London - Blackburn Rovers coaching staff member Nigel Winterburn moved on Wednesday to give his support to under-fire manager Paul Ince.

Ince was one of the most respected young English managers when he took over from Mark Hughes in the summer, but after five straight defeats Blackburn lie second-bottom of the Premier League table.

His future is believed to have been discussed at a board meeting on Tuesday, with rumours of player unrest mounting.

But Winterburn, the former Arsenal defender who is the defensive coach at Rovers, insisted that Ince retains the confidence of the squad.

"The players are certainly behind him and it looks like the board will back him as well," he told the BBC.

"That is the most important thing. It doesn't matter what other people think, it is just case of starting to put the results right on the pitch.

"That will dispel all the rumours flying around at the moment and that will happen very quickly.

"He has adapted very quickly, especially over the last couple of weeks with the things which have been written against him," he said.

"He will be learning all the time what it is like to manage in the Premier League and I'm sure you will see a massive improvement from the team in the next few weeks to lift them away from the relegation zone," said Winterburn.

Blackburn face Wigan Athletic on Saturday. (dpa)