No he’s not perfect. No he’s not the best player in the world (Bale, obviously). No he’s not our saviour. But he is effective and he is improving and we can’t really ask for more than that. Perhaps

Hello fellow supporters of Arsenal Football Club. How are we today?

Unfortunately that question will have to remain temporarily unanswered as I am not at the moment able to hear your undoubtedly enthusiastic responses. For the purposes of continuing with this blog I will assume, therefore, that you are currently treading water in a post-Blackpool mixture of scepticism-tinged hope, caution-drenched optimism and Kroenke-induced uncertainty. It’s quite a wordy and specific assumption, unnecessarily overloaded with hyphens, but I’m going to stick with it and you can’t stop me.

I’m here on this day of days to discuss with you the fortunes of one Theodore Albatross-Jenkins McDoolan Augustus Walcott (think that’s right). He’s not always had it easy has old Theo – hyped up, brought back down to earth, hyped up again – and it’s fair to say he’s had to deal with quite a lot. But whatever you may think of his ability you cannot fault his hard work and application and I think that this year he honestly and truly has become one of the finest children’s book writers in the general North London area (tee hee).

In all seriousness however you many of you will probably look at the title of this post and think: ‘I haven’t forgotten about Theo Walcott! Short-ish lad, pacy, tends to scare slow defenders? Yeah I remember him. Plays for Arsenal, right?’. That’s fair enough, and in some ways you are right – it is quite unlikely that you have forgotten he exists. He is a fully paid up member of the exclusive Theo Van Nasregas quartet – the most popular kids at the club – and an essential part of our attacking force. So what do I mean when I say he is forgotten?

What I mean is that you have forgotten that you didn’t used to think that way. You have forgotten than since the day Theo Walcott arrived his ability has been called into serious question and you have forgotten that for the last few years there seemed to be a lingering, worrying and very real possibility that he might not cut it at Arsenal.

You have forgotten that you doubted him and now that you don’t you have forgotten to praise him for that fact.

Because ever since the time of the Chelsea and Wigan games in December Theo Walcott has been included in the holy ‘starting 11’, and that decision has not really been called into question since. Those two games defined more than anything else our team for the remainder of our season since they created a perceptible, if imaginary, line between the those considered to be in the A team – and their strengths –  and those considered to be in the B team – and their weaknesses. A fantastic A team win over Chelsea was followed immediately by a disappointing B team draw against Wigan (and subsequently by a comprehensive victory by the A team over Birmingham) and thereafter Arshavin was relegated to the B team (while everyone else was fit) and Walcott was promoted to the A team. And the people did rejoice.

It’s funny that really. One of our most expensive signings ever is replaced in the first team by a player with no football brain and people were happy about it.

But the main story there was of course Arshavin – that he wasn’t as good as he had been and that he was struggling for form and look lazy – and in all probability that was the primary catalyst. Arshavin is a much more naturally gifted player than Walcott and he has an ability to make something out of nothing that almost no-one in our team has and were he to be on top form consistently he would stroll casually into most teams in the world, including ours.

But the forgotten flipside of the story is that Walcott was doing a pretty damn good job this season. 7 goals and 7 assists in 13 starts (+8 sub) in the league and 11 goals overall is easily his best ever return at the club and the season has still got seven games to go. Again you might point to his injuries as a cause for concern – which they are, but then so are Van Persie’s, Fabregas’ etc –but when he is fit you cannot fault his productivity and that is a massive, massive change from seasons past.

Again, much like Van Persie, it’s become a case of ‘if only he stayed fit’ because a whole season of these sorts of figures would in all likelihood brought us a fair few extra points. It isn’t a foolproof way to measure things but a quick extrapolation from the data above and you are talking about something like 15 goals and 15 assists for the season which is close to someone like Nani who many believe deserves the player of the season award.

But if this is the case then why are we not dousing him in praise the same way did Nasri for going through purple patch earlier in the season? Nasri only has 9 goals and 1 assist in 23 starts (+2 sub) in the league and yet he is being talked about as a contender for player of the season, even above Nani.

The truth is that it is precisely because of events such Nasri’s rise that Walcott’s success has gone so unnoticed. There have been too many subplots this season and from the fans’ and the media’s perspective the Walcott story hasn’t really taken off.

Nasri’s rise, Van Persie’s return, Arshavin’s form, Arsenal’s defence, Arsenal’s goalkeeper. These are all stories which have come into play at various points throughout the season and basically cover all of bases in terms of our form and the reasons that can be given for it. Good times: Nasri, Van Persie; bad times: Arshavin, defence, goalkeeper. These are the narratives that came into play this season and these are the ones which are most closely followed, discussed, rehashed and re-released.

Theo Van Nasregas is a story which was important among a fair amount of Arsenal fans but even here he is just one part of a larger whole and not really the focus. Through praising T V N we have been praising  him, but only indirectly, and almost, therefore, unknowingly since we are praising a collective entity without talking about individuals.

But I feel the main reason for all of this forgetfulness is that Walcott is no longer the English golden boy, either for Arsenal or for the national team. That accolade has been taken by a Mr Jack Wilshere and this has completely overshadowed Walcott’s accomplishments. A few mediocre performances for England coupled with some impressive ones for Jackie Boy and suddenly the pressure is completely off of one and straight on the other.

Never mind that Theo’s statistical contribution has been significantly higher than Jack’s this season, or that he is achieving this at what is still a very young age. The national press have now forgotten about him and since fans often derive their opinions from the press they have forgotten about him too. Jack is now Arsenal’s English wunderkind and Walcott is just another player in the team.

Thanks goodness.

Perhaps this release of pressure is what has helped Theo to produce as he has. Maybe being forgotten has given him the breathing space to push on at his own pace. Who knows? Either way I think Theo has done tremendously well this season and I am now allowing myself to get a wee bit excited about what he too may be like next season or the season after.

Up until now this excitement has, in all honesty, been steadily decreasing since virtually the first moment he signed for Arsenal. As I documented in one of my first pieces for this site, The Ballad of Theo Walcott (thanks in advance for the link ML)
, Walcott’s career has been a series of false dawns, and like Arsenal themselves each of these serves to chip away at your confidence just a little, the cumulative effect of which eventually proving significant.

But you have to credit Theo for just getting on with it and fighting for his place. Theo 2011 is bigger and stronger (he has definitely bulked up) with better decision-making and a far greater understanding of how to use his pace to full effect. His crossing and passing have improved and his finishing has often been outstanding. The difference between now and then is that when Theo shoots you expect him to hit the target. His goals against Newcastle and especially against Shakhtar were beautiful and his hat-trick earlier in the season was superb.  He makes a genuine difference when he comes on and we all love him for it.

No he’s not perfect. No he’s not the best player in the world (Bale, obviously). No he’s not our saviour. But he is effective and he is improving and we can’t really ask for more than that. Perhaps just an injury-free season, although he does play for Arsenal so a half-season of football is a Christmas present in itself.

I just find it very amusing that almost as soon as Walcott starts doing well he fades almost completely into the background. I suppose that’s just the fickle nature of football.

I do however believe that forgotten though he is he shouldn’t be ignored and the time has come to give at least some praise where at least some praise is due.

Here’s to Theo Walcott, the second Englishman of Arsenal FC.

WB