Peterborough squad are too soft - Ferguson

Peterborough United manager Darren Ferguson has described his squad as the "softest group" he has ever been in charge of.

Ferguson tore into his players following Saturday's 5-1 defeat at Lincoln City which extended their winless run to eight games.

And they remain 19th in League One, having reached the play-offs in the past two seasons.

"It's just the basics - don't run, don't tackle, don't head, and when you do tackle, it's always a foul - you don't tackle properly.

"It was a shambles, a mess, it was embarrassing. I don't often say that about my team but I've got to be honest. This group is without doubt the softest group of players I've ever had in my whole management career.

"It's my group of players but sometimes you think you're just wasting your time."

Ferguson is in his fourth spell as Posh manager, having previously led them to four promotions and two wins at Wembley in the EFL Trophy.

But he has had to revamp his squad since three members of their 2023-24 defence left last summer, along with influential forward Ephron Mason-Clark.

They have conceded 52 goals in 27 league games, five more than any other side in the third tier, but have a chance to end their lean run in Tuesday's home game against Wigan Athletic.

And Ferguson has demanded his players show some "fight and desire".

He said: "I have to pick another team for Tuesday and see if we get a reaction. But if we play like that, we're in trouble.

"The reality is we've got 19 games left and my job is to keep us in the league, that is it. If I can do that with this group of players, then I've done the job."

Despite their poor run, Peterborough have a six-point gap between themselves and the bottom four.

Asked about his own feelings, Ferguson said he and his coaching staff have what it takes to steer the team out of trouble if they "show a bit of grit".

He added: "This is quite a simple game, and especially at League One level. If you don't run as much as the opposition and you don't want to tackle, win second balls and let teams score goals like we are, you are going to lose every game you play.

"We can play nice football and have 600 passes, but if you don't do the basics, it's no good."