Bolton Wanderers defender Tim Ream believes the squad 'let down' Dougie Freedman, who left his role as manager last week.
Freedman had mixed results in his time in charge of the Trotters. He was appointed in October 2012 with Bolton struggling in the bottom half of the Championship table following relegation from the Premier League but the former Crystal Palace boss managed to turn it around and led the club to a seventh place finish.
But the Scot couldn't keep the momentum going and the Trotters finished mid-table in the 2013/14 season before a dismal start to the current campaign saw him being sacked on October 3.
Speaking to the Bolton News, Ream revealed how hard Freedman worked behind the scenes only for the players to 'let him down' with poor performances.
"I feel for him, I really do," the United States international said.
"He has worked hard and unfortunately it's a results-driven business.
"I think me and the guys in the dressing room have let him and the staff down. It's on us to a certain extent.
"He did a lot behind the scenes, especially at the training ground, that people don't get to see.
"I'll be the first to tell you there were a lot of issues behind the scenes when he came in. He smoothed those out."
When asked what he meant by issues behind the scenes, Ream told of a lack of dedication from a number of players who felt relegation from the Premier League gave them the right to leave the club.
"There were a lot of issues after relegation. There were a lot of guys who thought they didn't belong in this league.
"There were guys who just weren't dedicating themselves and that was a big issue we had to overcome last year and when Dougie came in from October to Christmas.
"He (Freedman) got guys on the right track off the field but unfortunately he didn't get the results on it."