Theo

[Clive 1960]

Theo wallcott as retired from football 34. Decent player in his time.

[Clive 1960]

Theo walcott as retired from football 34. Decent player in his time.

[nil_desperandum]

You can say that again!

[gandhisflipflop]

Remember his debut at 16 for Southampton. Time does fly!

[Jamesy]

Always flattered to deceive in my opinion. Couldn’t put a shift in week in week out. File in the same box as Andros Townsend, Jermaine Jenas, Ross Barkley et.al.

[Woodleyclaret]

Spot on Jamesy

[claptrappers_union]

If someone came up to me and asked “quick answer, when did Theo Walcott makes his England debut?!” I’d instantly reply “err… about 10 year's ago!”

Time flies man

[claret2018]

Never lived up to the massive hype put on him as a youngster, but very few do.

A decent player but too inconsistent to be a great

[Claret86]

I remember him scoring a hat trick in 2010 at Croatia and thinking this is it for him now but he could never stay consistent

[GodIsADeeJay81]

https://x.com/theowalcott/status/169240 ... 62981?s=46

His farewell video

[CoolClaret]

Don’t think his career was helped one minute being stuck on the wing, another playing on the shoulder of the last man

That being said agreed - never quite lived up to the hype

[ClaretTony]

Always flattered to deceive in my opinion. Couldn’t put a shift in week in week out. File in the same box as Andros Townsend, Jermaine Jenas, Ross Barkley et.al.

My thoughts exactly - all the hype as a kid that he never lived up to

[Penwortham_Claret]

A player in the wrong era. Breaking through today he would have had a much more successful career playing as part of a front 3 in oppose to a 9 & 10 setup

[4:20]

I remember him scoring a hat trick in 2010 at Croatia and thinking this is it for him now but he could never stay consistent

It was in 2008, a World Cup qualifier. We won 4-1. I'll remember that performance forever, thought at the time he was going to be one of the greatest ever to don the England shirt.

[karatekid]

Didn't SGE take him to the world cup purely to get some tournament experience and openly admitted he wouldn't be playing?

[NottsClaret]

Still had a very good career. Worth remembering he's not responsible for the hype that he failed to live up to. He played to the level he was capable of, if the media and fans initially misjudged what that was, it's not his fault.

[bfcjg]

Another young player ruined by being over hyped and yhe consequential pressure

[Clive 1960]

Another young player ruined by being over hyped and yhe consequential pressure

Also injuries started to mount up for the lad .

[SammyBoy]

It's interesting that Walcott's first England appearance was 2006, and his last was 2016. To my mind he personifies those abject post-Sven, pre-Southgate wilderness years for the national team. In fact, I'd argue the same could be said about him regarding Arsenal's slide from dominant top two team to lightweight also-rans. Not to say he was a bad player per se, but he definitely had way more hype than his ability justified.

[distortiondave]

I'm not sure playing 400 times for Arsenal and scoring 100 goals really counts as a 'ruined career'.

[Pickles]

Bit harsh some of the comments here, he had a great career. The hype he had is hardly his fault is it.

[helmclaret]

Would like to see some of the professional careers of people on here!

[Pickles]

Fantastic interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap.

https://youtu.be/6E7Y43hTYeo

[DanH90]

Over 100 goals for Arsenal and 47 England caps, I’d hardly say that’s a career that flatters to deceive. No he didn’t become world class as some may have expected, but was a consistently top 10 Premier League footballer for the vast majority of his career. If that’s overhyped and not successful then it’s a very high bar being set.

[Jamesy]

Over 100 goals for Arsenal and 47 England caps, I’d hardly say that’s a career that flatters to deceive. No he didn’t become world class as some may have expected, but was a consistently top 10 Premier League footballer for the vast majority of his career. If that’s overhyped and not successful then it’s a very high bar being set.

Just stating my opinion. If BFC announced a couple of seasons ago that we were to sign Theo, I don’t think it would have stirred up too much excitement or enthusiasm. Fact is he never delivered week in week out which top footballers do.
As for the England caps, don’t forget Emile Heskey got 62 of them.

[claretonthecoast1882]

He never delivered week in week out yet he was good enough for Arsene Wenger for a good number of seasons.

[Greenmile]

The fact that the thread title is just his first name and (I would suggest) the vast majority of people would know who it was about before clicking through tells you he certainly made some impact on the game.

Edit - the obvious counter-argument would be that it took the OP two goes to spell his surname right.

[Tricky Trevor]

A very good career but it was a ridiculous decision to take him to the WC for experience. How many others get that opportunity?

[Jamesy]

He never delivered week in week out yet he was good enough for Arsene Wenger for a good number of seasons.

As I said it is about opinions. I don’t think we would have seen a fit Gazza on the bench at the supposed peak of his career like Walcott was?
Having said that, the guy is a multi millionaire now and Gazza isn’t. I hope he has an enjoyable retirement.

[davideyresleftear]

Only seems like yesterday that Jez was waiting for him to turn 30 so he could cash in his Three-0 Walcott millions

[Goobs]

Would like to see some of the professional careers of people on here!

Bizarre comment. Does that mean you can only have an opinion on something you have been in the elite categories of?

Not having a glittering career does not stop you being able to comment on Walcott not ever fully living up to the early press hype.

[Penwortham_Claret]

Further bizarre that although reading without context you could take the posts on this thread as being unkind to ‘Theo’ I think that if you read the tone of the post you can quite clearly see that the thread isn’t a negative one. To take it as anything else you would need to either be a moron or looking for a negative (or both)

[superdimitri]

Great and honest player.
How many players would get bundled over in the box like this today and get up and score?
https://twitter.com/ChildishTommy/statu ... 55142?s=20

A shame things aren't like this anymore.

[timshorts]

The fact that the thread title is just his first name and (I would suggest) the vast majority of people would know who it was about before clicking through tells you he certainly made some impact on the game.

Thought kojak was dead.

[Fretters]

Only seems like yesterday that Jez was waiting for him to turn 30 so he could cash in his Three-0 Walcott millions

Love Peep Show!

[KRBFC]

I wonder how his career would've turned out if he stayed at Southampton for a few more years to develop, burst on the scene at 16 and would've played every week in his favoured central position, moved to Arsenal and was a back up winger for a good few years.

[superdimitri]

I wonder how his career would've turned out if he stayed at Southampton for a few more years to develop, burst on the scene at 16 and would've played every week in his favoured central position, moved to Arsenal and was a back up winger for a good few years.

In his interview on the overlap he mentioned he was called up to England too soon, so I definitely think he was a case of being pushed too far, too young.

I never understood why he never played centrally more for Arsenal. He was a great finisher.

[Woodleyclaret]

As other alluded to he had a serious case of cba syndrome. Current hyped up players can also suffer from this .Jaydon Sancho and Dan James spring to mind.

[claretonthecoast1882]

As other alluded to he had a serious case of cba syndrome. Current hyped up players can also suffer from this .Jaydon Sancho and Dan James spring to mind.

I am surprised you continue with this guff. The drivel you posted about Andros Townsend and him turning the club down as he would have been expected to put some effort in only then for Kompany to let everyone know what happened, you would think would make you stop with this pathetic nonsense you keep doing about players you clearly don't like.

If you look at his career record rather than posting this kind of stuff you would realise you are way off. Do you really think Premier league managers would pick him if he couldn't be arsed while working with him every day.

[Claret86]

It was in 2008, a World Cup qualifier. We won 4-1. I'll remember that performance forever, thought at the time he was going to be one of the greatest ever to don the England shirt.

I misread the article, it was in 2008 for the qualifiers for 2010.
What a disappointing tournament that was. I started to give up with England a bit after that.
Theo is one of them players that probably burst onto the scene too early. A few more years at Southampton would have done him good but hindsight is a wonderful thing.
The way his career has faded towards the end has probably made a few people forget how good he was. In his prime he was lightning quick and new where the nets where. Always seemed a decent guy as well

[KRBFC]

As other alluded to he had a serious case of cba syndrome. Current hyped up players can also suffer from this .Jaydon Sancho and Dan James spring to mind.

Very harsh, I think you’re mixing up inconsistency with lack of effort which is nowhere near the same thing. 95% of wide players in world football are inconsistent.

[Big Vinny K]

Just stating my opinion. If BFC announced a couple of seasons ago that we were to sign Theo, I don’t think it would have stirred up too much excitement or enthusiasm. Fact is he never delivered week in week out which top footballers do.
As for the England caps, don’t forget Emile Heskey got 62 of them.

Maybe that just like Walcott was Heskey was a very good player.
You don’t play the number of games both of these did at the top level without being a very good player.

Te definition of a ‘top” player is pretty subjective. I’d say in the scheme of things and the amount of professional footballers that both of these played at the upper echelons of the game for a good chunk of their careers. I’ve heard many Burnley fans (including myself !!) describe Robbie Blake, Glen Little etc as top players but there are few players in the last 50 years of the club who had the success that Walcott and Heskey did.

[Commy]

Didn't he leave Arsenal because they wouldn't play him in the position he wanted to play.