Paul Ince has been sacked as manager of Blackburn Rovers after six months of his three-year contract and 21 games in all competitions in charge at Ewood Park. The former England captain leaves with the Lancashire club without a win in their past 11 league games, a run which has seen them fall to second bottom of the Premier League.

The Blackburn board met yesterday to discuss the future of the former Macclesfield and MK Dons manager, who guided Rovers to only three wins and 13 points from 17 league games since his appointment in June.

"It is with great sadness the board announce that Paul Ince is to leave the club," read the club's official statement. "After a board meeting yesterday it was decided to relieve Paul of his duties. The board, having selected Paul back in June, were desperate for him to succeed and wanted to give him as much time as possible in the unforgiving environment of Premier League management, where time is such a precious commodity."

Nigel Winterburn, the club's part-time defensive coach, is still waiting to hear his fate after Ince's dismissal, but says he was not shocked when Ince was "relieved of his duties". "I have absolutely no idea," he said. "The first thing I could say is that I was delighted when Paul asked me to join the football club and obviously Blackburn agreeing to let me join them because it was something that I wanted to do for a long time. Now, Mr Williams also knows that if things don't work out and I'm not needed at the football club then that's not a problem on my part — I've said I've always wanted to work for somebody who wanted me to work for them."

The club's chairman, John Williams, echoed Winterburn's sorrow: "Three wins in 17 games has seen a squad, which finished seventh last season, fall to 19th position. We are currently in real danger of becoming detached from the pack. The survival of the club in the Premier League is paramount and our focus now is on finding a replacement who will be able to maintain our top division status.

"It was a very difficult decision. It is not something we like to do at all but we have to think first and foremost about the club and our predicament was worrying and we had to make a decision which was in our best interests. A poor run of results and a disappointing performance at the weekend, frankly it is time to change in order to help the club secure its [Premier League] status. Paul will bounce back, he is a fighter and we wish him well."

The former Blackburn striker Kevin Gallacher believes Ince was unlucky that circumstances conspired against him. Gallacher, who won the Premier League title with Rovers in 1995, said: "I think you need time to get in and blend your own style. Unfortunately for Paul a lot of things went wrong, two of his best players were going when he arrived, there was no money to spend, players he brought in were injured and it never settled down.

"I don't think Paul knew his best XI and I think that was the problem. When you are letting in an awful lot of goals you've got to rectify it and he didn't quite do that."

The search is now on for a replacement with the former Rovers boss Graeme Souness the favourite to return with Blackburn's veteran midfielder Tugay possibly in a player-coach role. The former Bolton and Newcastle manager, Sam Allardyce, who was considered in the summer before Ince got the job, appeared to rule himself out of the running at the weekend. Alan Curbishley, who left West Ham in September, has also been linked with the club.