Picking the same players and expecting different results is football insanity, the Peterborough United enigma, accepting defeat tamely and Premier League ref? You're having a laugh

Clearly the relationship between boss and this squad isn’t working. To keep picking the same players and expecting different results is a football version of insanity. Six away defeats in a row, no clean sheets in 20 League One games and no back-to-back wins since August are horrible records for a team expected to challenge for promotion at this level, and, sadly there is no hint of a change happening anytime soon.

Ferguson is proven at this level, but his players are either not listening or they just don’t have it in them to compete against those in the top half of the table. It’s probably both. Every time at Stockport County last night when media eyes switched from the pitch to the technical area Ferguson could be seen waving his arms about in obvious frustration while turning his back to the action.

‘Forwards’ he kept shouting – and he doesn’t mean hoof it long – just before the ball went scuttling backwards. Why on earth anyone wants the ball anywhere near the Posh penalty area given how this team defends is anyone’s guess.

TALKING POINTS FROM STOCKPORT 2, POSH 1…

1) Yes, both goals Posh conceded were dreadful as low crosses reached the back post without interruption enabling close range finishes, but this wasn’t just a defensive mess last night. Indeed goalkeeper Nick Bilokapic made one save all night so there was some protection against the team with League One’s top scorer, Louie Barry. No, a frightful opening 25 minutes or so was also down to midfielders constantly giving the ball away and forwards who couldn’t hold it up. When it’s a struggle, as it was in that period at Edgeley Park, it’s baffling Posh don’t drop the ball behind defences to take advantage of a huge difference in speed levels, if only to ease some of the pressure on the beleaguered, and always suspect, back line.

2) Oscar Wallin and Emmanuel Fernandez as a central defensive partnership hasn’t ever looked like working no matter how many ‘rests’ the former is given. They make too many individual errors between them. They don’t command the penalty area even though both are reasonably sized. Looking good when bringing the ball out of defence is no substitute for having a desire to clear or intercept crosses. I’m not sure George Nevett is the answer to a clean sheet problem, but he probably ought to get a chance, maybe alongside Jadel Katongo as the other two are not performing.

3) Does the failure of left-back Jack Sparkes to make the squad last night suggest he might be one Posh are prepared to offload in January? Along with on-loan right-back Sam Curtis? Certainly the long-awaited debut of Rio Adebisi at Stockport last night and, as you’d expect from a £500k signing, he will be first choice on the left side of the defence with young Harley Mills now likely to be his understudy. No matter all the bluster re these defenders having the potential to play higher it would be a dereliction of duty if better ones weren’t sought next month. They need to arrive quickly preferably before Wrexham start raining crosses into the penalty area on January 4.

4) Of course Archie Collins was a big miss last night because of illness, but he’s also played in each of the five previous away defeats in this dismal run so it isn’t that much of an excuse. But luck has certainly deserted Posh on the injury front this season and there was another setback for Hector Kyprianou last night, even though he looked a pale imitation of the class act that bestrode League One last season even before his 51st minute departure.

5) Has there ever been a more enigmatic Posh player in recent times than Joel Randall? He was harried to distraction by County workhorse Lewis Bate and yet still broke free to finish off a fine team goal. But, at 1-1 midway through the second-half, when shaky home goalkeeper Ben Hinchliffe passed the ball to him 25 yards from goal with nothing between him and an empty net, he froze, lost control of the ball and didn’t even muster a shot at goal. Taking too many touches when he has a shooting chance is a Randall speciality. It’s so frustrating for a player who can look so classy in possession.

6) Of course if Posh had taken a 2-1 lead there is no guarantee Posh would have seen out a victory. You can bet your life Stockport would have peppered the visiting penalty area in an attempt to get back on level terms. The Posh reaction to falling behind where there was 25 minutes of playing time to go? Nothing. No shots, no chances, no corners, no Cian Hayes (the one player to offer a threat all night who had run himself into the ground) and three different positions for substitute Abraham Odoh.

7) Ricky-Jade Jones is a big strong lad, but he rarely threatened to get away from two uncompromising centre-backs who were given licence to hold, block and tug the Posh speedster with no fear of punishment from a referee Lewis Smith who was all over the place. Remarkably, given the evidence of this game, Smith has been fast-tracked to Premier League status and yet he missed obvious early cautions for both teams, while dishing out yellow cards for softer offences. He should have sent Wallin off in the first 20 minutes and he probably should have sent Fernandez off straight after the winning goal. And of course the inevitable gamesmanship and time-wasting was happily indulged by a referee who seemed happy to have his weak urgings to hurry up ignored. Awful referees and the now commonplace tactic of sitting down to feign injury and kill momentum are huge blights on our game.