Pearce's long-term ambition
James Masters
Sunday, 21 June, 2009
Stuart Pearce admits there is still more to come from him as a manager.
Become a ‘fan’ of the England Under-21s on our official Facebook page
Stuart Pearce insists there is still much more to come from him and his Young Lions ahead of the clash with Germany on Monday night.
Pearce’s side are already assured of their place in the semi-final of the European Under-21 Championship after successive wins over Finland and Spain.
Pearce has already spoken of his determination to defeat Germany – despite his men having already qualified for the next stage. But the England Under-21 Head Coach says he is demanding more from his players and even more from himself as the competition starts to go up a notch.
"I think I am a manager that has managed a club and at an international level for maybe 150 matches.
"For me, over a four-year period, that is ridiculously lightly raised as a manager. Very lightly experienced.
"I feel as though I have many, many years in front of me that I have to gain experience as a manager.
"How fickle we are in football - two years ago as Manchester City manager I was being written off and two years down the line I am being written back on again.
"If I lose the semi-final I will be written back off again. I have got a long-term plan for myself, which I keep for myself.
"But the one thing I can tell you today is that I haven't enough experience by any means. There is a better manager still to come from me."
England boast an impressive record against their German counterparts and Pearce believes the pace and power of his young side could prove the key to victory.
He added: "We feel we have pace and power in our squad.
"Look at Fraizer Campbell, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Adam Johnson, Theo Walcott, James Milner. We've got pace on the counter-attack and the modern game is about the counter-attack."
Don't forget! You can follow England’s campaign in the Finals with TheFA.com who will be with the team all the way in the Finals.
You'll also be able keep tabs by following us on
Twitter
, or
become a ‘fan’ of the England Under-21s on our official Facebook page
.