The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Why staying up this season is so important
Posh - Chairman’s rallying cry to players and fans
Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony has spelled out the importance of staying in the Championship to his players as well as the club’s fanbase.
Posh are third from bottom in their first season in the second tier for eight years.
They have lost more games (15) than any other team, they have conceded the most goals (48) and they have the worst goal difference (-27). Those damning statistics are compounded by an awaful away record of one win and 11 defeats in 12 outings.
And yet Posh are just three points from safety and play their main relegation rivals in February.
On the latest edition of his ‘Hard Truth’ podcast, MacAnthony used an example of a recent failed signing attempt to amplify the need to stay up.
MacAnthony said: “I’m giving my all to the club, but can I bring the players in during January that will make a massive difference and get us up the table?
“No, it’s an impossibility. “I’ll give you an example. Last week we had done a deal with a Premier League for a left-back. The club were great with us. The player was sitting on the bench for them and the club told him ‘we won’t be using you in the Premier League so we want you to go to Peterborough and play in the Championship.’ He just said ‘no.’ We thought we had a deal, but instead I was back to square one.
“It was the same in the summer. Players didn’t want to come to us because they felt we would be in a relegation dogfight and they didn’t want to be involved in that.
“Everyone wants to join when you are top of League One, but not when they expect you will be in a relegation battle.
“That’s why staying up is so important this season. If we can stay up and show we can compete in the Championship it could make a difference to who we can sign.”
MacAnthony was critical of his team’s ‘humilation’ at the hands of Coventry City last weekend, but he took the senior players to dinner before the FA Youth Cup tie on Tuesday when he delivered a passionate call to arms.
“We haven’t done well enough, but there is still time to get out of this,” he said.
“We are not 15 points adrift, we are three points behind and we just need to start showing some self-belief.
“I am envious of what Coventry have achieved in the last few seasons and the way they play their football.
“But is Mark Robins a better manager than Darren Ferguson? I don’t think so, but he’s getting a better tune out of his players.
“Are our players worse than Blackpool’s? I don’t think so, but ours are just playing well below their own standards. We must all do better, the manager, the players and the ownership.”