Supporters group place their Trust in Darren Ferguson

Peterborough United Trust chairman Marco Graziano writes for the Peterborough Telegraph on the dawn of a new League One season.
Posh striker Mo Eisa (left) is tipped to have a big season by Posh Supporters Trust chairman Marco Graziano.Posh striker Mo Eisa (left) is tipped to have a big season by Posh Supporters Trust chairman Marco Graziano.
Posh striker Mo Eisa (left) is tipped to have a big season by Posh Supporters Trust chairman Marco Graziano.

“I desperately want to forget the 2019/20 football season.

Obviously, football within the context of the pandemic is well down the order of priorities, but now, as some sense of normality returns, we can bring football back into our lives.

The prospect of the new League One season approaching brings the anticipation of watching our team once again, albeit out of ‘sync’ with the actual season starting which will be weird.

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The pre-season preparation sawthe players focusing on catching the manager Darren Ferguson’s eye, as well as getting as fit as possible, to stake a regular place in the first eleven. My player to watch this season would be Mo Eisa.

The season ahead brings with it a particular frisson given the overly simplistic points per game (PPG) which brought the 2019/20 season to an abrupt end. Wherever you stand on the PPG issue the lesson from 2019/20 is that the Posh must be more ruthless.

In this regard Posh didn’t stamp their authority on every match and disciplinary lapses halfway through the season resulted in a weakened team which surely degraded our overall points tally and in the final (PPG) reckoning ended our aspirations of promotion.

Looking forward more positively I have this real sense of a pent-up mission for Posh in the coming season.

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The core of the team that performed so well in the 2019/20 season remain available, albeit without Ivan Toney, but I’m sure Darren will add to our goal scoring potency and capacity.

What every fan loves about Posh under Darren is his simple philosophyof outscoring the opposition.

The 2019/20 season brought a much-needed investment in our defensive capability and so for these reasons I remain optimistic Posh will gain automatic promotion.

The mission accomplished will taste even sweeter when Posh get their promotion if Wycombe’s phoney appearance in the championship sees them heading in the opposite direction back to League One!”

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Moving on to other matters, we understand that the ground sale, although delayed, is going ahead, but the subsequent move to a new stadium has slipped by a year.

The Trust has been supportive of the club’s plans to create a more sustainable business with football at the centre of an expanded commercial enterprise.

It is the opinion of the Trust and many individual supporters that the ground location is number one in the hierarchy of priorities to retain the unique matchday experience.

In this regard the Trust is working with Peterborough City Council to agree a covenant (legal obligations) where the current ground sale includes certain assurances to protect football, literally, ‘in the heart of the community’.

The Trust will publish more on the ground sale in our September newsletter.”