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Tribute to Theo Walcott – Speed, Class, Composure
Theo Walcott came into the spotlight when he, 17, was named in Sven Goran Eriksson’s 2006 World Cup squad for England, even though he didn’t feature in the mundial. Walcott was literally in dreamland because four months prior, he made a move to Arsenal from Southampton as a 16-year-old, for a fee of £5 million, rising to £12 million depending on appearances for club and country.
As Walcott advanced in years, he continued to grow in influence at the club, and he had a good debut, setting up a goal for Gilberto Silva in Arsenal’s first competitive game at the Emirates Stadium. His first Arsenal goal was a memorable one, using his blistering pace to great effect in the 2007 Carling Cup final but the game was marred by Didier Drogba’s brace and the horrific incident involving Abou Diaby kicking John Terry in his face, knocking him unconscious. There was also the altercation that saw three players get sent off.
The 2007/08 season was big for Arsenal, as the Gunners challenged for the Premier League title and stayed in pole position for a considerable chunk of the campaign. Even if Wenger had his midfield fantastic four – captain, Cesc Fabregas, enforcer, Mathieu Flamini and inside forwards – Tomas Rosicky and Aliaksandr Hleb, Walcott contributed in the Premier League campaign, scoring four goals in 25 appearances. However in that campaign, Walcott earned plaudits for his amazing slalom run in the Champions League, that saw him take on six Liverpool players before squaring the ball to Emmanuel Adebayor for a tap in.
At the start of the 2008/09 season, Walcott changed his jersey number from 32 to 14, previously worn by his idol, Thierry Henry, and established himself as the club’s primary right winger, following the transfer of Hleb to Barcelona. However, he suffered a litany of injuries and his form and fitness started to dwindle.
The 2012/13 season will always stand out for Walcott as he achieved his personal best of 21 goals in a single campaign but injuries have been one of the biggest thorns in Walcott’s flesh and Arsenal fans feared for the worst when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury that sidelined him for up to a year.
It hasn’t always been peachy and creamy with Walcott though. Off the pitch, his contractual issue was a pain in the arse for the Gunners and there was a collective sigh of relief when he put pen to paper. On the pitch, especially on his return from his long term injury, there were loads of games when Walcott became so anonymous, that you tend to wonder if he was selected at all. There was a particular game against Stoke that served as a harsh reminder of that, where Alex Iwobi probably had more touches in the 15 minutes he played than Walcott in 75, and you see the impact the young Nigerian tried to make in the little time he was allotted on the pitch.
But that’s the Theo Walcott we have come to know – brilliant on some days, pretty much anonymous on others, but we loved him nonetheless. He had a penchant for breaking through defensive lines, curling in some Thierry Henry-esque finishes from the edge of the area, and hitting some drilled low drives from the right. That awesome finish in the 5-3 win over Chelsea in Stamford Bridge comes to mind.
In terms of silverware, he was injured when Arsenal ended their trophy drought against Hull in 2014, but he scored the opening goal, playing as a center forward when Arsenal thrashed Aston Villa 4-0 in the following campaign. When the Gunners beat Chelsea in the 2017 FA Cup in Wembley, Walcott was an unused substitute.
After 397 appearances and 108 goals in 12 seasons with Arsenal, Walcott moved to Everton in January 2018 in a deal worth around £20 million and made 85 appearances for the Toffees across three seasons, scoring 11 goals. He then closed things out with a second spell at Southampton for whom he scored his final professional goal against Arsenal.
It’s crazy to know that his final goal in his last spell with Southampton was in the shocking 3-3 draw with the club in the business end of last season, after receiving a neat pass from Carlos Alcaraz, running in behind Gabriel to smash it past Aaron Ramsdale.
On the international scene, Walcott hit the back pages when Sven Goran Eriksson took him to 2006 World Cup in Germany but was a surprise omission in 2010 World Cup, especially after he scored a scintillating hat-trick in the qualifier against Croatia. He got his first stint of an international tournament with his nation when he was selected for Euro 2012 and he made an impact in England’s 3-2 win over Sweden where he leveled the tie at 2-2 before providing an assist for Danny Welbeck.
With England being one of the first teams to qualify for the 2016 European Championships, Walcott played his part with three goals in the qualifiers, taking his overall tally for his nation to eight goals in 47 appearances.
Theo Walcott has confirmed his retirement from football at the age of 34. In total, he made 564 appearances for Southampton, Arsenal and Everton scoring 129 goals.
I wish Walcott the best in his future endeavors and I thank him for the fond memories.
Here’s to Theo Walcott, speed, class, composure.
Sayonara.
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Does Walcott Deserve a Place in the England Squad?
As we are all aware, the Easter weekend has been tagged as the period for the final international break of the season as coaches would have a final look at their squads ahead of their selections for the forthcoming Europeans Championships. For England boss, Roy Hodgson, it would offer him a chance to see the Premier League’s finest strut their stuff at international level. The former Fulham and West Brom manager has named his squad for the friendlies against the Netherlands and Germany and as you’d expect, there are a couple of fresh call ups in the side with the inclusion of Danny Drinkwater, that has been outstanding for Leicester City.
In goal, Jack Butland, Fraser Forster and Joe Hart have done pretty well for their respective clubs with the Southampton goalie’s form recognized as he won the PFA Player of the Month award for February. There are familiar names in the defense with the likes of Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, John Stones, Chris Smalling, Nathaniel Clyne and Kyle Walker in the list but youngsters like Danny Rose and Ryan Bertrand made the grade. Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs was deservedly overlooked, as I don’t believe that he has done enough this season to warrant selection.
In midfield, it hurts to see my compatriot, Bamidele Alli, in the team list but I’m happy for the lad because he has been in outstanding form for the enemy. There were also call ups for Adam Lallana, Ross Barkley, Jordan Henderson, James Milner and newbie, Danny Drinkwater. In attack, I have no qualms with the call ups for Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy and Danny Welbeck but does Theo Walcott deserve a place in the England squad at the moment?
In all honesty, my answer would be ‘NO’!!!
Many fans feel that his selection is based on the fact that he’s playing for one of England’s biggest clubs because if we were judging based on form, he would be at home watching the game from his TV screen. This has been a terrible campaign for the England international, even though he reached a personal milestone when he clocked a decade with the Gunners.
This season, he has played up front on his own, he has featured on the left wing were he was so peripheral in games and of course, he has gotten a run out on his ‘favored’ right wing position. In 32 games, he has scored eight goals but his importance to the team is becoming questionable because he doesn’t tend to make any impact when he’s summoned to do a job on the pitch. We were all happy for him when he ended his drought with a two-goal haul against Hull but I’m still hoping that he makes a good contribution for the team between now and May.
He has been usurped from the first team by Joel Campbell despite injuries to right wing favorites, Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Following Alex Iwobi’s impressive outing at Camp Nou, he may just get the nudge over a non-performer like Walcott.
With his poor form, he has been selected for the Three Lions and it would be interesting to see if he’d get a run out on the pitch.
Sayonara.
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Celebrating Theo Walcott – A Stalwart at Arsenal
Theo Walcott may be 26-years-old but for those that don’t know, he has spent 10 years at Arsenal.
His career began at Southampton but the Gunners snapped him up at a very young age and nurtured him to become a man in every sense of the word. Back in the day, he was ‘just’ known for his pace but with each passing season, Walcott added some more into his game and 10 years, Arsenal fans can be proud of the player he has become.
From his first goal against Chelsea in the 2007 Carling Cup final to his 81st goal against Manchester City this season, Walcott is one player that will always give you that edge in attack. His battle with Olivier Giroud at the start of the season was quite interesting but in recent weeks he has been drafted to an unfamiliar left wing position, and he hasn’t lit many fireworks there. However, you cannot fault his defensive work and his spirit, as he has matured to an all round player, which is something his manager can be rightly proud of.
The 2012/13 season will always stand out for Walcott as he achieved his personal best of 21 goals in a single campaign but injuries have been one of the biggest thorns in Walcott’s flesh and I feared for the worst when he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury that sidelined him for up to a year. Since his return to first team action, he has made his contributions to the team with some goals and as long as he remains in the team, there’s always a chance that he could find the back of the net.
It hasn’t always been peachy and creamy with Walcott though. Off the pitch, his contractual issue was a pain in the arse for the Gunners and there was a collective sigh of relief when he put pen to paper. On the pitch, there are loads of games when Walcott becomes so anonymous, that you tend to wonder if he was selected at all. The last game against Stoke was a harsh reminder of that – Alex Iwobi proibably had more touches in the 15 minutes he played than Walcott in 75, and you see the impact the young Nigerian tried to make in the little time he was allotted on the pitch.
But that’s the Theo Walcott we have come to know – brilliant on some days, pretty much shite on others, but we love him nonetheless.
On the international scene, Walcott hit the back pages when Sven Goran Eriksson took him to 2006 World Cup in Germany but was a surprise omission in 2010 World Cup, especially after he scored a scintillating hat-trick in the qualifier against Croatia. He got his first stint of an international tournament with his nation when he was selected for Euro 2012 and he made an impact in England’s 3-2 win over Sweden where he leveled the tie at 2-2 before providing an assist for Danny Welbeck.
With England being one of the first teams to qualify for the European Championships this summer, Walcott played his part with three goals in the qualifiers, taking his overall tally for his nation to eight goals in 42 appearances.
At just 26, he’s already due for a testimonial at Arsenal, but we would have to wait for quite some time because he’s not ready to hang those fast boots anytime soon. He already has 320 appearances for the Gunners, and I won’t be surprised when he hits 400 in the next two to three seasons.
Here’s to Walcott – Arsenal’s stalwart
Sayonara.
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