Paul Ince to be the first boss out, odds makers bet

British online sportsbook William Hill has slashed Paul Ince from 20/1 to 10/1 to be the first Premiership manager of the season to leave his club after stories surfaced that all might not be well between the new boss and his players. And Hills offer 2/1 that Ince will be gone before the end of the season, 4/11 that he is still in place on the final day of the campaign. "For once there seems to be no clear-cut favourite in the Sack Race this season, but media stories suggesting unrest between a boss and his squad with the season less than a fortnight away are highly unlikely to reassure Blackburn fans that their team is in good shape with the first game imminent." said Hill's spokesman Graham Sharpe.

Blackburn are 13/8 outsiders to finish higher in the Premiership than former boss Mark Hughes' Manchester City this season, and 4/9 to finish lower than them. Hills make Ince's new club a 5/1shot to finish higher in the Premiership than his old club, MK Dons, do in League One. Dons are 2/9 to finish higher than Blackburn with the clubs 6/1 to tie.

Published on 08/05/2008