England

Phillip Buckley

The departure of Paul Ince from Blackburn was not unforeseen. The pressure had been building on the former MK Dons boss for weeks, in fact, perhaps earlier than that. It’s easy to see Ince’s failure as having huge implications for the future employment of black British managers in England’s top flight, but his leaving of Blackburn has nothing to do with race, and everything to do with results. The job of a Premier League manager is fast becoming one of the most dangerous in football, with a lifespan growing shorter by the season. Make Christmas and you’re doing something right.

Appointing Ince did draw criticism at the time, although nowhere near the level it has drawn since as a clutch of pundits and so called experts argue he should never have been given the job in the first place. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but Ince had excellent credentials and still will at the next job he takes. Playing under Sir Alex Ferguson, at the highest level in Serie A, and also internationally, gave Ince great experience.

Paul Ince learnt his trade in the lower leagues, with Macclesfield and MK Dons, something many ex stars have been unwilling to do. Ince took a risk dropping down so low, working with players with less than a fifth of his ability, and making them succeed. He saved Macclesfield and kept them in the Football League when to everyone they looked dead to the world. At MK Dons again he did a remarkable job leading them up a division and winning silverware in the form of the Football League Trophy.

If all this is considered then it is hard to argue Ince was any more unprepared for Premier League football than a whole host of ex-players. Gareth Southgate had the sum total of zero managerial experience when he was handed the Middlesbrough job. Ruud Gullit, Gianluca Vialli, John Barnes, and currently Gianfranco Zola. All these big names, names which Ince deserves to be ranked alongside in star value and playing experience, jumped straight from the pitch into the dugout with less idea of management than Ince.

As Ince’s reign at Blackburn is dissected there will be those who take a swipe at his management style, arguing his ego undermined his status in the dressing room. Yet this is rubbish. A great many ex-players who have been there and done it have often appeared aloof, alongside more established managers. A classic example is Glenn Hoddle, yet Hoddle was still a success with England before off-the-field controversy brought his tenure to an end. Brian Clough famously often only turned up for training infrequently, and Ron Atkinson sometimes only on the day of the match!

The team that Ince had at Rovers was largely unchanged from that which finished 7th last season. However, the two big losses in Friedel and Bentley were a huge blow. Ince’s move for Paul Robinson to replace the departing American was widely praised at the time and the move still looks like the best bit of business Blackburn could have done. They were unlikely to have been able to attract the quality of keeper that could replace Friedel fully – only a big four club could do that. Friedel’s deciding to leave was sudden, and perhaps had something to do with a clash of personalities – the two had been together at the same time at Liverpool.

Bentley added that little bit of flair and something extra, and Rovers have really missed that at times this season. Ince also brought in Robbie Fowler, but he cost nothing and as such cannot be classified as a gamble.

In reality what has done for Ince is time. The Premier League is such a rich league that dropping out of it is unthinkable. For teams that have just been promoted the Premier League is new and the club used to running on a smaller budget. For established clubs like Blackburn, the thought of relegation is enough to scare even the most patient chairman. The examples of Nottingham Forest, Leeds United and Southampton loom large over the horizon as a warning of just what can happen. Football is no respecter of reputations or number of years spent in the top flight.

Blackburn Rovers’ chairman John Williams just could not take the chance of doing nothing. A new manager might only provide a shot in the arm, a few wins. But this in itself would be enough to see Rovers back in the thick of the relegation scrap.

As often happens, the coming of January has concentrated minds at Blackburn. The club is not flush with cash, and if they are to have one last roll of the dice in the transfer window, then it needs to be with a manager they trust. When it came down to it not enough suits in the boardroom at Ewood Park believed that Paul Ince should be handed the chequebook.

For Ince the future need not be bleak. Given what he achieved with Macclesfield Town and MK Dons, another job, albeit in the lower divisions, should present itself. Then the task of rebuilding a bruised reputation will begin. Don’t rule out foreign shores for the former Inter midfielder too. Ince has an excellent reputation in Italy and just as David Platt was handed a chance by Sampdoria, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that Ince could get a similar chance.

Whilst the Blackburn job may have turned sour for Paul Ince, he is far from finished in the game. Ince is a fighter and will not let a mere few months at Ewood Park dim his determination. For the future of young British managers let’s hope he can bounce back sooner rather than later.