Phil turns to Priest for help
BEV BACKING CRUCIAL TO SUCCESS
BEHIND every successful man, they say, is a strong woman.
As far as England head coach Phil Neville is concerned, that someone is Bev Priestman.
Except when it’s time for their 6am beach run at their Normandy base.
England assistant boss Priestman said: “It’s a big part of what we do. We have all got exercise in our backgrounds but there’s sometimes a decision: ‘Do I get more sleep or do I go for a run?’ We’re out most mornings. But I’ve not been on the beach with him yet – I got lost on the first day...”
A professional coach since leaving university, Priestman, 33, also has experience of tournament football, having worked for New Zealand and Canada.
Priestman was on the opposition bench when the Lionesses defeated their Canadian hosts four years ago and was picked by Neville to be his No.2.
“Phil’s a world-class manmanager,” she said. “He’s worked for the best manager in history in Sir Alex Ferguson.
“He’s a humble guy. He doesn’t use his experience as much as he should. He uses it around individuals, telling them how to cope with pressure.
“With him having played in front of crowds in big moments, it’s been a help to the players.
“When you are alongside someone who’s won pretty much everything, nothing fazes them.
“So, I’d like to think that by putting Phil and me together, it would be a recipe for success. What I bring is my experience across tournaments. So that when it really matters, seven games in, 50 days on the road, you have to prepare for that, keeping the players fresh so that when you get to the last game, they are.
“There’s other areas, too, such as how FIFA works. They are both areas, along with a knowledge of the women’s game and details of how other countries play, that I bring.”
Neville, whose side face Argentina tomorrow, raised eyebrows with his switch to the women’s game.
Priestman believes that growing up with twin sister Tracey, coach of the England netball team, has helped to give her boss a gut instinct and emotional intelligence.
“I think the fact Phil’s sister is in netball means he has that,” she said. “He’s got a really good feel and he’ll use the people around him.”