Wakey wakey Peterborough United as there is no longer any hiding place, a hope that appearances are deceptive and a team to win the next game
This should be a mighty wake-up call for a Peterborough United team currently sleepwalking towards League Two.
When your mild-mannered manager delivers a public shaming of your performance during a 3-1 defeat at Blackpool on Saturday you need to sit up and take note.
Flair and speed won’t carry you to many wins against teams who show far more fight, desire and purpose as ‘The Seasiders’ proved yesterday. Burton Albion, Doncaster Rovers and Wigan Athletic are others who showed an ability to scrap is a useful skill to have in a relegation dogfight. Posh still have two of those teams to play in a run-in that still looks mightily favourable on paper, even for a team with one win in their last 10 outings.
Sky Bet shortened the Posh relegation odds from 100-1 to 66-1 overnight which still seems a reasonable assessment of the remaining games, although some who saw the tame surrender at Bloomfield Road unfold might be tempted to take a little punt.
Is that being overly-negative? Probably, but Posh could drop two more places before they host bottom club Port Vale on Thursday and if they don’t win that game against a team who also play two days earlier the alarm bells really be ringing, and it’s not entirely certain they will be heard by some of those who appeared to be going through the motions in the North West.
Appearances are often deceptive, but Posh looked like a squad with players who are not as good as they think they are, others who have stayed injury free, but who now look knackered after a long, hard slog, and others who quite simply don’t look up to required level.
There is perspective required though. As bad a day as it was for Posh yesterday, it was worse for Exeter City, Leyton Orient and AFC Wimbledon who have less leeway than Posh in which to clamber clear of trouble.
As things stand fourth-from-bottom Exeter already have to win two of their final three matches to get past Posh unless there is a big goal difference change in the meantime. A win for Posh on Thursday would mean ‘The Grecians’ would need to win all three remaining matches to sweep past Luke Williams’ side. That’s how close Posh are, but even some of those who had no doubts their favourite team would stay up after a spirited showing in the previous game against Cardiff City are wavering.
Other talking points from Blackpool 3, Posh 1...
1) The main excuses for a poor Posh run have disappeared. The big players have all returned from injury, referee Charles Breakspear was good yesterday, the playing surface looked in good condition and there was space on a wide pitch. There is now no hiding place for the management or the players. If there is not a rapid and significant improvement I doubt we will see lovey-dovey messages between members of the club hierarchy on social media for a while.
2) Among the dross there were two positives for Posh. The return of Matt Garbett should be huge as he’s a player who can take the ball under pressure, and in tight situations, and yet turn past opponents and start attacks rather than just run back towards his own goal to make safe passess that just invite more pressure. And Brandon Khela’s goal was a sumptuous strike, but sadly not one that provoked any increase in playing standard from him or his teammates.
3) Body language students would have had a field day with Posh yesterday. Jimmy-Jay Morgan has been a popular and classy addition to the Posh squad, but he can seem intolerant of players with less natural ability. The reaction of James Dornelly to his mistake that led to the third Blackpool goal was also concerning. The right-back lost possession in a bad area, but there was no sprint back to try and make amends. Keeping faith with a player clearly struggling foronfidence is not doing him or the team any favours.
4) When/if Posh do confirm their League One status, what hope is there for next season? Morgan and Archie Collins will be gone and it sounds like Garbett will be used to ease some of the financial pressures at London Road, an understable aim given the precarious nature of debt-laden football clubs in general, but not one to inspire confidence of Posh improvement after two seasons in the doldrums. There is promise aplenty in the Posh Academy, but asking a squad full of teenagers to mount a promotion push seems wildly optimistic. Last season it looked like fringe players were doing their utmost to get on the transfer list and it’s happening again now. Last summer most were kept on. If that happens again it would be fair to question the club’s on-field ambition.
5) Of all the words used by Williams to describe his team yesterday, ‘fragile’ sums them up best. I don’t think a relegation battle is a place for 17 year-olds or floundering full-backs. It’s a time for battle-hardened pros and those prepared to ally obvious talent with a willingness for hard work.
Assuming certain fitness concerns have cleared up, this is my team to face Vale.
Bass
Kioso, Lees, Okagbue, Mills
Collins, Woods.
Garbett, Morgan, Lisbie
Leonard.
If that team can’t get the maximum required six points from five games Posh will deserve to go down.