Having won two European Championship titles with England Under-17s, John Peacock is no stranger to tournament success on the international stage.
The 60-year-old led the Young Lions of 2010 and 2014 to the Euro title, as well as the final in 2007, a semi-final in 2011 and U17 World Cup quarter finals in 2007 and 2011.
And he’s now returning to the England set-up for this summer’s U20 World Cup as a National Coach Mentor alongside new head coach Paul Simpson, his staff and largely the same group of players who won the U17s title in Malta in 2014.
“I will be offering support to the experienced technical staff, especially head coach Paul Simpson, who has done a lot of managing and coaching in the Football League,” explained Peacock, who has worked for The FA over two previous spells spanning 21 years.
“This is backed up with his vast experience as a player previously and also his recent position as a National Coach.
“Tournament football is different; you are away for a long time. It is intensive when you need to prepare for several games in a short period of time, so managing ‘down-time’ and getting prepared for these competitive matches is very important.
“It’s how you manage that, not just from a physical and tactical view, but the mental characteristics of handling pressure and making good decisions are critical. Where I come in is to advise in that area after experiencing it first-hand over many years.
“The opportunity fits quite well with my role as a consultant for Manchester United’s academy staff and my work occasionally with FIFA and UEFA.”
He’s now looking forward to another new challenge and helping to bring the next generation of coaches through.
And after achieving success with England already, John is pleased to be working with some familiar faces again.
“The group that won it in 2014, the ’97 group, are now this group (the U20s) so I’m happy that I’m back.
“It’s really good to see many of them playing consistently in the Premier League and Football League. There are some good players out there and they sometimes need the opportunity to show what they can do.”
Peacock will be part of the U20s staff as they head to Brittany this week for a tournament against fellow World Cup nations France, Senegal and Portugal.
