Who will take Peterborough United’s manager vacancy? Dave Robertson was sacked by chairman Darragh MacAnthony just six games into the Football League One season, taking only six out of 18 points. So, who are the main candidates?
First up is Grant McCann, who takes the caretaker manager role whilst MacAnthony finds a permanent replacement. If McCann can string a plethora of wins in next few games, then he could potentially become the permanent manager. However, this is perhaps unlikely as this will be the first ever senior management role McCann has taken. This isn’t to say he definitely won’t be any use, in fact quite the opposite. McCann is a respected member of Posh’s backroom staff, especially among the players who he used to captain just a few months ago. Many managers are very distanced from their squad, but the fact that McCann has played with the squad creates a tighter bond between manager and player. He’ll know the ins and outs of the players, who responds better to certain approaches in training, who plays best in which position, to give a few examples. Therefore, the lack of managerial experience may be subsidised by the depth of knowledge of the squad. But, for now, there is no certainty in whether McCann can turn that knowledge into three points for the majority of games. Take Dave Robertson as an example. Robertson knew many of the players through bringing them up in the youth academy, but it turned out that he was perhaps not ready for senior management yet. Not for a club such as Peterborough, who need to get promoted their season to escape League One and start to prove themselves as a successful club again. McCann will have no pressure on him as caretaker manager, so this may be an influential factor in Posh’s next few games and in McCann’s chances of staying on as permanent manager.
Another candidate is Rotherham’s Steve Evans, whose team only just avoided relegation last season and have got off to a bad start in the Championship again this season, losing all but one game of their five matches played. What can Evans bring to Posh? Stability is a word often branded about the game these days, but Peterborough could really use some of it. Evans could be the man to finally get Posh promoted, after taking Rotherham from League Two in 2012 to the Championship, where they have been for the last season. Evans, therefore, has experience in taking a club up the Football Leagues. The question is, can he do the same for Posh? Arguably, he is the best man to do so, with plenty of years of experience as a manager.
Robbie Fowler has expressed interest in becoming the new top dog at Posh, but again he is quite inexperienced in management. However, he has some past experience at bitter rivals MK Dons, where he worked with the coaching staff in 2011. But, this isn’t really the same as senior management, which means he is a big risk. Posh really can’t afford to take risks if they want to stop languishing as a mediocre, run of the mill football club. Fowler is a Liverpool legend and there is no doubt on his footballing ability and experience of the game. Can this experience on the pitch translate to results from the touchline? Many players have tried and failed, but there are many success stories too.
All in all, Posh have some big decisions to make. Do they take a risk on someone like Ian Culverhouse who is also interested, but has limited experience at being the first man in charge, or even an ex-Premier League star such as Fowler? Or is Steve Evans Posh’s best bet for promotion? Over to you, Darragh MacAnthony.
