PAUL Ince insists the December and New Year fixture list provides his struggling Blackburn Rovers side with an ideal opportunity to climb out of the Premier League mire.

A run of nine successive league matches without a win has seen Rovers slump into the dropzone, with Ince come under increasing pressure to improve the club’s fortunes.

However, the Rovers boss is confident of pulling out of trouble with a kind set of fixtures on the horizon.

In what may prove a difficult next four days, Blackburn travel to Manchester United for tonight’s Carling Cup quarter-final clash, followed by Saturday’s league encounter with league leaders Liverpool at Ewood Park.

But the matches become easier through the festive period, as Rovers face Stoke, Wigan and Sunderland - clubs in the bottom half of the table - before January.

Then, after the New Year, they travel to Fulham before hosting Newcastle and Bolton.

“It's a concern being in the bottom three,” said Ince. “I hate being there and our players don’t enjoy it either.

“But the league table is tight at the moment. We’ve got a stack of games coming up - Wigan, Sunderland, Fulham and Stoke - and they are chances for us to pick up points.

“I’m sure their managers are saying the same things too. But it’s an opportunity for us. Let’s get past those five or six games around Christmas and then see where we are.”

Shaking off concerns that he is feeling the pressure at Ewood Park, Ince has continued to re-iterate that, despite the club’s woeful run of form, confidence and belief in the Rovers camp remains strong.

Highlighting Blackburn’s displays at Tottenham and Portsmouth that his players are giving everything for the cause, the Rovers boss firmly believes they will soon earn their rewards.

“It’s absolutely killing the lads too because I know how well they are playing,” he said.

“I went to watch Fulham play Villa on Saturday and I would not have swapped any of their players for mine, and yet they kept a clean sheet and took a point out of the game.

“But we’ve just got to keep the spirits up. We know we are going to get negative press and people are going to be after us.

“But that only makes us stronger and we’ll come through the other side of this.

“It’s easy to let people knock us down, but now it’s our turn to show the character of the players and the club, because they will come through this.”

And with limited resources at his disposal, Ince believes the club’s situation can be put into perspective, adding: “You have to realise we’re only four points behind Manchester City, and they’ve spent £50million.

“Tottenham and Newcastle are down there, as are Sunderland who have spent £80million, so let’s get the facts right first.”

Ince’s immdiate priority is to get Rovers back to winning ways - and he admits a morale-boosting Carling Cup win against Manchester United would put the club back on course.

It is the first time that Ince returns to Old Trafford as a manager, after spending six years at United during his illustrious playing career.

“To go back to Manchester United as a manager will be special for me, of course it will,” he said.

“But the game is about two sets of players and my focus is making sure we perform to the best of our ability against one of the best teams in the world.

“We have respect for United, but we have no fear. I want us to go there and show what we can do.”