It’s one of those places in time I can return to with absolute clarity. I was sitting on an airplane flying back from Europe in the summer of 1998. My best friend and I had spent almost a month roaming through England, Spain, Germany, and France, with the World Cup as our backdrop. We went to five matches. Traveled hundreds of miles by train and metro. Had my friend’s passport stolen. Filed a police report in Spanish. Befriended two Australian backpackers. Got nudged by one riot cop. And, for the first time in my life, popped a soccer ball. We were exhausted, sunburned, and broke—but happy to be heading home. Mostly.
Somewhere over the Atlantic, with my CD Walkman resting on my knee, I listened to “How’s It Going to Be?” by Third Eye Blind. The song framed what I already knew was coming: the beginning of the end of a years-long, on-again-off-again relationship. During that month in Europe we’d managed to speak only once, and our pattern was familiar—every six months, a breakup, followed by the realization that life felt better together than apart. But on that plane ride, something in me knew this time was different. And when I got home, I was right. No reunion. Just an ending. And the long quiet question of how things would be moving forward.
At that point in my life, I had no idea who Peterborough United were. In one pub, a fellow patron ranted to my friend and me for twenty minutes about the villainy of Millwall, but beyond that my knowledge of lower-league football was almost nonexistent.
Fast forward nearly three decades and a lot has changed, but I find myself processing another separation from an on-again-off-again figure in my life. Darren Ferguson is gone again, and this time—strictly in the managerial sense—I believe it’s the last time. As much as I wanted him to stay, it feels like, for one reason or another, it had to happen. Just as it did with that old relationship, something in the way things worked together simply stopped working.
As I’ve written before, Ferguson was more than the manager. His brand of football set the tone for who Peterborough United have become in the modern era: forward-thinking, fearless, often outscoring everyone in sight. Darragh in the owner’s box and Darren on the touchline became the intermittent winning formula. A rhythm. A cycle. Something dependable even when it wasn’t permanent.
Now that it’s over, I’m left with reverence—and sadness—because of how it ended. My gut tells me Darren will manage again and lift another club to promotion. If that happens, I’ll find myself wondering whether things could have gone differently here. It’s possible that the only road to success—for both the POSH and for Ferguson—was a diverging one.
For now, all I can do is hope that Luke Williams can pull off what no one at Manchester United has managed yet: replacing a club legend.
The season has not gone to plan. Results define clubs, managers, and players, and right now the results simply haven’t been good enough. Huddersfield come to town this Saturday, one of the so-called “big clubs” in League One. POSH have already fallen to Cardiff and Luton—teams tipped to be near the top of the table—and the margin for error is shrinking. But beyond the fixture list and all the hoopla about who’s a heavyweight this season, Peterborough have three opponents more dangerous than any other side they’ll face.
The first opponent: TIME
Time is undefeated. Once you fall behind it, there’s no catching up. Fixtures pile up, injuries take longer to heal, and before you know it the table has moved on without you. The best you can do is stay even with it—by using it wisely, refusing to waste it, and squeezing every ounce from the moments you have. POSH don’t need to panic, but they can’t afford to drift either.
The second opponent: BELIEF
Lately, belief has been in short supply. A couple of late concessions, a missed chance here, a poor call there, and suddenly doubt creeps in. Unlike time, belief can be rebuilt—but it requires intent. A big goal, a clean sheet, even a gritty draw can flip the script. The new signings may provide a spark, but belief has to run deeper than fresh faces. It has to settle into the squad and spread through the stands until both players and fans expect results rather than hope for them.
The final opponent: FOCUS
Focus should be the easiest win, but it’s the one most under attack. Missed referee calls, restless supporters, the lure of bigger contracts elsewhere, the endless chatter online—it’s all noise. Lose focus for five minutes and a match slips away. Win the moments, though, and the matches will take care of themselves. Success will come not from chasing the grand statement but from doing the smallest things well, over and over, until they add up.
As the season wears on, I still believe Darren Ferguson is the right man to guide this side. He’s faced these invisible opponents before and knows how to rally a squad when belief wavers. His track record at POSH—multiple promotions, a knack for rebuilding squads on the fly—proves he understands the climb. With time managed wisely, belief restored, and focus sharpened, I think it’s only a matter of time before things come good.
There is more than enough talent in the squad to avoid relegation and even go on an extended win streak. The problem isn’t a lack of ability but rather a mentality that has plagued the team. I’m sure this opinion won’t be popular with some of the POSH faithful, but it’s far easier to judge a player as “not good enough” after a poor performance than to examine the deeper issues at play. While some of the gambles POSH has taken over the years haven’t panned out, there are far too many examples of players who have experienced ups and downs with POSH only to thrive at higher levels (Sammie Szmodics, among others).
Rather than taking the negative route that erodes players’ confidence, or the overly positive one that ignores the reality of the situation, there is another approach: neutral thinking.
I’ve read Trevor Moawad’s book a few times, but more often, I share his interview on neutral thinking. It encapsulates so many valuable ideas and stories, particularly about focusing on actionable steps in the present moment rather than dwelling on circumstances or outcomes. Optimists and pessimists can argue all day about whether the glass is half full or half empty, but ultimately, it’s what you do with the water or space in the glass that matters.
Even when circumstances are less than desirable, it’s the actions we take now that determine our outcomes. Losing hurts, and a string of poor performances hurts even more. After the Wrexham match (CJ’s first with the team), it seemed as though the squad had been injected with optimism. How is it that one person could “infect” a team with a positive mindset? Through their actions. As Trevor Moawad explains, removing externalized negativity allows people to reach a neutral state. From there, new thoughts and behaviors can emerge, moving individuals, teams, and even entire communities forward.
Ultimately, it’s the players who need to reach neutral and move forward. The Leyton Orient match might have been more “neutral” than people would have wanted but it got a clean sheet. These are young players who may not yet have the skills to combat the negativity in their environment. It’s part of their development. Fans want results—no doubt about that. But the players are the vehicle for those results. Slashing the tires, pouring sugar in the gas tank, or breaking the windshield is no way to get high performance out of that vehicle.
Neutral thinking offers a path forward: focus on the present, remove unnecessary negativity, and take actionable steps to improve. It’s not about ignoring the reality of challenges or sugar-coating situations. It’s about embracing a mindset that enables growth and resilience, both for the players and the team as a whole.
This week is an opportunity for the young POSH squad to perform under the spotlight. Wrexham on Saturday brings extra attention due to their owners and media attention. Having been at the Sunderland match years ago when they were doing their docuseries, it’s easy for a match to end up on the cutting room floor because it doesn’t fit the narrative of the show. Then the trip to Liverpool in order to play Everton brings a very real amount of attention due to the magic of the FA Cup. The problem that most people have with the spotlight is the prospect of “failure”. It’s why public speaking is often feared at a near death level. Mistakes are a part of life but when they are public, they can be crushing. But it’s all practice… erm… I mean training.
Father vs Son Rivalry too!
My son and I won’t be at Goodison for this one
but we’ll be watching!
This season is all about “on the job” training. Players are being asked to perform at levels with consistency before they’re really ready. This is a tall order. Thousands of people watching and every moment being scrutinized can cause chinks in the armor of the most confident person. This week will accentuate that situation. Extra cameras, extra pressure, extra scrutiny, extra stakes and extra opportunity to learn.
In my first year, and I believe my first week, as a teacher, I was talking about the assignment for the day. I kept switching between referring to the paper as a sheet, then ditto, sheet, ditto, then it came out “shitto”. In a room of 26 sixth graders, they thought this was hilarious and burst out laughing. I just had to move on. Just like every career in the world, OTJ training is where you learn the most. Four years of college, seminars about teaching, student teaching experiences, lesson planning, etc. NEVER had the concept of cursing in front kids when I was the adult had ever entered my mind. These mistakes need to happen because you’re not ready for everything yet. None of us is “born ready”. We’re all born naked and afraid. Yet we press on.
The POSH young guns are not performing consistently at the moment. They’re naked and many are afraid. They weren’t born/bought ready. On the job training is the only way for them to get past it. It’s the best way for them to learn. In the arena! Performers are in there. Just not consistent performers yet. I hope that it’s this week in the spotlight they find the determination to keep their nerve and concentration for 90+ minutes. While most people fear the spotlight because they anticipate the fall, those who dare to be great want the spotlight to see them take off into flight!
The roof of the London Road End keeps the noise of the singing fans in. It’s an unfortunate feature of the structure. I’m sure that it was designed that way for good reason. Possibly to keep in the heat during the winter or keep rain water from flooding the road. I’m sure that someone can explain it. The muffled singing of supporters is an unfortunate side effect that will need to be endured until a new stadium is built (or London Road gets refurbished). It’s just a matter of time! Despite the imperfection, I’m confident that many fans will be sad when it changes because it’s part of their history with the club. The difference between progress and “breaking tradition” is in the eye of the beholder.
Although it’s not a perfect metaphor, it mirrors the situation with the first team at the moment. The POSH are inconsistent this season and it has muffled the singing of the fans (metaphorically this time). The performances are a byproduct of inexperience. The inexperience is due to the buy young and sell talent policy of the club. The policy is because of the very real constraints that the club are under financially. It’s possible that I’m the only one but I’m actually loving this season! The team losing is not what I want. Far from it! I have that same dream that most fans do for the POSH. Getting back to the Championships and staying there for a long time are the aims.
Just like the roof, it’s been evident over the years that the club’s explosive potential at the next level is muffled by its circumstances. That is what brought the present squad. It’s filled with young and largely untested players who are intended to learn through playing. As a long time teacher, the beauty of this season is not in the results but rather the process. Fergie has done this all before but not to the extent of this season. This season is a gamble on how quickly the young guns can figure it all out. The frustration comes for most people due to an expectation that these (and all players) are going to be consistent. The Burton result is an inconsistency because young players get unsettled more easily by circumstances that wouldn’t phase a seasoned professional. The return of key squad members and threat of competition for places unsettled several starters. This often happens in January with POSH due to speculation surrounding our players. Ronnie Edwards’ form dipped a bit last season as well as Kyprianou’s. This begs the question, why not bring in more seasoned players who are more stable? The gamble that the club are making is that the majority of the squad will “pop” in ability at the same time as a promotion.
The alignment of all the right “stars” is less than certain but it’s a great context for watching games and the players. Performances like the Cambridge match show the potential of the squad while the Burton game is a learning experience. A frustrating one for fans but a necessary one for players. It’s not easy to be patient with a team. Fans want results now but that’s just not the plan or the reality. The easiest thing in the world is to write players off as “not good enough.” What if the truth is that they’re not good enough YET? Three little letters that mean so much in a career or life. These youngsters are filled with possibility (like so many past POSH players) but need a little longer to find the necessary consistency.
The design of the situation may be slightly frustrating at times (like a stand that traps the noise of its most raucous fans). It’s not without reason! In the end, this frustrating period may be the thing that’s necessary to get us into the Championship and stay. Raising the bar, raising the roof and raising the club to higher heights may take more time and patience than people are willing to give. But that’s POSH football! Sometimes frustrating but never dull!
An article from the Telegraph before the annoying pop up ads.
It took a little while to find the time to write up a post about my trip to England but here it is! The POSH Pilgrimage 2024 was a much longer and more involved trip but it created some great memories for my son and I before he left for college! Our love of football (soccer) has been one of the biggest parts of our relationship. We did as many things football as we could throughout our time there. Since his birth, I’ve been trying to convert him into a POSH fan. This trip was at least another partial attempt but I’m not sure if it worked.
The timetable of the trip was set for months due to our flights but the fixture list held us hostage for a while. Huddersfield at home was a great draw from a location perspective although the competition was going to be difficult. We arrived in Peterborough the day before the match. The city has changed a lot since my last visit. My affection for the club bleeds over into the city. So it’s interesting to return after a few years and see what growth has happened.
POSH vs Huddersfield– On match day, I got the opportunity to meet former Yellow Block personality Matthew Kisby. We met for a pint at Charters with my son and I drinking our first beer in England together. The prematch gathering was much better this time around. Last trip we went to Ebenezer’s which was a really cool place but a bit off the beaten path. London Road is still London Road regardless of what name gets slapped onto the outside. With this being my third trip, I know what it is and what it is not. The LRE keeps the noise of the fans in and it’s not the best ground in the country. However, it is the home the team that I support. So, I love it regardless!
The match was about what I could have expected. On my first trip, I saw the POSH dismantle MK Dons. Last trip we tied Sunderland on a last gasp goal. I was destined to see a loss at some point and I got it this go around. There was just that cutting edge missing to the attack but I knew that coming into the match. This season was going to be a project and I saw the beginning stages. Not disheartened in the slightest.
On Sunday, I got the opportunity to go to the training facility to watch the U18s and U16s play. It was great to see young players trying to apply the same principles as the first team. Just going to the facility was enjoyable for me because I remember the stories of players changing in their cars when they practiced at a park. The club has come a long way in the last twenty years. Despite my desire to stay and just watch as many training sessions and youth games as I could, the trip was about us seeing as much football as possible.
Sheffield Wednesday vs Plymouth– I know… I know… Sheffield Wednesday… I’m supposed to hate them due to the loss but I needed to be practical. It was the only match that worked for our schedule. I’d never been to Sheffield before despite being a fan of Def Leppard.
The time crunch between our train, to the hotel, to the match was an obstacle but we made it. The walk from the hotel to the match among Wednesday and Plymouth fan was enjoyable. Little bits of banter back and forth but nothing of concern. The ground itself was a definitive step up from London Road. Obviously, the history, fanbases, and financial backing are very different. So, it’s not a slight just a reality. The match itself was enjoyable for a neutral. Wednesday was dominant and it made for a really good atmosphere.
POSH vs Oxford United – The next stop on the pilgrimage was in Oxford. Great city to explore! The university and the other sites in the area made the visit worth it even before the match. I wish that we’d had more time to spend there but since it was a total unknown prior to our visit, I only had us there for the day before and match day.
I feel sorry for the fans of Oxford as their stadium stinks. Literally! The facility itself was fine but the odor was pretty overwhelming. This match played out much like the first. The faint continuous cheer from the POSH fans who traveled summed up the match well. Not everyone seemed ready to sign from the same song sheet. Hayes looked extremely lively but POSH couldn’t find the net and handed the result over to Oxford through mistakes. Winning my son over as a POSH fan was not working out well. Two defeats in two matches was less than ideal. It was time to move on to London for a couple days of football sightseeing.
Chaos in the Capital – The trip from Oxford to London was one of many where a train cancelation had us standing in the hall near the toilet for the trip. Arriving in London, we took the Underground and a bit of a walk to our hotel. It was one of those places tucked into a neighborhood. Upon our arrival, there was a note on the door stating that the hotel was closed down temporarily. This was a huge surprise but I sprang into problem solving mode quickly. I found a room at the Chelsea Cloisters building. It was reasonably priced and didn’t look like a bad option online. BUYER BEWARE!!! Upon our arrival at our room, I knew it wasn’t going to work and tried to either change rooms or get a refund on the room that I had been in for 5 minutes. The letting office were very nice but had no options or refund available for me.
So Luke and I went on a walk to get out of the funk that the situation had put us in. We visited Stamford Bridge’s store to pick something up for a friend who is a fan. While walking around the ground, I decided to look up the price for the hotel attached to Stamford Bridge, The Millenium and Copthorne Hotel. IT WAS ALMOST THE SAME PRICE AS THE VERY DISAPPOINTING CHELSEA CLOISTERS!!! On my phone, I made a reservation and despite paying for a hotel that I never stayed in, I was extremely happy with how things turned out. I’m not a Chelsea fan. I don’t dislike them at a Man City level but I am happy to sing the praises of their hotel. It was the best place that we stayed at our entire trip!
Since there were no matches in the later part of the week, we did stadium tours. Our tour of Hotspur Stadium was eaten up by our hotel fiasco. Now that we were housed at Stamford Bridge, doing a stadium tour only made sense. We also ventured to Craven Cottage which was my favorite stadium that we visited. From its location on the river to the historic aspects of the ground, it just has a character all its own. The construction of the new hotel makes the place a work in progress but I’m hopeful that I’ll get the chance to visit when it is all done.
This photo is taken from our seats. AMAZING!
Everton vs Brighton – For Luke, the main attraction for the trip was going to the Everton match. Acquiring tickets was a bit more difficult this time around. For our last trip, I had bought tickets through the Everton USA supporters group. Unfortunately the club changed that process and the group was no longer able to purchase tickets for American fans. Luckily, a supporter who is a season ticket holder saw my post about my trip and offered to sell me his two seats for the Brighton match. It was probably the most stressful part of the trip for me because up until we were in Oxford, I wasn’t sure if they were going to come through. Not only were the tickets transferred, they were amazing seats! I won’t list his name here but I am so thankful that he made this part of the trip a joy for Luke. He was literally “over the moon” with where we were sitting. The performance by Everton…. left a decent amount to be desired but since we had seen them thrash ManU on the first trip, he took it in stride. Of course, the POSH won in Shrewsbury! Although I would have liked to have seen it, being with Luke for his last match in Goodison was worth it.
London to go home – Due to our great experience earlier in the week, I booked our last night in London at the hotel at Stamford Bridge. There was a match on that day which added a bit of atmosphere to the place. Luke begrudgingly went with me to the area of Richmond where Ted Lasso was filmed. Despite the several complaints that we were being “such tourists”, he took some photos of me in the area. I was mildly surprised how much of the area was used in the show. Even though it was a complete tourist trap, I still loved going there.
After another great trip (not in terms of results), the one thing that probably has stuck with me the most is what Luke said after the Brighton loss. He said that he “needed” a loss like that to really solidify his fandom. It’s easy to be a fan when everything is going your way. The more difficult thing is to stick around when everything isn’t.
The subject of math is either frustrating or fulfilling for most people. The possibility of finding answers to complex problems can lead to headaches and a feeling of inadequacy, while others see order, music, possibility and definition in our chaotic world. Often Americans try to put statistics into sports in order to understand them better. I’ll touch on it briefly but don’t intend to belabor the point.
A perfect pass would go directly to the curve of the receiving player’s correct foot. Any professional player worth their salt can do this in low pressure situations but as the pressure mounts, passes go off target to a degree. To what degree really matters.
A 10 yard pass that is off by 1 degree misses the target by 1/2 a foot.
A 30 yard pass that is off by 1 degree misses the target by a foot and a half.
A 10 yard pass that is off by 2 degrees misses the target by a foot.
A 30 yard pass that is off by 2 degrees misses the target by over a yard.
A 10 yard pass that is off by 5 degrees misses the target by over two and a half feet.
A 30 yard pass this off by 5 degrees misses the target by over two and a half yards.
In a live and highly competitive match, pinpoint accuracy is difficult (almost impossible). While math may be able to measure the distances, it cannot particularly account for all of the variables, especially the human ones.
“Passes come from the heart.” is one of my favorite lines from the movie ‘Miracle’ that chronicles the journey of the 1980 USA hockey team. Although I’m not sure if Herb Brooks repeated this phrase as often or at all in real life, it sums up one of the variables at work. Passes come from the heart has always been about intent for me. When you care about the person who will be receiving the pass, you tend to put more intention behind it. You want it to be as good as it can be. Some players give quality passes regardless of their feelings about the individual on the other end because they care about the group.
At the moment, the mighty POSH are having a bit of a struggle. The passing and precision that were near perfect for a few months seem to have gone. It’s not. Collectively it’s just off by a few degrees. As soon as one pass misses its mark, the next one tends to suffer. I refer to it as soccer karma. If you give a good ball, you’ll get a good ball. It’s not a mathematical certainty but it creates a framework for an upward spiral.
The transfer market unbalanced a young team that believed in their collective ability prior to January. Now they need to find their way forward (not back). They cannot recreate the past. PK isn’t coming back. EMC has to balance his new multi-million pound transfer with what he means to this team now. Kyprianou and Edwards need to realize that their play for the next few months dictates their value in the transfer market, not the rumors from social media during the window. These are all good things! Wait… What? How can the team being unbalanced by all of this be good? Because these young men will learn from it. They will find a way or they won’t.
As a fan, I will support either result but this is exactly what I’ve signed up for as a POSH fan this season. A young team who need to find their way. They struggled in the beginning and again they are being challenged by the circumstances in front of them. While it feels like we’re miles off from where we were a month or so ago, it’s only a matter of a few degrees. Passes come from the heart and I believe in mine that they’ll find their way back.
“In time or so I’m told, I’m just another soul for sale! Oh well!” -Foo Fighters
The January transfer window just ended. Some clubs will feel like they “had a successful” window, while others will feel like they lost out. For the club I support, I just want the window to recede into the distance as quickly as possible. While I’m making this observation from a really far distance, my view is that the window unsettled a few of our consistent performers.
For a little while in January, players are valued (very publicly) at certain levels by both the club who owns their contract and ones that are interested. Despite my vivid imagination, I cannot get an accurate picture inside of my head how it must feel to have millions of dollars/pound/euros/etc. associated with your name. There is a great scene from the movie Bull Durham where Crash Davis professes that Nuke’s arm is “worth a million bucks a year! All my limbs put together aren’t worth 7 cents a pound.” It’s got to be hard on both sides. The million dollar men must feel a certain amount of pressure to live up to that price tag. While on the other side of the coin, only having lower offers or no offers come in must be difficult on the psyche of young players especially. A month ago, several players within the club could not put a foot wrong. They were firing on all cylinders. For the past few weeks, there have been signs of men caught in too many minds. My hope is that this fades as February moves forward.
While very few of us are professional athletes with transfer fees associated to our names, it’s still easy to get caught up in our value. Whether it’s the amount we earn per annum or the connection with loved ones, there is a temptation to want to know or feel our value. Many of us look for reassurance that we’re “doing a good job” and are wanted. While it’s a normal thing for people to want, it’s completely out of our control. The value that comes from the outside world is not truly up to us. We do not get to decide the value that others put upon us. All we can do is BE VALUABLE!
It’s semantics yes but it’s also the only thing that can be done. Doing the things that are important to the team, your family, the company, etc. is all that you can do. Whether you have an agent or not, your job is to be valuable (or take it away from the financial, be useful). The transfer window is closed. So now is the time to get people to notice you. Do the things that truly matter. Be the one that they can’t live without because you add so much. No one is ever going to put an accurate price tag on your head, so don’t let it affect how you play your game. Even if you’re not an athlete!
It’s an odd time being a POSH fan! Not because the team are challenging for promotion. Darren Ferguson regularly has his teams near the top of the league. It’s not because we’re scoring loads of goals. Even the high valuation star players keeping them at the club is pretty standard. It’s the fact that some fans still seem to be dissatisfied.
While I understand that my opinion could be viewed as one of an “outsider” because of my geography, I’ll still put it out there. After two decades of watching/listening to POSH play, I’m baffled about the things that people are complaining about. I get it. Some people have their own ax to grind about certain issues. No matter what happens, they’ll always be in the Fry out, Fergie out, etc. camp. This just seems a little different.
The most common gripe that I’ve seen is that we need to sign a striker. Not because we’re not scoring enough goals or creating enough chances but because RJJ missed a sitter. I get it! You want your striker to scores those ones that look so easy that any middle aged man with a computer screen and an opinion could hit. But they’re not that easy. These players are all young and plying their trade at the lower levels. They need the reps in those pressure situations in order to get it right. We don’t have the millions that it would cost to bring in a striker who fits our team’s style and has the Midas touch in front of goal. What we do have is a player that given the chance could be worth those millions in a year, two years. But for some reason, that gamble on him getting there is too much to bear. We need results now! Oh yeah… we’re getting them.
Not sure if it’s something inherent to POSH fans because this is the only club that I follow to this degree. But there seems to be a catastrophist streak that runs pretty deep. No matter how good things get, there’s something that just isn’t right.
We’ve rehired Fergie again!… So what! He wins!
Our chairman talks too much… Fans at other clubs wish they had our chairman.
We sell our best players… Yep! And we produce or buy and develop new ones.
And so on.
At the beginning of the season, we were promised a project that required patience. A group of young players were going to be given an opportunity to play the system that the manager put in place. They were going to stick to their principles and stick with particular players regardless of results. Now that it has gone better than expected, some fans want to abandon that project. Why not just believe in what you’ve seen so far? Enjoy it! Even the missed sitters. That’s right! If it were easy, you’d get bored. And that just wouldn’t be POSH!
As Hector Kyprianou’s off-balance “shot” went wide of the goal on Sunday, it was the perfect representation of the match. POSH have been in great form for a while now. The loss combined with the performance were relatively uncharacteristic of life at London Road recently. There were moments when the players showed the understanding and fluidity that fans have become accustomed. Unfortunately, it wasn’t consistent enough to find the net or create many chances. For some, it seems be more than just a loss to a highly rated Championship side. They view it as an indication of bigger problems or impending doom if we’re promoted to the Championship. It’s just unbalance!
Played two weeks earlier, I’d be willing to bet (and I’m not a betting man) that POSH win this match. Leeds’ poor recent form aside. The POSH squad was balanced at that time. Although there are several stars within the team, the collection of the pieces and how they interrelated is far more important. The loss of Kioso and Bilokapić caused uncertainty in the play of a side whose success has come from understanding the tendencies of their teammates and being able to predict their movements accurately. Kioso’s recall does NOT mean that we need to sign him at all costs. He is a good player, no doubt. However, it is not him specifically that needs to return. It is the balance and understanding. Whether Katongo or Knight or someone else, Ferguson has proven that he can get these players to meld together. It just doesn’t happen overnight. The defeat is not a sign of anything more than a bit of time is needed to get the balance back. And I know that many love the FA Cup but this was a great result on so many levels.
It takes away the distraction from league play.
Fergie can “audition” a few alignments and personnel combinations in order to see what really works.
The message can be sent to the players (honestly) that they need to improve to reach Championship standards.
This is EXACTLY what Fergie signed up to do. Take a young squad filled with unpolished diamonds and get them to play great football together. The departure of one (or more) spells opportunity for others, not doom for the collective.
Over the years, I’ve never been shy about my support for Darren and I won’t be now! This transfer window will be difficult, no doubt. Peterborough United is not Wrexham. We need to sell assets to progress the club forward. So if Edwards, JCH, EMC, Poku, RJJ, Knight and Burrows were all to go in this window, I know one thing for certain. Fergie will get a new set of players up into the promotion places as soon as humanly possible. It’s what he does! It’s who he is! POSH we are!
Huryk Unlimited 