The pledge from Cliff Byrne that will be music to Doncaster Rovers’ fans ears

Doncaster Rovers will be flexible and pragmatic in their tactical approach next season.

That will be welcome news to plenty of supporters, who were more than a little frustrated with the football on offer at times last term.

While playing out from the back may not be totally off the menu under new management duo Grant McCann and Cliff Byrne, it won’t be the only thing on it.

“We want to be progressive,” said assistant boss Byrne.

"If there’s an opportunity to play out from the back to be progressive we will play it.

"If there’s an opportunity where teams want to come and stand on you and squeeze our snapshot would be ‘if you can’t play through them play over them and if you can’t play over them play around them’.

"We will look to expose the opposition’s weaknesses where we see fit.

"If that’s through dominating the ball then we will look to dominate the ball. If it’s getting the ball into the attacking half quicker and isolating them one versus one of two versus one that will be the plan.”

Although the tactics may vary, Byrne promised the team would have a strong work ethic and high energy levels as they look to mount a promotion push.

That had also been the ambition of previous head coach Danny Schofield, who hoped they could blow their opposition away with their fast-flowing football, but it rarely came to fruition.

Another bugbear for Doncaster fans last season was the insistence on playing with just one striker, who would often appear isolated with the ball rarely sticking at the top end of the pitch.

Those days could also be over, as Byrne explained.

"If you play 4-3-3 you are playing with three forwards and if you play 3-5-2 you are playing with two.

"Some people see 4-3-3 as only playing with one striker but I have worked with the manager long enough to know that 4-3-3 means you are playing with three forwards.

“He wants to score goals. I’m not at the other end of the scale but I want to make sure we don’t concede.

"But listen, whether we win 3-2 or 3-0 you still pick up three points.”

Doncaster averaged an impressive 1.81 goals per game in McCann’s first spell in charge.

That is almost double their average in League Two last season, which fell at exactly one goal per game.

They failed to score in no fewer than 21 matches in all competitions – a sobering statistic.

One way or another, McCann and Byrne will be out to change that.

“I don’t think we would keep doing something if you are not getting the results you are looking for,” said Byrne.

“If it needs tweaking, it needs tweaking.

"A lot depends on the personnel you have. We have to have the capability within the squad and adaptability to formulate various tweaks.”