Darren Ferguson: Peterborough boss on what made him take the job for a fourth time
- Published
Darren Ferguson, the son of Sir Alex, has been in charge for more than 700 games as a manager
Darren Ferguson says he feels "recharged and refreshed" after agreeing to take charge of Peterborough United for the fourth time.
The 50-year-old signed a deal for the rest of the season after the club parted company with Grant McCann.
He had taken a break from the game after his third spell as boss ended in his resignation in February 2022.
"I never thought I'd come back a second time. Never mind a fourth," he told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
"It was a surprise. It was just tentative interest to start with. Someone got in touch and said 'would you be interested in a conversation?'
"The club had obviously made a decision to let Grant go, which is never nice to see. It's a harsh industry. It's happened to all of us but it's part of the game unfortunately.
"Then it was a case of 'end of the season', which suits me and I think suits everyone. It calms the situation down a bit."
Posh are ninth in League One, five points adrift of the play-off places, and only won one of their last seven matches under McCann.
Ferguson, who has guided the club to promotion on four occasions - three of them from the third tier to the Championship, will be in the dugout for the first time at Port Vale on 16 January.
The first home fixture of his latest stint in charge follows five days later against Charlton.
"This is not about me. Forget me. This is about the club trying to get another promotion," the Scot said.
"But it's also important that this is about the players getting the support from the fans.
"I've spoken to them about the task ahead and they seem up for it, but obviously I'll have to get a bit of confidence into them."
Posh under Darren Ferguson
21 Jan 2007 | 9 Nov 2009 | Played 145 | Won 73 | Lost 40 |
12 Jan 2011 | 21 Feb 2015 | Played 222 | Won 88 | Lost 93 |
27 Jan 2019 | 22 Feb 2022 | Played 150 | Won 66 | Lost 54 |
Ferguson had 49 games in charge of Preston in a year at Deepdale in 2010
He also had 146 matches as manager of Doncaster Rovers from October 2015 to June 2018
Darren Ferguson was 34 years old when he first took the Posh job in January 2007
Ferguson was also appointed only until the end of the season the last time he came back in January 2019.
But two months later he signed a three-year contract and led them back to the Championship in 2021.
"This time it is different. It is short term. The players know that and the position of the club is slightly different too," he said.
His resignation 11 months ago came after a run of nine second-tier matches without a victory and he has spent a long time reflecting on that experience.
"I felt at the time that it [resignation] was the right thing to do and I still think that. We just weren't equipped for the Championship. The lads were genuinely giving everything but we just weren't good enough," Ferguson explained.
"I decided that the best thing was to get out and let someone else have a go. I really hoped we could find a way of staying up but it transpired that we didn't."
He continued: "I've had some time chilling out and now I'm back at it.
"There were a few opportunities in the summer, none of which I fancied. But now I feel recharged and refreshed knowing that the club wanted my help until the end of the season."
Ferguson believes it will be tough to reach the play-offs in a league where just seven points separate fourth-placed Derby County and Exeter City in 11th.
"We're in a mini-league, we can forget the top four," he added.
"The top three are well ahead and Derby are looking very strong.
"I've tried to simplify it for the players. It's a mini league of six or seven teams, although someone could come flying at the end. I've simplified it and said 'there's our league, we need to win more points than them'."