Tony Adams can get deep and meaningful — and sometimes a little obscure — yet there was no doubt as to his verdict on the dismissal of Paul Ince. The Portsmouth manager described John Williams, the Blackburn Rovers chairman, as “spineless” for his decision to dispense with Ince after he had had only 21 matches in charge at Ewood Park.

Adams, 42, can empathise with the plight of Ince, 41, his former England team-mate. He, too, is a young English manager attempting to make his way in the minefield of the Barclays Premier League, having taken over at Fratton Park less than two months ago, and is acutely aware of the need for time and patience. Williams, Adams believes, pushed the panic button too early.

“When I heard, I was angry, very angry,” Adams said. “I like Paul a tremendous amount and I was absolutely gutted for him. It’s spineless how the man [Williams] who employed him can sack him just as quickly as that.

“You don’t get a chance to build, you don’t get a chance to do anything. You really don’t. You do a few press conferences, you throw a team out there for two minutes. It’s just ridiculous.”

While Adams’s comments are born of his friendship with the former Manchester United midfield player, Ince gained only three wins in 17 league matches. His team had not won in the league since late September and had lost six in a row before Williams decided to act on Monday.

Adams hardly speaks from a position of strength, either, with Portsmouth having won only three times in 12 matches in all competitions since he was appointed to succeed Harry Redknapp in October and also having been knocked out of the Uefa Cup. They may lie in eighth place in the league but are only five points — and a possible Blackburn-style plunge — away from the relegation zone.

With the club up for sale, Alexandre Gaydamak, the owner, cannot contemplate flirting with the Coca-Cola Championship. He and Peter Storrie, the executive chairman, will monitor Portsmouth’s progress closely and it is not inconceivable that Adams could soon experience similar mounting pressure to that which Ince had to endure over the closing weeks of his brief reign.

Adams, though, can see the bigger picture, too. “Paul is a good man but you’re in danger of killing the [young] coaches in this country,” he said. “I’ve seen them go out of the game very quickly — the Bryan Robsons, the Glenn Hoddles. Great coaches who could be utilised, who could be learning, who could be helping people. I’m very angry.

“As you go into a new job, it is different. Harry [Redknapp] has gone, things change, dynamics change. You have to find your position in the club, your role in the club and your responsibilities. That takes a bit of time.”

Tony Pulis, the Stoke City manager, echoed Adams’s sentiments. “If you give a manager a job, sacking Paul after about three months is pretty ridiculous,” Pulis said yesterday. “The board of directors at Blackburn thought he was good enough at the time but, for goodness sake, give him the opportunity to do it. Three months is not an opportunity.

“A famous manager once told me, when I first started, that you need three years. The first year to assess the club, the second to weed out the players that are not for you and bring players in. Then, the third year, you should see fruition. Now we’re looking at three months. Managers have to be backed and you have to give them time.”

‘Big Sam’s first press conference was a world away from Ince’s handling of the media’

The online community is already praising Sam Allardyce’s performance as Blackburn Rovers manager without a game yet played. His first press conference yesterday was well received on internet messageboards, especially when contrasted with his predecessor’s handling of the media

“Very professional, very confident and saying all the right things, giving little bits of positive encouragement to the squad and basically hinting to them to play for their futures, which should hopefully kick-start them. A whole world away from Paul Ince’s handling of the media. I’m very positive for the future.”
psychosoma, rovers.co.uk

“I was quite impressed by the interview as he didn’t go overboard with wild promises of Champions League places up for grabs and he actually gave me a bit of confidence that he can turn it around. So I reckon if he can inspire me with a sanitised TV interview he will be able to lift the dressing-room.”
creditcrunched, footymad.net

“Whenever Ince was in a press conference, I was nervous every time he opened his mouth. Sam is much more confident and is a much more fatherly figure in a way. Definitely the kind of manager we need to get our players going.”
lanc, rovers.co.uk

“I think Sam will do a grand job since Blackburn are similar to Bolton Wanderers as a club. Fascinating to hear that when Sam went to Newcastle he brought in a team of staff containing 26 people. Could be an expensive option.”
cwmhalen, wsc.co.uk

“I can understand the appointment of Allardyce on a short-term contract, as he will inevitably grind out results which is probably what the Rovers need at the moment. Allardyce long term, I do not understand or agree with, he is one-dimensional . . . at Bolton his side were generally woeful to watch.”
Collymonster, bbc.co.uk/606