Smash hit

Souness would be a popular appointment with a lot of fans, although not all. He would command respect and although there was some criticism of him towards the end of his last tenure, it would be a popular appointment.

Then there is Sam Allardyce, who is clearly angling for the Sunderland job. But I think he is right to view the Blackburn job as a backward step from Bolton. He got Bolton in the top 18 and in Blackburn he'd be joining a club near the bottom of the league at Christmas with no money to spend in January.

Then there's Alan Curbishley, who has still got compensation to agree with West Ham. But I would imagine they would be looking to appoint someone until the end of the season and address the situation properly in the summer.

People often talk about lost dressing-rooms in these situations - how was Ince viewed by the team? And, for that matter, others around Ewood.

The players wanted to play for Ince, but I just wonder whether they wanted to play for the set-up. The players looked like they have been sulking for the past two weeks and they have been playing like they wanted to get the management team out. Against Wigan they were absolutely shambolic, they weren't fit to be paid.

However, good Wigan were, Ince would admit Blackburn were shambolic. But this is a squad if players, barring Bentley and Friedel, who Mark Hughes was championing last season. So they are clearly sulking. Santa Cruz wants to join Manchester City and he's not the only one who wanted out. So I think the players have got a lot to answer for.

In your view has he terminally damaged his reputation at this level? Surely no Premier League chairman is going to gamble on him again in the short-term?

He's clearly to blame for a lot of this, but I do think that he's been unlucky. His lack of judgement in appointing his back-room team has been a major factor and has helped to upset some of his players, but he took over a club from Mark Hughes, who in a way had taken the club as far as it could go. Unfortunately his predecessor has joined the richest club in the world and has his eye on a couple of his former players, who clearly know that.

But so many things have conspired against him and that's no to admonish him of all blame but I do think that when assessing this situation people should take that into consideration. I wouldn't expect to see him back in the Premier League any time soon. Whereas Roy Keane will be wanted and may come back of his own volition, I think Ince would like to return but might have a wait a while before that happens.