Furious Wycombe boss Mike Dodds apologises to fans after conceding goal when trying to play out from back in the draw with Doncaster.
In his post-match interview Dodds criticised his team’s lack of bravery, slow play, and poor personality, while saying sorry to the Chairboys supporters.
Doncaster went one up on 56 minutes, Billy Sharp reacted quickest to tap the ball in from close range following a mistake from Wycombe. The 39 year old pressed on a pass back from Anders Hagelskjær to keeper Mikki van Sas. A video of the goal has gone on to get over 3,000 likes and 650,000 views on Twitter alone.
Substitute Armando Junior did level for Wycombe on 71 minutes, and while Dodds noted positives in subs’ impact and the point gained despite subpar performance, he didn’t hold back his thoughts after the game, with Wycombe now sitting 20th in the table while for Donny, they’re 5th with 7 points.
Next up for both sides, Doncaster are away at 7th place Huddersfield, who are on 6 points, while Wycombe host 15th place Exeter, who are on 3 points.
This is becoming a weekly clip which occurs ffs 😂
Wycombe trying to play it out from the back Pep style 🙄 pic.twitter.com/MUdKgwdsMl
— The 44 ⚽️ (@The_Forty_Four) August 16, 2025
On if he was happy with the performance, Mike Dodds said, per Bucks Free Press: “Not really, no.
“I very rarely do this, and I hopefully won’t be doing this often, but I want to apologise to the fans as that was nowhere near the level we expect.
“The bravery to take the ball wasn’t there, we were too slow and late with the ball, and I thought we were semi-organised out of possession, and their opportunities came through our terrible play.
“I said to the players that the performance was something that I don’t want us to look like.
“I am furious as I didn’t like the personality.
“At times, we will play poorly this season, and we won’t win every game, but what I can’t live with is not having the personality and bravery to take the ball.
“This is something we need to address.
“The positives are that the subs came on and impacted the game, and we got a point by not playing particularly well.
“These are the only positives I can take from it.
“The reason we recruited Mikki was that we wanted to change our style of play.
“He will take some of the blame for that [the goal], and that’s fine, as that’s part of the parcel of my role and the player’s role.
“I believe Mikki will be an unbelievable goalkeeper, and I am so excited he is at the club.
“But the goal summarised our personality to take the ball and be brave, as we were far too slow, and we made it hard for ourselves.”
Doncaster’s Grant McCann said per the club website: “I said to the players that we’ve played against a team that has spent serious money, recruited well and have got very, very good players for the division,” he said.
“I said before the game that it’d be a barometer in terms of where we are and I think we’ve matched them all over the pitch and if we’d have been a wee bit cleaner in the final third, we could have won the game.
“The players can hold their heads up high. They’ll be a little bit disappointed some of them.
“It wasn’t just the forward players, it was everyone. We were pinching the ball and the last bit wasn’t right. We were just a bit like that today and you get days where you’re not quite at your attacking best.
“But what I can’t fault with this group is their intent and energy to keep going and going and going.
“Sometimes when you’ve won that many games and you take you draw it home, it feels like a bit of a defeat.
“But you’ve got to put it into context. We know we went out to win the game.
“We’re playing against a team that lost in the play-off final two years ago and in the semis last season. They’ve recruited and spent money to bring in top quality players for the level and we’ve more than matched them and probably should have won the game.
“But we’ll lick our wounds, we’ll have a look at the set plays, we’ll have a look at our end product and hopefully we can improve on it.”
Here’s how Twitter users reacted as the furious Wycombe boss apologises to fans after conceding a goal when trying to play out from the back…
@ViscogliosiLuca: The obsession with playing out from the back, especially in the lower leagues triggers me. I’m all for it when the time is right, but in this scenario here, just send it long up the pitch & push up. I’d be seething if I was a Wycombe fan 😅
@simonljones_: Keeper appealing for offside 😂
@jacobitematt: One of the most annoying, and pathetic, things about modern football. Just clear the thing.
@StewM86: Modern day football strikes again 🥴
@grubby27: Never get fascination of a handful of clubs trying this…. Even watching Wolves play likes this has me hiding
@Berkshireblade: Good old playing it out from the back. Show me the stats that justify it!
@AlexFerguson50: I honestly believe that managers should be sacked for trying to play like this without the players having the skills to do so.
@josemcdonnell87: For any young kid going into coaching please for the love of god don’t do this. For anyone currently coaching no matter what level, stop doing this. Feels like 10 years now I’m banging on about this. Insane this is still a thing.
@brettdon09: But this is how football is supposed to be played…. Get in the bin!!
@JackyP1996: Get the man in charge as far to fuck as you possibly can, how can this under 10s situation actually be happening in a professional football side
@richmann29: Lyle Taylor proved right, if you don’t want to smash it clear, clip the LB in, ball is further away from danger if they lose the ball. Or on the flip your in and attacking down the wing. Instead trying to play a philosophy to a CB who looks like he isn’t built to play out. 😌
@ChrisChros87: Just twat it up the field and get on with it
@harrysquires1_: lyle taylors right
Lyle Taylor explains why he feels that “Pep has ruined English football”
Slow-mo footage of Luton goal as Peterborough playing out from the back goes badly wrong
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