Ince - I needed more time

Former Rovers boss disappointed by lack of support

Last updated: 9th January 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Ince - I needed more time

Ince: Wanted more time and backing

The disappointing thing for me was that the board didn't come out at the time and squash it [the criticism] and say 'you are staying here until after the Christmas period'. If that had happened it would have stopped the press writing things and unsettling my players.

Paul Ince
Quotes of the week

Related links

Teams

Also see

Paul Ince has told Sky Sports News that he is disappointed he did not receive the public backing of Blackburn Rovers in the final weeks of his tenure.

Former England captain Ince was sacked by Rovers before Christmas, just a few months after replacing Mark Hughes at Ewood Park.

Ince left Blackburn following a run of 11 Premier League games without a win and his position had been speculated upon for several weeks before his eventual departure.

He is unhappy there was no show of public support from the Rovers board and also believes he merited more time in his first top-flight job.

Disappointing

"Whatever club you go to you want to bring in your own players," he told Sky Sports News.

"You need to build your own team, but unfortunately we didn't have that time.

"It was always going to be hard at Blackburn because of investment.

"I have nothing but admiration for the chairman, for giving me the chance to manage at that level. You need to get young English managers in.

"But the disappointing thing for me was that the board didn't come out at the time and squash it [the criticism] and say 'you are staying here until after the Christmas period'. If that had happened it would have stopped the press writing things and unsettling my players.

"It is important that you stand by your manager through thick and thin.

"I felt at the time we could have gone for another five or six games and seen where we were then."

Responsibility

Ince acknowledged he made mistakes during his stint at Blackburn. However, he is confident he can still become a successful Premier League manager.

He added: "I take responsibility as manager of the team. The reason we were down where we were was down to me.

"You need to mould your own team and bring in certain players and staff. But I did not have the time to do that.

"I feel that I am a Premiership manager. But I was not allowed to be a Premiership manager.

"My confidence has not changed one little bit. I still feel I can do it."

Click Here for Your Free Bet

Post to your View!

Be the first to post a comment on this story

Add Comment*

Send us your views

Are you a Sky Sports subscriber?

*All fields required, your email address will be kept private