Last chance for the Guv'nor to rise above pressure game

He is midway through what is almost certainly his valedictory season, this senior citizen who has forced his lean, nimble frame through football's most character-sculpturing field of combat, that of midfield, for 17 years at the highest level.

Yet those flashing, dark eyes of Paul Ince, which at any instant can convey fierce determination, more than a touch of arrogance or occasional petulance, signal on this chill Friday in the heart of the Midlands that he relishes one final opportunity to demonstrate that he is, indeed, "The Guv'nor", albeit a self-styled one.

Now in his 36th year, Ince arrived at Wolverhampton Wanderers as the prospective galvanising agent in yet another attempt by yet another manager, Dave Jones, to raise this fine club to the long-promised land of the Premier-ship. Expectation is so high; yet, currently placed 10th, and 16 points below second-placed Leicester City, Wolves have yet again flattered to underachieve.

The luckless Jones is under what can in no way be described as subtle pressure from his chairman, Sir Jack Hayward, who commented recently: "I'm not happy. He [Jones] has been told in no uncertain terms what is required. We have a £13 million wage bill and I'm bankrolling it. We have to start winning."

Not what you'd exactly call the chairman's vote of confidence. Ince won't be drawn into that one. "What the chairman says is nothing to do with me basically. That's between him and the manager. I've got to make sure that the lads go into every game full of confidence, without playing with any fear, because once you do that you're going to struggle week in, week out."

At such moments, a decent FA Cup run might at least remove the heat on Jones and, by definition, that on much-vaunted players such as the two former Manchester United players, Ince and Denis Irwin. But Newcastle United? When Bobby Robson's team are in such imperious form? Even playing at Molineux, it is a daunting proposition.

"It's never a good time to play Newcastle, and they're playing very well at the moment. But it might even kick-start our season," reflects Ince. "The Cup takes you away from the pressures of the Nationwide."

He adds: "I haven't felt any tension personally, but I can sense it around the dressing room and in the fans, and in the chairman, too, judging from what he's said. There is pressure because of what happened last season [when Wolves were beaten in the play-offs after just failing to achieve automatic promotion]. I came to this club because it was a challenge for me to try and get this team up into the Premiership. I did think about retiring, but I thought, no, this was a last chance to do something."

It was perhaps typical of Ince that he should attempt somethingso many managers and players had tried but not accomplished. There has always been a sense of the me-against-the-world about Ince, an intensely competitive attitude that contributed to him earning his 53 England caps, two championships and two FA Cup winners' medals with Manchester United but, some will contend, conversely denied him even greater honours.

Ince knows all about the FA Cup. He participated in three finals, receiving winners' medals in 1990 against Crystal Palace and in 1994 against Chelsea, and a losers' medallion when Manchester United were defeated by Joe Royle's Everton in 1995.

That was the prelude to his departure from Old Trafford, with his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson later criticising him for a lack of discipline which the Scot claimed led to Paul Rideout's winning goal.

"If footballers think they are above the manager's control there is only one word to be said to them – goodbye," was Ferguson's reasoning for the £8 million sale to Internazionale that ended a near- six-year career at United.

We are talking at the Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis and Squash club, a small haven of middle England outside the city where Wolves have been training. It is an appropriate location for a man who was a significant part of football's middle England over seven years.

Ince admits: "It's all been a bit of a culture shock. A lot of the players come in hard against me. They want to prove a point. But I'm up for that. You just go out and do your job, and get away as quickly as you can!"

His equaliser against Derby County on New Year's Day was his first goal for Wolves. He has never been the most prolific goalscorer among midfield players, it is put to him. "My game's always been as an anchor man, sit there and let others go forward," is his explanation.

"I've just been unlucky that in most of the teams I've played for, my partner has always wanted to bomb upfield, players like Roy Keane and Bryan Robson."

These days, he is even less inclined to "bomb forward". He explains: "You lose a bit when you get older, but I've still got it up there [he points to his head]. I feel good.

"Some days, you do wake up and think, 'Do I need this?' But when it comes to training I keep doing my stuff, and I still give everything on Saturday afternoon. My attitude's still the same as when I was in the Premiership. I'm still giving it 110 per cent, I still want to win, I'm still hungry."

Today he confronts his former England team-mate, Newcastle centre-forward and talismanic captain Alan Shearer. The pair, incidentally, have recently become neighbours – in Portugal. "He just bought the villa next to me out there, so I saw him last summer. I can't get rid of him!

"No, I've got the greatest respect for Alan. He's a great ambassador for football. Maybe the break from the international scene hasn't done England any good, but it's certainly done him a lot of good. He looks fresher. He's scoring goals. All types of goals."

As for the future, Ince is taking his coaching badge and may contemplate management. "I've worked under some great managers and learnt a lot from them," he says. "It would be nice to use what I've learnt to help kids or whatever it may be. I think you should put something back into the game. To just walk away would be the hardest thing in the world."

For a man who enjoys being the Guv'nor, management should surely be the easiest transition in the world. Shouldn't it?