'I won't go away from what I believe in' - Andy Butler determined to stick to principles with Doncaster Rovers in face of formation change calls

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Andy Butler has poured cold water on suggestions he should change formations or alter his favoured approach to get Doncaster Rovers back on track.

After winning their first two matches under Butler, Rovers have taken only two points from the last 15 available and have dropped out of the top six in League One.

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Through the run they have lacked a creative spark in the final third, resulting in calls for a move away from the 4-2-3-1 formation which Butler has deployed, as did his predecessor Darren Moore

But the Rovers boss is determined to improve the team within the system he favours and fully intends to stick to his beliefs of how the game should be played.

Andy ButlerAndy Butler
Andy Butler

“What I don’t want to do is change systems just to be chasing my tail,” he said.

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“I want to stick to how I want to play and I believe in improving the formation and the players.

“We’ve gone through a full season of similar formations and I’m not going to throw my toys out of the pram and change because of one or two results.

“I’ve got to stick to my beliefs and philosophy and how I want to play.

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“If there is tweaking needed for different formations then I’ll look at that but I’m not going to go far away from what I believe in.

“And if I’m totally honest I won’t go away from what I believe in because I believe we’re going in the right direction.”

As he prepares Rovers for the visit of Charlton Athletic on Friday, Butler says he has seen a fresh determination from his players this week.

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“If someone had said at the start of the season that we’d be around the top six at this point then everyone would have bit your hand off,” he said.

“It’s a mini-league now and we have to perform in the next few games to give ourselves a chance.

“But there's no pressure from myself to the players. It’s their own pressure to perform and I think they will.

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“I think I’ve seen a different side to the players again this week, a real fire and determination that whatever is thrown at us we will come out of the other side positively.”

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