Coppinger slams McKay initiative

James Coppinger has hit out at Doncaster's controversial transfer policy following the club's relegation from the Championship.

Agent Willie McKay spearheaded the initiative which saw a host of high-profile names such as El-Hadji Diouf, Pascal Chimbonda and Habib Beye move to the Keepmoat Stadium on short-term deals with the carrot of placing themselves in the shop window for a bigger move.

Not a single one of McKay's recruits have earned the desired step up and, with Rovers' relegation confirmed by Saturday's dramatic 4-3 defeat to Portsmouth, Coppinger - one of the club's longest serving players having made more than 300 appearances since joining from Exeter in 2004 - has made his discontent known.

"I think it's disrespectful to the league if you think you can just bring in big names and that will win you games," the winger told skysports.com. "In this league, and in leagues below, you need more than just names on the team sheet.

"You need passion, commitment and togetherness and it just shows sometimes if you haven't got that, you don't do anything in football. I've been here eight years and this (season) is the hardest and most frustrating.

"The players that have been here a long time and had so much success in the Championship and kept us in the league for three years have found it difficult because it is a totally different regime and it hasn't worked out."