http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17204891 Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker will captain England in their friendly against the Netherlands at Wembley on Wednesday, BBC Sport understands. Caretaker boss Stuart Pearce chose Parker ahead of contenders like Steven Gerrard of Liverpool and Manchester City's James Milner and Joe Hart. Parker, 31, has won 10 caps since his debut in November 2003 and featured in seven of England's nine games in 2011. He was voted England Player of the Year by fans on Tuesday. At a pre-match news conference on Tuesday, Pearce had declined to reveal his captain. He said he would inform his players of his decision on Wednesday morning and outlined the qualities an England captain should possess. "Captaining England was the proudest moment of my career," he said. "When you play for your country that is the true pinnacle of anyone's career. That is still the case. "When I bear in mind it might be a one-off scenario, the captain has got to be somebody who is in the starting line-up, somebody who's got the respect of the other players in my eyes and someone who is unselfish and puts the group above himself. That's a vital commodity as captain." John Terry lost the England captaincy because he is due to stand trial in July over racial abuse allegations after an incident with QPR's Anton Ferdinand. The Chelsea defender, who lost the captaincy once before over issues in his personal life, has entered a plea of not guilty to the charge. After the decision on Terry, Fabio Capello resigned as England manager, disagreeing with the Football Association's stance on the matter. Rio Ferdinand also led England during Capello's reign after Terry lost the captaincy for the first time before the Chelsea defender was reinstated. Gerrard stood in as captain during World Cup 2010 when England were beaten 4-1 by Germany in the second round. SCOTT PARKER FACTFILE •Born: 13 October 1980 •Clubs: •Charlton Athletic, 1997-2004 •Norwich City (loan) 2000 •Chelsea, 2004-2005 •Newcastle United, 2005-2007 •West Ham United, 2007-2011 •Tottenham Hotspur, 2011-present day •England caps: 10 •England debut: 16 November 2003 vs Denmark
As I said in another post, I am pleasantly surprised at Pearce's decision; I really hope we don't revert to Gerrard after this game. After all the FA sacked Terry demanding a role model. Cue all the football 'experts' and professionals to come out criticising the decision, saying it should have been Gerrard instead: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17205501
Gerrard hasn't been a "natural leader" for years. I honestly can't remember the last time I watched him put in an inspiring performance, let alone an 8 out of 10. Parker on the other hand has blossomed into a cracking player and is almost the perfect role model - unassuming, hard-working and professional. I doubt Gerrard would go over and apologise to rival player for a bad tackle if he get sent off late on in a 5-2 derby defeat
Oh absolute drivel from Savage, how many times did he say 'I'm surprised' well Robbie I'm not surprised that you have taken another opportunity to get your face on tv again, but I am surprised (and dissapointed) that the BBC see you as having the qualities to be an analyst. I've finished now!
Gerrard was terrible tonight as well. England were trying to play keep ball at the start and it would always be Gerrard looking for the long ball. Very frustrating, he shouldn't be in the squad let alone the team if he refuses to adopt the play style of the rest of the side
England were better in the first half that I expected bearing in mind that a few experienced players were missing. They also proved they could score....losing 3.2 is better than 2.0...because that gives hope. No point in anyone going over top in criticism because we are never going to win the Euro anyway. Better news is the 4.0 win for the U21s who top their group.
