"Some of the things that were being said I cannot believe. If they are on our backs every time we play at home then we'd be better off playing all our matches away," he told the Manchester Evening News today. Ironically, it was Bury's lowest attendance of the season for a Saturday match which gave Preece and his players abuse throughout the second half as lowly Bournemouth ran away with the victory thanks to James Hayter's four goals.

Yet much of the fans' anger was focused on striker Paul Barnes, back in the side due to a suprise selection change by the boss. Barnes was jeered from the field when substituted in the second period, but earlier had been hounded after committing two bad fouls on Cherries players as the fans called for him to be dismissed. "I can't understand their mentality when they pick on certain individuals," Preece said in the Bolton Evening News.

"I've had the same treatment that Barnesy had today and he just has to keep going and win the fans over," Preece added. Meanwhile, events on the pitch did not impress the manager either, as the Shakers defence was burdened with much of the blame for the defeat. "We were comical in defence, though that's not the right word because it wasn't funny," the boss said. "Our defence was so poor," he admitted.

It was allegedly a while before Preece gave interviews to the media, as journalists waited patiently for him to emerge from the dressing room after lambasting his players. In events which mirrored Kevin Keegan's last moments as England manager, there was no such resignation from Preece as he summed up the day - "I'd been having a go at the strikers for not putting their chances away and then it all went wrong at the other end."

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