With the new England manager having been appointed so close to the start of Euro 2012, there are a number of issues still to be resolved ahead of the start of the tournament.

These include the squad to be taken to the tournament, the tactics that will help England to cope with a tough group that includes France, and who is going to be given the captain’s role in place of John Terry. Given the importance that this role plays in the minds of both the fans and the media — especially since the days of Bobby Moore — and the attention that has surrounded Terry’s loss of the role, it is no surprise that the betting on this subject is so intense at sports betting sites like http://www.bwin.com/.

Choosing the right person to be England captain, particularly on the eve of a major international tournament, involves considering several issues. The right candidate has to be able to cope with the pressure of the role, conduct themselves appropriately both on and off the pitch, be able to organise and cajole team-mates when needed and have the level of fitness to be able to play in the majority of matches.

This latter issue is probably the major reason why the player that some would consider the outstanding choice in all other respects — Rio Ferdinand — is an outside bet with sites like Bwin Betting.

By far the front runner on sports betting sites is the current Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard. His experience of captaining his club, coupled with years of playing for his country, make him an obvious choice. It could be argued that Frank Lampard has the same level of experience, plus the right attitude to take the job, but he does not quite have Gerrard’s ability to rally players verbally. Gerrard appears to be the player with the best combination of qualities, of those currently available.

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