Paul Ince on the brink

A few months ago one of the writers here at TalkFootball.co.uk wrote about the possibility that Paul Ince was a bad hire for Blackburn Rovers.

Now nearly six months on and Ince is being strapped into the guillotine and the blade is being lifted above his neck. Whether this is fair or not is up for debate but his future really might not last into next week.

I don't like it when you see reports that certain games are 'must win' but it is a pretty apt description of how Saturday's game at Wigan is for the gaffer. He is up against his old Manchester United colleague in Steve Bruce but he can't expect any favours.

Last week they were beaten at home by Chelsea but the week before only a controversial refereeing decision by my boy Mark Halsey kept them from probably winning at Portsmouth. When you are down there things tend not to go your way and you are down on your luck.

Ince, maybe unsurprisingly bemoaned the decision after the match.

"It was a poor decision from the referee (to disallow our third goal).

"He gave the foul on James but you see on the replay that he hasn't touched him and it should have been 3-2.

"They are the things that happen when you are down there. That is the sort of stuff we have to contend with at this moment in time, but we'll keep marching."

He says that there is a Press Vendetta against him and his young English managerial colleagues and that is just total rubbish. People don't want him to fail, certainly not the media who he keeps attacking. The facts are that his team has only won three games so far this season and that quite simply isn't good enough.

Now whilst I agree with him that he needs time and shouldn't be under pressure, he needs to learn not to be so aggressive with the media, it doesn't help his cause. He should look at his former England colleague down at Portsmouth. Tony Adams has been very open with the media and seems to be quite relaxed with them and takes both the positive and the negative comments on board with a smile on his face.

In a way the fact that the game isn't on live TV this weekend is of some help to Ince. Had his team bombed into of a national audience then you know that he'd be gone. All he can do is get his players to show that they have some fight for him and and try to grind out a result at the JJB.

Whatever happens Paul Ince will have a weight lifted off his shoulders one way or the other come Saturday evening.