Liz White's admiration for woman who helped Southgate's England team

Liz's research into sports psychologist Pippa Grange's impact during part of Gareth Southgate's managerial reign made her appreciate the achievement of dealing with a macho dressing room culture.

Pippa is credited with helping England players overcome the dreaded penalty shootout jinx which had blighted previous international tournaments.

And Liz is earning rave reviews for the way she interprets Pippa's work, in the National Theatre's ‘Dear England’ production.

The play focuses on the 2018 campaign when Southgate's team reached the semi-finals, in Russia, only to go out in extra time to Croatia having beaten Colombia on penalties in the second round and Sweden 2-0 in the quarter-finals.

England may have fallen at the penultimate hurdle, but their overall performances impressed after Pippa had succeeded in developing mental resilience by instilling self-belief within the squad.

Southgate recruited Pippa and tried to embrace her "fear less" philosophy in his coaching and managing of the team.

Liz says: "What was so impressive about Gareth bringing on Pippa into the England team was that she saw him as a co-agent for change in his work.

"I listened to her talking about her time there – the way she managed to influence not just the players and Gareth but all the backroom staff that were working with the players.

"I think it really had a fundamental effect on the way they started to play and then obviously the huge success of them beating the penalty curse in their first big tournament together.

"It is just such a massive achievement and testament to the work that she did" said Liz (45).

"It feels like she is a very strong but very calming presence in that sort of environment and very comfortable with it.

"On the whole she was often treated with the utmost respect. However sometimes she would come across the traits of these organisations that had been solely male for all this time."

The i Paper described Liz's stage performance as excellent as did West End reviewer Mike Askew, who praised the way she demonstrated Pippa's in help helping: "The players open up and trust each other more" after initial resistance to her presence.

The Allthatdazzles entertainment website said the South Yorkshire woman: "Brings a great deal of heart to Pippa, the psychologist enlisted to make a band of brothers out of the squad."

Another critic homed in on the "melancholic contemplations between Southgate and Dr Grange," saying White’s portrayal, "feels very natural, with a positive energy that emanates reassurance and friendliness."

The Whatstonstage website says: "One significant female figure in the cast, Liz White, brings calm and warmth to a one-note role of consistent wisdom."

The production is at the National Theatre until May 24 before transferring to The Lowry, Salford on May 29.

Closer to home, the show can also be seen at the Sheffield Lyceum (October 21-25).