Sunday, February 3, 2008

England vs Switzerland Friendly 2008: Ian Rush Backs Steven Gerrard as England Captain

You already know that John Terry has been opted out of the England’s 30-men squad declared recently for the upcoming friendly match against Switzerland. That is why, the question of leadership comes in. The most likable contender for the role of England captain is Steven Gerrard, though nothing can be taken for sure. Gerrard is the captain of Liverpool and he was named vice captain by the former England coach, Steve McClaren.

Now, Ian Rugh, former Liverpool and Wales’s captain, has recently said that Gerrard should be given the role of England captain permanently, which he thinks would be good for England.

IC Wales reported:

“For me, Steven Gerrard has got be England captain,” said Rush.

“I think John Terry is a good captain and, if Fabio Capello stuck with him, then fair enough – but if you’re looking elsewhere then it’s got to be Gerrard.

“They are the only two stand-out candidates, Rio Ferdinand’s name has been suggested and he could be become captain, but I think Steven’s leadership for Liverpool is incredible – he has proven it at the top and grown in stature.

“He has become more disciplined and responsible now and after leading them to that fantastic European Cup triumph in Istanbul in 2005 he has grown even stronger.

“Steven is even more of a leader than he was say three years ago.”

There is no doubt that Steven Gerrard has been successful as a captain of Liverpool. He has also developed in his game and has been playing well with sheer consistency, which is one of the pre-requisite of becoming a captain. However, reports have it that Capello wants to give leadership to several players as part of his experiment in the friendly matches so as to decide who would lead England when world cup qualifying matches begin later this year.

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