Robbie Savage to Peterborough United: Match made in heaven or car crash waiting to happen?

Peterborough United have today appointed Robbie Savage as their new manager. The 51-year-old was presented at Peterborough's training ground on Friday morning, having signed a multi-year deal with the League One outfit.

He arrives from Forest Green Rovers after a 15-month spell with the National League side and replaces Luke Williams. Williams was sacked on the 19th of September after a 2-0 home defeat to a Doncaster Rovers side who hadn't won a league game all season. It was a result that left Posh 23rd in the League One table, having won just one of their first seven.

When links first surfaced, the reaction from most corners of the internet was not positive. Many criticised Savage's lack of experience and laughed at the idea of him being brought in to turn a sinking Peterborough ship around. It's potential no more, but is Darragh MacAnthony's latest Posh appointment a match made in heaven or a car crash waiting to happen?

Savage's route into management was certainly unique. He joined the board at Macclesfield in 2020 – as the phoenix club arose from the wreckage – and served as director of football before installing himself as head coach in the summer of 2024. He backed himself, but with next to no previous managerial experience, to me it looked like a case of an ex-professional footballer fancying himself a bit beyond his abilities.

He didn't fail. In fact, he proved many wrong. Macclesfield won the Northern Premier League Premier Division title at a canter, sealing it with six games to spare and finishing on 109 points with 109 goals scored. A 78.4% win percentage with Macclesfield earned him a jump straight up to the National League, as he left the Silkmen for the opportunity to manage Forest Green Rovers.

Life at Forest Green started well for the Welshman, with Savage's side quickly establishing themselves towards the top end of the table. Playing on the front foot, Forest Green scored 82 goals in 46 league games and finished inside a play-off spot. Rovers went out in the play-off eliminator, narrowly losing to eventual finalists Boreham Wood, but a seventh-placed finish in Savage's first season in charge wasn't particularly remarkable either way.

This season, they won four of their opening nine and sat 14th, with criticism from the stands growing towards Savage. But then Peterborough came knocking, and Savage departed Forest Green having won 32 of his 66 games in charge. His record at Macclesfield was great, earning him a move to Forest Green, but it's hard to fathom his record at Rovers alone being enough to earn him a League One move. There must be something that MacAnthony likes beyond his tactical nous.

I kind of see it. Part of me feels like this is a match made in heaven. MacAnthony is quite eccentric, and Robbie Savage's ride-or-die relationship with Dale Vince has shown his ability to work with slightly spiky characters. Two big personalities pulling in the same direction can be a powerful thing.

In the club's statement, MacAnthony cited Savage's "personality, character and mindset" as something he wants to see implemented across the football club. Peterborough have a rich history in League One of being an exciting attacking side. Whether it's George Boyd and Craig Mackail-Smith, or Kwame Poku and Ephron Mason-Clark, dynamic attacking play is something often associated with Peterborough. The smallish sample of evidence so far suggests Savage will commit to that. His Macclesfield and Forest Green sides certainly weren't shy of attacking at all costs.

Posh have a young squad, and Savage's self-proclaimed ability to protect his players on the touchline may prove to be vital. As a player, the Welshman was booed and mocked throughout his career; he had a style which lent itself to getting under opposition fans' skin.

It may rub some up the wrong way, but he's unapologetically himself post-retirement too. Whether that's during his media appearances or as a manager, he's never afraid to say what he thinks, even if it does rattle some cages. I'm certain we will hear chants of "Robbie Savage, you're a w*****, you're a w*****!" ringing around League One grounds this season.

It'll work in Peterborough's favour, though. Nathan Jones is the master of it, taking pressure away from his squad by being, for want of a better phrase, a little bit crackers. When you have players featuring such as 17-year-old Bolu Shofowoke and 19-year-old Lucca Mendonça, a manager who will happily draw some fire towards himself is no bad thing.

It can work both ways, though. The same qualities that help him absorb external pressure make Posh a target for ridicule if things go wrong. A few early defeats and the circus could well start. Eccentric managers can help to create an us-against-the-world mentality when things are going well, but football fans are fickle, and the over-exuberant celebrations and post-match outbursts can soon come back to haunt you.

Communication with the media is such a pivotal part of being a modern-day manager. We've seen previously how managers have put targets on their backs that they haven't been able to shake through reckless comments in the press. Savage will have to be acutely aware of how he navigates the vastly increased media responsibilities during his first few weeks in the job. I'm personally concerned that some Posh fans may struggle to take to his brash style if he can't get off to a positive start on the pitch.

Then there's also the experience problem. Savage has managed for a little over two seasons, both outside the Football League. He has never taken charge of an EFL game, never fought a relegation battle and, crucially, has only ever worked with budgets that were large for the level. When Forest Green's budget dropped, so did his performance. He inherited a side that Steve Cotterill had guided to 3rd in the National League the season before, finished 7th with it, and left with Rovers drifting down the table in 14th.

I don't think it's unfair to say that if Savage wasn't such an extravagant character with a very respectable playing career behind him, he wouldn't have been in contention for the job. Of course, his ability to manage characters and pressure counts for something, but ultimately you will get carved apart in League One if you don't have the footballing IQ to create match-winning gameplans.

The shelf life for Peterborough managers who aren't Darren Ferguson doesn't tend to be long, and with two extraordinary personalities at the helm, there's certainly potential for things to get ugly at London Road.

It's a brave appointment, and Savage has the potential to be explosive, in more ways than one. However, I personally lean towards this not working. The jump in quality is enormous and the margin for error in League One is minuscule. I fear that Savage is already on the back foot with a portion of the Posh fanbase and may struggle to turn things around sufficiently.

But it's not the laughing stock some are making it out to be. There's a method to MacAnthony's madness, and his outside-the-box thinking has come up trumps for Posh before. It's right in at the deep end for Savage and he'll have to work with what he's got. We're still three months out from January, and his fate could be sealed by then.

From the outside, the conditions look difficult. Let's see what you're made of, Robbie.