Darragh MacAnthony gives his verdict on Darren Ferguson and Peterborough’s struggles

Owner Darragh MacAnthony gives his verdict on manager Darren Ferguson and Peterborough’s struggles with the club bottom of League One.

Darragh expressed frustration with the team’s poor performance in what has been a year to forget (including an 18th place finish last season), criticising their lack of clinical finishing and defensive errors, noting that the team concedes too easily while failing to convert chances.

Despite the struggles, MacAnthony strongly supports manager Darren Ferguson, praising his tactical ability and loyalty to the club, giving him more leeway due to their 20-year relationship.

Ferguson remains confident in turning things around, promising a change in style after a two-week break.

MacAnthony trusts Ferguson but stressed the need for results, as the squad is capable of better.

After a recent loss to Bolton, Ferguson highlighted defensive mistakes and a lack of precision in attack, stressing the urgency to convert performances into wins.

Darragh said while on his Hard Truth podcast: “I’m not a happy man, nobody would be. We have had a terrible 2025.

“What’s killing us is that we are s*** in both boxes. We are not clinical and teams against us are. It you are having four shots against us, you are scoring two or three goals. That’s not improved.

“We are not playing well enough, the football is not exciting enough. It’s bland.

“I have a lot of immense love and respect for my manager. He is the best manager I have ever had, of course I am giving him a lot more leeway than any other manager. Any other manager in this would have been long gone.

“This is a guy I still believe is a brilliant manager, tactically good, wants to play good football and has the best interests of the club at heart.

“There is a certain amount of loyalty that goes into this. I have known this manager for 20 years, I know his staff, I know what he is thinking. Of course, I have to be honest with him and ask the question ‘have you got this?’

“His response was ‘we’re there, you will see it. We will win games, we are ready.’ He said that the dressing room is ready and that it’s not perfect but to let him have go to work in these two weeks and you will see the change in style after that.

“I spoke to him on Tuesday morning and it’s the best I have heard him for a long time. He’s very clear of thought and he sees it. That is refreshing and good to hear. I got a bit of pep in my step speaking to him.

“I want to enjoy what I watch, I want us to have 20 shots a game and I don’t care if we lose games 4-3. I don’t want a game to be over after 20 minutes. I want our crowd back, they stuck with us as long as they could at Bolton but even I can’t blame them for losing their belief because its been a horrendous 2025.

“My manager is asking me to trust him and I have to give him the benefit of the doubt based on our history together. The Darragh of ten years ago would have sacked him at half time against Villa but the Darragh now can’t just react because we are losing games. There is more to it than that.

“This is a squad capable of winning games and putting better football on. I am positive coming out of the break that these things will happen. My manager is big enough and bold enough to know this can’t go on forever. Let’s see how they react, I know the dressing room is behind him and has his back.

“I have trust in him and I still trust him. He and I will know and hopefully that will be a long time away.

“We have got a good squad, one that should not be bottom and should not have won two of 11 games.

“We have had rows too, we had a row before the Villa game and after so I am not a soft touch, I am as unhappy as they are and that is the most aggressive I have been in a long time.

“We have rowed about things like why is our best crossing right back playing as a centre back? Why is a player not in the team who has done really well and been in squads on the bench for a number ten playing as a striker?”

After defeat to Bolton, he said, per Peterborough Today: “The start has cost us the game. I am very frustrated.We were very passive from kick-off, they might have scored without us touching the ball.

“It’s a really poor goal, we have to find a way to stop conceding these poor goals, they are killing us.It was two individual mistakes from the same player today. We just have to keep working with them on the training ground.

“We concede another really soft goal and we’re 2-0 down against a team who are very good in transition with very quick wingers. It was a mountain to climb but credit to my players for digging in. We should have got something out of the game. Some of the detail in the final chance or pass just wasn’t there. Archie Collins at 2-0 is an example, we have to score there. Then in the final five minutes, Garbett has to put Harry clean through and he hits it too hard.

“Ben and Archie were excellent, they controlled the game for periods. That was Archie’s best games for us and it was because Ben was in the side.

“With the team we have got, we are going to create chances but we have to find a way to stop giving teams a two-goal lead. After we conceded, we played exactly the way we set up to and we were aggressive. Playing that way, I knew we could cause them problems on the ball, which we did.

“In the second half, we were missing the final ball or the final cross.We have to find a way of stopping these goals and of getting more results. We’re not just three or four games into the season now, we’re a dozen in (11 games have been played). We haven’t got any time to make any excuses.

“We can’t keep talking about the fitness level of players because they’ve been with us a while now. They have not had a good pre-season but I can’t keep saying it. I am seeing a far better level of performance but because of the position we are in, we have to turn these into results.

“I’m not here to be positive about performances that don’t result in victories, I am here to win games of football and we are not winning enough. We don’t want to become a nice football team, they very rarely do anything. We have to become a good football team that wins games.

“We shouldn’t have lost any of our last three away games. We had a lot of the ball but didn’t do enough with it because of the final bit. We get into good areas but didn’t get it right. The players kept going though, you could see a team having a right go, we could have easily gone under at 2-0.

“We have had a hell of a run of games, especially away from home against some very good teams. Now we have got a games that are winnable and he have to make sure we go and get the results. They are key games, we have to not just win one-offs, we need to get on a run.

Meanwhile, Peterborough captain Peter Kioso said, per Peterborough Today: “I feel like I did at Huddersfield where we are looking back thinking we should have got the three points. We are leaving here frustrated and disappointed that have played well but not got the win.

“To come here and put in as good a performance as we did but then lose to sloppy goals that left us chasing the game is frustrating. Everyone feels the disappointment.

“We conceded the first two goals but controlled the game after that. It feels like nobody really cares about that though because we lost the game 2-1.

“Nobody can tell me we played badly today. It’s not down to fight or the willingness to run this is down to, we showed we were able to today. We were good on the ball today, it’s just the sloppy bits which keep letting us down.

“We are not doing well enough as a team. We need to raise the bar. Man to man we are not doing enough. The gaffer can get us up any way but it’s down to us on the pitch to have the fight not to concede. We are not showing that right now.

“This break now comes at a good time to give us an opportunity on the training ground to focus on the things that are letting us down.

“I need to lead by example every day in how I train and I am trying to do that. I also need to put pressure on myself to keep raising the bar. I wear the armband and when we lose, people look at me- rightly so. I have no issue with that. If I need to take the blame I will.

“It’s been a tough time for the fans, I know it is hard for them so a big thank you for making the journey.

“I would just like to say to the fans, stick with us. I know we have so much more to give, just please stick behind us- I know it is easier said than done but we will make sure we turn this around and give them what they deserve.”

What do you think is the right Posh approach re Fergie?
And give me your reasons….#pufc

— Alan Swann (@PTAlanSwann) October 9, 2025

Twitter users reacted as Darragh MacAnthony gives his verdict on Darren Ferguson and Peterborough’s struggles…

@HillingdonPosh: Thought the last one was excellent – absolutely excellent – only thing id say re this team is that you stated if you had a team full of 29/30 year olds and we werent at it the manager would go – so whats changed

@bosh25_p: Disgraceful. Utterly disgraceful. He openly admitted any other manager would be sacked but cause it’s his best friend he can’t do it. Blind loyalty got us relegated from the championship. Please put friendships second mr chairman I beg

@TheScunnyLad: Most owners you barely hear from. This guy is there for the rainbows and the rain @DMAC102 🙌🏼

@ChrisCook007: Respectful and a very genuine point Darragh makes here. If it doesn’t work out then nobody can say he was trigger happy. #ThePosh ⚪️🔵

@joshwood93: I get where @DMAC102 is coming from with the Fergie logic. When you’ve worked with a successful manager for 20+ years, you back them to figure it out. That said, I think he’s got two games after the break to show something. #pufc

@GrazzaHope: Fergie has nothing to prove. He has 15 new players to bed into a team and is 1 win from safety. Bolton was not a relegation performance and any new manager is probably only available because he failed at his previous club.

@romysdad: Its refreshing in modern football to see a club stick by a manager who is struggling, and for now, Fergie’s record allows for loyalty, particularly as we havent played many teams around us. However, lose the next 2 and things will probably change.

@tj1934: “I don’t mind if we lose 4-3”. We are rock bottom on 7 points. Worrying about style is a luxury for midtable clubs. #pufc

@ShiellB1: Gary Neville needs to stick to talking about football! Says a man talking about Gary Neville’s political comments on a football podcast.

@PufcSimmo14: This is on MacAnthony if he sticks with Ferguson. If we go down he should put us up for sale. Show some fucking bollocks and do what’s best for the club. Ferguson will always be a Posh legend but he isnt getting results. We have a better side than last season no excuses #pufc

@MNurrish: It all depends on the next 2 games where we need at least 4 points. The football being played now is a million light years away from the old attacking Posh and the players can’t play out from the back. This needs to change but can Fergie change his style?

@Stintastic: In. We’ll never be able to get anyone better than him. Management recruitment (other than DF) has been shocking throughout the Dmac era. That’s why we’ve had Fergie 4 times.

@richard_pufc86: Feel like people are only really pointing out this seasons flaws. We were poor for the majority of last season too. And it’s continued into this season. I was up for a new manager before he re signed. We need fresh.

@festive_50: Fergie out. There was an extremely valid argument that he should have gone after blowing a 4 goal lead against Sheff Weds. People seem to be basing it all on this season, but it’s been dire for a very very long time

@SteveDilley1: A huge part of me thinks he’s done here and should leave. That said, he probably deserves the chance to turn it around. After two weeks training with the players and then gets nothing vs either Burton or Blackpool, then absolutely get rid. #pufc

@mattyallan18: I think we’re showing him the respect he deserves for what he’s done for the club. I think we need at least double points tall over the next 5 league games to show any sustained improvement.

@razorblue: It’s a tough one crowds will drop if we keep playing same dull predictable way it’s not a good watch nowdays which is strange because midfielders and two young forwards are not bad ,is it tactics or players are just mot gelling well .next two games are critical minimum 4 points.

@ShiellB1: He’s earnt the right to sort it out. The other consideration is who’s available to take over should he be sacked. But it’s irrelevant because Posh aren’t going down, we’ll finish 14th and Fergie goes at the end of the season.

@AndyCricket100: I’ve been Fergie out for a long time but I understand Dmac reasoning. If I had to choose I’d say it’s time to go but I get the fairness because ig the relationship ship that they have. Sadly I can’t see Fegrgue turning this around so by November it’ll be thanks and bye.

@George_pufc1: Out now for me have respect for Fergie but the football is slow boring and predictable and has been poor for far too long. The international break would of been ideal to get a new manager in seems like we’re going to leave it weeks too late

@tonyevans88: Keep his dignity intact. Proven time and again can do wonders but never long term

@Werrington2: Fans are bored with the style we are playing. It’s boring. We need some new ideas.