Gannon has reinvigorated Posh since signing a short term contract in February
By Peter Swan BBC Radio Cambridgeshire
After a summer which promised so much, 2009-10 has hardly been the best of seasons for Peterborough United.
Three different managers, unsettled players, 23 league defeats and an online rant from the chairman have all been part of a campaign which has lurched from one crisis to the next.
However for all the chaos and confusion, the gathering dark clouds seemed to have developed a substantial silver lining in the form of Jim Gannon.
In just two months at London Road, Gannon proved himself to be a thoughtful and innovative coach with a flair for no-nonsense man management.
Despite relegation being virtually confirmed prior to his arrival, the 41-year-old former Stockport boss has succeeded in reinvigorating a side left dejected and confused by weeks of struggle.
With a squad weakened by injury and the departure of captain George Boyd, Gannon has achieved more wins in his 11 matches in charge than were managed in the previous 28 games prior to his arrival.
But with the news that he has turned down a long-term contract, much of that good work has been seemingly undone.
It was purely a personal decision as I don't want to be away from my family
Jim Gannon
"I'm an optimist, but I'm also a realist and I don't expect us to get 12 or 13 wins and I don't want false optimism," Gannon stated at his opening press conference.
"I'm here to make a difference and bring back some respect, credibility and pride back to the club."
It could be argued that having failed to sign enough quality over the summer, Posh never had a squad capable of surviving at Championship level in the first place.
But the uninspired, directionless displays of Mark Cooper's final matches in charge were clearly that of a side underachieving.
Gannon's initial assessment of his new squad saw him talk up the attack, while expressing concern about the defence.
"We've got fantastic attacking talent and scoring goals shouldn't be a problem, but at the other end we need to ensure we're in games long enough to make that tell," he said.
"Maybe if we haven't got the quality of individuals in defence we need to try and find a structure that will allow for collective strength.
"There's a lot of stuff that needs to be tidied up and we need to go out with a focus and know what we want to achieve from training."
Gannon was keen to emphasise the importance of using tactical set-ups that would bring the best out both his star players and the weaker aspects of the squad.
His debut win over QPR saw Posh employ a 3-4-1-2 formation, while in the subsequent victory over Ipswich they used a 4-2-3-1. Against Sheffield United and Watford it was 4-1-2-3.
Gannon believes setting out his sides in four rows rather than three gives them added depth and flexibility.
"Contrary to people's misconceptions, I'm not a tactical eccentric. I'm just a hard working coach looking to help his team prepare to compete," he said.
Though Gannon's tactics can often appear complex, he has not struggled to communicate his ideas to his players.
There is something of Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill in the way he talks which makes everything seem clear and logical.
"He's a perfectionist and very organised and everyone knows their roles now," said midfielder Josh Simpson.
"We know more about who we are up against, and that is hugely important come the matches."
The likes of Charlie Lee, Exodus Geohaghon and Craig Morgan all showed significant improvement under Gannon, while Sergio Torres and Dominic Green were brought in from the cold with some success.
Four wins from 11 may not be the greatest return, but the number of different formations used only hints at some of the challenges faced over the past two months.
The win over Ipswich, for example, was founded upon the rapidly improving midfield pairing of Lee Frecklington and Jake Livermore.
Gannon won promotion from League Two with Stockport in 2008
However, just one match later Livermore was on his way back to Tottenham having been recalled from his loan, while Frecklington was soon on the sidelines with a calf problem.
In fact Gannon's progress has been hampered by an injury crisis of epic proportions.
The likes of Ryan Bennett and Izale McLeod have been long term absentees, and virtually every other first team player has spent time on the treatment table.
Away from the injuries, George Boyd was allowed to move to Nottingham Forest on loan, but Gannon was happy to take the situation in his stride.
"It was a difficult decision for the chairman, but when he asked for my opinion I felt we couldn't deny a player the opportunity to play at what could be a higher level," he said.
"I can understand the chairman's emotional attachment, but sometimes players outgrow a club and as long as the price is right then it's right to let them go."
Far from being concerned by Boyd's departure, Gannon seemed to see it simply as an inevitability.
The former Stockport boss is certainly not a man in awe of his star names, as he proved by dropping fans' favourite Craig Mackail-Smith following the win over Ipswich.
Mackail-Smith started the match but was subbed after just 35 minutes with Posh trailing 1-0.
"I played a system that probably didn't suit our players and tried to accommodate a player who didn't fit the system," Gannon admitted afterwards.
However the trick worked. Posh fought back to win 3-1 and Mackail-Smith has subsequently produced some of his best football of the season.
Gannon is clearly a straight talker in the dressing room and is equally unafraid to ruffle feathers in the boardroom.
He gained a reputation for speaking his mind during his stint with Motherwell in Scotland and was more than happy to flag up concerns over the management structure at Posh - in particular the role of director of football Barry Fry.
"I'm not in charge of the overall football department as I see it," he said.
"This club has a technical director and the manager liaises with him about recruiting players which is why I made the comments about being a head coach."
Gannon has made clear he feels the club need a more robust player recruit policy and was particularly unhappy with Fry's January loan dealings.
Midfielder Toumani Diagouraga was allowed to move on loan to Brentford following Jake Livermore's arrival from Tottenham, but while Livermore's loan had a recall clause, Diagouraga's did not.
"It's about defining the roles between the manager and the technical director," he said.
"It's about who is ultimately responsible for the performance in the football department, who's responsible for recruiting, who's responsible for players leaving, who's responsible for how the budget is spent."
JIM GANNON
Born: Southwark, Ireland, 7/8/1968
Position: Defence
Playing career: Dundalk, Sheff Utd, Halifax, Stockport, Notts County (loan), Crewe, Shelbourne
Gannon scored in all four English divisions, the FA Cup, the League Cup, the play-offs, the League of Ireland Premier Division, the FAI League Cup, the Uefa Cup, the Champions League and the Cup Winners Cup
Gannon made 383 league and 97 cup appearances for Stockport, scoring 64 goals
Gannon does not come across as the sort of manager who appreciates help from above and inevitably speculation over his relationship with Fry has been rife following his decision to quit London Road.
Owner Darragh MacAnthony has repeatedly made clear that he believes Fry plays a vital role within the club's management structure, meaning a straight choice between the pair was only going to end one way.
Nevertheless, with his wife expecting another child, Gannon has said it was purely a family decision to turn down the job on a long-term basis.
"It was purely a personal decision, as I don't want to be away from my family," he said
"The way the club is run and the personalities involved certainly did not have a bearing on my decision.
"I would have been quite happy if this had been last year, or next year, or 20 miles from my home to take the job and work within the remit."
Gannon should have no difficulty in securing employment closer to home, but the future for Posh is altogether less certain.
Regardless of the reasons behind Gannon's rapid exit, they are left in the unenviable position of searching for their fourth manager in less than a year.
Under Gannon, the chances of being among the promotion contenders in League One next season looked high. With yet another new man set to come fresh to the project who knows what next season will bring.
Just 12 months ago, Posh were the envy of the Football League with apparent stability and successive promotions. Now they are left with serious work to do.
Darragh MacAnthony arrived promising the Premier League. He needs to pull out all the stops if that dream is to stay alive.
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