down to me, simple as that," said Keane. "We're not doing it at this moment. The manager has to be held responsible. It would happen in any other walk of life if it's not quite working out. You have to look at yourself. Always look at the man in the mirror. That's what I'll be doing tonight."

So is he considering his future at the club? "Not today, no. But maybe tomorrow. I ask myself every day of the week (if I am the right man for the job). You keep asking me about being a quitter and I don't think I am a quitter. I don't think I am."

Perhaps a greater conviction he is indeed the right man for the job would benefit Keane and the club. The manager's contract with the Black Cats expires in the summer and he has yet to sign a new deal. The Sunderland chairman, Niall Quinn, was eager to play down the issue last week and despite the evidence to the contrary Keane is convinced the uncertainty surrounding his future is having no detrimental effect on the pitch.

"My contract situation is none of the players' business," said Keane. "If you're a footballer you just focus on yourself. You've got enough going on with your own performances. It shouldn't be an issue and I very much doubt it is."

Nevertheless his side look directionless. Keane has constantly tinkered with his back four - with Anton Ferdinand dropped here - but again there was an absence of solidity, despite Djibril Cisse's opener. Pascal Chimbonda was outjumped by Matthew Taylor for Bolton's first goal, Danny Collins misdirected a headed clearance to present Gary Cahill with the second then allowed a long pass to sneak under his foot to put Johan Elmander away for the third.

Dean Whitehead joined in the fun for the fourth goal, losing the ball on the edge of his own area to Kevin Nolan, who played in Elmander. It was car-crash football. "It's difficult to sum up really," said Phil Bardsley, a right-back shifted to the left on Saturday. "We killed ourselves with our own mistakes. After we went one up we took our foot off the gas a little bit and we got punished . . . We have to bounce back and we have to bounce back quick."

Whether Keane will be the man to instigate that fightback remains to be seen, but he did receive support from his opposite number on Saturday. Few managers are more familiar with relegation scraps than Gary Megson and the Bolton supporters who were calling for his dismissal earlier this season sang his name at the Stadium of Light. "The way Sunderland are now viewed compared to how they were viewed before Roy came to the club is entirely different," said Megson. "That's purely and simply due to him coming. Right now they're not getting the results. He's a good manager, he knows football inside out and they'll respond in the right way."

What Keane deems to be "the right way" will clearly depend on the man in the mirror.

• Guardian Service