Thursday 11 September 2008

Theo - what a waste of money


I'm amazed Theo Walcott can sleep at night, what a shocking season the lad's had so far, only one international hat trick and several first team starts under his belt already. But seriously, there has been a lot of unfair criticism of Walcott so far this season and his sterling performance last night should hopefully shut these idiots up for a few minutes. Walcott is a great talent, but he is still a kid, so he's bound to blow hot and cold for the next season or two, that's simply part of his normal development.

It's about time that the cumbersome tortoise called Beckham was dropped and some fresh blood was tried, Walcott's goals can only cement Beckham's seemingly inevitable place in the has been section. Some credit should go to Capello for this decision, but really Beckham should never have been allowed to painfully amble on to his massive 105 caps. It is also no coincidence that a decent England performance came without the Gerrard-Lampard combo and with the hard working team play of Emile Heskey.

Anyways enough of England, onto the game that matters and that's the away game at Ewood park this weekend. It's never an easy location to visit and I am sure Saturday will not prove an exception. Despite a poor result against West Ham, we should not be deceived as Blackburn could easily have taken all three points that day. Santa Cruz is expected to be missing which is a positive, however on the negative Nasri may be out thanks to a knee injury sustained whilst on France duty, hopefully there aren't too many other injuries lurking in the woodwork. There are no prizes for anyone who guessed that the rumours of a move for Appiah were based on horsey brown stuff, what a surprise.

The stats make interesting reading, for those of us with anoraks that is, and we do have a decent record against Blackburn in recent years. I'm sure they will try to rough us up a bit, maybe even more than a bit, and hopefuly if they do then Mike Dean will get his cards out in appropriate fashion. It will be interesting to see the midfield line up in particular, the rest of the side selects itself really. Will Eboue retain his place, will Song come in to add a bit more muscle and will Walcott start? It's not an easy job that Arsene's got, despite what some may say from their comfy arm chairs.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

good one

Anonymous said...

walcott is still a kid.

Anonymous said...

Good post except for the cheap shots at Beckham, which, really, are completely uncalled for and reflect badly only on you. Theo came up big; it was only a matter of time. The real change was no Gerrard joining Rooney in ignoring team play and running all over the field. One of these two is all England can handle, and, frankly, the Waynester is clearly superior in defending and all out effort. There's still no one else on England who can deliver a long cross or pass like Beckham, so you should still expect him to be around. Bet he won't whine like Stevie G or Frankie L.

1979gooner said...

cheap shots at beckham?

well, if having a go at him for his complete lack of performances for the last five years is seen as a cheap shot then so be it,

he has simply not performed for many many years,

he is slow, slow, slow and hasn't hacked it for England for a while now,

i simply can't see how his play over the last few years could possibly be defended?

Anonymous said...

Walcott may get better, but that's not a gauranteed fact. What about Rooney, Owen, Bentley, Fowler, Defoe, Francis Jeffers, Heskey, Aaron Lennon and a host of other prospects who've had a good game, and then get touted as the answer to England's prayers, we're going to win the World Cup, football's coming home, hoorah ... only to get slagged off.

It's hype. It's a big fat maybe. And if you wondering, I support Arsenal.

Anonymous said...

Alright ladies bring it in, I'm not english, in fact I am South African. And Benni McCarthy is the biggest whinger out there, yet for all the shit that he stirs and his negativity aura in the change rooms, I still respect what he has done over the years. Beckham likewise has been great for England, and given genuine football fans edge of the seat entertainment without much B.S. Gerrard and Lampard may be technically supperior to him, but they don't have the same hunger in a 3 lions shirt that Banana Bender has. This weekend it's gonna be Sagna, Toure, Gallas, Clichy, Eboue, Denilson, Fabregas, Walcott, Bendtner, Adebayor as the starting eleven, by the way I am willing to put down good money that when we're 3-0 up in the 70th minute Wenger brings Vela,
and Rambo/Wilshere on along with Song.

Obsinho said...

THere is no need to abuse Beckham for what he has done, and 1979 didn't do that.

But it is justified to get on the FA's back for continually forcing his inclusion in the squad and team. For the last two tournaments we have been included in Beckham has underperformed. He has then made the decision to abandon compettive football for money, and should not be included in any international squads anymore.

It is not Beckhams fault that he is slow, and his commitment has always been to his credit. But it is his fault he is unfit.

K man said...

Theo will be on the bench I expect. Including Song would be a good idea to protect the back 4. Need to keep up the momentum after the excellent Newcastle performance.

K man said...

By the way, Beckham has been a good servant to England. We should thank him and move on. Walcott, SWP, Lennon and Bentley are his heirs and Walcott seems to be the one in pole position after his fantastic performance.