Why selection issues are no sweat for Darren Moore despite bolstered ranks at Doncaster Rovers

Four new faces arrived in the final days of January, significantly bolstering Rovers’ midfield and attacking ranks heading into the final third of the season.

Tuesday night saw Moore drop regulars Jon Taylor and Ben Sheaf to the bench with newcomers Devante Cole and Jacob Ramsey handed their first starts.

But Moore refutes suggestions he has big choices to make for each game from now on.

“I don’t look at it as making tough decisions,” Moore said.

“We’re a team. An outfit. Staff and players - everyone has got a part to play and they know it.

“I’m not making anything different now to what I was then.

“I don’t look at it as tough decisions when people talk to me about different team selections, formations, players - I really don’t because I look at it as we’re a team together.

“With the way the season has been with the consistency of games, you’re going to call upon the squad.

“It’s as we see fit with the condition of the players or the opposition we’re playing.

“We pick a team or a system that we see fit and we feel may cause the opposition problems or win the game for us.

“I don’t really feel the need to feel it’s a big decision.”

Moore is confident each member of his squad is on the same page as he is when it comes to selection.

“What we are doing, what I will say, is it’s a group of players and staff where we’re all on the same page in terms of our preparation and going from there,” he said.

“Yes, players want to play all the time and it wouldn’t be right if they didn’t.

“But the boys also understand that it’s a squad and what we do call upon as we make the changes that the players give the level of commitment that is expected of them.

“The mindset is there, the culture is there, the mentality is there and every single player that signs for the football club I have a good chat with them about the dynamics of the team.”

What the Rovers boss asks of his players is that they deliver when called upon.

From there, he says he will take the fall for any incorrect decisions made over team selection or approach,

“The players know that first and foremost they’ve got to perform to the best of their ability,” he said. “When they do that you’ve got to leave it down to myself and the staff to go about it and look at it.

“Sometimes you can have players playing to the best of their ability but you might have to make a minor tweak for a particular game where we’ve got someone who can perform better at doing that job.

“If you need to make that change, you do. You explain the change and move on.”