John Peacock has spoken of his delight at returning to Derby County as part of Paul Clement’s coaching staff.
John Peacock has spoken of his delight at returning to Derby County as part of Paul Clement’s coaching staff.
Peacock has brought his 13-year spell working for the Football Association to an end by returning to the iPro Stadium.
The 59-year-old already has ties with Derby after working as the Rams’ Academy Director in the late 1990s under the management of Jim Smith.
He moved back to the Football Association in 2002, after a previous spell between 1990 and 1998, and took up a number of key coaching roles: National Coach, Head of Coaching and England Under-17 Head Coach, as well as Head of Elite Senior Coach Development.
After rubber-stamping his move to Derby today, Peacock says he delighted that his return to club football has come with the Rams.
Derby’s new First Team Coach told Rams Player: “To come back to such a positive and progressive club is a real delight.
“I had four great years here in the past working in the Academy so the club is very close to my heart.
“I know about Derby County, the people and the good values here about the way they want to go about their business.
“The fans are fantastic as well and I know that they are thirsting for success – and hopefully we can provide that in the not too distant future.”
Clement’s decision to recruit Peacock, a highly-skilled and renowned coach in English football, is his first appointment to his coaching staff since his arrival earlier this month.
Although the pair haven’t worked together previously, their paths have crossed on several occasions – both leaving a lasting impression on each other.
Peacock explained: “Paul’s brother Neil Clement was at the FA National School in the 1990s and Paul used to come along and pay a lot of interest at that time.
“I actually took Paul on his coaching qualifications and since then he has gone on and carved out a fantastic career for himself.
“He worked initially in youth development and then up to the first-team scene at some top clubs, which is fantastic.
“Our paths haven’t crossed too much to be honest in life but we have kept a steady relationship over that period of time.
“I interviewed him about 15 months ago on his Pro License Course, whilst he was at Real Madrid, and I also did the same with Carlo Ancelotti as well which was a real bonus.”
It was during that Pro License interview that Clement suggested to Peacock that should he step into management, he would like the Leeds-born former Scunthorpe United player to team up with him.
“We got talking about Paul one day moving into management and would I be interested in working with him; it wasn’t anything set in stone but a possibility,” he said.
“I spoke to him a few weeks ago about this move happening for him and – when I found out it was Derby County as well – it was a bonus for me!”
Peacock looks back on his time at the Football Association with great memories – but he is already itching for pre-season training to start so he can get down to work today.
In his time at The FA, Peacock led the England Under 17 side to two European Championship titles in 2010 and 2014.
He is, however, looking forward to working with experience professionals again and he is happy to be part of the club’s quest to reach the top flight.
“I’ve had 13 great years at the Football Association and I’ve had some success with the England Under 17 side,” he said.
“I’ve done work on the Coach Education side too and worked on many things in that area.
“I’ve filled a number of different roles and I leave there with plenty of fond memories.
“It was always going to be difficult to leave there but when it is to come to Derby County – and with Paul Clement – it did make the decision that little bit easier.
“It’s going to take some adjusting with regards to working in a club environment, but without any doubt it’ll happen pretty quickly.
“There are some great people here at Derby County – some I remember from my first spell at the club – and importantly they want to go to the Premier League.
“Everything is in place for that to happen and I’m delighted to have this opportunity.
“I am looking forward to working with senior professionals here; I have worked with many in my role at the Football Association, mainly with those obtaining qualifications and coaching.”
