[I Hate Hleb]

the thing is, even if walcott scores a hattrick in every game he plays, alongside making at least 1 goal line clearance every half, and then after each game posts an online blog of him setting fire to spurs shirts and waiting until they're just embers before pissing on them to put the remnants of the fire out, most people on here will still think he's shit!...

I'm a supporter of Theo but sorry that is nonsense and just not true. Do you really believe he'd be getting the stick he gets from a few - not all or even the majority - on here if he was producing anything like those kind of statistics (not that they are even feasible)?

[1989]

From what I've seen of Gervinho he looks twice the player when playing on the right.

[I Hate Hleb]

From what I've seen of Gervinho he looks twice the player when he's playing on the right.

Which would make him 66% of the player he needs to be to make us successful!!

[1989]

The remaining 34% is all the extra yards in his (fore)head. No wonder it's so fucking massive.

[QuartzGooner]

the thing is, even if walcott scores a hattrick in every game he plays, alongside making at least 1 goal line clearance every half, and then after each game posts an online blog of him setting fire to spurs shirts and waiting until they're just embers before pissing on them to put the remnants of the fire out, most people on here will still think he's shit!...

I'm a supporter of Theo but sorry that is nonsense and just not true. Do you really believe he'd be getting the stick he gets from a few - not all or even the majority - on here if he was producing anything like those kind of statistics (not that they are even feasible)?

I do.

The Arsenal crowd loves to have at least one boo boy.
Right now it is Walcott and Ramsey.

Even in the Invincibles season there were those who gave Gilberto stick, though muted.

Prior to that Martin Hayes used to get slaughtered, Niall Quinn, Kevin Campbell, Jimmy Carter, Overmars in his last season, Cygan, Jeffers, Anelka.
Years ago before my time it was Ian Ure and sometimes Jon Sammels.
I have also heard Bergkamp abused from the seats by intensely angry fans at Highbury.

[I Hate Hleb]

Now I know that Arsenal fans - like every other club - can get on a player's back if they feel he isn't good enough/producing the goods, but really Quartz? You actually agree with nexum5me's statement that "if Theo scored a hat-trick in every game he plays, alongside making at least 1 goal line clearance every half, and then after each game posts an online blog of him setting fire to spurs shirts and waiting until they're just embers before pissing on them to put the remnants of the fire out, most people on here will still think he's shit!..."?

Is what you're saying that Arsenal fans pick on a player because of their own personal dislike of him and regardless of what they are producing on the pitch, rather than a consequence of what they contribute (or fail to)? Because that's essentially what the above is claiming and as I said above, I think 99.9% of Theo's critics (you always have to leave room for a couple of idiots) wouldn't be so if he came anywhere near to producing the above stats. And anyone that did thereafter criticise him would be identified as a fool who clearly knows nothing about the game - much like anyone that would believe the above scenerio!!

[SteveO 35]

There are certainly supporters in the Bowl that have made their minds up before a ball is kicked as to who has had a good game or not

What I find laughable is that Walcott is somehow unfairly picked upon !!!!! Really?? "Feo Feo Feo" for six years, most of which have been disappointing. I can't think of a single Arsenal player that the supporters have wanted to succeed as much as Walcott

Quartz I suggest you sit in block 2 mate - its like the official Theo Walcott fan club. Hardly a misplaced cross, piece of awful control or mindless run into the fullback goes past without official hero worship

However, the impeccable Abou needs only to underhit one pass and its dog's abuse all round

Theo Walcott has had at least five years of huge patience and worship afforded to him at the bowl. Perhaps after six years a few more of the sheep have woken up to the fact that its time to deliver on the potential

[donaldo]

The whole point of this thread is Walcotts contract is up at the end of next season.Now do we cut our losses and sell him if an offer of £20m comes in(from guilibe Liverpool probably) or do we give him a 4 year contract worth £100k a week (£20.8m over 4 years ).Does Walcott produce enough over a whole season to justify £5.2m a year.And on the evidence of the last 6 seasons the answer is no.For that amount of money you should be looking for a player who is world class and 6-8 good games a season does not make you world class

[SteveO 35]

The whole point of this thread is Walcotts contract is up at the end of next season.Now do we cut our losses and sell him if an offer of £20m comes in(from guilibe Liverpool probably) or do we give him a 4 year contract worth £100k a week (£20.8m over 4 years ).Does Walcott produce enough over a whole season to justify £5.2m a year.And on the evidence of the last 6 seasons the answer is no.For that amount of money you should be looking for a player who is world class and 6-8 good games a season does not make you world class

I'd sign him up for two reasons.

Firstly, he has actually improved a lot this season, especially in the last few months so perhaps at last he is capable of stepping up to the mark, although I have serious doubts that he will ever develop into a truly top class player

Secondly, if we do sign him up because there is so much hype around him and he plays for Ing-er-lund, we'll still be able to get £25m+ for him if he's under contract even if he doesn't develop because as you rightly say there are so many gullible buyers out there and it wouldn't surprise me at all if City, Chelsea or the Mickeys bid for him.

Walcott loves the Mickeys anyway so would be a marriage made in heaven

[augie]

Does anybody see wenger accepting he balls'd up and signed a dud in the klingon ? If as I suspect the answer is no then somebody please tell me where the ox will fit in when wenger has walnut, the forehead and probably podolski ahead of him in the pecking order and judging by recent selections wenger even feel's more comfortable playing ramsey, benyoun and rosicky on the wing ahead of him
Question number 2....is there any Gooner that would support the idea of sending the ox out on loan to get regular playing time ?
Question number 3.....if your answer to question 2 is a resounding no (as it is with me) then how the f**k is the ox going to develop as a footballer getting a few mins here and there ?

I am very much in the group that believes that walnut is nowhere near worthy of 85k per week much less 100k per week and I 100% agree with steve o when he says that the guy has had 6 years to develop and is still nowhere near the level we should be expecting so then isnt it time to focus on developing the ox ? Feo has had his time and hasnt sufficently developed and if we want to continue of this road (in hope more than expectation) then it will cost us big bucks to do so and for the life of me I cannot see the wisdom in doing that

[SteveO 35]

Sadly the Ox will continue to play a bit part role next season and we'll have regular updates from Doctor Wenger on the importance of nurturing his development, and the risks of burn-out etc etc (whilst forgetting that he played Wilshere in c.50 games last season and then moaned at England for his subsequent breakdown).

Next season Gervinho will be first choice on the left, Miyachi will return and who knows....maybe even the fat lazy Russian too !

The Ox will be used for the Beer Cup and the odd game where the Lightbulb, Miyachi or the People's Champion (or some poor other sod being played out of position) are rested - perhaps the final dead rubber match of the CL group where we can sit back and watch him pick up a needless injury

Then January will come and he'll be sent out to Bolton/Southampton/Reading/whoever

Remember that Gervinho saved us from "dizzying prices" chaps

[North-Bank-1987]

IMO Walcott is not worth 100k a week, not even close to that. Get us 20 goals and double figure assits for a couple of seasons running then I'd be happy to see the club pay it, but FFS we cannot afford to pay people on their potential ability, I do certainly think that Walcott will be a good/decent player in years to come (I know hes had 6 years but his pace can get us attacking quickly and I think given a season or two more and he will improve) but I do not for one second justify paying him 100k a week when he is yet to prove being worth anywhere even close to that.

[QuartzGooner]

IHH and SteveO

Walcott (and Ramsey) are the boo boys at the moment.
I have not sat in Block 2, instead I hear boos. The odd Theo Theo chant goes up, but only after he scores.
When the team are introduced before the game, the noise for Walcott is noticeably quieter than for other players.

IHH

It will take a goal a game from Theo to get the crowd more behind him, and even then some will be against him, but not the majority. But he just seems to have got tarnished with a brush that is inappropriate.

Augie

Please see my post at foot of page 19 on why we should keep Walcott even with the players you mention in the squad (apologies if you have seen it).
For what it is worth I do not think Gervinho has cemented a first choice place yet.

[SteveO 35]

Quartz - where do all these boos come from and at what games?

Again - my mates and I have often commented throughout the last 5 years what favourable treatment he gets from the fans compared to some of our foreign players. His name gets loudly cheered during the teams announcement - more so than most - he gets standing ovations when he's subbed regardless of his performance, and is It isn't just confined to Block 2 either - he is the darling of the Family Enclosure and this season I have sat in upper and lower tiers in various blocks and have not heard him booed by a section of the crowd once...

Now, I didn't go to the 5-2 against the Scummers but if 'booing' amounts to the few grumbles that could be heard on the TV when he was completely inept in the first half, then the boy has got off very very lightly over the years. The notion that he is a 'boo boy' is nonsense frankly

If I compare what he has received with Eboue against Wigan (and other matches) and when Almunia was roundly and audibly booed at home to West Brom (and knew it too judging from his own reaction), then it is absolutely nothing in comparison.

Ramsey is hardly a boo boy either.

[augie]

For the life of me quartz, I cannot understand where you get the notion that walnut gets booed at home games I reside in block 11 and I can only echo what steve o has said in that feo gets a lot more slack than any other player in the last few years. Yes there are groans when he screws up but there is a big difference between that and the booing you suggest. I would say that, maybe it is cos he is english, but anytime he does anything approaching a satisfactory level then he straight away gets the feo feo chant from the muppets at the grove

I know that I have never worked half a day in football nor been a pro player but I have watched and played enough football over the years to know what is acceptable from a pro player and 3 shots and 2 crosses per game (or whatever ridiculous bullshit statement he said in that interview) is totally unacceptable to me. These guys are pro's and as such train 5 days a week for maybe 45 weeks of the season so shouldnt he have developed more skills by now ? Has he got any other skill in his locker when taking on a full back apart from kicking it by him and running after it ? Yes his crossing has improved but have they improved enough to justify 6 years of training at the club ? I have watched so many matches (citeeh last week for example) when he has just disappeared from the game like he wasnt even there and it wasnt as if citeeh brought back a winger to double up on him cos clichy had him in his pocket all day long (yes this is the same clichy that many Gooners described as defensively inept). Pro footballers are supposed to evolve over time adding more skills to their cv but for me walnut has not added any but has improved somewhat those that he already had albeit not to the required level.

The bottom line for me is that this situation has reached decision time cos of his contract situation and wage demand - maybe I could see some sense in keeping him for another couple of years on his current wages to see if he can reach the required level (though I still doubt it) but an increase in wages is unjustifiable for me and reinforces my opinion that this guy has lost all sense of the reality of what he actually contributes to the team and that any player with his pace (ox for example) could replace him seamlessly