Five reasons why Fergie has given me optimism ahead of the new season

At today's fixture release brunch, club sponsors saw a revitalised Darren Ferguson speaking openly, honestly, and most importantly, positively on various topics. Below, I list five reasons why he has changed my outlook for the upcoming season.

Photo credit: Joe Dent

Declan Frith

Replacing Kwame Poku was always going to be tough, but Frith was identified as Posh’s top target. Fergie noted 'many clubs' pursued him and admitted he doubted Frith would sign, calling it a 'nice surprise' when the deal was done. He gave full credit to Darragh MacAnthony, who relentlessly made multiple offers until the deal was sealed. Not only does it sound like we have a promising player in Frith, but also shows the chairman’s strong support for Fergie, which is hugely reassuring.

Brandon Khela

Fergie also spoke optimistically about Khela, echoing Birmingham and Bradford fans’ praise for the midfielder’s talent and seemed genuinely excited about his five-year deal. Fergie highlighted Khela’s mentality, pointing out how he has spent a season playing in front of large crowds at Bradford and in a squad expected to win every game—valuable experience for a 20-year-old. When asked if Khela could be better than Kyprianou, Fergie said he certainly has the potential to but isn’t there yet.

The return of Rooster

Fergie and Kevin Russell clearly work well together, so it was no surprise that Russell was his first call when Dale Tonge announced his departure. Fergie did not speak negatively about Tonge, but did suggest he was a lot less serious than Russell. I took that to mean Tonge perhaps had too much banter with the players when Fergie said Russell has authority, something which supposedly gave the players a shock on Monday. Fergie said he appreciates another voice delivering the standards as he felt his own voice was being diluted at times due to being the only one the players heard.

Learning from mistakes

I’ve always thought of Fergie to have complete integrity so I wasn’t surprised to hear him owning his mistakes from last season, explaining what he learned and how he’s adapting his approach for the upcoming season. He asked every player on day one if they wanted to leave, and said he won’t tolerate a change of mind mid-season, admitting he spent too much time managing Joel Randall’s demands last season. He noted the challenge of managing young players, admitting he was too lenient for too long. He referenced stopping a training session early before the Huddersfield away game, warning the squad of relegation if standards didn’t improve with immediate effect, which led to an eight-game unbeaten run. Fergie wondered if acting sooner could’ve changed things. 

Our League One rivals

Last year, Fergie’s public aim for automatic promotion set high expectations, and so the negativity from the fans at London Road when results faltered came as no surprise, likely impacting the players negatively too. This summer, he’s avoided mentioning promotion, focusing instead on improving significantly from last season (it couldn’t be much worse!). He noted League One will be weaker, with no dominant team like Birmingham and amongst the Championship-relegated teams, he expects Luton and Plymouth to be strong but is uncertain about Cardiff. He also pointed out that while two of last summer’s League Two promoted teams reached the top three, he doesn’t expect this year’s four to match that. I feel Fergie is aiming for promotion again but is avoiding saying so to prevent undue pressure.

Summary

At the end of last season, Darren Ferguson told Posh+ he needed to 'go away and have a think' in order to gain clarity. It was evident the season had taken its toll on him, and his negative comments about the squad, coupled with calling Posh’s league survival his career's biggest achievement, made me worry he might not return this summer. Seeing Fergie today with fresh energy made me remember what a great manager he really is and I honestly believe that when the final day of the season comes around, we will be fighting for a play-off spot. Whatever happens, I hope we can all buckle in and enjoy the ride.