In football, should an under pressure manager get a vote of confidence from his chairman, it usually leads to the chop. With that in mind, it's interesting that ITV has come out and backed its ailing breakfast show Good Morning Britain following weeks of plummeting ratings.

Susanna ReidSusanna Reid [centre, left] fronts 'Good Morning Britain'

According a report in The Sun, the month-old show is now facing the axe and must improve to a 15% audience share. However, if it fails to meet that target "it could just go and be replaced by cartoons."

"We are in this for the long game," an ITV spokesman said, "We are proud of the show, we are trying something new, and different."

More: BBC bosses learned of Susanna Reid's exit hours before ITV statement

Good Morning Britain is fronted by a high profile presenting lineup that includes Susanna Reid, who was prised away from BBC Breakfast for an apparently huge salary. Reid herself has defended the show, saying it was "too early to judge."

"There is a lot of focus on ratings, and comparing us to my alma mater on the other side," she wrote in her column in the Daily Mirror. "But four weeks in is too early to judge."

She added: "The team in front of camera, and working hard behind it, is terrific and I am lucky to be part of it."

Since launching at the end of April, the show has averaged 600,000 viewers across its first month. BBC Breakfast averaged almost 1.5 million viewers for the same period. Good Morning Britain's predecessor Daybreak managed 700,000 for the same period last year

More: check out our full Susanna Reid pictures gallery