Is Theo Walcott actually any good?

its the media who hypes this youngsters.
it real is not their fault

Yes, he could have done more this year, but the injury just trew him off. The thing you are missing is that nobody played well against Finland. Oh and Rooney played in the striker role if i remember correctly...

I constantly change my mind about Theo Walcott. How can the guy who 99% of the time looks lost with the ball at his feet have produced the incredible run that set up Adebayor against Liverpool a couple of years ago? My worry for him is that he's the new Michael Owen. What I mean by this is that even though he is capable of producing one of those moments of genius, his real weapon is his pace and he just doesn't really fit with the modern game.

He doesn't possess the consistent skill or crossing ability to play on the wing and he doesn't have the physical build to play up front on his own. Therefore he's a bit of a luxury player in an era where the 'big man, little man' strike partnership is being replaced by the 'big man and lots of midfielders' system. My hope is that Wenger has the balls to play him up front with a suitable partner and he could be the next Henry. Otherwise he may never quite achieve his potential.

I really hope this post was an attempt at sarcasm because you are really talking out of your ass. How can you sum up a person's ability after a poor performance during an u21 match. He is only 20, being inconsistent is part of being young. People are far to demanding and should give enough time to allow a player to develop their ability. It's the same with Nik Bendtner. What about Theo's world class performances against Liverpool, AC Milan and Croatia? might i add those were high-pressure games!

Think that Wenger, Capello and Pearce can not all be wrong. They see things we dont, so I still beleive, injury permittting, he will come good..

well one last season he was out for 4 months with injury and since he joined arsenal he has had surgery on both shoulders. Plus hes not a winger. Even he and Wenger have admitted they see him playin as a striker so give him a few more seasons at least.

Fair enough about his injuries "pggoldII" but don't so many injuries in a young player worry you too?
Generally, I sort of agree that he's not a winger (although maybe he'd be best in the right of a front 3?) but doesn't Wenger's reluctance to play him there worry you slightly?
Luka666 - Micah Richards was good against Finland among others, and at least Gabby had enough presence to set-up a goal. Walcott's omission from the next game speaks volumes.
Ken - No sarcasm, I hope he comes good but I'm not sure there has been as much improvement as their should have been. He's probably been only slightly more effective this season than say Ryan Babel was for Liverpool.

example: Luca Toni was 26years old and still playing in the Serie B before he started banging in 30 goals a season for Palmero, Fiorentina and Bayern.

Only time will tell

Reply to Ken:

example: Luca Toni was 26years old and still playing in the Serie B before he started banging in 30 goals a season for Palmero, Fiorentina and Bayern.

Only time will tell

Fair point but given his International performances Toni is arguably not world class and I'd hope for a more succesful career from someone who clearly was ahead of his age group at 17, as opposed to Toni who seems to be a late developer.

I think we can both agree on that!

personally i think he is a gun (im a villa supporter and an australian so i dont particularly have too much bias) and the guy is pretty amazing to watch.. and he isnt just a one trick pony, he may use his pace a lot to his advantage but it isnt his only telling attribute.. for example, his assist for van persie vs blackburn at the start of the season.. wow. and again, his pace, see spain u21 v england u21.. his assist for milner.

with him being phased into more of a 'striking' role over the next few years i think we will see him scoring a lot more goals. but the main point i want to make is consistency. thats what the really world class performers possess and they bring it to the table week in, week out. so if he is consistently creating opportunities, assists or goals, throughout the course of an entire season (thats not to say he wont have a couple of off days) and for his country,thats when you will know he is becoming world class. all the best to him i say and i wish he was at villa

I have been watching walcott for the last few years at arsenal and i must say his development has been painfully slow. he burst onto the scene with a great goal in the carling cup and some impact appearances as a sub in CL play. evaluating his skill set as of now it is painfully obvious that he is not "arsenal class" as regarding his technical ability. his inability to provide any modicum of consistent service from the wing and his poor first touch are a constant source of agony as a gooner. the last game against chelsea sums up for me his progress thus far. time and again he had the goal at his mercy and didn't even manage to test the keeper. he is still just 20 and english so technical ability not withstanding he has room to become more well rounded. however, if he fails to improve technically i would encourage arsenal to look elsewhere because we cant afford to have players on the pitch that can't produce a final ball or control a first touch. he has the ability to be a game changer and once he improves in these aspects watch out. you cant teach speed. if i were him id spend more time practicing dribbling and crossing because that will make him so much more dangerous. it sounds obvious but this U21 Euros was evidence of his lack of skill. How else do you explain being left off the pitch for any competitive match. to me as an american his hype comes from the fact that beckham is past his prime, michael owen is done, and england are in need of some hope for the future. but for me this sums up what is wrong with english mentality when it comes to football. they get swept away in rooting for their home grown talent without being honest with themselves. just being honest and i am an arsenal fan, theo walcott is not that good. take away his speed and you see what happends. he needs to develop other parts of his game or he will never reach his potential.