Is Pearce living up to his ‘Psycho’ nickname after selecting first England squad?

If Stuart Pearce was to endear himself to England fans and be considered as a possible contender for the job for at least Euro 2012, then a boring, bog-standard England squad with all of the regulars in would’ve probably been accepted by the masses.

But after leaving out the likes of Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Jermain Defoe and Joleon Lescott and including Fraizer Campbell, Pearce has given himself a lot of questions to answer.

Wrongfully excluded?

Lescott’s exclusion in particular raises a few eyebrows, as he’s arguably been the most consistent and reliable English centre back this season. His Man City side are two points clear at the top of the table and he’s started 22 of their 25 league games.

The fact that only Gary Cahill, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling have been selected as centre backs in the squad surely must make Lescott feel even more hard done by. Although he only has 14 caps for England, that’s more than Cahill, Jones and Smalling put together. And, after unconvincing performances from the three in Europe during the week, the alarm bells must be ringing as they hope to contain a Dutch side filled with attacking talent such as Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder and Robin Van Persie.

What is pleasing though is the return of Lescott’s City team mate Micah Richards to the England fold. The right back felt as though he was “frozen out” under Fabio Capello and his selection follows an impressive season, where he has quietly went about his business while City’s stars have taken the limelight.

Richards faces serious competition for the starting right back berth though, as Kyle Walker and Glen Johnson have also been included.

Pearce’s omission of Lampard and Ferdinand is far more understandable than that of Lescott. Both are entering the twilight years of their careers and haven’t had the best of seasons. Fitness concerns are constantly surrounding Ferdinand whereas Lampard’s supposedly turbulent relationship with Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has undoubtedly affected his performances. Some will argue though, that both Lampard and Ferdinand have a final major championship left in them.

Looking for his first cap

The biggest surprise in the squad though is the inclusion of Campbell. After 18 months out through serious injury, he has returned to the Sunderland starting XI, playing two league games and scoring once, a cracking long-range volley against Norwich.

Have the performances since his return been worthy of an England call-up though? Surely not.

Admittedly, Pearce knows Campbell and a lot of the other young players such as Richards, Jones, Smalling etc through the U21 set-up so obviously feels as though he has potential. But at this moment in time, he just doesn’t have the domestic record to justify a call-up to the senior squad.