Ex-Doncaster Rovers chairman John Ryan calls for ‘big changes’ at club, ‘starting at the top’

Ryan took to social media to voice his displeasure, which was echoed by many Doncaster supporters, following the 3-0 Boxing Day defeat to Tranmere Rovers.

Rovers’ fourth 3-0 loss of the season left them in the bottom half of League Two and saw them booed off by their own fans at full time.

"What a shame for the 600 Rovers fans at Tranmere, just an inept performance,” wrote Ryan, who was chairman of the club from 1998 to 2013.

"Big changes needed from top to bottom starting at the top.”

Ryan’s spell in charge coincided with a golden period in Doncaster’s history, which saw them promoted from the Conference to the Championship in the space of five years and win a first major cup in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

The club returned to the second tier for the first time in 50 years in 2008 and spent four seasons in the Championship before being relegated in 2012 following the failed ‘experiment’ with ex-football agent Willie McKay.

Doncaster made the League One play-offs in 2019 but the speed of their decline over the last two years has been alarming.

In February last year Rovers were third in League One at the season’s halfway point, level on points with Hull City in the second automatic promotion spot.

As the halfway point of the 2022/23 campaign nears, their chances of promotion look slim as a lack of consistency from one week to the next continues to be a major issue.

Ryan stepped down as chairman and director of Doncaster in November 2013 after a fall-out with fellow major shareholder Terry Bramall about the future direction of the club.

He insisted “my time has come and gone” when asked if he was interested in a return.

Bramall still holds shares in Rovers along with David Blunt and chief executive Gavin Baldwin.

Speaking in September, Baldwin insisted the club’s ambition this term was promotion.

He told fans: “From the finances that were made available it would be disappointing if we weren’t in contention for promotion at the end of the season.”

Danny Schofield’s side return to action on Thursday when they host Rochdale at the Eco-Power Stadium (7.45pm kick-off).