Souness favourite to replace sacked Ince

Former Blackburn boss Graeme Souness has emerged as the leading candidate to take over at Ewood Park after Paul Ince was sacked yesterday.

Ince was dismissed after just 17 Barclays Premier League matches in charge having presided over a club record-equalling run of 11 games without victory which dropped them to 19th in the table.

Souness appears to be top of the Blackburn board’s list to return to the club where he at least presided over some success.

The former Liverpool and Newcastle boss guided them to promotion into the Premier League in 2001 and won their last trophy, the Worthington Cup, the following season.

Chairman John Williams said he hoped he could have a new manager in place in time for Saturday’s home match against Stoke.

That suggests he is looking at someone who is currently out of work and can quickly be persuaded to take over at Ewood Park.

Such criteria could also put former Bolton and Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce in the frame.

He was one of the contenders in the summer before it became clear the club were going with Ince.

Other names linked with the job include former Charlton and West Ham boss Alan Curbishley, ex-Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier, Chelsea’s former manager Avram Grant, Celtic’s Gordon Strachan and even former Rovers striker Alan Shearer,

“Appointing a new manager is our total focus,” said Williams.

“We acknowledge that timelines are tight for we are in a very worrying situation concerning our Premier League status.

“We will endeavour to have a new manager in place for Saturday’s game but there are no guarantees and we must ensure that we get the right man.

“Our supporters can rest assured that we will do everything in our power to get the team climbing the Premier League table as soon as possible.”

In the interim, assistant manager Ray Mathias, first-team coach Archie Knox and assistant coach Karl Richardson will take care of preparing the players for the crucial game against Stoke.

“The players worked hard yesterday and we will be training every day of the week so it will be no different to what we usually do,” Mathias told Sky Sports News.

“At the end of the day we are professional enough. There is a long way to go yet.

“The players are focused and they will be looking to go out and maybe do it for the new gaffer on Saturday.”

Williams said the decision to fire Ince just six months into a three-year contract was a difficult but necessary one.

“We are halfway through the season and we are getting detached at the bottom,” said the chairman.

“A poor run of results and a disappointing performance at the weekend (losing 3-0 at Wigan), frankly it is time to change in order to help the club secure its [top-flight] status.

“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.”