Peterborough have won their first two games of the season after another summer overhaul of their squad, this time led by the original Marmite manager Steve Evans. The We Are The Posh website talks us through the latest situation.
How would you assess last season at Peterborough — seemed to follow a similar pattern to that last few years with lots of optimism of a promotion push not materialising and a change of manager?
Last season summed Peterborough up perfectly. Come January, we were in an excellent position, and everyone was hopeful, and it just went downhill from there. For me, the change of manager came at the wrong time. Grant McCann is a club legend, and I feel that given the chance, he could have helped Posh into the top six. It wasn’t to be, so we’ve just got to look forward to this season.
Always a busy club in the transfer market, how would you rate the summer activity?
This summer has been a crazy one at the club. We’ve lost players we expected to leave, with Jack Marriott being the prime example. However, we’ve also lost players that we had hoped to keep, with the likes of Andrew Hughes and Gwion Edwards moving on. We’ve signed a load of brand new players, with a lot coming down from Scotland, meaning they are somewhat of an unknown quantity. Time will tell with players like that, but the likes of Mark O’Hara are already making a real impact at the club.
And how have you started this season?
So far, we’ve played two, won two so I have no complaints. We opened the season with a 2-1 home victory, but it was disappointing to concede so late and not keep a clean sheet. Our second game was away at Rochdale, and the boys put in an excellent performance, winning 4-1 after being a goal down. It is fair too early to tell, but the signs are good.
Steve Evans has a colourful reputation and past, what did you make of his appointment and how’s he doing so far?
Steve Evans is a bit like marmite, you either love him or hate him. Personally, I love him. He loves to be the pantomime villain, but when he’s managing your team, he knows how to get the best out of the players. It was difficult to judge him based on the back-end of last season as it wasn’t his squad, so he will be judged purely on what happens this season. He’s got the experience of earning promotion with a number of different clubs, so let’s hope he can add Posh to the list of teams he has taken up.
Your chairman, like ours, is very active on social media and, like ours, seems to cop a lot of stick and divide opinion. Where do you stand on him and the model the club is run by, trying to buy low and sell high as often as possible?
It is hard to say a bad word about Darragh MacAnthony. He has invested so much money into the club, and you can tell how much it means to him. He wants to get back to the Championship just as badly as us fans, and I think the stick he gets on social media is undeserved. Granted, it is frustrating when we lose our big players, but as fans we know we are used as a stepping stone, and there is nothing we can do about that. We lost Jack Marriott after just a year, but we it is difficult to be annoyed when you look at the profit we made on him.
Aims/predictions for this season? Is a return to the Championship realistic/close?
It really is too early to tell. The squad is just gelling, and there are so many new players at the club. With the money we have spent, you have to hope that we will be up there. Last year, Wigan and Blackburn Rovers were a huge step above everyone else, and for me, this year we don’t have any teams like that. I would love to see Posh back in the Championship, and I think if anyone is going to get us there, it will be Steve Evans.
Where is the team strong and where is it weak?
Posh have always been a team that score a lot of goals, and that seems to be the same this season. We’re just two games in, but we have already scored six goals and long may that continue! Our midfield is looking so much stronger than last year as well, so that is excellent news. One area we have always been slightly weak is defence, and although we look slightly more solid this season, that is the one department I am slightly concerned about.
Links >>> Read our reciprocal interview here
The Twitter @WeAreThePosh, @loftforwords
Pictures — Action Images