Pearce waits till Wednesday to name Captain
The Football Association has confirmed interim manager Stuart Pearce will not name his England captain to face the Netherlands until 10am on Wednesday.
The Three Lions are looking for a new skipper after the FA in February demoted John Terry due to the fact he is facing a July court trial for allegedly racially abusing Anton Ferdinand.
Liverpool’s Carling Cup-winning captain, Steven Gerrard, is favourite to take the armband, having led England at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa in the injury-enforced absence of Rio Ferdinand.
But Joe Hart – who also faced the media alongside Pearce, the man who signed the goalkeeper for Manchester City in 2006 – club-mate James Milner and Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker are also candidates.
After overseeing a training session of all 21 members of his squad at Wembley, Pearce told a press conference: “The captain will be announced tomorrow when the team is announced tomorrow morning.
“It is a format that I followed at club level and Under 21 level. It is a format that I don’t deem necessary to change at this moment in time.”
Respect
As interim manager in the wake of Fabio Capello’s resignation, which was caused by the FA’s decision to strip Terry of the armband, Pearce’s captaincy selection is no long-term guarantee for whoever is given the honour.
But with Pearce, a former England captain, the Under 21s boss and an ex-member of Capello’s backroom staff, having an established stance within the FA, it would be a positive indicator ahead of Euro 2012.
Asked what he is looking for in a captain, Pearce said: “I think somebody who will be in the starting XI, somebody that has got respect of the other players in my eyes and somebody that I deem as unselfish and puts the group before himself.
“I think that is a vital commodity for any captain.”
He added: “There is no doubt there are several candidates, but I made my mind up a week or two weeks ago who I felt might fit the bill.
“It has got to be someone I am comfortable working with.”
The meeting with the Netherlands will be an intense test for England against a team who reached the 2010 World Cup final and are among the favourites to win Euro 2012.
