Ince sacked as Blackburn manager I Analysis: James Ducker I Debate: were Blackburn right to sack Ince? I Souness leads contenders to replace Ince I Garner: Blackburn right to sack Ince I

Paul Ince has been sacked as manager of Blackburn Rovers.

John Williams, the Blackburn chairman, spent most of yesterday in talks with his fellow directors and has decided to dispense with Ince's services this morning. The dismal 3-0 defeat against Wigan Athletic at the JJB Stadium at the weekend was Blackburn's sixth successive league loss and left the club one place off the bottom, five points adrift of safety.

"It is with great sadness the board announce that Paul Ince is to leave the club," a club statement read. "After a board meeting yesterday it was decided to relieve Paul of his duties.

"The board, having selected Paul back in June, were desperate for him to succeed and wanted to give him as much time as possible in the unforgiving environment of Premier League management, where time is such a precious commodity."

Ray Mathias, Blackburn's assistant manager, and Archie Knox, the first-team coach, have been put in temporary charge, but Williams hopes to have Ince's successor in place by Saturday,

"Appointing a new manager is our total focus," he said. "We acknowledge that timelines are tight for we are in a very worrying situation concerning our Premier League status.

"We will endeavour to have a new manager in place for Saturday's game with Stoke City at Ewood Park, but there are no guarantees and we must ensure that we get the right man.

"In the meantime, the day-to-day training will be carried out by Archie Knox, Ray Mathias and Karl Robinson. Our coaching staff and all of the players fully understand the importance of this weekend's game.

"Our supporters can rest assured that we will do everything in our power to get the team climbing the Premier League table as soon as possible."

Ince was appointed in June on a three-year contract and, despite a promising start to the campaign, saw performances and results begin to deteriorate. The club have not won since September 27 at Newcastle United and reports of dressing-room unrest began to emerge.

Williams added: "Three wins in 17 games has seen a squad, which finished seventh last season, fall to 19th position. We are currently in real danger of becoming detached from the pack.