Barry Fry has been around Peterborough United long enough to have a pretty reliable sense of when something is about to get interesting. "All I can say to you Posh fans... you lucky people!" the club's director of football told those assembled at Robbie Savage's unveiling on Friday. High praise, and the kind of line that tends to age either very well or very badly.

Savage arrives at London Road with Peterborough sitting second bottom of League One and the January transfer window still the best part of three months away. The circumstances, then, are rather less romantic than the appointment itself.

A rise that is hard to argue with

Whatever reservations you might harbour about a part-time television and radio pundit taking charge of a professional football club, the timeline is at least worth respecting. In July 2023 Savage took over seventh-tier Macclesfield FC, the phoenix club that rose after Macclesfield Town was wound up in 2020. One season, 109 goals, 109 points, and a promotion later, he moved on.

He then joined National League side Forest Green Rovers in July 2025. In his only full season there he guided the Gloucestershire club to the play-offs, before they were eliminated by Boreham Wood. At the point of his departure for Peterborough, Forest Green sat 13th after 11 matches. In 836 days Savage had gone from the seventh tier to the third. You can call it opportunism, or you can call it momentum. It is probably both.

Posh chairman Darragh MacAnthony said the board were "blown away" by Savage in interview, pointing to his "hunger to fix our issues and get confidence back into our talented squad". That is, it should be noted, press-release language. What the numbers and the people who watched him at Forest Green actually say is slightly more nuanced.

What "relentless" actually means in practice

BBC Radio Gloucestershire's Forest Green reporter Paul Furley described Savage's style with the word "relentless," and the statistics at least support the idea that his teams go for it. At Forest Green, goals scored rose from 69 to 82 in his only full season in charge. Goals conceded, however, rose too, from 42 to 52. A 4-2-3-1 formation is his preferred structure, and at his Peterborough unveiling he was characteristically unambiguous: "I love entertaining, attacking football. I would rather win games 5-4 than 1-0."

For a club second bottom of League One, that philosophy will need to deliver results quickly, not just excitement. Savage will be aware of that tension. MacAnthony is not a chairman historically known for patience when results go the wrong way.

The squad-building approach

Furley also noted that Savage developed a habit of moving for new players after defeats at Forest Green. Many of those arrivals, though, were loan signings or players stepping up from lower levels seeking their first full-time professional contract. The hit-rate on those deals is inevitably mixed, but Furley credited Savage with also reducing the club's wage bill, which had been one of the tasks set for him on arrival.

At League One level, Peterborough's squad carries considerably more resource than Forest Green's did. The question of how Savage adapts his approach to a larger, more expensive playing group, without access to significant transfer activity until January, is perhaps the most pressing one facing the club right now.

The off-pitch factor

Forest Green fan Damian Ockham, speaking to the BBC, said Savage's most lasting impression at the club was not tactical but personal. "He was brilliant with fans," Ockham said. "Different to anything we'd seen before. He was happy to meet people, speak to people. He was quite open and honest and would front up to a good or bad result."

Savage is also continuing his punditry work alongside the management role, including co-hosting BBC Radio 5 Live's 606 phone-in. That arrangement will attract scrutiny if results do not improve quickly, but for now it appears the club were content to accommodate it.

On the touchline he is, by all accounts, a restless presence: short team talks, early warm-up routines designed to engage the crowd, and a high-energy manner throughout. For a fan base that has endured a difficult start to the season, and for a town that has seen a few managerial cycles in recent years, the arrival of someone with obvious charisma and a willingness to be visible is not nothing. Whether it is enough is the question League One will answer in its own blunt fashion over the coming months.

Frequently asked

What is Robbie Savage's managerial background before joining Peterborough?
Savage started his management career at seventh-tier Macclesfield FC in 2023, winning promotion with 109 points in one season. He then moved to National League side Forest Green Rovers, guiding them to the play-offs in his only full season before leaving for Peterborough United.
What formation does Robbie Savage prefer at Peterborough?
Savage favours a 4-2-3-1 system and describes his philosophy as attacking and entertaining. At Forest Green his side scored 82 league goals in his only full season, though they also conceded 52.
How are Peterborough United doing in League One under new management?
Peterborough were second bottom of League One at the time of Savage's appointment, having sacked Luke Williams following a defeat to Doncaster Rovers. Savage has taken charge with the January transfer window still some months away.