Why I believe Theo must go!
By Michael O'Donnell
Walcott has no right to make demands
I'd like to begin by stating that I believe the vast majority of honest Arsenal fans would not be too disappointed if Theo Walcott exited the club before the Transfer Deadline window closes at 11pm this evening, although the signs are that he is going nowhere. It has often been said that if you take away Walcott's pace then he has nothing. The words inept, inadequate, average, frustrating, rubbish, headless-chicken etc etc have all been used to describe Walcott from he joined us over 6 long years ago.
We as fans have been super patient as no fan has ever been before. "He's still young...still learning...still growing..." but I recall for want of a better example, Ryan Giggs bursting onto the scene scoring a sensational solo (slalom-esque) effort against Tottenham at WHL as a 17 year old; and Michael Owen as a 16 year old scoring against Wimbledon with both players rubberstamping the phrase 'If you’re good enough you’re old enough'. This has never been the case with Walcott. The harsh reality is bar a box to box run at Anfield and a similar run against Barcelona at the Nou Camp, both in the Champions League, overall he's less excited us, more infuriatingly angered us with great regularity.
Adept at running down blind alleys, bundling the ball out of play with a poor first touch or choosing the wrong option out of two choices, he's rarely turned it on in an Arsenal shirt. So when I hear this morning that Walcott has turned down an offer of £75k per year basic for five years to play for Arsenal I merely see this as a no-brainer.
I wish Arsenal would sell him now, take the profit; let him join his 'boyhood heroes" at Merseyside or go to Man City with the rest of the rejects for an undeserved £100-150k per week salary. I don’t care. I wish we could just get him out now if he doesn’t want to be here because a) we have plenty of cover in his position such as the Ox, Arshavin, Gervinho, Cazorla (if needs be) or b) we can bring in someone of better quality. If he'd opted for City then perhaps we could have taken Dzeko or Richards or anyone else they might want off their wage bill as part of a deal? If he opted for Liverpool then straight cash could have been used to buy what we really needed - a CDM and a keeper.
Some might argue in terms of losing a marketable England international. Well, we have two better marketable internationals, in my opinion, in the form of Ox and Jack - just let him go if what's been written is accurate. Of course, once again regardless of what is said, it all boils down to money. All I know is someone of his 'quality' has no right to make the demands that he's making. However if its true that we offered RVP £150k per week to stay and now we're ONLY offering Walcott £75k per week then perhaps AW, IG et al are merely loading the gun and letting the player fire the bullet.
31st August 2012
User Comment and Reaction
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EIE 21:39pm 31st Aug 2012
Walcott out! Wenger out! Gazidis out! Kronke out! - Post No. 28509
chris pissed 21:41pm 31st Aug 2012
Why has Wenger chosen tonight to have an early night? - Post No. 28510
Cliff 21:41pm 31st Aug 2012
I totally agree, just hope that in the next hour I hear someones going to take him. He's a lightweight and very lucky to be where he is. He hides for most of the match so its like playng with 10 men. Please, please go! - Post No. 28511
leon 21:43pm 31st Aug 2012
Theo knows that Arsenal sell all of its best players so in two years time Wilshere, Chamberlain et al will be sold off and he will be their best player - so why not negotiate a deal now ? - Post No. 28512
RVP was right 21:52pm 31st Aug 2012
But Walnutt loves the club and isnt money obsessed.Its just that he only loves the club if we pay him £100k a week.A strong manager would have put him in the boot of a car the moment he turned down £75k a week and drove him to Anfield,Just shows what a weak manager we have.Sell our best player to our rivals keep Walnutt.Beyond a joke.I feel sorry for the fans who renewed their ST's.Club with absolutley no ambition.We should have listened to RVP - Post No. 28513
Webby 21:52pm 31st Aug 2012
Why people always bash Walcott. At least he is willing to talk, unlike RVP. Give the lad a break!!! - Post No. 28514
Davi 22:00pm 31st Aug 2012
IF he want's 100k pw to stay, of course we should get rid of him. If it is some other "minor details", as Wenger has suggested, then fine. He's not so great that we should be bowing to his every wish, but at the same time he was our most productive wide player last season, and with 2 other highly productive players already gone, it wouldn't be good to lose him as well. Oxlade may be better than theo now or in a year, but he doesn't have the record to back up that claim, so replacing theo with him is as big a risk as replacing RVP with Giroud - it will probably work out well in the end, but while we wait, who knows how much damage will be done. - Post No. 28515
Kevin 22:17pm 31st Aug 2012
Once a massive wenger fan, season ticket holder that costs a fortune, but broken promises, great stadium with an average squad, we have money but don't send it unreal. Pls kronke, gazidis, hill muppet wood pls go and wenger if you have lost your ambition go with them. - Post No. 28517
natty 22:22pm 31st Aug 2012
Why does Arsene say 'Theo loves the club'. WHY! Does he think we're stupid, does anyone take him seriously anymore! - Post No. 28518
jay 22:22pm 31st Aug 2012
sick to death with wenger's rubbish, "we are still in the market for new players" balls wenger, every bloody year its the same year after year you tell us thhis and I'm sick of it! WENGER IS A LIER AND SO ARE THE BOARD! GET THEM OUT NOWWWWW! - Post No. 28519
Danish Gooner 22:23pm 31st Aug 2012
Thank God we balanced the books !!! - Post No. 28520
maguiresbridge gooner 22:36pm 31st Aug 2012
Of course he should go it may be about money but the main reason he is still here is not his love for arsenal it's because it would make ivan and arsene look bad(and that would never do) if we lost another high profile player this season especially so late on.Whats wrong with the people at our club will they ever bloody learn a shambles.Is there any difference with this and RVP at least he had the balls to speak out and say what he thought.No Michael he wouldn't be missed and wont be when he does go a player is only marketable if he's any good. - Post No. 28521
Dave 22:40pm 31st Aug 2012
Wenger couldnt wait to get rid of RVP and Song yet wouldnt get rid of this overated twat.The penny still hasnt dropped that he is Usain Bolt in football boots.6 years at the club still hasnt go a trick to beat a full back.Walcott sums up everything that is wrong with our club not good enough yet we have offered him a £75k five year contact.Shame on Walcott Gazidis and most of all Wenger.Because nothing goes on at the club without his say so. - Post No. 28522
polo 22:48pm 31st Aug 2012
No sense...take away his pace???? who thinks like that??? seriously that is a damn thing.i thought the title was outregious but it gets more myopic as u go on reading. i bet u would be saying take away Messi's dribbling skills, or Beckham's free kick - Post No. 28523
prof. Dave 23:01pm 31st Aug 2012
wenger hopes diaby will be disciplined enough to replace song. he has played in that position during our last two games and we have kept clean sheets! However his distribution is negative, with side and back passes. Also his reading of the game is slow. We will need to rely on garzola and co to compensate in the creative department. The strikers lack understanding and a little sharpnes but this will come after 4 or 5 competitive games. They both consistantly produce 20 gaols a season so happy times ahead. We still need a left sided midfielder since Overmars,pires, and even Henry gave us that left sided threat and scared their wingers from attacking our left back.A left sided world class winger is the missing key to Arsenals success. - Post No. 28525
Billy 23:01pm 31st Aug 2012
Put it this way , they are naming the team before they run out on the park , Walcott or Chamberlain who gives us the buzz ,absolutely ,your a wee boy with a big ego and wee boy thats never done anything to make anyone think you are good , compare Walcott to WEE GEORGIE ARMSTRONG . - Post No. 28526
Trevor 23:15pm 31st Aug 2012
If he was going to stay he would have signed a contract now.No a deal has been done between the club and him to let him go in january.After losing RVP and Song they didnt want to lose another player even though he isnt very good.As long as the OX stays fit i expect him to start before Walcott up until xmas and then Walcott will join Liverpool for £5m - Post No. 28528
ChrisP 23:35pm 31st Aug 2012
Sorry Theo you're not a footballer. No skill or brain for the game. Join the GB athletics team mate. - Post No. 28530
WHL87 2:08am 1st Sep 2012
Chesney Hawkes, Bac, Kos, TV5, Gibbs, Arteta, Jack, Cazorla, Pods, Ox / Walnutt, Giroud. Cover in every position on the bench - maybe not top notch but as good as or better than most. We'll have plenty of the ball. Support the team and think how f'ing sweet it would be to do it the right way and not buy it like Chelski and Citeh. Up the Gunners. - Post No. 28534
the_drizzle 5:32am 1st Sep 2012
I entirely agree. Theo has just been so deeply ingrained on the Arsenal subconscious that most fans think he's essential. They also still think he's 18. I doubt Arsene even intended to sell Theo; he probably just put him up on the market to give him a firm reality check on his actual value. Also, if one thing has become painfully apparent this season, its that none of our wingers can send in a decent cross. Wenger brought in big, stationary strikers, but once again left the task of sending in crosses to the likes of Gervinho and Jenkinson. Eventually, #Carzola will need to occupy that right wing, because no one else is capable. - Post No. 28537
Tom 6:01am 1st Sep 2012
I disagree. I think Walcott has be fairly effective and continues to improve. He needs to get a little tougher perhaps and assert himself more but I don't buy the idea that he hides on the pitch. One thing to note, Theo gets lost when teams park the bus. It happens a lot because parking the bus is the default strategy for the majority of out opponents. If teams try and football with us then space opens and Theo is deadly. If he's so **** why do you reckon the clubs that have sniffed around for him are good football sides like Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool? I also remember Guardiola singling him out as our danger man when we've met barca lately. He might not be George Armstrong but he's not stuart Downing either. Also, what has happened to Arsenal fans? Turned into a bunch of lily-livered sheep. Parroting the worst of the press and the noisiest of the bloggers. Think for yourselves..... - Post No. 28538
Gordon 8:15am 1st Sep 2012
Hes a sprinter he never will be a footballer no brain.Sums up Wenger though after 6 years of being average Wenger wants him to stay!!!.We have become a pathetic club.Sell our best players every summer and keep the dross on huge wages Walcott Diaby Rosicky and Chamakh. - Post No. 28539
Ronster 9:06am 1st Sep 2012
When Perry Groves put pen to paper in 1986 he hadn't even discussed his wage packet which incidentally was a basic £350 per week.Pel took home around £30,000 in his first season when you add on the various performance bonuses..... - Post No. 28540
exiled&dangerous 10:14am 1st Sep 2012
None of this squad has the right to make any demands. The time for that is after you've won the title...... if you think you're worth the money, go out and prove it. - Post No. 28544
GaryGooner 12:57pm 1st Sep 2012
I agree TOM our fans all sound like bloody Spurs fans have they just migrated from ****e Hart Lane. We are SUPPORTERS so lets do a bit of supporting. Nobody knows Theos situation and talks that he has had with the club so dont believe everything you read in the ****ty sun and on that crappy Talksport radio station who gain great delight in slating us. We have been through good times but we have been through much worse stages in our history than this so stop bleating and back the team. COYG! - Post No. 28550
Moscow Gooner 20:55pm 1st Sep 2012
Theo is not the problem - Wenger and Kroenke are. - Post No. 28599
bmth Gooner Pete 21:52pm 1st Sep 2012
RIDICULOUS....... Do you not understand football...... Walcott is teh right p,ayer playing in the wrong team.....for a player of walcotts explosive talent you need a direct swift and skillful attack, our build up is sooooo slow that his pace is nulified, there is never any space for him to expliot and he is not allowed to play where he has been trained to play...... WAKE UP GOONERS....how will you feel when he playes for united and you see him tearing down the wing at Gibbs providing yet another assist to RVP...... get behind the kid, underdtand what sort of footballer he is and pray that one day we get a coach who will cater for more than one style of approach.... Who else inn our team do our opposition fear? Giroud, podolski, gervinio, arshavin.... Maybe the Ox..... Please tell me I have missed someone out..... - Post No. 28607
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