Are you willing to be flexible? Doncaster Rovers boss Danny Schofield responds to key questions following latest defeat

Loud chants of “You don’t know what you’re doing” and “Danny Schofield, your football is s***” were heard during Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat to struggling Crewe Alexandra.

Fans’ concerns centre mainly around Schofield’s preferred 3-4-3 formation and his playing out from the back mantra which has resulted in some notable individual mistakes in recent weeks.

Rovers, with one win from their last nine games, are now in danger of slipping into the bottom half of League Two – and tensions among the fan base are running high about matters both on and off the pitch.

Schofield’s 26 games in charge have produced nine wins, three draws and 14 defeats.

Injury-hit Rovers switched between a 3-5-2 and 3-4-3 formation during the defeat to Crewe.

Todd Miller and Luke Molyneux formed a makeshift strike pairing for much of the first half but, after the visitors went 2-0 up, Schofield reverted to his preferred system and youth team striker Jack Goodman was employed as the central striker in the second period.

After the game on Saturday, the Free Press asked Schofield whether he was willing to be flexible in his approach.

"First and foremost you put a team onto the pitch and a game plan together to win a football game,” he said. “That’s the first point of it all.

"You have to be adaptable.

"I think it’s a skill of a coach to be adaptable in certain times with the capability of players and where you feel those strengths are in order to perform and win football games.”

The Free Press also asked Rovers’ head coach if he was asking the current squad to do things they can’t do.

He replied: "I think there’s been real positives in terms of the way we’ve been coaching to play a game, particularly at the start of my tenure.

"Since October, when I came in, there was real growth in that.

"In the last eight or nine games it’s sort of declined in seeing that level of performance and how I want it to be.

"That’s a bit of a concern and something we need to address.”

Responding to the fans’ chants, Schofield said: "I’m a human being and negative criticism is tough to take. It’s not easy, it’s upsetting but that’s the role I’m in.

"I totally understand it when performances and results are not of the level they should be or what’s required to win football games.

"But that’s something as a manager you have to take.”

Rovers now turn their attention to an Easter weekend doubleheader against Gillingham and Grimsby Town.

What’s the objective for these remaining seven games?

Schofield said: "To fight. Just to fight for every single point. To stay together, to be collective, to wear the badge with pride and try and give everything we can in every single game.”