The Whites travel to Peterborough tomorrow hoping to put the disappointing 1-1 draw against Coventry behind them. Peterborough fan Conor King was kind enough to spare a few minutes to answer my questions.
You sit in 7th place in the Championship table. Are you happy with the start so far?
Definitely. Every one had written us off completely before the season started and we've turned a few heads and proved that we deserve to be at this level (unlike last time when we were a complete shambles). Fans before this season looked at the games vs Peterborough and most of them said "6 points" but now they're not. I think the 7-1 humiliation of Ipswich on Sky somewhat helped there though.
Darren Ferguson returned to Peterborough last season following a spell with Preston. What exactly went on with the chairman and the manager and is everything back to normal now?
Fergie's a young, ambitious manager and MacAnthony is a young, ambitious chairman. They both made mistakes. Ferguson is the first to admit he had his head turned and jumped ship too early, and MacAnthony admitted he was too hard sometimes and too quick to give up the fight for him to stay.
Neither kid themselves now, we're a small club in a league that we should only dream of being in. We have an average gate of around 7,500 at most and a League Two structure, yet we're here, and turning heads. Fergie knows he has a good chairman who will back him til the end, and MacAnthony knows he has a bright, young manager who plays football in the right way and has a point to prove. It's a good combination.
Having just been promoted some may expect you to struggle. However you play good football and for me will finish around mid-table. What are your expectations for the season?
It's a surprise for us to have started how we did. Of course, we have faith in our team but no-one expected to be 1 point outside the Play-offs after a quarter of the season. We expected to be where Forest are. I think the last season in the Championship for us clouded our judgement of this league, and this league's judgement of us. We simply weren't prepared last time and this time we are. We still have to aim for survival first, that is the main thing for a club this size, but if that's confirmed, then anything else will be a bonus.
You beat Cardiff 4-3 on Tuesday and seem to score goals for fun at home. What is it about you at London Road that makes you different from other teams struggling at home at present?
I think the players relish having a home crowd around, they love the buzz. When the players are in full flow the crowd gets going, which spurs the players on more which then spurs the crowd on more and it's quite something. We just seem to click at LR, teams come here and defend because they concentrate on holding us back which suits us more. We love to attack.
Craig Mackail-Smith departed in the summer. Obviously he was a big player but have you missed his performances and work rate and can he make it to the top or not?
We have missed him, of course. Any team would miss a player of his quality. We play slightly different now due to him not being here. For example, last season if we were under pressure, we could lump it up field and get him to chase it down, get men forward and then play our passing game, where as this season we have to play our passing game all over the field as we don't have his energy and buzz upfront. He could go to the Premier League, without doubt.
I've never ever seen a more popular player at the club. Not only was he insanely hard working, and a lethal goalscorer, but he was a lovely man off the field, helping the community, taking time out for fans, appreciating the city. He is a Peterborough United legend without doubt, and I sincerely hope he gets the chance at the top flight that he really deserves.
London Road has two standing areas which is uncommon during the present climate. Do you think terraces need to be brought back into football and is it something that makes London Road special?
Fans love our terraces and that's what makes London Road so popular. Sure, it's old, a bit rustic and will never be a contender for a world cup venue or a cup semi final but it's what fans want. Terracing is brilliant. It really helps atmosphere and I for one would welcome them back at grounds with open arms. Obviously on our travels we get to visit these new stadiums at MK Dons, Cardiff, Brighton etc and although they look nice, the atmosphere is different. Especially in the case of MK Dons where they have a stadium miles too big for their fan base (without even finishing the upper tier) and it's a soulless bowl. That's not what football should be played under. Loud, acoustic terraces are the best way. I really hope that a solution is found and safe standing terraces are implemented.
Who do Leeds fans need to watch out for on Saturday?
Grant McCann. I'm sure a lot of Leeds fans may have watched our Play Off final due to Huddersfield taking part in them, and would have seen the impact McCann has. He is a superb player. Deadly from set pieces (as seen in the PO Final, and against Cardiff on Tuesday), superb passing range and an eye for goal. He's a big part of how we play and without doubt a huge player. Of course, we have George Boyd & Lee Tomlin who are also dangerous. We have a few good players who can really hurt opposition sides.
If you could have any Leeds player who would it be?
Adam Clayton is well known to us after his loan spell here, he did quite well and I'm glad he's gone on to be a success at Leeds. I'd probably want Snodgrass, as you may have assumed. I lived in Leeds for 8 months and went to the Preston game at Elland Road last year (Mainly to see how Fergie, Coutts & Morgan were getting on since leaving Posh) and Snodgrass was brilliant, shame about your defence at the time, though I see you've offloaded the woeful Naylor to Doncaster since. Poor them.
Prediction for the match? I'm going for either 2-2 or 3-3.
There will be goals for sure. We haven't had a 0-0 since December 2009 against Ipswich. Both Leeds & Posh seem to prefer concentrating on scoring goals rather than stopping them. I'm awful at predictions, but i'll say 3-2 Posh, more in hope rather than expectation.
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