Darren Ferguson
Manager
Darren is back at London Road for his second stint as manager and he has a continued his success by taking Peterborough United into the npower Championship at the first time of asking and then keeping the club in the division without any relegation worries. Ferguson was a shock appointment when chairman Darragh MacAnthony chose the replacement for Keith Alexander back in January 2007, but he has proved to be arguably the best manager in the club’s history with three promotions already under his belt.
Many were shocked when he was initially appointed as manager, but his re-appointment following a stint at Preston North End came as a bigger surprise, but once again it was a shrewd decision by MacAnthony and the pair led Posh to promotion via the League One play-offs following a 3-0 victory over Huddersfield Town.
As a player, Ferguson was managed at Manchester United by his father Sir Alex Ferguson, but spent most of his playing career at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Wrexham, making over 300 appearances as a player at the Racecourse Ground.
Kevin Russell
Assistant Manager
Kevin Russell has been the right hand man at both London Road and Deepdale during Darren Ferguson’s managerial career and is a key part of the coaching team. He is well liked by players and fans alike and holds the highest coaching badges. ‘Rooster’ as he is affectionately known had a short loan spell as a player at Peterborough, scoring three times in seven appearances.
After starting his playing career at Brighton and Hove Albion, Russell went on to play for 11 clubs in a career that spanned nearly 20 years. The majority of the appearances he made came while at Wrexham, but he also made close to 50 appearances for Leicester City.
Gavin Strachan
Coach
Gavin Strachan was promoted to the first team management team after impressing as the youth team manager, working with the under 18s group. Strachan replaced Mark Robson who departed to Barnet as first team manager during the summer of 2012.
Strachan, whose father Gordon was a successful manager at a number of clubs including Leeds United, was a midfield player at London Road and worked with current first team boss Darren Ferguson. As a player, Strachan spent most of his early years with Coventry City, playing for ten different senior clubs. He was capped eight times for the Scotland national under-21 football team.
During the summer of 2012, Strachan attained the UEFA ‘A’ Licence making him one of the most qualified coaches in the country.