Peterborough United co-owner on the manager who hated his best player so much he played him out of position and the manager whose days were numbered when he interrupted his boss’s family holiday, plus why he should have sacked a playing squad rather than Fergie and why he always insists on entertaining, attacking football!

MacAnthony has made 10 managerial appointments in almost 14 years as top man at London Road. Current boss Darren Ferguson has been hired three times, but Mark Cooper lasted just 13 matches.

And MacAnthony, on the latest edition of his popular ‘Hard Truth’ podcast, has spoken about the manager whose days were numbered when he dared to interrupt his boss’s holiday, and the manager who hated the club’s star man so much he played him out of position at left back.

MacAnthony also stated he shouldn’t have fired Ferguson for the second time after the infamous 3-0 defeat at MK Dons in February, 2015 insiting he should have sacked the players instead!

MacAnthony said: “A few years ago I had a manager who hated our best player with a vengeance. He wouldn’t play him or he’d bring him on as substitute and once when he did play him he used him at left-back which is way out position.

“Mind you the player was so good he still created two goals, one with an 80-yard crossfield pass.

“Sometimes managers try and be too clever. They tinker with the team for the sake of tinkering and then wonder why results drop off. They can be their own worst enemies.

“Another manager I had would never stop pestering me. I told him once to leave me alone for 72 hours as I was going on the holiday with the family. I wasn’t to be disturbed.

“We then had a player sent off in a game which carried an automatic fine of two weeks wages and the manager didn’t agree with it and wanted the fine waived. I said no the fine would stand so he sent me a three-page e-mail saying he didn’t agree with the decision and would leave unless he got a payrise.

“I showed this e-mail to my wife who simply turned to me and said ‘he doesn’t know you very well does he?’ And she was right. I vowed there and then that he would be gone as soon as I got the chance.

“I suspect some managers try and engineer the sack so they can get a payoff.

“The one guarantee about managers is they’ll get sacked eventually, but I regret dismissing Darren Ferguson the second time.

“We were going nowhere that season. We weren’t going up, we weren’t going down, but instead of sacking Darren I should have got rid of the players and organised a rebuild of the squad. I regret not doing that. Why should the manager always be the fall guy?

“One thing for sure after a manager is sacked is that results pick up for a while. Players are like that. I would never listen to players if they approached me moaning about a manager. They’d get a very aggressive response if they tried that with me.

“But I pick up when things are bad. Word always gets out.

“One good thing now is that me and my co-owners are committed to a certain style of football. We want entertaining, attacking football with our strikers scoring plenty of goals and our centre-backs stepping out with the ball at the back.

“I went away from that once and I didn’t like it. As long as I own a football club I won’t go down that route again.

“I don’t want to see kick and rush football, with a striker who scores one goal every five games, as the aim is to win 1-0. I don’t want to see my midfielders bypassed.”

MacAnthony inherited Keith Alexander when he bought Posh in October, 2006. His appointments since then have been Darren Ferguson, Mark Cooper, Jim Gannon, Gary Johnson, Darren Ferguson, Dave Robertson, Graham Westley, Grant McCann. Steve Evans and Darren Ferguson.