WITH a Premiership winner’s medal and more than 300 appearances under his belt during a 10-year Ewood Park stint, Jason Wilcox’s Blackburn Rovers career can be described as nothing else but a ‘success story’.

It could all have been different though for the former Rovers midfielder after an early tempestuous relationship with the terraces almost ended his time in Lancashire before it had really begun.

His rollercoaster journey from fall-guy to legend between 1989 and 1999 shows the speed of change in football, and he believes it should provide inspiration to the latest Ewood figure to fall foul of the critics.

Boss Paul Ince has already been written off by many as ‘past the point of no return’ with Rovers sitting second from bottom in the Premier League after a 10-match winless streak.

But, ahead of Saturday’s trip to Wigan, Wilcox knows more than most the potential of bouncing back and insists a beleaguered Ince can still resurrect his own, and the club’s, future.

He said: “It just takes time. Mark Hughes has left, Paul Ince has come in and has got a massive job on his hand.

“But he is hungry and ambitious and that is all you can ask for. Hopefully the fans will respond and they will start creeping up the table.

“That is what it needs because when things are not going so well you need people to get behind them and stick with them.”

Born and bred in Bolton, Wilcox signed for Rovers’ development scheme in 1987 aged just 16, with then youth team manager Jim Furnell describing him as “one of the best young wingers in football”.

He made his first-team debut in April 1990 but didn’t establish himself as a first team regular until 1991/92 as he struggled to cope with his critics.

“At times throughout my career I had a difficult time,” he said. “I came when I was 15 and the old Blackburn fans will know I had a difficult time with the crowd at first.

“But hopefully the supporters will look back and see the effort I put in and see it was just one of those things. I was probably as much to blame as the supporters at times because I reacted as well.

“When I was going through periods of self-doubt and low confidence, which I was, especially being a youngster there were times when I thought I would have to move clubs.

“But I just had to grit my teeth and stick through it. I look back and think I didn’t shirk the challenge and in the end proved I was a good player - I hope anyway.”

His inauspicious start flourished into a memorable spell that reached its peak of winning the Premier League title in 1995, and earned him two England caps - after fighting back from career threatening Legionnaires’ disease.

He went on to play for Leeds United, Leicester City, and Blackpool, before calling time on his career in 2006, but admits those Ewood Park days will never be beaten.

He said: “Blackburn has always been a family club.

“Even now when I come back it is so welcoming and warm.

“It is not just a business empire if you like. Obviously it is a business empire but I always got looked after and I don’t think many clubs would do that.

“The Ray Harford, Kenny Dalglish era was something special. We had a window of three or four years where we were the best team. We were going to grounds like Arsenal and Chelsea and Manchester United as the best team.

“I feel very privileged to have had that feeling.

“Knowing at some point or another I played for the best team in the country.

“There is definitely something special about this club. It is a warm, friendly club and I am sure not too far in the future this club will be fighting at the top again.”

Wilcox, who remains a Rovers fan and takes his two sons to Ewood, admits though he has not been caught by the managerial bug - yet!

He said: “I have done a couple of my badges but at the moment I have four young children and I don’t want to start shooting all over the country taking jobs.

“I did enough travelling as a player so for the moment I will concentrate on my family and then we will see what happens after that.

“I do coaching for the local teams in Manchester and the response I get from them is fantastic.”