He believes started almost five months before the end of Sam Allardyce's reign.
Bolton's Troubles - All Big Sam's Fault!
Allardyce quit the Lancashire club on April 29 after seven-and-a-half hugely successful years in charge before being appointed as Newcastle boss.
Lee was subsequently promoted from Bolton assistant manager to the top job and presided over the final two games of last season, which yielded just a single point.
A dreadful start to the current campaign has seen the Trotters lose all three games to lie bottom of the table and made Lee the clear favourite with bookmakers to win the Barclays Premier League sack race.
Lee: "We've had this problem for some time now - it isn't just recently. Last season, 69% of our points were gained prior to Christmas and we only got 17 points after Christmas.
"So I identified that there was a problem.
"There was a malaise that needed to be addressed and rectified.
"We've tried to do that but when you do try and implement changes and the results don't go for you then people are always going to question that change.
"I understand that, but I just need people to realise that there was a need for change.
"There are people who have gone on to great things in football management, despite not having the most auspicious of starts.
"It may just be a free-kick, a penalty or a goal away from things being very different for those managers.
"And I've been working very, very hard to rectify the problems that we have, both on and off the pitch.
"I'm fully aware of the pressures, I'm fully aware of the criticism and I've been in this game a long time.
"Maybe not as a manager, but I've worked under some very good managers and I've not done that with my eyes closed.
"I've had a look at all the problems they have encountered and I was fully aware of the task in hand when I took this job on."