Reputations mean nothing now - Pearce

England Under-21 coach Stuart Pearce has warned his youngsters reputations will count for nothing when the European Championships start in Sweden on Monday.

Pearce's side are overwhelming favourites for the clash against Finland at Orjans vall, Halmstad, with the likes of Theo Walcott, James Milner and Gabriel Agbonlahor set to feature.

Pearce said: "They (Finland) know these kids, whether it be Theo or someone else. But, in tournaments, reputations and being well known count for nothing. We have got to go flat out in every match and see where it takes us."

Steven Taylor, Danny Welbeck, Aaron Lennon and Tom Huddlestone are injured but there were no repeats of two years ago when David Bentley chose not to play and Agbonlahor could not be contacted to confirm his call-up.

"There are 60million people back home who want us to win something," Pearce added.

"The scenes of euphoria I saw in 1990 (during the World Cup) when I was playing told me this could never be replicated at club level on any scale. Why any player wouldn't want to be part of it all is beyond me.

"I know the players. You tell Milner to go and have a rest. It is impossible. Some managers want them to come, others don't, but on the whole everyone has been very co-operative."