Robbie Savage has wasted no time telling his Peterborough players what he thinks of them. Four goals in nine first-half minutes against Ipswich Town's under-21s on Tuesday gave him a 4-1 EFL Trophy win in his first game as manager, and he still used the post-match interviews to say this squad has been underachieving.
The 51-year-old was named as Luke Williams' successor on Friday, having left National League side Forest Green the week before. His first league game in charge is at Leicester City on Saturday, and he has already set out what he wants Posh to look like when they get there.
A mentality problem, according to Savage
Speaking to BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Savage said the players need to drop a mindset built around stopping the opposition. In his words, it has to be about Peterborough, not the team across the pitch. He wants them to play, have a go and entertain the travelling supporters, and he reminded everyone that the club expects to take more than 3,200 fans to Leicester.
The diagnosis is blunt, but there is a hopeful half to it. If the squad is underachieving, as Savage believes, then the talent is already in the building and the job is to get more out of it. He said that if the best can be drawn out of these players, they can beat anybody.
A relentless style with a built-in cost
Savage called the win a positive start and hoped it gave supporters a blueprint of what to expect: high energy, a way of playing he described as tough and relentless, and one he says the players have embraced well so far.
He was also honest about the downside. A side that plays that way will concede goals, he said, and he accepts it. Whether that approach survives a bad afternoon in League One is the question he will be asked sooner or later, but in his first week he has chosen to sell attack over caution.
Silverware to defend and a trip to Leicester
Tuesday's result put Peterborough into the last 32 of the EFL Trophy, a competition they won for a joint-record third time in 2025. That gives Savage a cup run to work with alongside the league.
Saturday brings the real examination at Leicester. The fans went home happy on Tuesday, according to Savage. What he needs now is for the same message to carry over to games that count for points.
Match facts: Peterborough United 4-1 Ipswich Town U21s, EFL Trophy, Tuesday 6 October 2026. Four Peterborough goals in nine first-half minutes. Robbie Savage, 51, succeeded Luke Williams on Friday and takes charge of his first League One game at Leicester City on Saturday. Source: BBC Sport and BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.
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