Life after Darren Ferguson and Veljko Paunović: What next for Peterborough United and Reading?

On the evening of 16th February 2022, Peterborough United and Reading played out a dour 0-0 draw in terrible conditions. Within four days of the match, both of the club’s respective managers would find themselves out of a job.

Reading fans organised a protest following the stalemate in North Cambridgeshire, refusing to leave the Weston Homes Stadium for 15 minutes after the full-time whistle. They made their views clear, chanting about manager Veljko Paunović and the club’s board in order to disrupt the post-match interviews that usually take place on the pitch.

The supporters were eventually forced out of the ground and the Serbian opted to respond with “no comment” to all of the questions asked about his future at the club during his media duties.

He took charge of the Royals’ next game, a 3-2 win away at Preston North End, the following Saturday. While this was their first victory in any competition since the end of November, the decision had already been made to mutually part ways, with the players and fans informed of the decision shortly after the full-time whistle at Deepdale.

Conversely, Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson was awarded a new three-and-a-half-year contract back in November and was publicly backed by chairman Darragh MacAnthony throughout the club’s disastrous spell in the Championship. A 1-0 defeat at Derby County proved too much for the Scotsman, who resigned as manager of the club the following day, leaving them in 23rd place in the table.

So, what is next for the Championship’s two managerless relegation battlers and who could they bring in to try and secure another season in the second tier?

Peterborough United

For starters, the Posh’s long-term future seems to be up in the air. Before Ferguson’s resignation, MacAnthony confirmed that he would step back from his role as Head of Recruitment if the club’s co-owners asked him to, going on to say that he would allow them to buy him out entirely if they wanted to and the chairman has publicly accepted the blame for Peterborough’s poor performances in the Championship.

The club’s short-term future is not any clearer, with the Posh sitting five points off Reading in 21st. Derby have now overtaken them with Saturday’s win at Pride Park despite the Rams being handed a whopping 21-point deduction at the start of the season. With 15 games left to play, their fate is not yet sealed, but survival is looking incredibly unlikely given their horrific fixtures in the coming weeks.

Peterborough travel to Championship leaders Fulham on Wednesday evening, with the Cottagers undoubtedly looking to hand out one of their trademark thrashings after suffering a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of Huddersfield Town on Saturday.

The Posh then host Hull City, a side who they were automatically promoted from League One alongside last season, with Premier League champions Manchester City visiting the Weston Homes Stadium for a Fifth Round tie in the FA Cup shortly afterwards.

It does not get much easier after that, with a number of promotion-chasing clubs on the Posh’s fixture list in the coming weeks, including tough trips to AFC Bournemouth and Huddersfield. The club have recorded just one league win since the end of October and it is tough to see where they pick up points from here on in.

With Peterborough’s club statement not naming an interim replacement, many believe that an announcement could be imminent with MacAnthony cancelling the next episode of his podcast to focus on recruitment. BetVictor have installed two former Posh managers as the frontrunners, Grant McCann (4/6) and Steve Evans (6/1), both of whom are without a club after leaving Hull City and Gillingham respectively.

Further down the list you will find former Sunderland boss Lee Johnson and current Cambridge United manager Mark Bonner, who are both listed at 12/1. While Johnson is yet to comment on the rumours, Bonner has already reaffirmed his loyalty to the U’s and laughed off suggestions of him moving to their arch-rivals.

The reality is that this appointment will be decided on whether MacAnthony wants to play it safe or take a risk. There are a number of established managers available with track records of performing miracles in the form of keeping clubs up. Neil Warnock (14/1) will always be the name that springs to mind in this case, but at 73-years-old, he is not a long-term solution to the club’s problems.

Alternatively, the Posh can opt to take a younger, more experienced manager. While Bonner may have ruled himself out, Liam Manning (16/1), Ian Burchnall (16/1) and Rob Edwards (33/1) have all been carving out impressive coaching careers for themselves lower down the football pyramid.

Ultimately, McCann falls somewhere in the middle, making him the most likely candidate. The 41-year-old has already had a two-year spell with Peterborough, and while that ended with him being fired, MacAnthony has been very vocal in his admiration of the former Hull boss.

With Championship experience and promotion from League One on his CV, his appointment could prove to be a success regardless of which division the Posh find themselves in next season. MacAnthony would not have to break the bank to bring him in either and his knowledge of the club would be an added bonus in both their short and long-term future.

Reading

Unlike Peterborough, Reading’s short-term future is fairly secure. In the club statement announcing the departure of Paunović, the Royals confirmed that Paul Ince would be taking charge of the first team on an interim basis.

This came as a major surprise, with the only link that he and Reading have being that his son, Tom, is on loan at the club. Ince has not stepped into management since his short stint at Blackpool came to an end in 2014 and the former Manchester United and Liverpool midfielder has achieved very little in his coaching career so far.

Taking on the job at Reading is a risky move for two reasons. Firstly, the club are in an incredibly precarious position in the league, sitting just five points ahead of Peterborough and Derby in the relegation zone. Their win at Preston was their first in any competition since November 27th and they are in real danger of dropping down to League One should one of the sides below them put together a run of form.

Secondly, there are continued question marks over the club’s ownership, with the Royals handed a six-point deduction in mid-November for breaching the EFL’s profitability and sustainability rules. The fact that the club’s dire situation has unfurled in their 150th anniversary year has made it all the more sickening for supporters to endure.

However, Reading’s squad is not one that should be lingering in the depths of the Championship. Much of the squad that challenged for the play-off places in recent years have remained at the club, including the likes of Lucas João and John Swift. Part of the blame for their league position must land at the feet of Paunović, with the rest aimed at the owners for not removing him from his position earlier in the season.

While Ince has taken charge and will seemingly be given the chance to show that he is capable of leading the Royals’ resurgence after this season, the club have confirmed that the search is underway for a new permanent manager. BetVictor have, unsurprisingly, chosen Ince as 2/1 favourite to keep his position in the long-term.

Steve Evans, Grant McCann, Jonathan Woodgate and Neil Lennon are all outsiders at 8/1, while more surprising picks such as John Terry (12/1), Robbie Fowler (16/1), Sol Campbell (25/1) and Michael Carrick (25/1) can be found further down the list.

Ultimately, Saturday’s win has put Reading in the driving seat. Their future is in their own hands, and as a result, they can potentially be more adventurous with their pick than Peterborough can, albeit that they are far from out of the woods in terms of their relegation battle.

Leam Richardson (16/1) is doing incredibly well with Wigan Athletic, who boast a comparatively strong squad for League One level as well. Wycombe Wanderers boss Gareth Ainsworth (16/1) and Rotherham United manager Paul Warne (20/1) have done the same, with both also offering Championship experience, albeit that they have failed to keep their respective sides in the second tier.

While Reading’s stature as a former Premier League club will appeal to many out-of-work managers, the Royals’ ownership will be of major concern to anyone applying for the job. Given that many of the aforementioned sides have much more secure structures at the board level, it could be hard to prize away some of the top managers from their current roles.

Furthermore, the risk of Derby or even Peterborough overtaking the Royals and sending them crashing down to League One will be a major deterrent. The priority will be to secure safety under Ince and sort out their off-field issues before choosing the right man to lead them back towards the top end of the table next season.

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