Darren Ferguson: Peterborough United sack Grant McCann and reappoint former boss for fourth spell

Darren Ferguson first took charge of Peterborough United in January 2007

Darren Ferguson has been reappointed Peterborough United manager until the end of the season following the sacking of boss Grant McCann.

McCann, 42, and assistant Cliff Byrne, 40, departed Posh on Wednesday after a run of one win in seven league games.

Peterborough co-owner Jason Neale said the return of Ferguson would only be until the end of the campaign.

“When you look for a manager in January, it is a very difficult time, an impossible time to get someone in, so if you were to write down what you would want in a manager, someone who identifies with how you work as a football club, someone who has had multiple promotions on their CV, someone with a style of football that gets people off their seats, where would you find a manager like that?” Neale told the club website. external-link

“It just so happens we have one that lives nearby and has agreed to come and help us until the end of the season.

“We are not talking a long-term appointment, it has been agreed between ourselves and Darren that the best way is for him to come in and work with the squad.”

Ferguson led Peterborough to successive promotions in his first two full seasons in charge but left for the first time with the club bottom of the Championship.

He returned 14 months later, in January 2011 after being sacked by Preston, and led Posh to victory over Huddersfield in the League One play-off final, only to leave “by mutual consent” in February 2015 following relegation and a poor start to the season.

After leading Doncaster to relegation and instant promotion, Ferguson left for his third spell at London Road, taking the club back into the Championship, before resigning in February of last year with Posh in 23rd place.

Neale added: “He only left a year ago, none of the owners wanted him to leave, for us the Championship was a challenge for a club our size, he made the decision to leave, Darragh (MacAnthony, chairman) felt it was the wrong decision at the time, but we feel that after a year out, he is full of enthusiasm, he is going to come in and his motivation and aim is to get another promotion under the belt.

“He has won five promotions in his career; he will be going for number six and we are delighted that he has agreed to return. It is business as usual and on we go.”

McCann reign ‘hasn’t worked out’ Grant McCann won 18 of his 48 games in charge of Peterborough during his second spell as manager

Former Posh midfielder McCann was sacked 21 months into his first spell as manager, in 2018, but returned to Peterborough following Ferguson’s last departure, having led Hull to promotion in 2021.

Unable to prevent Peterborough’s relegation from the Championship , McCann stayed in his job, and that looked like a sound decision as Posh won four of their first five league games this season.

Four straight defeats in August and September ended that run, but Posh bounced back again with six wins and a draw from eight matches to reignite their promotion hopes.

Since November, however, five defeats from seven league games – culminating in a 3-0 home defeat by Wycombe at the weekend – prompted the board’s decision to part company.

On the departure of McCann, who was in his second spell at the Weston Homes Stadium, MacAnthony said: “It just hasn’t worked out.

“With the squad that we have, at the beginning of January, where we are in the league table is not where we expected and we feel if we are going to give ourselves a chance of a promotion run, now is the time to make that change.

“After watching us lose 3-0 at home on New Year’s Day, that hammered home what kind of run we have been on, one win in 10 weeks and that is just not going to cut it. We have high expectations, and those high expectations will continue.”