An Interview with…Gavin Peacock
This week’s interview is with former striker Gavin Peacock.
In his career, Peacock played for several clubs including Newcastle United, Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers over the course of his 17 years as a professional. He is now living in Canada.
You started your career at Loftus Road in the First Division before moving to Gillingham where your father was manager. What was that like?
It is always a tricky situation when a son plays for his father as manager. There is great pressure on both parties. But Nigel Clough did it well for Brian so we knew it could be done.
You need to be one of the best players in the team. Also the father needs to take great care he does not show any favouritism towards his son. My dad was prudent here. He said to me when I signed for Gillingham, “I will give you two bad games and then I will drop you. I won’t over praise you in front of the lads but I will let you know when you’ve done well in private”. It worked.
Did it help to have a father who had a career in the game?
Yes. He was a great role model and coach. More than that he was and is a great dad.
Harry Redknapp signed you for Bournemouth. What is he like as a manager?
Harry was the reason I went to Bournemouth. He was one of the brightest young managers around and he went on to prove himself at the top level. He was a good motivator, a manager who wanted to play good football and he could spot a good player.
Your next move was to Newcastle, your boyhood club. They are known for their passionate fans. How did it feel to put on the black and white shirt and play in front of those fans?
It was a dream. My late Grandad – a Geordie through and through – told me when I signed for Newcastle, “You sweat blood for those fans and they will forgive you many mistakes on the field. They love their club and want to see the same passion from their players”.
I never forgot that. I gave the Toon Army everything I had and we had a wonderful relationship.
Kevin Keegan came in and took over at Newcastle when on the brink of relegation to the Third Division. How did he change things?
He brought leadership to a club without direction. It was Kevin’s powerful personality and motivational skills that kept us up the first season he came. Then the next year he brought in a few players and produced one of the best footballing teams that I played in. Some of the football we played in the promotion season to the Premier League in 1992/93 would have graced any stage in the world.
A move to Chelsea for £1.25 million was next. Glenn Hoddle manager before he took over from Terry Venables as manager of England. Was it obvious that he would become an international manager when you were at Chelsea?
Yes. Glenn was a genius on and off the field. He changed the face of Chelsea forever. He saw things with the eye of a visionary. His England management record was very good too.
The fact that Glenn Hoddle didn’t play more for England as a player and manage them more as a coach is a great disappointment and the English game is poorer for it.
You were top goalscorer and from midfield. How did you manage to get so many goals from there?
I had the knack of making timely runs into the box from midfield. I was hungry to score goals and used to practice my finishing daily in training. When I was in the penalty box I thought like a striker. My goal scoring instincts were sharp and I didn’t panic under pressure.
Chelsea reached the Cup Final in 1994, outplayed by very strong Manchester United who won 4-0 to secure League and Cup Double. What are your memories of the day?
I remember the rain! It was a great start to the game. I hit the cross bar in a pivotal moment of the first half at 0-0. Two penalties were given against us in the second half and the second shouldn’t have been a penalty.
Eric Cantona scored both penalties. I remember the tears from Chelsea players and fans.
I also remember feeling the privilege of playing in an FA Cup Final and feeling that we had begun to change Chelsea Football Club for good.
What was it like to finally retire from the game after so many years as a player?
It was sad, but was the right decision. It was time. It’s an odd feeling when you retire. One day you are a pro and the next you are not. Yet it is what you have worked towards for many years as a kid and what you have been for almost 20 years as a man.
The key is not to have your identity tied up in football or being a footballer. As a Christian my identity lay and lies in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. Football is temporary but Jesus is permanent.
over First Division Luton Town
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