Darren Ferguson has been let go by Peterborough United where he spent 8 years with the London Road club. Club owner Darragh MacAnthony has said in a statement on the clubs official website “He’s one of the finest managers in our club’s history”, so why now you may ask?
Ferguson took charge of Posh in 2007 as player manger, he’d recently arrived from Wrexham. Posh were on a bad run of form, as Keith Alexander was sacked after they lost six on the bounce. They were slipping down the league two table, Ferguson guided the club to 10th position.
In his first full season in charge he gained promotion with the club finishing second in League Two and winning manager of the month for March 2008. Then in his second full season in charge he did what only a few managers have ever done and got back to back promotions. Posh finished second in League one in 2008-09 season. Exactly a year after he’d last one manager of the month he won it again and accepted the award in March 2009, he was becoming a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately his first season in the Championship and third season in charge of the club didn’t go to plan and he left by mutual consent in November, with Posh sat bottom of the league. Ferguson and the owner had left on acrimonious terms as things were said in the press.
Preston North End appointed Ferguson as manager but in the 2009-10 season he had a disastrous stint with the club was sacked with inside a year of being appointed.
After his time at Preston, Peterborough were looking for a manager and the last place you think they’d go is Darren Ferguson’s door but they did and he returned to the club in 2011. In the May of 2011 they had a date with League one’s big spenders Huddersfield Town at Old Trafford, in League One’s playoff final, Ferguson and his Posh team won the final 3-0 to once again take them into the Championship, they became the highest scoring team of that season in the whole country with a 106 goals. Ferguson had a built a formidable side with pace and power, they scored goals for fun on a regular basis in league one, with the likes of Craig Mackail Smith and Grant McCann they had some serous fire power. The question though now was whether his side could reproduce that form, the Championship had changed dramatically even in the short space of time since Peterborough and Ferguson were last in the league. He didn’t want the same outcome to happen again. In the 2011-12 season Posh finished 18th in the Championship however they were relegated back to league one the next season. They lost to Crystal Palace 3-2 and if they had have drawn that game they would’ve survived.
Back in league one the job was simple fight for promotion again, but this was difficult and the club finished in 6th position in the league and qualified for the Playoffs unfortunately they lost to Leyton Orient in the Semi-final’s.
In the 2014-15 season Peterborough were again trying to climb out of League one however they currently sit 15th in the table and due to their current position they have decided to part company with Ferguson.
Ferguson has had 8 years in charge of Peterborough over two spells and so has become one of their most successful managers in the clubs history. He won a total of three promotions and only had one relegation. Current favourite for the job is player Grant McCann he’s been a Peterborough favourite for many years and knows the club inside out. Another favourite for the Posh job is Steve Evans current manager of Rotherham United, this would be an interesting choice, Evans has sometimes been criticized for his old style football however he has the credentials to get Peterborough if appointed out of the league.
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