We’ve looked at the managerial records of every Posh boss since the club entered the Football League in 1960. There have been 36 managerial appointments with an average lifespan of just under 1.8 years apiece.
Ferguson (4), Noel Cantwell (2), Chris Turner (2) and Grant McCann (2) have been appointed more than once, but who has the best points per game (PPG) record of them all?
We have calculated the below on Football League matches only based on three points per win. Caretaker-manager records have only been included if a temporary spell in charge led to a full-time appointment as in the cases of Billy Hails, Jim Iley, Mick Halsall, Steve Bleasdale and McCann.
The records of those with multiple appointments have been combined. The managers have been placed in reverse order based on their points-per-game (PPG) percentages.
1. MARK COOPER
(Nov 09-Feb 10)...P12 W1 D4 L7 PPG 19.44%...Appointed to manage a Championship side straight from Kettering Town in the National League with predictable results. Now managing Yeovil Town. Photo: PT
2. BILLY HAILS (left)
(Nov 78-Feb 79)...P13 W2 D3 L8 PPG 23.01%...Great player in the brilliant Posh side of the early 1960s. Posh physio when he reluctantly stepped up to be manager of a team heading for relegation from Division Three after John Barnwell fell out with the board over a lack of transfer funds. Photo: PT
3. JIM GANNON
(Feb 10-Apr 10)...P14 W4 D1 L9 PPG 30.95%...Had an impossible task when replacing Cooper with Posh out of their depth in the Championship. The Irishman was offered the job full-time, but put his young family first and they didn't want to leave the North. Left the club after an Easter Monday draw at Barnsley confirmed relegation. Photo: Alan Storer
4. LIL FUCCILLO
(Dec 92-Dec 93)...P50 W12 D16 L22 PPG 34.67%...He took on the manager's job six years after a brief spell as caretaker-manager. Fuccillo was Chris Turner's right-hand man in the back-to-back promotion seasons in the early 90s, but he struggled in the top job when Turner stepped away to run the club. Helped Posh to a club record 10th-place second tier finish, but the following season was a nightmare and Fuccillo had gone by Christmas. Photo: David Lowndes