Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson has claimed emotion got the better of him when making his post-match comments following the defeat to Mansfield Town, as reported by The Peterborough Telegraph.
When speaking after the penalty shoot-out loss and exit from the Carabao Cup, Ferguson had labelled his players as lacking ‘bottle’ and claimed they were ‘lucky to have him’.
The Posh manager has since said he regrets making some of the strong comments but insists his relationship with his players remains a fantastic one. Peterborough had been superb for 70 minutes but were undone by some Mansfield tweaks before going down 3-1 in the shootout.
What’s Been Said?
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s trip to Bristol Rovers, the former Preston North End boss said, “Emotion took over. I can lose my temper and get frustrated when we stop doing the things we should be doing. We should be like clockwork as we do the same things day in and day out, but the drop off during the Mansfield game was big.”
“It was frustrating because we had played so well for 70 minutes, but ‘bottle jobs’ was a bit strong and I was wrong to mention Hillsborough and to say the players were lucky to have me. That was just emotion,” continued the Scot.
Despite having four promotions under his belt with the Posh already and having worked with some exciting players, he went on to share his belief in the current crop, adding, “But I actually believe this squad has the most potential of any I have worked with. It is only potential right now though.”
Writer’s View
The comments made by Ferguson after the Mansfield game will not have gone down well, you’d imagine, in the dressing room and it will be interesting to see how they respond on Saturday despite the semi-retraction from their boss.
According to Transfermarkt, The Posh comfortably have the youngest squad in League One which makes the comments even more surprising. That said, football is an emotional sport and being asked to give your views immediately after defeat can lead to quotes being made that wouldn’t otherwise.
I tipped Peterborough and Ferguson to win the league title this season, with the rest of The Real EFL team suggesting playoffs for The Posh and when they managed to hold on to the likes of Edwards and the Clarke-Harris deal fell through my conviction was strengthened. Finding a level of consistency and finishing games off alongside their dealings in January will be vital to my prediction at least getting close.
A primary school teacher turned writer, Tom has been part of The Real EFL for two years. He focuses on predictions, deep dives, and insightful content.
