Paul Ince has accused the board of Blackburn Rovers of not offering him enough support or money for transfers during his brief period in charge.

Ince was sacked by Blackburn last December after only 17 Barclays Premier League games and he rejoined Milton Keynes Dons last week for a second spell as manager.

When Ince took charge of Blackburn last summer he had just led MK Dons to promotion from Coca-Cola League Two in his first year at the club and was seen as a rising star, but Blackburn won only three league matches during his tenure. The 41-year-old believes he was given too little time and said that he was shocked by the lack of available funds despite the sale of David Bentley to Tottenham Hotspur for about £15 million.

“For some reason we didn’t have the finances,” Ince said yesterday. “There are a lot of reasons why it didn’t go well, but I don’t think I was to blame for that. My reputation as a manager shouldn’t be tarnished because I wasn’t given the tools. I thought that the board should have backed me a bit more. At least give me till after Christmas. It was harsh, it was a bit unfair, but I’ve got broad shoulders. It’s all about players and finance and if you haven’t got that it’s hard to do your job.”

He was sacked after a sixth successive defeat left Blackburn one place off the bottom of the table. “I’m learning the trade,” he said. “It hasn’t dented my belief that I can manage in the Premier League. I’ve had a great experience, I want to be back there and hopefully I can do it with Milton Keynes.”