Blackburn Rovers boss Paul Ince is facing a difficult 'game-by-game' judgement from his board.
The Daily Mail says Ince was given a temporary stay of execution by relegation-threatened Blackburn yesterday but must now run the gauntlet on a match-by-match basis in his bid to save his job.
Blackburn's board met yesterday with directors still divided over whether to call in Sam Allardyce or Graeme Souness to mount a rescue mission.
But chairman John Williams, who gambled on Ince making a successful step up from MK Dons in the summer, is demanding nine wins from Blackburn's remaining 22 Barclays Premier League matches, starting with Saturday's tough derby at Wigan.
A significant defeat at the JJB Stadium could spell the end after five months in charge for Ince, who has won only three of his first 16 matches and none of the last 10 as Blackburn have slipped to second from bottom.
Williams said: "Nine wins is our priority and the sooner we start picking them up, the better the situation will look. The longer we go without a win, the more difficult it becomes. We need one quickly.
"The current decline is very worrying, but the players and manager believe our fortunes will change with that first win."