Pearce would like to remain England’s coach
Posted February 23, 2012 12:06 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WEMBLEY, England — Interim England coach Stuart Pearce would like to stay in charge of the team for the European Championship if Fabio Capello’s permanent successor is not appointed in time.
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Pearce, the England under-21 and British Olympic team coach, will audition for the senior job on Wednesday when he takes charge of the friendly against the Netherlands.
“I’m available and I have tournament experience if they need me to step into the breach in the summer,” the former England captain said Thursday. “That is obviously a decision for the employees here. They know exactly where I am. I’ve not fluffed around it, I’ve not turned around and said, ‘I’m not sure what I want to do.’ They know exactly what I want to do.
“If they need me to take the squad in the summer I will do that with pleasure.”
While Harry Redknapp is the leading contender to replace Capello, the Tottenham manager is reluctant to leave the Premier League title contenders in the lurch. The domestic season ends a month before England’s Euro 2012 campaign starts on June 11 against France.
With one eye already on the tournament in Poland and Ukraine, the 49-year-old Pearce named a squad on Thursday featuring emerging talent at the expense of established players Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand.
After working with Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverely and Sunderland striker Fraizer Campbell with the under-21 team, Pearce selected the uncapped players to see how they would cope at a major tournament.
“My mentality going into this game and picking this squad is: What would I need to learn as a manager going into a major tournament in the summer?” Pearce said. “And what would the next possible manager, looking from afar, need to learn about individuals?
“I know Frank Lampard … and I know various other senior players who are not in the squad so I don’t think I’d learn anything on Wednesday by watching them play. But I might learn something by watching one or two of the other individuals and whether they’re going to be good enough to serve England in the summer.”
The Football Association executives selecting the next manager might also learn something about Pearce’s abilities from the game at Wembley Stadium. Two directors from the four-man board that will hire the next coach spent two hours watching Pearce speak in four separate media briefings on Thursday.
While not shying away from the fact that his only managerial experience with a club is two years at Manchester City from 2005-07, Pearce repeatedly stressed his experience taking England to three under-21 tournaments.
Half of the players in the squad for the Netherlands friendly, which was postponed in August due to riots in London, have already worked with Pearce.
Campbell was called up for the first time after returning to the Sunderland side last month after nearly 18 months out injured and immediately made an impact with two goals in his first two games.
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“He’s worked fantastically well to get back from the injury,” Pearce said. “He’s an exciting talent. I think he’ll thrive by coming into this environment.”
All the strikers are under 26, with Wayne Rooney, Darren Bent, Danny Welbeck and Daniel Sturridge also selected.
Manchester City defender Micah Richards has been brought back into the squad after making only one appearance during Capello’s four-year reign despite being at the heart of his club’s rise to the top of the Premier League.
Center back John Terry is out of the squad with a knee injury after being stripped of the England captaincy this month due to his pending racism trial — a decision which led to Capello quitting.
Steven Gerrard is likely to captain the side with Ferdinand and Lampard both dropped.
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Squad:
Goalkeepers: Scott Carson (Bursaspor), Joe Hart (Manchester City), Robert Green (West Ham)
Defenders: Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Leighton Baines (Everton), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Micah Richards (Manchester City), Chris Smalling (Manchester United), Kyle Walker (Tottenham)
Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Manchester City), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Stewart Downing (Liverpool), Adam Johnson (Manchester City), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), James Milner (Manchester City), Scott Parker (Tottenham), Ashley Young (Manchester United), Theo Walcott (Arsenal)
Forwards: Darren Bent (Aston Villa), Fraizer Campbell (Sunderland), Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Danny Welbeck (Manchester United)
