The League Managers Association last night called on Blackburn to be patient with under-pressure manager Paul Ince. A sixth successive Barclays Premier League defeat at the weekend, 3-0 at Wigan, extended Rovers' winless run to 11 matches and increased the scrutiny on Ince.
His position is certain to be a matter for discussion at Ewood Park this week after the chairman, John Williams, expressed his disappointment with the performance at the JJB Stadium, which left next-to-bottom Rovers five points from safety.
The LMA chief executive, Richard Bevan, who spoke to Ince yesterday, called for Rovers to give the former MK Dons boss the chance to turn things around. "I'm sure chairmen, the likes of John Williams at Blackburn, are under a lot of pressure," he said.
"They have got a massive commitment into the club, and what we have got to get over is that continuity, looking at allowing managers to build relationships with the fans, the players and particularly the board. If you do that, then stats and history shows that you will be more successful."
In defence of Ince, Bevan added: "He has only been there five months, he has not brought in his own players.
"Blackburn sold the likes of David Bentley and [Brad] Friedel for £20m and probably I think they were the lowest spenders from the transfer window in August, so I think we just need to give Paul time.
"He has got big matches coming up — he has got Stoke at home, Sunderland away, Manchester City at home and Fulham away, so they are all matches where he can pick up points.
"I think the best example of where we've got to bring a bit of calm to the situation is to just look at (the Bolton manager) Gary Megson.
"(At the) beginning of November everyone was saying he should be kicked out or resigning, he goes and wins four out of five matches and he wins the Barclays Premier League Manager of the Month."
Replacements for Ince are already being touted around with the former Rovers manager Graeme Souness seemingly the new favourite. Alan Curbishley, the Burnley manager, Owen Coyle, and Sam Allardyce have also being linked.
However, even if the Blackburn board were to admit they got it wrong in appointing Ince to his first top-flight job just four months ago, a return for Souness would be an interesting choice.
The Scot is certainly not a fans' favourite having left to join Newcastle in 2004, and the manner of his departure is understood to have left some at the club unimpressed. Allardyce is an even less likely solution having been passed over for the job in favour of Ince in the summer.
