John Buckley: Why I think Darren Ferguson is still the man for Doncaster Rovers

People ask me about the managerial situation at Doncaster Rovers and I honestly still feel Darren Ferguson is the right man for the job.
Darren Ferguson should not be sacked, says John BuckleyDarren Ferguson should not be sacked, says John Buckley
Darren Ferguson should not be sacked, says John Buckley

Don’t get me wrong, the manager has to carry the can for this awful run.

But the time to really judge Ferguson in my opinion is halfway through next season, after he’s had a chance to build a squad that his entirely his own. We really don’t want to go down that path of sacking managers every few months.

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I like the presence that Ferguson has and he knows what he wants. He’s very honest too, and his longer term vision to bring in younger players and tap into the non-league market could be just what this club needs.

Seventeen games without a win is absolutely horrendous, I accept that, and I accept the buck stops with the manager, but this group of players also have to take their fair share of the blame. We should not be in this position.

When you look at the squad on paper it’s far from terrible, but sadly this game is not played on paper. We have underperformed massively for the majority of the season and the league table does not lie.

We’ve been unlucky not to get anything out of the last two games but you can have as many crosses and chances as you like, it comes down to sticking the ball in the net and we’re lacking that clinical edge. That has a lot to do with confidence, and also the stress of the situation that Rovers find themselves in.

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I went on bad runs during my career but nothing like this and there’s no doubt it affects players and their ability to make the right decisions and execute them. We need something to drop our way, for someone to produce a bit of magic, and then things might turn.

It might be a case of too little, too late now but the players must still believe we can get out of this when they take to the pitch against Wigan. We’re relying on other teams doing us favours too, but in football you just never know.

Bucky’s charity bet: Rovers 2 Wigan 1 (£5), Coppinger first goal (£5)