Intro:

England caretaker manager Stuart Pearce has revealed that he has been in contact with the team's former boss Fabio Capello in the build-up to the friendly game against the Netherlands at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday night.

Pearce is looking forward to pitting his young side against the Dutch, who reached the last World Cup final.
But he has delayed naming England's new captain until the day of the game.

Script:

It's the beginning of a new era for England. The friendly against the Netherlands was originally scheduled for last august but was cancelled due to the riots in London.

Since then, John Terry has been stripped of the capaincy and manager Fabio Capello resigned. Stuart Pearce takes charge of his first game as caretaker manager and only had praise for the man he takes over from

SOUNDBITE: (English) Stuart Pearce, England caretaker manager:

(On Fabio Capello)

"I've got a great deal of respect for the man, and what he's achieved in football, and how he's treated me while I was working alongside him, working in this camp. So I'll not forget that, but that certainly goes for a lot of the managers who have helped me along the way, that's for sure."
England have been hit with a number of withdrawals through injury including the likes of Wayne Rooney, and Darren Bent. Pearce will be hoping the younger players will have the chance to prove themselves.

SOUNDBITE: (English) Stuart Pearce, England caretaker manager:

(on not having expectations)

"Well, we've got no expectations, so we'll go into the game. I've got no doubts that these young men have got the ability to deliver a performance, both individually and collectively as a team. So I've got confidence in them, and that's really the only thing that counts at this moment in time. "

Pearce has delayed naming his new captain until the day of the match.

One of those in the running to succeed Terry is Keeper Joe Hart, who is relishing the chance to test himself against the world cup finallists.

SOUNDBITE: (English) Joe Hart, England:

(on playing Holland)

"It's great to get a friendly against a side like Holland, who are going to be in a similar situation to us in the summer, really feeling positive about the tournament and someone we could potentially meet in the later stages of the tournament if things were to go our way. So it will be nice to see where we stand."

Stuart Pearce hasn't ruled himself out of taking over on a permanent basis. He and his young players will all be hoping for a positive outcome as the focus turns to Euro 2012.