Pearce reveals C'ship plan
U21s boss wants youngsters to play in second tier
Can we put an England Under-21 team in the Championship to play games every other week?
Stuart Pearce wants his England Under-21 side to play in the Championship to help the development of promising young players.
Pearce believes the progression of his charges is hampered when they become fringe players at Premier League clubs and miss out on important game time.
But the former Manchester City boss, who also labelled the delay in getting the National Football Centre in Burton agreed "a massive crime", has proffered a solution.
The 48-year-old wants the under-21 players who are not in action for their clubs to play friendlies against Championship sides every other week.
Plan
"Can we put an England Under-21 team in the Championship to play games every other week?" Pearce told the Life's a Pitch website.
"Don't play home games, just play away games, so there's an odd number of teams in the Championship.
"So I get 21 friendlies a year. On top of that all these players that are not playing regularly of a weekend can come and join me and when I have the opportunity to play European Championship qualifiers I would have had a team playing together that basically know each other inside-out.
"If I had, let's say, a Daniel Sturridge, who was with us at Manchester City, and he was on the bench, my options are this: he either goes away and plays a game for the under-21s in a friendly against a good Championship side or alternatively plays in a friendly God knows where on Wednesday night where he's thinking to himself 'I don't want to be here'.
"But it's whether it can be sold to the clubs, it's whether they really want to put the club hat on or really want to do something radical instead of coming back every two years or four years after a major tournament and a disappointment and turn round and say 'we're going to have to do something'.
"They're throwaway lines. If we're serious about doing something, let's do something.
"That's probably why we've waited 10 or 12 years maybe to get the National Football Centre sanctioned.
"For me that's been a massive crime. That should have been done 10 years ago."
Pearce also feels the next England manager should have a CV to match that of Fabio Capello and Jose Mourinho, suggesting he would not consider himself a candidate.
Experience
"I think the England manager's job is for someone with the experience and the CV of Fabio Capello," he added.
"That's what the FA needs, to have four or five candidates to put a CV on the table when the job's available that's comparable to the likes of Fabio or Mourinho.
"But we need as many good English candidates to put their CVs in, to want that job. The only way to do that is by backing our young managers."
U21s boss wants youngsters to play in second tier
Can we put an England Under-21 team in the Championship to play games every other week?
Stuart Pearce wants his England Under-21 side to play in the Championship to help the development of promising young players.
Pearce believes the progression of his charges is hampered when they become fringe players at Premier League clubs and miss out on important game time.
But the former Manchester City boss, who also labelled the delay in getting the National Football Centre in Burton agreed "a massive crime", has proffered a solution.
The 48-year-old wants the under-21 players who are not in action for their clubs to play friendlies against Championship sides every other week.
Plan
"Can we put an England Under-21 team in the Championship to play games every other week?" Pearce told the Life's a Pitch website.
"Don't play home games, just play away games, so there's an odd number of teams in the Championship.
"So I get 21 friendlies a year. On top of that all these players that are not playing regularly of a weekend can come and join me and when I have the opportunity to play European Championship qualifiers I would have had a team playing together that basically know each other inside-out.
"If I had, let's say, a Daniel Sturridge, who was with us at Manchester City, and he was on the bench, my options are this: he either goes away and plays a game for the under-21s in a friendly against a good Championship side or alternatively plays in a friendly God knows where on Wednesday night where he's thinking to himself 'I don't want to be here'.
"But it's whether it can be sold to the clubs, it's whether they really want to put the club hat on or really want to do something radical instead of coming back every two years or four years after a major tournament and a disappointment and turn round and say 'we're going to have to do something'.
"They're throwaway lines. If we're serious about doing something, let's do something.
"That's probably why we've waited 10 or 12 years maybe to get the National Football Centre sanctioned.
"For me that's been a massive crime. That should have been done 10 years ago."
Pearce also feels the next England manager should have a CV to match that of Fabio Capello and Jose Mourinho, suggesting he would not consider himself a candidate.
Experience
"I think the England manager's job is for someone with the experience and the CV of Fabio Capello," he added.
"That's what the FA needs, to have four or five candidates to put a CV on the table when the job's available that's comparable to the likes of Fabio or Mourinho.
"But we need as many good English candidates to put their CVs in, to want that job. The only way to do that is by backing our young managers."
