‘Could be a really smart appointment’ – 53-year-old in contention to become Doncaster Rovers boss: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict’ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more

Phil Parkinson is a leading contender to become the new manager of Doncaster Rovers, according to Football Insider.

The League One club have been without a permanent manager since Darren Moore left for Sheffield Wednesday at the start of March, with Andy Butler being placed in interim charge until the end of the season.

But Donny’s hopes of a top-six finish have since diminished, and the process to appoint a new manager is underway.

According to Football Insider, former Bradford City, Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland manager Phil Parkinson is a leading contender for the role.

Parkinson was most recently in charge of Sunderland, winning 19 out of 48 games in charge before being replaced by Lee Johnson in November.

Here, we discuss the potential appointment of the 53-year-old at the Keepmoat Stadium…

Phil Spencer

I think that this could be a really smart appointment.

Phil Parkinson is a manager who divides opinion after a less-than impressive time with Sunderland.

He arguably should have got the club much closer to promotion but fell short.

That said, I think he’ll have learned from the experience.

Managing Doncaster is a different challenge altogether but after his success with the likes of Bradford City earlier in his career I do think he’s got what it takes to help Rovers to thrive if appointed.

He’d be a decent shout, but it all depends on who else is considered as a contender.

George Dagless

I think the jury will be out on Parkinson in all truth.

We know he can produce the goods with a club at EFL level and he’ll want to prove a point after a fairly steady spell at Sunderland that just never really managed to ignite.

Even so, whether he actually does prove such a point remains to be seen and that is what Doncaster fans will be worried about – they need a manager to quickly help revitalise them as it’s clear Darren Moore’s exit has knocked the stuffing out of them this year.

A big summer awaits at Donny then as they try to regroup after a season that promised much turned sour and getting the new manager right needs to be top of their list to help galvanise them.

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Jordan Rushworth

This seems like a potentially good option for Doncaster to go for considering Parkinson is a manger with a lot of League One experience and having a managed to earn promotion from the third tier during his time in charge of Bolton Wanderers.

However, Parkinson’s most recent spell with Sunderland did not go as well as he would have been hoping for and there was criticism over the style of play he was trying to implement. In that regard it would be a contrast to what Darren Moore was building in terms of the playing style, so Rovers will need to be wary if the players would suit Parkinson’s preferred style.

Having said that, Doncaster need someone with an experienced head to come in and get hold of them at the moment with their form having dipped alarmingly since Moore’s departure. Parkinson does seem the right sort of fit to come in and perform that job.

He will have a point to prove after what happened with Sunderland so would arrive with plenty of motivation behind him. That could see him be an ideal candidate for the role and at the moment he seems to be the best option there is available to them.