Peterborough United appoint Savage: what happens next

Robbie Savage has been confirmed as Peterborough United’s new manager, taking over a side that sits second from bottom of the table.

Peterborough sacked Luke Williams last month, and the Savage appointment is the board’s answer to a run of results that left them needing a change.

Savage leaves Forest Green Rovers to take his first Football League managerial job since he retired as a player in 2011.

He will link up with two former Wrexham players, Tom O’Connor and Harry Ashfield, at London Road.

Peterborough United appoint Savage: how it happened

The vacancy had been open since Williams left last month, and Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony ran an extensive interview process before settling on Savage.

Our full report on the appointment sets out how that search unfolded and why the club moved when it did.

According to MacAnthony, the choice was clear once Savage sat down with the board.

“The board were blown away by him in an extensive interview, and his hunger to fix our issues and get confidence back into our talented squad is what I am most excited by,” he said in MacAnthony’s comments on the appointment.

Savage’s managerial career began at Macclesfield, where he steered the club to promotion into National League North.

It remains the only promotion on his record, but it gave Peterborough a reason to believe he can lift a struggling squad again.

The expert angle: why this appointment matters

Peterborough are not just short of points. They are short of belief, and that is the gap MacAnthony believes Savage can close.

“His personality, character and mindset is something we need top to bottom. Nobody will work harder to get us up and running again than Robbie,” the chairman said.

The Savage appointment is as much a bet on personality as it is on coaching. Savage has built a public image on refusing to be written off, and he leaned on that history in his first press conference at London Road.

“Everyone’s entitled to their opinion but all I want is a chance. I’ve done it all my life,” Savage said.

He went further, pointing to the setbacks that shaped his playing career.

“When I was released by Manchester United I was told I wasn’t good enough, when I moved to Leicester I wasn’t in the team and had to battle. Nobody’s given me anything in this world, I’ve earned it and I’ve worked hard for it.”

He was just as direct about what he wants from his new squad.

“Judge me when we start playing football, that’s what I love. I’m passionate and emotional and I just want to watch this young team give me everything, play that explosive style of football,” he said.

That combination of defiance and demand is exactly what MacAnthony says he was missing in the building.

For a club second from bottom, a manager who refuses to accept doubt is a deliberate choice, not an accident.

Follow all the latest: Football live: Premier League 2026/27 news, transfers and updates.