Birmingham 1 Bolton 0:Birmingham boss Steve Bruce has pleaded for Sammy Lee to be given time to revive struggling Bolton's fortunes as he attempts to fill Sam Allardyce's shoes.

The Trotters remain anchored in the bottom three of the table after a goal from Olivier Kapo doomed them to a fifth defeat in six matches at St Andrews on Saturday.

It is a stark contrast to the success enjoyed under Allardyce when Bolton were constantly challenging for a Uefa Cup spot.

But Bruce points to the loyalty of the City board in keeping faith with him when the going has been tough and he hopes Lee will receive the same backing at the Reebok Stadium.

Bruce, who attempted to make Lee his number two a couple of years ago, said: "It would be difficult for any manager to replace Arsene Wenger at Arsenal or Alex Ferguson at Manchester United given the standards they have achieved.

"Now the same is going to be true of little Sammy in replacing big Sam at Bolton. Let's be fair, big Sam did an outstanding job there for several years.

"That's the reason why big Sam was very close to getting the England job just over a year ago and that's why he has now got one of the best jobs in the country at Newcastle.

"Little Sammy needs a little bit of time to do it his way - and the one thing he's got to have now is time, because five or six games in, after a new manager walks through the door, you've got to give him a chance to prove himself."

Lee said: "I don't like being involved in a football team that gets beat the way we have. It's at times like this we need to stick together. At this particular point in time, we need to make sure we work harder."

Lee is hoping the beginning of Bolton's Uefa Cup campaign against Macedonian side Rabotnicki this week will act as a kick-start to Bolton's season.

"People keep talking about the Uefa Cup as if it is a distraction. We worked very hard last season to make sure we qualified for it.

"Rather than seeing it as a distraction, I see it as another opportunity to try and get our season going."