Former Chelsea, Queens Park Rangers and Newcastle United midfielder Gavin Peacock is facing a backlash after posting a series of bizarre, sexist messages on Twitter.

Peacock, 47, shocked football in 2008 when he announced he was quitting his work as a pundit on the BBC to become a Pastor in Canada.

Peacock, who played nearly 600 league games for six different clubs, today shocked Twitter users by posting a bizarre rant that stated wives should "respect your husband by gladly submitting to and encouraging his leadership."

He also posted that "God's divine design for marriage in male headship and female submission is complementary not competitive."

Gavin Peacock outside his local church in the Canadian Rockies in 2010 (JAMEY GLASNOVIC)

Peacock has faced a backlash over the comments with hundreds of Twitter users calling the comments "sexist" and "outdated nonsense".

Former colleague Jacqui Oatley, still a commentator for the BBC, also questioned Peacock's Tweets.

He is yet to respond since posting more than six hours ago.

Speaking to The Independent in 2010, Peacock said he wondered what he had "got myself into" by becoming a Pastor.

"I left England after Euro 2008, when I had been working as part of the TV team for the BBC," Peacock said. "And not long after I was living in a small town in a strange country, getting up at seven in the morning to study Hebrew at eight, followed by ancient Greek at 10. And I wondered, 'What have I got myself into?'

Peacock playing for Chelsea in the 1994 FA Cup final with Chelsea (Getty Images)

"It never felt like it was going to be for ever. When I got the call to enter the ministry I just felt like that what I was meant to do. I feel compelled to do it. I was in my study reading my Bible when it seemed someone had highlighted the words on the pages. I suddenly felt the calling to preach.