Paul Ince was sacked by Blackburn today just five months after being appointed manager.

The former England captain paid the price for a run of 11 games without a win, which has left the club 19th in the Premier League, five points from safety.

Rovers are drawing up a shortlist of candidates with former boss Graeme Souness an early front-runner to replace the 41-year-old, possibly assisted by midfielder Tugay.

Ex-Bolton and Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce, who was considered for the post in the summer before Ince got the job, and former Charlton and West Ham manager Alan Curbishley have also been linked.

Ince was appointed to his first Premier League job in June on a three-year contract having enjoyed success with Macclesfield and MK Dons.However, Saturday's woeful 3-0 defeat to Wigan - a sixth successive loss - prompted an emergency board meeting yesterday and Ince was informed of his fate this morning.

"Three wins in 17 games has seen a squad which finished seventh last season fall to 19th position," said chairman John Williams. "We are in real danger of becoming detached from the pack. The survival of the club in the Premier League is paramount and our focus now is on finding a replacement who will be able to maintain our top-division status."

After a promising start to the campaign, performances began to deteriorate amid reports of dressing-room unrest.

However, Blackburn's part-time defensive coach Nigel Winterburn feels Ince should have been kept on.

"I would have loved for him to be given time in the transfer window in January to bring in his own players," said the former Arsenal left-back. "I'm positive he would have seen results improve but I think people were starting to panic."