by GunnGunn » Wed Jun 02, 2010 9:36 am
Yesterday came as a shock to me as i am sure it did to most Gooners watching Sky Sports News yesterday morning. We basically let the media play god again and the final 23 was announced some 3 hours before Capello's official word...
Most surprising, and ultimately shocking was Walcott's omission from the final 23, now maybe i have a ripe fat pair of Gooner goggles on but its a f***ing stupid decision if you ask me, yes, he has had a poor season by anyone's standards but he gives you something from the bench, that impact, that threat that NOBODY in the squad gives you.
So what does Capello do? He starts him twice, so instead of working towards his strength's, he throws him in at the deep end in a f***ing shit team and decides to let him try and work miracles, bravo Mr Manager.
Now against Mexico, i thought he did ok, he was certainly, by far the most lively player on the pitch, him a Johnson linked up superbly.
Now according to the Sun this morning, the reason Capello axed Theo was because he failed to listen to instructions against Mexico, Capello apparently told him to beat the man on the outside but instead Walcott was disobeying him and going on the inside...
Its a nice touch isn't it? "Theo Walcott disobey's managers orders" gotta love the Tabloids...
Now i am going to choose to look at it at a Footballers perspective, rather than a Tabloids perspective of trying to dig out yet another young Arsenal player.
Walcott was going up against Salcido, who is IMO one of the top LB's in the World, in many ways he is like Clichy on steroids, short, compact, very, very strong and roams forward, there was no way a short on confidence Walcott was going to beat him running from the halfway line going on his best side, thats why he used Johnson as a foil and then cut inside, which was very effective.
However, Walcott wen't off replaced by Lennon who apart from one run did precisely fuckall but was spunked all over, when in the first place, it should have been Walcott doing his cameo, not starting a game, going up against match fit players, running them ragged but ultimately getting nowhere, then having some jumped up little c*** come on and take all the credit.
Bravo again Capello, bravo.
Walcott then started against Japan, he tried his best but ultimately got nowhere, maybe it was because he is total shit? Or maybe it was because half the Japan team were commiting Hari Kari every time he got the bloody ball, doubling up on him and effectively closing him out of the game...
By the time Wright-Philips came on all he had to do was run around against ONE player and was immediately hailed as the second coming, master stroke.
What they failed to realise was that Japan scored against us in open play, could have had more, Lampard failed to convert a penalty yet again, the defence, midfielde and up front was extremely poor overall and we had to rely on two own goals, spectacular though they may have been to win a game that should have been set in stone from the get go.
The fact that teams facing Walcott put so much emphasis on keeping Walcott out of the game just goes to show how much respect he commands and how important he is, even on his worst form they are on their guard 24/7 and on his best day, an entire 11 could try to keep him out and they would all fail.
Not one player in that team, not even Rooney commands that level of respect from teams and even if Walcott is innefective, the fact that the oppositition use so many bodies to keep him out means that the team is stretched, and we can capitilise on that, well, Arsenal would, this England team couldn't capitilise on a situation if their lives depended on it.
Personally, i think its a f***ing disgrace just how much of a media f**k fest Theo's still early life has been, he joined us (Arsenal) at 16 and before he had even kicked a ball at the highest level, Sven whisked him off to the World Cup, at the beginning he was hailed as the small jewel that could give England that extra vava voom (to coin Henry's phrase), to win the World Cup, in the end he didn't play and ended up, shockingly, on the receiving end of a small portion of blame for England going out, media for you eh? Seems nobody, not even a child is exempt from a witch hunt.
His progress with Arsenal progressed pretty much how i thought it would, steadily, with a few moments of absolute brilliance, but still lacking that on field maturity that comes with experience.
Roll on a few years and Capello called him up to face Croatia, a game many thought we would be spanked in. Walcott however absolutely, single handedly destroyed one of the very best teams teams in the World, at near enough full strength, with one of the best young managers at the helm, from nearly 3 different positions and with both feet.
It was natural for the media to go mental but they propelled him to heights he should not have been subjected to at that age and through injury, both his club and country form suffered...
Now we turn full circle again and we get to this point, a media onslaught, every pundit who said Walcott should go has now backtracked and said Capello has gotten it right, Walcott has very few supporters right now save Arsenal fans and for the love of me i just don't understand why.
Walcott has always struck me as someone who has never felt he is good enough, never taking the credit for a moment of brilliance but praising the team, never getting big headed, just trying to focus on football, which he clearly loves.
I don't care what rival fans, pundits, any general c*** wants to say, he has talent, in spades, and if he was allowed to go to the World Cup, just to show one moment of magic, England would have been better off for it, i believe a player like Walcott, even in a small capacity such as coming off the bench to inspire a victory, could have been the very thing England needed to win the World Cup.
Now it seems, that we already have a ready made excuse for failing, and it seems Capello already has a ready made job waiting for him should he fail to do the business with this shower of shite excuse for a team.
Call me biased, whatever, but i am an Arsenal fan first and foremost, and it doesn't take a genius to work out it was a mistake not taking him, it was a worthy risk.
Hopefully, Theo can have a break now, and really push on in pre-season, this is a critical moment in his career, he can choose to use this as an excuse to finally unleash all of that potential, or he can go back into his shell, all i will say, is that i thoroughly blame England for hindering his progress thus far, and i don't think anyone would disagree.
Ironic isn't it, that Walcott went to the World Cup at 16 when he didn't deserve to go in the slightest, and he doesn't go at 21 when he did.
Chin up Gooners.
They see' me Trollin', they hatin'