http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/blackburn_rovers/7784967.stmLowly Blackburn sack manager Ince
Paul Ince has paid for Blackburn's poor start to the season
Blackburn have sacked manager Paul Ince after only three wins in 17 Premier League games left the club languishing second from bottom in the table.
Ince, 41, joined Rovers from MK Dons in June but Blackburn's last league win was at Newcastle on 27 September.
Chairman John Williams said: "Three wins in 17 games has seen a squad which finished seventh last season fall to 19th place.
"We are currently in danger of becoming detached from the pack."
The decision to sack Ince was taken after a Blackburn board meeting and Williams made it clear that the need to keep the club in the top flight was behind the move.
Former boss Graeme Souness is an early front-runner to take over, possibly assisted by veteran Blackburn midfield man Tugay.
Williams was publicly critical of Blackburn's display in what proved to be Ince's final game, the 3-0 defeat at Wigan on Saturday.
He added: "The survival of the club in the Premier League is paramount and our focus is on finding a replacement who will be able to maintain our top-division status.
"Paul will bounce back, he is a fighter and we wish him well."
A statement released on the Blackburn website said: "The board, having selected Paul Ince back in June, were desperate for him to succeed and wanted to give him as much time as possible in the unforgiving environment of the Premier League, where time is such a precious commodity."
The Blackburn squad returned to training on Tuesday after their Christmas party in Dublin and they were put through their paces by assistant manager Ray Matthias while Ince met with the board.
Ince was appointed on 22 June on a three-year contract and, despite a promising start to the campaign, saw performances and results begin to deteriorate.
Rovers have lost their last six league games and there have been reports of dressing-room unrest.
Following the defeat at Wigan, Williams told the the Lancashire Telegraph: "After all the signs coming out of Brockhall (Blackburn's training ground) this week, I was led to believe we would get a top performance.
"Without taking anything away from Wigan I have to say I was very disappointed with what I saw."
"The worry is the league table is beginning to stretch out and now we need two wins just to get back among the pack at the bottom."