/world sport
(CNN) -- Blackburn Rovers have sacked manager Paul Ince with the club second bottom of the Premier League and facing a relegation battle.
Ince felt the pressure after a sorry run of league defeats saw his team slide down the table.
Ince only took the managerial reins at the north-west of England side in the summer, but a run of sixth successive defeats has left their top flight status in considerable doubt.
Saturday's 3-0 reverse at neighbors Wigan Athletic proved the final straw and the Blackburn board met on Monday to make their decision.
"It is with great sadness the board announce that Paul Ince is to leave the club," read a statement on Blackburn's club Web site.
Chairman John 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.
"The survival of the club in the Premier League is paramount and our focus now is on finding a replacement who will be able to maintain our top division status.
"Paul will bounce back, he is a fighter and we wish him well."
Ince, the first black manager in the Premier League, came to Blackburn with an impeccable record in the lower leagues, rescuing Macclesfield from dropping out of the Football League and then leading Milton Keynes Dons to the third-flight title last season.
The 41-year-old former England international midfielder forged his reputation with West Ham before joining Manchester United and helping them to two Premier League titles and two FA Cup final wins.
Ince, who won 53 caps for England, retired in 2006 and immediately moved into coaching and management.
He is the sixth Premier League manager to part company with his club this season, having signed a three-year contract when he joined Rovers.
Former Blackburn manager Graeme Souness was installed as the early favorite for a return to Ewood Park in place of Ince.
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