Gary McSheffrey on transfer targets being put off by Doncaster Rovers' position plus looking at the bigger picture in the market

The Rovers boss believes some potential signings have backtracked on joining Rovers due to the club being bottom of League One with a large margin to safety.

But he says he can only afford to work with players up are up for the huge task of clawing back the gap on those teams outside the bottom four.

“We probably thought we had one or two nailed on and then we lost to Morecambe and Fleetwood, the big games against teams around us that we knew were the six pointer games we needed to focus on,” he said.

“It’s definitely the position we’re in that’s an issue.

“But at the same time that gives you a clearer picture of the character of someone because we want people that want to come in, roll their sleeves up and have a scrap for us and get stuck in straight away.

“If we have a couple of defeats, they see a gap opening up, that scares them and they turn down decent contracts because of that then they’re obviously not the ones for us.”

Within the transfer market, McSheffrey admits he is looking for balance in bringing in players that will make an impact in the relegation fight but also be long term options for Rovers.

“The quick fix ones, guaranteed goals ones etc, are going to cost you five grand a week at this level,” he said.

“Some clubs have been able to do that. It’s a big risk. It’s like putting in £500,000 investment in a couple of strikers for four months of the season.

“We could get three or four permanents in that are a good model and a good future for the club for that type of money.

“It has been trying to balance getting a good impact immediately with that bigger picture.

“It is a bigger picture. It’s step by step and brick by brick.

“And I think with the permanents that we’ve brought in, there’s a bigger picture to those signings. They can play at whatever level.

“We don’t want to bring in quantity and quick fixes that aren’t good for the club’s future.”

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