Scott Parker appointed as England captain

Scott Parker's appointment as England captain ahead of Steven Gerrard divides opinion

Stuart Pearce's decision to name Scott Parker as England captain ahead of frontrunner Steven Gerrard has divided opinion ahead of tonight's game against Holland.

Parker, the Tottenham midfielder, will lead the team out at Wembley despite the presence of Gerrard - Liverpool captain and England's most experienced player - in the squad.

QPR midfielder Joey Barton was the most vocal critic of Pearce's decision, describing his reaction as "speechless."

The 31-year-old has excelled since his summer move from West Ham to Tottenham and has been one of the key figures in his club's push for the Premier League title.

Formerly captain at West Ham, Parker has in the past been hailed for his inspirational team talks, most notably by Carlton Cole last season when West Ham came back from 3-0 down to draw with West Brom as they battled for Premier League survival.

Cole was quoted as saying "If you were there you would have had a tear in your eye" after the half time team talk.

Parker was also crowned England's 2011 player of the year.