By Mike Rowbottom
November 28 – Liverpool FC have strengthened their backroom team by hiring Steve Peters, the sports psychiatrist who inspired Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and Bradley Wiggins to Olympic cycling success.
Peters (pictured top and below, with Pendleton), who still retains links with British Cycling, will spend one day a week at the club’s Melwood training ground, combining the role with commitments to UK Athletics.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has brought in the psychiatrist in an attempt to improve the mental strength of players and staff at Anfield as they bid for success.
Peters, whose clients also include the Sky Pro Cycling team, has been described by Tour de France winner Wiggins as “a world expert on common sense”.
In addition to working with Hoy and Pendleton, he helped Ronnie O’Sullivan before his victory at this year’s World Snooker Championships and was also employed by Craig Bellamy when the forward was at Anfield last season.
Bellamy credited Peters with helping him improve his form through teaching methods that encourage sportspeople to think more rationally under pressure.
Liverpool’s players will be free to choose whether to use his services.
“We have brought in someone who is the top guy in his field, one of the leading guys in the world in what he does,” Rodgers said.
“I see it as a part of the development of the player.
“The modern game is very much about the psychological aspect of it.
“I do lots of technical, tactical and physical training and sometimes what gets bypassed is the mental tuning for players, especially in the modern game at the top level.”
Rodgers is also hoping that Peters will help him as a manager.
“Command can be lonely and it is always good to have other people to turn to when you are trying to lead the club forward,” he explained.
“I have my staff around me and they are outstanding, but it is always nice to have a different set of eyes with different experiences.
“I have always used neurologists, but I took my time when I arrived here to make sure we could get someone who could really help performance.
“This guy is of that level.
“I would stress it is not a psychologist.
“It is neurology.”
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