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| FIRST it was his Arsenal team-mate Nicklas Bendtner stumbling out of a nightclub with his trousers around his ankles. That was quickly followed by England colleague Ledley King's arrest for assault in the early hours of the morning after a big night out. Then fellow Premier League ace Roman Bednar was captured on the front page of the News of the World buying drugs. Theo Walcott, 20, has seen the shocking photos and footage that shamed the English game this month but still could have dodged the issue, turned a blind eye like so many others. Not Walcott. He's different, he's dedicated and he's brave enough to condemn their scandalous conduct. Asked about the trio's recent escapades, he said: "Yeah, I saw those photos. They were not good. You can't been seen doing any of that. They should respect themselves, respect the sport. "That sort of behaviour could encourage a young kid to copy them one day, thinking it is OK to go out and do what they have done. But it's not. "We're talking about the next generation of our sport receiving all the wrong signals - and at a time when we've just launched our bid to stage the 2018 World Cup." It's unlikely you'll ever see Walcott in such a sorry state. He has a reputation as a model pro and he's proud of it. He explained: "No, I never go to nightclubs but I do drink alcohol occasionally although only to be polite. I think it's OK as long as you are sensible. "You can go out and have fun, but you have to be careful. You have to be responsible. I certainly wouldn't get wasted out of my head." Although it's alien to him, Walcott still tries hard to comprehend how some fellow footballers fall victim to the temptations of being a big star. He said: "There's a lot of pressure as a role model but it's part of the life of being a footballer. But I realise that everyone comes through differently. "Some players are from rough backgrounds and inner city areas, others come from abroad - they've had different upbringings. "I have been lucky. I have a good family and was raised in a quiet village and from the age of 10 I was focused on what I wanted to be and what I needed to do." But surely the young Theo got in a scrape or two of his own? "What's the worst thing I've ever done? I got in trouble once at school when some kid took our football off us. There was an argument and suddenly he had me in a head lock. "But I broke free and punched him in the nose and there he was, all bleeding. As a punishment I was made to stand by the wall for 10 minutes. "And once - and I've never admitted this to anyone before - when I was at Southampton I was going on the train to Reading with another player, Jake Thompson. We were 16 at the time but we said we were 15 to get kids' tickets. "We thought we were being clever by buying the tickets on one side of the station and then crossing to the other side of station to get the train. "But we got caught and I was scared that we'd be prosecuted for fraud or something and all to wriggle out of paying an extra £2.50! "Luckily they let us off but it was a big lesson for me. I realised there and then I wasn't any good at being bad." Nice guy Walcott admits he can get tetchy sometimes, though, like when he was hassled by hordes of autograph hunters and fans at a supermarket or in a restaurant. He said: "I'd gone to see my girlfriend Mel in Wimbledon and I went to the local Sainsbury's. I got bothered and pestered so much that I got very annoyed. "And there have been times when we've been out having a private meal and someone pokes their head around the corner and asks you for your autograph - and then asks you to provide the pen and paper! "But when I spoke to Mel about it she calmed me down, she said these people were thrilled to see me and that I'd put a smile on their faces and so I ended up feeling bad about it. I thought it must be far worse for people like David Beckham and Peter Andre." He was almost lost for words, though, by over-the-top approaches from fans after his hat-trick heroics for England in the World Cup qualifier against Croatia at Wembley. "Can you believe one guy came up to me and aked for my England shirt and another asked me for my boots! Unbelievable. I mean what's that about? What are those people thinking? How much front can you have? "I could never behave like that. For instance, the other day I was standing behind Sir Paul McCartney in Selfridge's, I promise you it was definitely him, and I really wanted to say something but I didn't, I couldn't. I left him alone. "And when I was a youngster I was a ball boy at Chelsea. I am a Liverpool fan and so is my dad and I got to see Michael Owen and Titi Camara but I was just star struck, again I didn't say anything." Walcott's fame means he is now a marked man wherever he goes, even in the United States. He laughed: "Yeah, I went to New York and thought I wouldn't get any attention out there. But when I went into the first shop the woman who served me was from England and was a massive Arsenal fan and so was her husband. "Then another guy came up to me and said 'Hey Theo!' and we high-fived and he just walked off. That was great, really cool." |
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| If you are interested, there is a really boring article here about Theo Walcott and some crazy fight he got into at school. The journo who held that interview should be sacked… what a pile of rubbish. Theo, there is a saying… unless you’ve got something interesting to say, don’t say it at all. I’ll give you an example… ‘And once – and I’ve never admitted this to anyone before – when I was at Southampton I was going on the train to Reading with another player, Jake Thompson. We were 16 at the time but we said we were 15 to get kids’ tickets.’ Not interesting Theo… You’re like that girl from American Pie… ‘And this one time, at band camp…’ |
| QUOTE (The Emirates Gallastico @ May 31 2009, 12:48 PM) | ||
Le Grove on the interview
:lol: :bow: :bow: :bow: |
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| THEO WALCOTT has confessed he grew a moustache and a designer beard because he was sick of Arsenal players calling him "Sweet Little Boy". Walcott, who joined the club at 16 and was in England's World Cup squad at 17, was taunted for his baby-faced looks. But he insists he has grown up now. Walcott said: "They used to call me Sweet Little Boy. That's why I grew the beard and 'tache. They can't use that any more." He admits he is a goody two-shoes but cringes when recalling one incident at school. The forward, now 20, said: "It's not like me but there was this boy who took our ball and had me in a headlock. "So I punched him and made his nose bleed. I had to stand by a wall for 10 minutes. "My family kept my feet on the ground. If I'd done anything wrong they would have got to know about it. But I was a good little boy." Speaking in the latest issue of Esquire magazine, published on Monday, Walcott added: "Cars are my weak spot but I could spend my money on far worse things like clubbing and casinos. "I'm aware I'm a role model. I'm not a player who falls over when someone slightly touches me. "There are players who dive when the opposition is miles away. "I want to be like Ryan Giggs. Deep down all players want what Giggsy's got - medals, goals, everything but most of all trophies." |
| QUOTE (Ach @ May 31 2009, 01:35 AM) |
| Typical Honest English Lad |
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| Theo Walcott has vowed to reward Arsenal fans' patience by securing silverware in the 2009/10 season. The Gunners are without a trophy since they defeated Manchester United on penalties in the 2005 FA Cup final. Arsene Wenger's charges have since come close to further glory but ultimately fallen short. Walcott, though, feels the side's experience from the previous campaigns will pay dividends in the forthcoming season. "It was a good learning curve for us all, but next year it is all about the trophies," Walcott said in the July edition of the official Arsenal magazine. "Hopefully we have had the years of experience now and can bring something back for the fans. "For me it was an up-and-down season - you are never really going to have a perfect one, but I am happy that my [shoulder] injury has gone so that I can come back to Arsenal and win things." |
| QUOTE (Brwned @ Jul 11 2009, 11:54 AM) |
| Bojan couldn't deliver on the U21 stage either, doesn't mean anything. Anyone can have a bad tournament. Seems like Zimm has a bit of an agenda against Walcott... |
| QUOTE (Maxzimus @ Jul 11 2009, 12:18 PM) | ||
No agenda just think he's vastly overrated. He's certainly not a player who is going to win us a title or a trophy for that matter. He's mostly failed been average for us bar a handful of games. As for the U21's he was so bad he was dropped. |
| QUOTE (Maxzimus @ Jul 11 2009, 11:46 AM) |
| This is the same Walcott who couldn't even deliver on the U21 stage. Please....he should focus on improving his skills because right now he's not going to win us anything. |
| QUOTE (Where's My Username Gone? @ Jul 12 2009, 05:17 PM) | ||
As a great man once said, it's just tedious, isn't it? |
| QUOTE (Where's My Username Gone? @ Jul 12 2009, 11:17 PM) | ||
As a great man once said, it's just relentless, isn't it? |
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| "We're talking about the next generation of our sport receiving all the wrong signals - and at a time when we've just launched our bid to stage the 2018 World Cup." |
| QUOTE (Where's My Username Gone? @ Jul 13 2009, 09:58 PM) |
| ZOMG THIS 1 PYLAER WNT WINN US TROWFEEZ BYE HISSELF, HE ARE SHYYTTTEEE ROFLMAO111!!1111!!!!!!!!111!!!!!!!!ONE!!1!!ELEVEN!!!!!!11!!! |
| QUOTE (Ach @ Jul 13 2009, 11:01 PM) | ||
Were you dropped on your head as a baby? Twas only a couple of years ago so you should remember |
| QUOTE (Ach @ Jul 13 2009, 11:01 PM) | ||
Were you dropped on your head as a baby? Twas only a couple of years ago so you should remember |
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| If Arsenal are to challenge for domestic honours then they need to learn from the mistakes of past campaigns and hone in on their skills to win when they are off form, do the ugly stuff well and grind out results, according to blossoming England forward Theo Walcott. "I think we need to do the dirty things right," he explained to the club's official website. "Sometimes it's not just about pretty football, we need to grind out the results sometimes and get the win, get the three points. "In cup competitions no one remembers the game, as long as the result is right. We need to take that into our game. Manchester United and Chelsea do the dirty work and they take their chances as well, that's another thing we need to learn and improve on. "We had a great experience of getting to semi-finals last season but not quite getting to finals. Hopefully we can put that right." Walcott also went on to add that the next season could be one where Arsenal fans begin to see him in a more elevated and central position, as opposed to flying-high on the right flank. "The boss said hopefully he will start to put me up front now and then. That's my natural position but I'd play anywhere for this team," he said. "I want to improve my final ball and score more goals. You get judged on goals so I want to score 15-plus this season. That would be nice. I love making runs in behind, I love scoring goals and making goals. That's what I'll be judged on and I'm looking forward to that." |
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| Arsenal wide-man Theo Walcott has admitted he missed the chance to play centre-forward because of injury. The youngster impressed on the wing last season and won a call-up to the England senior side where he showed his striker's instinct. The 20-year-old scored a hat-trick against World Cup Qualifying rivals Croatia as England ran out four-one winners in Zagreb, becoming the youngest player to complete the feat. Walcott revealed on Arsenal's official website that manager Arsene Wenger was ready to try him in a central role last season, before he a shoulder injury cost him the chance. "The boss spoke to me last year and said I would get a chance up front but my shoulder injury upset those plans," he said. Walcott admits that he is willing to play anywhere for the Gunners and would jump at the chance to play in a more central position. "I’d like to get a chance up front but for this team I’ll play anywhere. You never know what will happen but I am definitely ready to play up front if chosen," he admitted. Arsene Wenger may be attempting to repeat a trick that turned Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, who joined the Gunners as a winger, into a deadly striker in the Premier League. |
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| Theo Walcott has admitted that Arsenal need to toughen up and learn to grind out results if they are to achieve success. Whilst the Gunners have won plenty of plaudits for their style of football in recent seasons, they have not won a trophy since claiming the FA Cup in 2005. Having lost Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor this summer, many are predicting another trophyless campaign at the Emirates, and Walcott conceded that it would be an important campaign for the north Londoners. “It's a big season for me and the rest of the team,” the England international told the News of the World. “The fans have been very patient for the last few years when there have not been many trophies.” The 20-year-old also called on the Gunners to learn from their mistakes from last year and produce more of a cutting edge up front. “We're not quite there yet. We need to be more cutting in the last third and a bit more dirty,” he added. “Instead of just playing brilliant football, sometimes we need to grind out a result. We will do that. “We need to reflect and learn from our mistakes from last year.” Arsenal open their Premier League campaign next weekend with a trip to Goodison Park to face Everton. |
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| Arsenal winger Theo Walcott says being part of a successful England team at the World Cup next year next year is more important to him than winning trophies with the Gunners this season. (Sunday Express) |
| QUOTE (Maxzimus @ Aug 9 2009, 11:42 AM) | ||
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| The World Cup is the biggest trophy you can win in football,” he said. “You ask anyone that question– they would love to win it. “I’ll probably get killed by all these Arsenal fans now, but deep down the World Cup is the big one. “If you win that in your career, it’s some achievement. We have got a great chance.” |
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| “Instead of being in fourth position we want to be challenging for titles and winning every single game that comes our way. “This is a big year for me and for the team.” |
| QUOTE (Maxzimus @ Aug 9 2009, 10:42 AM) | ||
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| QUOTE (It's Up For Grabs Now @ Aug 9 2009, 12:06 PM) | ||||
No he didnt.. |
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| THEO: WORLD CUP OUTGUNS ARSENAL THEO WALCOTT says being part of a successful England team at the World Cup in South Africa next summer is more important to him than winning trophies with Arsenal this season. The 20-year-old sharpshooter risked the wrath of fans and team-mates alike by confessing that is where his ultimate ambition lies. With his place in England’s expected World Cup squad in South Africa next summer almost confirmed, he admitted winning that took priority over Arsenal. “The World Cup is the biggest trophy you can win in football,” he said. “You ask anyone that question– they would love to win it. “I’ll probably get killed by all these Arsenal fans now, but deep down the World Cup is the big one. “If you win that in your career, it’s some achievement. We have got a great chance.” Walcott further tarnished his nice guy image by admitting he wants Arsenal to play dirty this season to bring home the silverware their supporters so desperately crave. “We need to be more cutting in the last third and a bit more dirty,” he said. “Instead of playing brilliant football, which we do, we sometimes just need to grind out a result. We’ve learned that now and I think we’ll be doing that this year. “Instead of being in fourth position we want to be challenging for titles and winning every single game that comes our way. “This is a big year for me and for the team.” Walcott was talking after helping launch Arsenal’s Great Ormond Street hospital charity campaign. |
| QUOTE (Maxzimus @ Aug 9 2009, 01:29 PM) | ||
The whole article:
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