Marcus Bent says Wigan Athletic's players let down former manager Chris Hutchings.

"I was upset that the previous manager had to go," remarked Bent. "He was a very down-to-earth guy, a very good coach, and his man-management was very good.

"It was a decision I didn't make, but one I have to live with. Now I have to press on with doing my best for the new manager.

"But in general, we all feel we didn't do enough for Chris.

"There were a few occasions we didn't play well enough at home, and we didn't pick up any points for a run of six games before he left.

"So we take a large part of the blame. We all spoke to him, and I did personally before he left to let him know how we felt.

"There were no hard feelings. He understood why it happened, and now we are just getting on with it."