Doncaster Rovers: How heart to heart with Rotherham United’s Paul Warne helped Gary McSheffrey’s self-belief

The individual in question being Rotherham United manager Paul Warne. His Millers side may have slammed in five goals without reply past South Yorkshire neighbours Doncaster Rovers in February, but he will have known better than anyone what his counterpart McSheffrey went through last season.

Warne was handed a baptism of fire after taking over the Millers in mid-season in 2016-17. They, like Rovers last season, were on the floor and in a forlorn situation at the halfway point.

Rotherham won just four Championship matches out of 28 en route to a relegation that had an air of inevitability about it from Christmas onwards.

McSheffrey experienced something similar after taking over from Richie Wellens last December. It was a thankless task.

Thankfully, as Warne was able to point out through experience, bad times don’t last forever. In his first full season in charge of the Millers, they were promoted.

McSheffrey told The Yorkshire Post: “I had a chat with Warney and went and had a coffee with him a month before the end of the season and we had a good couple of hours together.

“He talked me through his stories and it gives you that little bit of belief and inspires you that you can get through sticky times and the grass will be greener.

“At times, you doubt yourself when it’s not going your way. But then you reflect and realise the position when you took over.

“There was progression and good performance levels towards the end of the season from players we brought in January. It gives you confidence that you know a player.

“It’s building on that last couple of months and six weeks especially. You think ‘you know what, given the right opportunity and time, we can get this place going’.”

Just under a couple of months shy of his 40th birthday and in his first senior job in management, McSheffrey is honest enough to profess that he has much to learn regarding management, but neither is he short of knowledge after picking up tips from many in his football journey.

He’s learned from some good ones in his time with Rovers, which began when he joined as a player in early 2016 and there’s been a fair few others too.

McSheffrey continued: “There were some really good ones tactically. [Mark] Robins was tactically good.

“Steve Bruce’s man-management was really good, but he was tactically astute as well and knows the game. His man-management skills, empathy to players and humbleness was superb.

“Then, when I came here, there was Darren Ferguson who was a really intelligent guy tactically. You could tell his upbringing and he’d been in football since being a kid with really good leadership skills. You take a bit off them all.

“You take sprinkles from everyone and then try and put it in yourself. I have a good opportunity now and fully intend on taking it.

“I went to do my [coaching] badges at 33 or 34. But I still wanted to play and came into the Under-18s role here assisting Paul Stancliffe and it was good experience and I learned a lot from him and the likes of John Schofield as well. The managers as well, Darren Ferguson, Grant McCann and Darren Moore – I took a little bit from everyone.

“I was happy enough doing the academy and the 18s. But, then, opportunities come your way. In life, you only live once.

“Ultimately, at the beginning, it wasn’t something I was chasing. But, at the end of the day, I am here and enjoying it and fully intend to be successful.”

Mention McSheffrey to many in football and the first club that springs to mind is Coventry City.

A big favourite in two playing stints with the Sky Blues, he was even nicknamed the ‘Cov Kid’ by fans of his hometown side.

But his home now is very much in Yorkshire and he feels a genuine attachment to Doncaster even though he is not from there. Much like the person he is probably seeing more of than anyone at the minute in the shape of Rovers legend and head of football operations James Coppinger.

McSheffrey added: “I have been here a good seven years now since playing for Scunthorpe. I rented initially and then met my partner up here and we have lived here a good six or seven years.

“My eldest was born back home, but my three other kids have been born here. We’re here, settled and this is our home now and I want to be really successful at the club. Copps’ heart is in it and he really wants to make a difference and have a positive impact here. So far he has.

“He’s been doing a lot of things that people don’t see. We are improving the training ground and there’s a lot of restructuring there.

“Copps has been painting the gym and chipping in and doing all sorts!

“Ultimately you are only judged on what you see on the grass on Saturday. But I feel we are doing the right things and putting in the graft to get the rewards.

“It is difficult to switch off. You can be chilling at home at night and then your phone rings. It is one of those things.

“But I would not change it; there’s only 72 EFL managers out there and 72 jobs in this country and I have got one of them.

“I would not change the hectic nature of it and busyness for anything.”