James Coppinger

[tyke1962]

I'm posting this totally blind because you lads know more about James than I ever will but I've yet to see his name linked with the managers role at Rovers .

If indeed relegation is confirmed would it not offer James the opportunity at league two level to be the man to take over and start his managerial career .

I take the point nothing is guaranteed and you do run the risk of such a glittering Rovers playing career getting spoiled to an extent should it not work out .

However football will always be a risk and reward industry .

A couple of experienced assistants at his side and a blank sheet of paper to put his own mark on the club at a level where Rovers should be able to compete extremely well .

I'm pretty certain James has some really strong connections in the game , he's very well respected within it and is a real face of Doncaster Rovers .

[rich1471]

Tyke he does not want the job,I think he could still play the odd 30 minutes as a player and we would be out of the mess we are in ,you never know how much you miss a player until they finish playing

[roversdude]

I would hate for Copps to be the manager there would be a way to tarnish his reputation. Thankfully he doesn’t want to take the managerial route

[Bentley Bullet]

We need a manager who is capable of turning budget players into valuable ones in the way Jesus turned water into wine.

As great as Copps is even he couldn't perform such a miraculous task and I'd hate him to end up finishing his time with us as a failure.

[Filo]

No one could turn these players into competent professional footballers, they lack basic skills, a few of them couldn’t even trap a bag of sand

[mushRTID]

Keep him away from this shit show.

Thankfully he doesn't want it anyway.

[Copps is Magic]

On commentary every week he talks like a manager. He knows where players should be, what they should be doing, at key points during the game. He also constantly praises the player's strengths and tactfully points out where they need to improve. On the mental side of the game, I can't think of anyone who has more in-depth knowledge or experience. If I was in charge of the club, I would be doing everything I could to convince him to be a manager.

[tyke1962]

On commentary every week he talks like a manager. He knows where players should be, what they should be doing, at key points during the game. He also constantly praises the player's strengths and tactfully points out where they need to improve. On the mental side of the game, I can't think of anyone who has more in-depth knowledge or experience. If I was in charge of the club, I would be doing everything I could to convince him to be a manager.

Exactly what I was thinking , the club is in a bit of a hole currently , lost momentum and direction in my opinion and it needs someone like James to shift the gloom and raise the spirits .

Similar to when Rotherham hired former legend Ronnie Moore following relegation to league two and he got them to the championship within 3 years .

[Chris Black come back]

Under no circumstances should we be encouraging him to take the job. Let’s just leave him and his legacy where it is now.

[tyke1962]

It's a shame because you've got a remarkable asset in James that in this day and age most of us don't have and it's a pity it may not ever be used .

[Super Colin Cramb]

You’re dead right Tyke, Copps is an asset to the Rovers but rather than him being the manager I’d like to see him given a honorary place on the board in an advisory role. With his experience he could give assistance with the type of players we sign, managerial appointments etc. We could use his experience to our advantage but without damaging his legend status.

[tyke1962]

You’re dead right Tyke, Copps is an asset to the Rovers but rather than him being the manager I’d like to see him given a honorary place on the board in an advisory role. With his experience he could give assistance with the type of players we sign, managerial appointments etc. We could use his experience to our advantage but without damaging his legend status.

Would it damage his legend status though ?

Do Man Utd fans think less of OGS after his stint as boss at Old Trafford ?

I can only relate to this in really smaller terms to what James is to Rovers .

We hired John Hendrie as player manager when Danny Wilson left for Wednesday following relegation from the PL in 1998 .

I wouldn't go as far as to say Hendrie was a legend but he was certainly iconic and extremely popular .

It didn't work out at all as manager , despite a bloody good budget and he was sacked before the season was out .

Everytime I see John on Calendar I remember him as a player , that goal at Old Trafford in the FA cup and the crucial goals he scored to get us to the PL .

His stint as manager doesn't tarnish anything but as I say it's only a small sample size and not really comparable to what James is to Rovers .

[sedwardsdrfc]

If we’re talking DoF maybe we could do worse then Copps for that role? Someone genuinely knowledgeable and with DRFC’s interest at heart.

He would understand which managers and players suit what DRFC want and would be able to judge managers performance better than us (maybe the players are just that bad he’d be able to tell for sure)

[drfchound]

If we’re talking DoF maybe we could do worse then Copps for that role? Someone genuinely knowledgeable and with DRFC’s interest at heart.

He would understand which managers and players suit what DRFC want and would be able to judge managers performance better than us (maybe the players are just that bad he’d be able to tell for sure)

Good post.

[Bessie Red]

I certainly think he would be suited to a DOF role at Rovers where he oversaw the whole football side of the business and would certainly be capable of being the glue to keep everyone moving in the right direction. Not sure he would suit a Manager/Head Coach role and as people have alluded to that position is dead centre in the headlights when things go wrong and I wouldn't want his wonderful legacy tarnished in any negative way.

[Chris Black come back]

If you give him a visible and substantive full time role then soon enough the brain dead will come after him too. Don’t do it!

[Super Colin Cramb]

If we’re talking DoF maybe we could do worse then Copps for that role? Someone genuinely knowledgeable and with DRFC’s interest at heart.

He would understand which managers and players suit what DRFC want and would be able to judge managers performance better than us (maybe the players are just that bad he’d be able to tell for sure)

That is exactly what I think.

[phil old leake]

I can’t see any way he’s going to manage anyone. Reading his book it seems he’s going to be building a decent business supporting players mentally.  I can’t think he’s busy at Rovers because from what I read on here the players don’t seem to give a toss so there’s not a lot for him to work on

[acacia94]

He speaks with more insight, tactical ideas and good sense in his cameo slot on the commentaries than any manager, player, owner or club representative has for ages. Whether that would translate to being a great manager I dont know. I doubt even the great JC could clean up the shitty stain this club has become this season. He's expressly said in the past he isnt interested in the job and for his own mental wellbeing I'd say steer well clear Mr Coppinger.

[roversdude]

Might be a bit controversial, but if Copps is working with our current squad then he needs a bit more practice

[NickDRFC]

The resilience and mental strength of this squad must be pretty much the worst we’ve ever had. I don’t know how much involvement or influence Copps has with this but if it’s significant it’s not really working.

[graingrover]

We can’t blame Copps for the lack of resilience  in this squad .The fact is there is no strong leadership from the manager and there are assistants , mentors , coaches all over the place .Copps has always indicated he does not want to be manager but he is close enough to the training and match day goings on to see what is needed .My bet is that he will acquiesce if approached by the Chairman with the right assurances .

[roversdude]

Please note I was in no way attributing any blame on Copps. The squad have lacked resilience for the last 18 months for whatever reason

[drfchound]

Please note I was in no way attributing any blame on Copps. The squad have lacked resilience for the last 18 months for whatever reason

McSheff said he didn’t want the managers job.
Look what happened.

[phil old leake]

RD you do make a reasonable point actually
If his philosophy on life is correct and works which I’ve no reason to doubt him looking at his career. Maybe the club should spend more time mentally training the players than actually training.

[Reg of the Rovers]

The one (and only) thing that we can agree on as Rovers fans is the Legend status of Copps. I don't think being manager could undermine that - even if that ended in failure - think Shearer's short time at NUFC.

We've tested that model (to some extent) with Butts - a very highly regarded Rovers hero, brought in to steady the ship. That didn't really work, although it was like being asked to captain the Titanic after it has hit the iceberg. Butts is still as highly regarded though, he can sit in the crowd with us a hold his head up high, so I'd be assured Copps would be the same.

I'm not sure it would be fair to throw another untested rookie manager in to this mess. I'd keep Copps powder dry to manage us in the Championship. For now lets bring in some experience to get a grip on the current issues and shake up this bunch of players and get them going.

[Sammy Chung was King]

As much as I admired him as a player he is more inexperienced than McSheffrey, who has managed at youth level and the time he has been in charge of us this season.
It would be a very popular decision if the board appointed him, I’m sure they will do this at some point if things continue as they are. For one it would get fans off their backs for a bit.

I think they will leave the present manager in for now. Unless we produce a great run until the end of the season it doesn’t look good for us.
We need to get behind the players and manager as much as we can.

 If it gets to the point we are confirmed as relegated then a decision needs to be made, is McSheffrey going to carry on in league two, or will the board do some forward thinking and appoint the new man early with next season in mind?.

I would like to see more from McSheffrey in whether he is good enough to lead us next season. He has a contract but is effectively “auditioning!, for the role for next season.
No board can guarantee his contract carries on next season if there are no promising signs in this last run of games.

I really hope we can somehow start digging our way out of this, but it looks more unlikely as the weeks ebb away. We need players to come forward and take responsibility for trying to win some games. Be brave on the ball and just go for it!.

[Reg of the Rovers]

I would like to see more from McSheffrey in whether he is good enough to lead us next season. He has a contract but is effectively “auditioning!, for the role for next season.
No board can guarantee his contract carries on next season if there are no promising signs in this last run of games.

I really hope we can somehow start digging our way out of this, but it looks more unlikely as the weeks ebb away. We need players to come forward and take responsibility for trying to win some games. Be brave on the ball and just go for it!.

I personally think McSheffrey has already failed his audition. We talk of the 'essentials' from players (commitment, work rate, basic ball control, running etc), but I think he is missing the essentials of management - setting the team up right, having clear and understandable tactics, making substitutions to impact the game, being organised and competitive.

We have to address this slump, it's permeating the whole club on and off the pitch to the point that even the paper towels in the toilets have given up. The biggest and quickest impact is to change manager, bringing in someone with a proven track record and who can motivate this bunch of massively underperforming players. Look at what Harris has done at Gillingham.

[Sammy Chung was King]

I agree we needed experience but gave the chance to someone untried with little experience. I think with the right appointment we would be out of this now. The players are good enough to be out of the relegation zone, but the organisation and a real plan for doing this has been missing.

In going down this route the board has almost sealed our fate. It will cost them more now than if they had made the right decision in the first place. Poor decisions throughout the season have cost us.

[ravenrover]

Sorry Sam the players aren't good enough and haven't been all season. We wouldn't be where we are now if they had been good enough no matter who the manager was