The former Manchester City boss was unfortunate to see England slip to a 3-2 defeat to Holland last night. Does he deserve a chance to lead England at the Euros.
There are some tough decisions ahead for the next England manager, and whoever it may be Pearce has made their job easier.
He took the bold step to axe Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand, making such a repeat decision less controversial than it may have been.
Pearce also made the choice to give the captain’s armband to Scott Parker. He was never going to please everybody, but its better for him to make the decision and be able to walk away than a new manager immediately get a section of the support’s backs up.
The next manager can simply say, ‘lets stick with the status quo’ and that will be that. Parker hardly disgraced himself against Holland, and injury-prone Steven Gerrard showed why he has only been a bit part player for England over the last 18 months.
He also has potentially created a new international star in Frazier Campbell, but time will tell if that selection was inspired or daft.
But does Pearce deserve a chance to carry on?
Perhaps. A home defeat, even if it was to Holland, is poor in any circumstances, even if England have become accustomed to them over the last few years.
The FA should continue building their shortlist of bosses, and see who is willing to come on board, even if just for the Euros.
Pearce nevertheless remains a very good fallback option.
I’m not convinced about Harry Redknapp balancing the England job and Tottenham, it would be better to appoint an interim boss for Euro 2012, and have Redknapp waiting in the wings after that.
Pearce already has the Olympics job on his hands, and is already underway with the complicated selection process for that. If they players are being advised not to do Euro 2012 and the Olympics, surely Pearce would only over-burden himself by doing both too.
Let us know what you think, does Stuart Pearce deserve a chance to manage England at Euro 2012.
image: © stella gonzales
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