Paul Ince was sacked today, putting an end to the inevitable. This makes Blackburn the sixth team to change managers this season, and we haven't even reached the halfway point. After three wins from their first six, Blackburn have only secured three points from their last eleven games. Saturday's home match against Stoke is a must win, and the board didn't have confidence in Ince to deliver that.Ince's appointment startled many in the footballing(soccering) world. He had been the player-manager of League Two Macclesfield for a season, and it was only in the last game of the 2006-07 season that they survived relegation. The next season he went to MK Dons, where he impressed. MK Dons won the Football League Trophy, and were champions of League Two, gaining promotion to League One. A number of clubs had expressed interest in Ince, and many thought he might get a job with a top club in the Championship. But in June of 2008 it was announced that he would be taking over at Blackburn.
The Blackburn club that Ince inherited was not the same as Mark Hughes had managed. Hughes had done well to guide them to seventh, and his reward was the top job at Man City, which was flush with money(though the baht has changed to dinars). Hughes created a physical side, that defended well, scored on free kicked, and relied on crosses from Pedersen and Bentley. Hughes has had his own problems at City, and that may show there was a certain degree of luck in their seventh place finish. Blackburn's goal differential was only +2 in the 2007-08 season, which meant a lot of close wins. Friedel's departure was a big blow to the club defensively, and Paul Robinson is anything but consistent. Bentley was not a fan of Ince's training methods and left the club for Tottenham, while Santa Cruz has been fighting injuries and struggling to repeat last season's form. And while Blackburn were getting worse, all the teams around them were getting better. Tottenham, Newcastle, Manchester City, Sunderland, Bolton and Fulham all spent millions. Their success has varied, but they all sit above Blackburn in the table.
It would be unfair to lay the blame completely on Ince. He had done well in the lower leagues, but just like it's difficult for a player to jump from League Two to the Premiership, it's not easy for a coach. It's easy to look at their results this season, and see how if luck had gone their way a few times, Ince would still have a job. There have been a lot of questions about who will fill the Sunderland job, and I have a feeling that there will be a lot more coaches queing(lining) up for that position than Rovers. Unless there's another billionaire looking for a team, it looks like it's going to be a season long battle to stay in the Prem.
One Liners
- Jol says Aston Villa are better than Arsenal, I feel like Arsene Wenger's birthday parties must be very small
- Lord Triesman proclaims "respect" campaign a success, in other news Lord Triesman's head has been found up his arse
- Rafa out with kidney stones, meaning this week's Rafa Rotation will be literal
- Fergie sets sight on conquering the world, Leonardo Dicaprio says he already did that
- United accept Evra suspension, but the real loss is the Stamford Bridge groundscrew who will be shorthanded when it needs all the help it can get
