Paul Ince: Blackburn need to splash some cash in relegation fight

Paul Ince claims Blackburn's worried owners must splash the cash to help him save the club from relegation.

As exclusively revealed by Mirror Sport, Blackburn's Jersey-based trustees are holding an emergency meeting because they fear going down would wreck their attempts to sell the club.

Rovers are next to bottom on the back of nine league games without a win and Ince says he desperately needs money for new players in January.

Ince's small squad has been ravaged by injury and he will hand chairman John Williams his list of targets - which includes striker Marc Janko and defenders Vasilis Torosidis and Marcel Schafer - when they meet.

"I don't know what happens with the trustees because that's up to the chairman to go over there and see what funds we have available," said the Rovers boss.

"It's important to bring in new faces and freshen things up. I'll sit down with the chairman about January, but he has been fantastic with me, let's get that right.

"We know we need to invest. If we don't, it's going to be a struggle. I'll have a chat with the chairman, but he has always been on my side and you need that."

Ince faces his old boss Sir Alex Ferguson tonight - and only two of the Scot's former players have won in 32 attempts at Old Trafford - but he doesn't want any sympathy.

He is philosophical about his chances of keeping his job just six months into his reign at Ewood Park and is more worried about lifting his players.

"I'm not concerned about myself as the manager," he said. "I just have to think of the players, so there's no point me coming in every day with my head down.

"I have to come in smiling to make sure they are happy because it's all about the players. It's important to keep their spirits up.

"Of course you look at yourself and analyse things. It's been hard this year for me. We've done well in games and come away with nothing, so what more can you do?

"You ask yourself whether it's better to be a great manager or a lucky manager, little things like that.

"Being in the bottom three is a concern because nobody likes to be there. It's hard because I don't like to see Blackburn where they are.

"The last thing I want is the players to be worried about the situation. It's frustrating and I know it is hurting the lads. It's easy to knock people when they're down, but it's now the time to show the character of the players and the club. We will come through it."

Only Bryan Robson and Mark Hughes have come back to haunt Ferguson at Old Trafford out of all his old boys and Ince knows he faces a daunting task - even if the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney are rested.

"Alex won't have a full side out, but whatever team he picks, it will have top quality and will be good enough to compete week-in, week-out in the Premier League," he said.

"Carlos Tevez is worth £32million and will probably play and Nani is in the £15m bracket and he will probably be involved as well. Giggsy might play as well, so there will be enough quality on the pitch to do a job.

"We need to go there and embrace the situation. We're playing well away from home at the moment and I'm looking forward to it.

"The lads should be the same and, if we can get the win, it can kick us on."

PROBABLE TEAMS

MAN UTD Foster, Rafael, Neville, Evans, O'Shea, Possebon, Giggs, Anderson, Nani, Welbeck, Tevez

BLACKBURN Robinson, Ooijer, Samba, Nelsen, Olsen, Emerton, Tugay, Warnock, Pedersen, Derbyshire, Santa Cruz

Kick-off 8pm

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