PAUL Ince was sacked by Blackburn Rovers yesterday (Dec 16) just six months after being given his big chance by the Premier League club.

The former West Ham midfielder took over a side that had finished seventh in last season's PL.

However, his 17 league matches in charge produced just three wins and the final straw came with a 3-0 defeat at Wigan last Saturday - Rovers' sixth successive defeat which left them four points off safety.

Ince's impressive record of success in the lower divisions, at Macclesfield Town and then MK Dons, will doubtless ensure he will not go short of job offers, although he will probably have to prove himself again before being handed another chance to show what he can do in the top flight of English football.

Things went from bad to worse for Blackburn fans today, when Sam Allardyce was appointed to succeed Ince.