Peterborough United chairman on Jonson Clarke-Harris: ‘I’ll eat my left foot if he doesn’t start dominating and scoring in the Championship’

Peterborough United chairman Darragh MacAnthony is yearning for a return to the good old days when his club were renowned for free-scoring, entertaining attacking football.
Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony and striker Jonson Clarke-Harris celebrate promotion from League One last season.Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony and striker Jonson Clarke-Harris celebrate promotion from League One last season.
Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony and striker Jonson Clarke-Harris celebrate promotion from League One last season.

MacAnthony was frustrated watching his side’s monopoly of possession at Stoke City last Saturday (November 20) ruined by a powderpuff attacking display.

The 2-0 defeat meant Posh had failed to score in six of their nine away matches in the Championship. They go into tonight’s match at Blackburn Rovers (November 24, 7.45pm) averaging less than a goal a game (17 goals in 18 matches).

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MacAnthony believes last season’s top scorer Jonson Clarke-Harris will be the answer as soon as he is given a run of games in the starting line-up. Clarke-Harris has scored three goals this season, two of them penalties.

“I want teams who are playing us to be wary of a team who score lots of goals,” MacAnthony said on the latest edition of his Hard Truth podcast. “At the moment they look at us averaging less than a goal a game and they probably aren’t concerned at all.

“The current cast of characters aren’t scoring enough. We need a bigger appetite to score goals. We had a lot of possession at Stoke, but it was a ‘fur coat and no knickers’ performance. We are firing too many blanks and it’s not what we are about.

“Hopefully Jonno will get a run of games in the side as I will eat my left foot if he doesn’t start to dominating and scoring in the Championship. He was the best player in League one last season by a country mile. He’s one of the best numer nines in the country and not many have scored as many goals as him in the last 20 months.

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“I understand why he didn’t play at Stoke, but it’s time for him to step up.

“I know it sounds ridiculous when you look at the table, but I smell a winning run. We just need to change the mindset to get scoring and winning again.”