Peacock relishes new challenge
Friday, October 19, 2007
Article summary
John Peacock took England to the 2007 final and is looking forward to building on the success of last season when their new campaign begins on Sunday.
Article body
Having taken England to within one game of their first UEFA European Under-17 Championship title last season, manager John Peacock is hoping to break the duck this time around as they begin their 2007/08 campaign on Sunday.
Tallinn trip
England are in Tallinn for qualifying round Group 11 against Malta, hosts Estonia and Portugal under a new format in which they are no longer excused the first of the two preliminary stages as one of the top seeds. Peacock took over the England U17 squad in 2003 and reached two European semi-finals before making the decider in Belgium in May, losing 1-0 to Spain, and believes he has another good lineup this time around.
'Difficult games'
"I think our record has answered the question of whether we are producing young English players," Peacock, also the Football Association's head of coaching, told uefa.com. "This is quite a good group as well, similar to the group that did very well last year. So we're optimistic. It won’t be an easy tournament, we know that, but we will go away from home, play three very difficult games in a week and hopefully we will rise to the challenge and we will be successful."
World Cup experience
Not only did England achieve their best result at this level last season but they also earned a FIFA U-17 World Cup debut, reaching the quarter-finals in Korea Republic. "The experience that the players had in Korea was of immense value for them from an educational point of view, playing against the top teams in the world," Peacock said. "We think there are players that will progress out of that group and be fast-tracked a lot further."
Pearce prospect
Many players had fine seasons in that squad, including the skilful Victor Moses who was joint-top scorer in Belgium, but it is a defender who recently helped England through to the U19 Elite round that especially impressed Peacock with his development. "There were many good performances throughout the season but one that really seemed to rise in stature was Krystian Pearce, the Birmingham City FC defender. Each hurdle that became more difficult, he seemed to rise to it and jump each one, and didn't become fazed by it. The mental characteristics are crucial at the top level, he handed it extremely well."
