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Theo Walcott

Edmonton Saint

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Kenilworthy

Kenilworthy

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, Suhari said:

He's doing well.

Works hard for the team.

Needs to be more clinical in front of goal. But hasn't that always been a criticism of him?

I'm glad he's with us.

Thought he was a write-off earlier this season. But he is making a contribution now

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Saint_clark

Saint_clark

Posted
Posted

Really thought with his experience that he would cut across Martinez when he went through on goal forcing him to either bring him down or let him have a free shot on his stronger foot. Maybe he wanted to and it was just rustiness that caused the ball to bobble to his left. Either way, he's making a positive contribution and should keep his place in the team. 

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jimmysaint7

jimmysaint7

Posted
Posted
34 minutes ago, Saint_clark said:

Really thought with his experience that he would cut across Martinez when he went through on goal forcing him to either bring him down or let him have a free shot on his stronger foot. Maybe he wanted to and it was just rustiness that caused the ball to bobble to his left. Either way, he's making a positive contribution and should keep his place in the team. 

I think that was his aim but his 2nd or 3rd touch was poor putting him on his left 

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Chez

Chez

Posted
Posted (edited)
20 hours ago, skintsaint said:

Seems to have improved the last few games, funny that with his contract running down.

looks the same as he always has for me. Works hard, but doesn't have that genuine pace anymore and without it, he doesn't really have much of an all round game. Not sure he ever did.

He's been injured for quite a while, but now fit, he's doing the same things he was before his injury. Lots of running off the ball both in attack and defence. I don't think it has anything to do with him being out of contract in the summer. He's always given his all for Saints. Not sure you can ever point to a lack of effort. I just wish we had had him here when he was at his peak.  

Edited by Chez
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Toussaint

Toussaint

Posted
Posted
21 hours ago, skintsaint said:

Seems to have improved the last few games, funny that with his contract running down.

Not saying your wrong, but that hadn’t occurred to me. My first thought was how Wreckit Ralph  strangled the life out of our creative players and that left me wondering what Redmond (I was one of his greatest critics) would be like under the more expansive style of Selles. 

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S-Clarke

S-Clarke

Posted
Posted

He's in the form he was in when he first came to us (on loan), the 18 months after that were to forget though.

A nice last hurrah for him, he's certainly giving it his best shot personally. I reckon he'll retire int he summer so he's trying to go out with the biggest bang he can personally. 

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JRM

JRM

Posted
Posted (edited)
37 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said:

He was great today. Not just for him setting up Adams and scoring himself but for his constant runs across the back to pull their defenders out of position.

He has a football brain and capable of movement that our other forwards don't have, just a shame he doesn't have the sharpness he had 10 years ago 

Edited by JRM
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Roosk

Roosk

Posted
Posted

And he is the only one of the starting 11 who shows intelligent movement off the ball. There are certainly other players who are more ‘technical’ but they are utterly predictable. His running today was excellent, and if anything we didn’t spot him enough…

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cf saint

cf saint

Posted
Posted

Funny that at the highest level the criticism was always that he didn’t have a football brain to go with the pace.  That may have been right but his movement is miles ahead of our other “10s” and he is clearly an intelligent guy too.  If he keeps fit he adds something and to have any chance at all of escape we need that.  

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Chez

Chez

Posted
Posted
On 13/03/2023 at 17:25, Toussaint said:

Not saying your wrong, but that hadn’t occurred to me. My first thought was how Wreckit Ralph  strangled the life out of our creative players and that left me wondering what Redmond (I was one of his greatest critics) would be like under the more expansive style of Selles. 

If someone had said to Redmond, "you have to take the man on every time you are on the ball in their third or you are out of the side", and "if it doesn't come off, try again" maybe things would have been different. Instead he strove to keep possession (and was very good at doing so) turning back as the space closed down rather than gambling, and pressing on with the hope the defender maybe made a mistake. The more he lost his pace the more he ended up `turning back' so as to not lose possession. In the end he just wasn't quick enough to go past a man, so he hardly ever `gambled'. He became like John Barnes for England (when he went into his shell), playing it safe and not running at opponents - which is what he was in the side to do. Basically the polar opposite of Edozie who perhaps gambles too much and loses the ball.

Returning to Walcott. He has also lost that bit of pace, but he still makes the same game off the ball runs and forces the defender to be honest. 

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Charlie Wayman

Charlie Wayman

Posted
Posted (edited)

Brilliant post match interview on the SFC website. Comes across as a really decent bloke totally dedicated to the Saints. Rational and calm, a terrific personality to have in the team right now, a really calming influence. Even if he hangs up his boots at the end of this season, I for one hope the club see the wisdom of having him on board either in a coaching role as part of the promotional set up.

If he continues to play as well as he did against ManU and Spurs then even a new one year contract is not impossible to justify.

Edited by Charlie Wayman
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Dman

Dman

Posted
Posted

He’s probably 1 injury away from pulling the plug, but if he stays fit and is willing to compromise on salary, he’s worth keeping around. Especially in the championship. 
 

He needs to play as a winger on the right hand side, like he has been the past few weeks. He’s the only winger / wide player we have who seems to want to run in behind, and it’s effective for us. 

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East Kent Saint

East Kent Saint

Posted
Posted
23 hours ago, Chez said:

If someone had said to Redmond, "you have to take the man on every time you are on the ball in their third or you are out of the side", and "if it doesn't come off, try again" maybe things would have been different. Instead he strove to keep possession (and was very good at doing so) turning back as the space closed down rather than gambling, and pressing on with the hope the defender maybe made a mistake. The more he lost his pace the more he ended up `turning back' so as to not lose possession. In the end he just wasn't quick enough to go past a man, so he hardly ever `gambled'. He became like John Barnes for England (when he went into his shell), playing it safe and not running at opponents - which is what he was in the side to do. Basically the polar opposite of Edozie who perhaps gambles too much and loses the ball.

Returning to Walcott. He has also lost that bit of pace, but he still makes the same game off the ball runs and forces the defender to be honest. 

I thought that the way he played was what he was instructed to do ,  as he explained to Pep that time at the Man City game !

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Chez

Chez

Posted
Posted
43 minutes ago, East Kent Saint said:

I thought that the way he played was what he was instructed to do ,  as he explained to Pep that time at the Man City game !

ha, yes, probably. Keeping and recycling possession is certainly what a lot of managers want to see fro wide players. Wingers tend not be encouraged to `take players on' all the time, especially if it means they head down blind alleys. Even in forward areas, losing the ball can be very costly, as others players are pushed forward and `out of position', so being gung ho and attempting to take one or two players on may not always be the best approach. I've no idea if it was a Ralph instruction to be a little cacious or the player himself just was reserved/sensible/incapable (take your pick).

I don't think Theo is any more `attacking' - he doesn't really dribble past people these days, but he offers that off the ball running that Redmond didn't offer. A lack of off the ball runners has been another reason why we have struggled to create chances. Far too much stuff in front of opponents, instead of trying to get behind them/stretch them.

Having Theo do that on one wing and Salemana being more of a dribbler on the other, at least creates some variety of attack.

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Chez

Chez

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Dman said:

He’s probably 1 injury away from pulling the plug, but if he stays fit and is willing to compromise on salary, he’s worth keeping around. Especially in the championship. 

It's a similar situation to two years ago.

When he came on loan, he really put a shift in for us. He was up and down the line all day long. He didn't play as a winger, it was an out and out right midfielder - both defending and attacking. He did pretty well. He wasn't outstanding. But he did a job Ralph wanted. Whether it was enough to justify the two  year deal, I am not sure. I guess it depends what the  other options were. He was a free transfer and it made sense to the club then. 

Two (injury affected) years on and we have the same kind of decision to make - although financial pressures (and the large squad we now have) might mean we have to release him. 

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david in sweden

david in sweden

Posted
Posted

I can go back to the 1960's and recall there were always some fans who thought players over 30 already had one foot in the grave and 

it was a waste of time and money to sign them, only to find that history has proven them wrong.    That list is ENDLESS.    

Whilst players at that age may already be past the halfway point in their careers,  the real benefit is that such men are often the key to the

success of the young newcomers who have very limited experience at this level.  They learn faster - and it shows. 

 

Theo Walcott was paraded as our first " Academy legend " with his name at the top of the board at Staplewood, and only a few old video clips 

to show his most successful moments.  Today's  youngsters  see  Prowsey as the benchmark for the second generation of Academy successes,

and our newest teenage talents may even find themselves training alongside both of them on a daily basis and the experience they gain is invaluable.

 

Even at 34 , a  fit Theo has found a new lease of life  and many of his doubters are now being convinced of his value to the club.

Suddenly, Theo has become " the new Shane Long ",  a bit long in the tooth for some, but always there to DAJFU in any circumstances .

He has been desperately unfortunate not to have been on the scoresheet several times in the last month, but he was finally rewarded for his

industry on Saturday with a classic assist for Che Adams' goal, and finally getting a goal himself with a quick finish whilst surrounded by Spurs defenders.

 

Better late then never ? - maybe, but we may yet be indebted for his input this season when we consider the potential loss of stature and vital income that 

such relegation would be likely to bring. 

 

 

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FarehamSaintJames

FarehamSaintJames

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Dman said:

He’s probably 1 injury away from pulling the plug, but if he stays fit and is willing to compromise on salary, he’s worth keeping around. Especially in the championship. 
 

He needs to play as a winger on the right hand side, like he has been the past few weeks. He’s the only winger / wide player we have who seems to want to run in behind, and it’s effective for us. 

This entirely.

A compromise on salary and I’d offer him a deal.

You can see people like him, Willy Cabellero etc have a lot of authority in that dressing room. Definitely worth keeping around.

I’d actually say Theo Walcott has been one of our best players this season. 

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OldNick

OldNick

Posted
Posted
On 19/03/2023 at 11:16, Chez said:

If someone had said to Redmond, "you have to take the man on every time you are on the ball in their third or you are out of the side", and "if it doesn't come off, try again" maybe things would have been different. Instead he strove to keep possession (and was very good at doing so) turning back as the space closed down rather than gambling, and pressing on with the hope the defender maybe made a mistake. The more he lost his pace the more he ended up `turning back' so as to not lose possession. In the end he just wasn't quick enough to go past a man, so he hardly ever `gambled'. He became like John Barnes for England (when he went into his shell), playing it safe and not running at opponents - which is what he was in the side to do. Basically the polar opposite of Edozie who perhaps gambles too much and loses the ball.

Returning to Walcott. He has also lost that bit of pace, but he still makes the same game off the ball runs and forces the defender to be honest. 

Redmond is missed for the chances and opportunities he created. He was the only player who excited me last season, as he at least would get me off my seat. I agree he followed Ralphs orders and in turn that made him less effective. Even Pep became frustrated about the way his game was changed to his detriment. Scored a great goal over the week end. Similar shot as he did at FP 😃

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OldNick

OldNick

Posted
Posted
57 minutes ago, david in sweden said:

I can go back to the 1960's and recall there were always some fans who thought players over 30 already had one foot in the grave and 

it was a waste of time and money to sign them, only to find that history has proven them wrong.    That list is ENDLESS.    

Whilst players at that age may already be past the halfway point in their careers,  the real benefit is that such men are often the key to the

success of the young newcomers who have very limited experience at this level.  They learn faster - and it shows. 

 

Theo Walcott was paraded as our first " Academy legend " with his name at the top of the board at Staplewood, and only a few old video clips 

to show his most successful moments.  Today's  youngsters  see  Prowsey as the benchmark for the second generation of Academy successes,

and our newest teenage talents may even find themselves training alongside both of them on a daily basis and the experience they gain is invaluable.

 

Even at 34 , a  fit Theo has found a new lease of life  and many of his doubters are now being convinced of his value to the club.

Suddenly, Theo has become " the new Shane Long ",  a bit long in the tooth for some, but always there to DAJFU in any circumstances .

He has been desperately unfortunate not to have been on the scoresheet several times in the last month, but he was finally rewarded for his

industry on Saturday with a classic assist for Che Adams' goal, and finally getting a goal himself with a quick finish whilst surrounded by Spurs defenders.

 

Better late then never ? - maybe, but we may yet be indebted for his input this season when we consider the potential loss of stature and vital income that 

such relegation would be likely to bring. 

 

 

Channon Ball Osgood etc must have been in their 30;s

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Chez

Chez

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

This entirely.

A compromise on salary and I’d offer him a deal.

You can see people like him, Willy Cabellero etc have a lot of authority in that dressing room. Definitely worth keeping around.

I’d actually say Theo Walcott has been one of our best players this season. 

he's done OK, in two or three recent games, but it's a sorry state of affairs when that equates to being one of our best players this season.

Don't get me wrong, I am not criticising him, there has been way too much abuse on here over the last two years towards a guy that helped us earn over £9m from Arsenal when he could have you signed a pro contract with them instead, but he's missed a hell of a lot of football the last two seasons due to injury/fitness. If we go down, our financial situation is not going to be one were we can throw money around, so resigning an out of contract player will be difficult as we will have so many others we are stuck with.  

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saintwbu

saintwbu

Posted
Posted (edited)

The talk of Redmond changing his game and the ‘Pep’ talk was actually a game under Pellegrino, rather than Ralph. Redmond was already a frustrating player before Ralph arrived, it was Ralph that got a tune out of him for a bit. 

Edited by saintwbu
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Lighthouse

Lighthouse

Posted
Posted

It amazes me how keen some people are to hand out new contracts off the back of such small crumbs of form. Walcott is 34, has had many fitness problems and I believe that was his first goal for two years at the weekend. I’m not buying the, "good in the changing room/with the younger players," line either. I’m sure he’s a great bloke but our team looks mentally frail and pretty much all of our young attacking players have looked useless in the last few years.

We had the same with Shane Long a year ago, scoring a goal in a sub appearance against Everton and suddenly he was, "a useful option… give him a new contract," etc. Whatever special talent these guys have, we can live without it. They’re just a sad avatar for how low our expectations are.

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Victor

Victor

Posted
Posted
On 20/03/2023 at 13:59, Chez said:

Speedie, Hurst, Ripley, McCann, Kachelskis and Wise were all over 30 when they were at Saints too. 

Don't remember Geoff Hurst playing for Saints.

Who was that guy who came from Sheffield Wednesday? He must have been 33 when we released him.

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Turkish

Turkish

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Colinjb said:

David Hirst.... 

thirsty hirsty. When not in the pitch or treatment room could be found in Bedford place. He was class before his knee injury. Sadly we got him after it.

bizarrely around that time former skate and Aston Villa player warren aspinall spent a lot of time round there if I remember rightly he used to have a sandwich round.

Edited by Turkish
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