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Pearce stakes claim to lead England at Euros
- AP, Friday, February 24, 2012 4:30 PM
His tenure as England coach may end after the national team plays the Netherlands on Wednesday in a friendly, but former international defender Stuart Pearce would like serious
consideration to stay on through the European Championships in June, and perhaps longer.
Spurs coach Harry Redknapp is considered to be the favorite to take England to the
Euros, but Pearce cites his national-team experience as a player and manager as sufficient.
“I’ve said to my bosses here that if they need me to take the team in the summer
I’ve got the experience to do so,” said Pearce, who served as an assistant to predecessor Fabio Capello at the World Cup in 2010. “I’ve been to two major
semifinals as a player, I’ve been to a final as the under-21s manager, I’ve to semifinals as the under-21s manager, I’ve been with Fabio to South Africa to a World Cup. I’ve
got the experience to take this tournament on without a problem.”
Pearce excluded midfielder Frank Lampard and defender Rio Ferdinand from his roster
to face the Netherlands, instead drafting several players he has managed with the U-21s.
“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?"
