Peterborough United co-owner Darragh MacAnthony: ‘Match my work ethic and we will thrive in the Championship’

MacAnthony remains confident Posh have the ability on and off the field to thrive in the second tier as long as they are prepared to graft.

Posh lost 1-0 at lowly Preston last weekend and sit 17th in the Championship with one win from four matches.

“We are angry because we could have won three games already,” MacAnthony stated in the latest edition of his popular ‘Hard Truth’ podcast. “And that shows we can compete at this level and not just play to survive.

“We haven’t been dominated or destroyed, but we all need to step up and work harder as this is the Championship. It is relentless. There’s no two days off a week at this level.

“I spend 60 days away from my wife and family in a season and I want everyone to put in the same amount of effort.

“I put my heart and soul into it and I don’t do that so I can watch others who are not grafting as much or working as hard.

“It will be uncomfortable for us at times and we will get punished, but we are trying to change the mindset and it will take time. We need to embrace this challenge.

“We need to smarter, to be cuter and to gain inches where we can. We all have to step up a level, but it’s all based on one key ingredient and that’s hard work. It will have to be dragged out of a few of them, but we will get there.

“I’m not losing sleep over it and I’m not table-watching because I know what we have in the club.

“Against Cardiff we looked like a good Championship side, albeit a very young one. We controlled most of that game. We were quick, we were strong and we were incisive and we tried and fought to the end when things went against us.

“They threw 22 throw-ins into our penalty area that night. They are like free kicks and we stood up to it until the last 10 minutes after we’d suffered a couple of injuries.

“But we then went up to Preston, a team without a win, with a fans’ protest planned and several players out with Covid. I knew when I heard all that what would happen and we started the game in a very lacklustre fashion.

“The manager would have made changes at half-time, but he can’t yet expect certain players to last 90 minutes so it was tough on him.

“We are in a tough league. The Championship is one of the toughest leagues in the world, but we have to deal with it and we will. We will be fitter as a group once the international break is over for a start.

“We will have to change little things, but it’s possible for a club likes ours to thrive rather than just survive. Just look at how well Coventry are doing.”

After playing West Brom at the Weston Homes Stadium today (August 28), Posh don’t have another competitive fixture until a Championship match at Sheffield United on September 11.