TEAM PREVIEW: Peterborough United – Dave Farrell says promotion is the only target

 

Despite a promising start where Peterborough won five or their first six games, Darren Ferguson was sacked come February. Dave Robertson’s entry led to four wins on the bounce but the side couldn’t find enough consistency to reach the play-offs, fans will be hoping this season is different.

Last Season: League One (9th)

Manager: Dave Robertson

 

Squad

GKs: Ben Alnwick, Curtis Dion-Henry
DFs: Michael Smith, Kgosi Ntlhe, Shaun Brisley, Gabriel Zakuani, Jack Baldwin, Ricardo Santos
MFs: Jon Taylor, Michael Bostwick, Erhun Oztumer, Marcus Maddison, Jermaine Anderson, Harry Beautyman, Joe Newell, Harrys Anderson, Tobi Adebayo-Rowling, Leo Da Silva Lopes, Jack Payne, Jack Collison
FWs: Kyle Vassell, Conor Washington, Joe Gormley, Jonathan Edwards, Kieran Sadler, Souleymane Coulibaly, Lee Angol

 

Transfers

In: Jack Collison (Ipswich Town), Joe Gormley (Cliftonville), Lee Angol (Luton Town), Souleymane Coulibaly (Bari), Andrew Fox (Unattached), Kieran Sadler (St. Mirren)

Out: Christian Burgess (Portsmouth), Liam Marshall (Ilkeston), Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (Released), David Norris (Released), Bobby Olejnik (Exeter City), Luke James (Bradford City – Loan), Jack Friend (Boston United – Loan)

 

First Six: Rochdale (H), Colchester United (H), Sheffield United (H), Burton Albion (A), Gillingham (H), Southend United (A)

Likely Lineup: (4-4-2) Alnwick – Smith, Zakuani, Ntlhe – Anderson, Bostwick, Collison, Taylor – Vassell, Angol

 

 

A word from…Dave Farrell

On moving to the club You kind of know quite quickly if you’re going to settle, it happened really quickly with Peterborough too. We had a solid setup with the manager and the staff. The manager was really important and him being there so long was great for me and the whole team, Barry was great. What a lot of people don’t see is he’s loyal and backs his players.

On uncertainty when Fry left When a manager leaves it’s tough, you don’t know what a new manager wants. I left the year after Barry had gone, there was a lot of upheaval, it’s unsettling. The stability at a club comes across when you’ve got one man in charge but everything is up in the air once again and the whole thing starts out fresh.

On enjoying his time at the club You can’t be here that amount of time if you don’t enjoy it. There’s never a boring moment at the Posh, it’s a fantastic club and there have been so many ups and downs during the years down here.

I do hope they give Dave (Robertson) a chance, he’s been at the club in different roles a long time and it would be great if he could have a good, solid season with the club and take us back to the Championship.

The chairman will have set expectations, promotion will be the target with a club like Peterborough. We’ve had a really good pre-season so far and the players are looking good but you have to be careful with confidence.

On the club’s traditions We sign young and hungry players, that’s always been the philosophy at this club.

There are lots of young people here, the four new guys that have come in are young talents and the club will give them a chance.

On his new role at the club I’m basically a community manager, my side of it is teaching a lot in primary schools. If you’ve got some boys and girls who struggle with numeracy then we’ll try and base something around football related around that subject to get them interested and engaged.

 

The Offside Rule Podcast Prediction: Peterborough have built a good squad and the club itself has plenty experience of getting promoted from League One. The club have now made a flurry of signings and look set for a push to at least the play-offs this season.

Key Player: Michael Bostwick – The midfielder has become an ever present for Peterborough, 38 games last season was his least in a season for the club, which speaks volumes. In three years at the club he has become one of the best players on the pitch and should continue to do so this season.

One to Watch: Souleymane Coulibaly – The striker was highly rated enough at Siena that he was linked with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United before joining Tottenham. Whilst he never got a chance at White Hart Lane, he could sparkle at League One level.