Paul Ince, the Blackburn Rovers manager, has moved to quell rumours of player unrest at Ewood Park and urged his critics to judge him on results.

With Brad Friedel, the American goalkeeper, and David Bentley, the England international midfield player, having left Blackburn this summer and with the club facing a fight to keep hold of Roque Santa Cruz and Benni McCarthy, the strikers, Ince concedes that he has had a tough introduction to top-flight management since succeeding Mark Hughes seven week ago. But the former Milton Keynes Dons manager has rejected suggestions that he is struggling to win over the dressing-room and has emphasised the need for patience.

“We can’t seem to settle ourselves down because people want to unsettle us all the time and it’s not fair and it’s not right,” Ince said. “We are trying to build something here and it’s not going to happen overnight. We just need time to do it and we will do it. I’ve been in the game 20-odd years and I can deal with most things.

“If we lose the first five games of the season then, yes, you can have a go at me, but until then you have to give me a chance.”

Aston Villa and Manchester City are hoping to snare Santa Cruz and Blackburn have rejected a bid from Galatasaray, of Turkey, for McCarthy, who is also interesting Sunderland. Stephen Warnock, the left back, has been the subject of two failed bids from Newcastle United. Ince has asked the Blackburn board to resist all offers for the trio, The manager’s problems have been compounded by Carlos Villaneuva, the Chile winger signed on a year-long loan from Audax Italiano, conracting chickenpox and so forcing him to train alone.

Santa Cruz, who is a doubt for Blackburn’s opening Barclays Premier League match away to Everton on Saturday with an ankle injury, said: “There’s a time where you [the players and manager] are getting to know each other. We are trying to understand what the new manager wants and is trying to bring to the team. It will be an interesting season after the moves going on here.”