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Ferguson: We must stick together
Peterborough United v Portsmouth at London Road: Boyd dejected after the final whistle. Photo: Ben Davis/Peterborough ET
Peterborough United boss Darren Ferguson has dismissed the increasing threat of relegation from the Championship.
A 3-0 home defeat by Portsmouth means Posh have equalled their worst run of the Championship season by losing three matches in a row.
Posh now face three tough matches in succession with a home match with title favourites West Ham (Feb 11) sandwiched in between trips to promotion hopefuls Burnley (Feb 4) and Cardiff (Feb 14).
But Ferguson insists this is a time for the club’s management, players and fans to stick together rather than start panicking.
Ferguson made his comments after a match that was punctuated by boos from some home fans for goalkeeper Joe Lewis and forward Lee Tomlin.
Ferguson said: “Look, the chairman, the management, the players and the fans quite rightly shared the good times last season.
“But if anything we need the fans more now that things have become a bit sticky for us. We are in the worst run of the season results-wise and performance-wise, but we will get out of it together,
“The season can go one of two ways from here. We can just put our hands up and say this division is too tough for us or we can get our heads down and prove that we belong here by fighting and scrapping hard in every remaining game.
“I already know which way we will go. Me and the players had a really good chat after the game and we will stay positive and we will stay confident.
“This is a time for everyone to stick together and that’s exactly what we will do. I am not concerned about relegation because I know what I have in that dressing room. People are beginning to doubt us, but I’m not.
“We have some hard games coming up. Burnley and Cardiff will be tough away games, while West Ham will obviously be a hard one, but playing these teams is exactly why we wanted to get into this division.
“We knew it would be a hard league, but we are bang on course for our 50-point target.
“It was a disappointing result and performance on Saturday, but maybe playing away from home next week will help us relax a bit more.”
Posh dropped a place to 17th in the Championship on Saturday, but remain nine points clear of the bottom three.
That gap could close to six points tomorrow if Nottingham Forest win their Championship fixture at home to Burnley.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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Comments
There are 4 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
posh forever
Monday, January 30, 2012 at 09:59 PMAnd they will be excellent in training this week... sorry, just had to say that! Anyway, fergie has a point there and I will be the last person to jeer at any posh players. I will not criticise Lewis jeerers as he isn't a posh player (and has readily admitted his lack of loyalty) but the rest of them, as long as they work hard should be cheered with full voice for the next 4 months. Utp
mrblackbird
Monday, January 30, 2012 at 01:22 PMGetting the players to stick together is an excellent tactic when building a wall to defend free kicks. It will surely, however, leave vast spaces for opposing forwards to run inor if all the defeders are stuck together. Also, how would they get their kits on and off?
ForeverPosh
Monday, January 30, 2012 at 11:47 AMI would be saying the same as DF if in his position. We have the same players who surprised and entertained us through the first half of the season. Belief needs to be restored. Telling people to 'work harder' does not work. One thing the fans can influence is support, and vocal support, for the most entertaining Posh team I have seen in the last fifty years.
Growler
Monday, January 30, 2012 at 11:08 AMWe keep getting these positive soundbites from DF before and after games but they are not reflected in the perfomances on the pitch. Sit them all down to watch the play off final again. The core of that team is still here. Decisive passing getting the ball forward quickly, attack in numbers and pressurise the opposition. Goal chances will come. I wonder whether players are returning too early from injury. If you play the diamond it's essential the player at the base of it is on form. At the moment McCann isn't. Fecklington and Little also look a shadow of themselves since coming back from injury. One thing DF mentions is we the fans must get behind the team, he's right there, if we start booing our own players we are on a hiding to nothing. UTP.
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