Questioning Theo Walcott? Unbelieveable.

This is an article from our guest writer Chris Rivers, a sports writer.

Questioning Theo Walcott? Can I be reading this right?

Taking my normal tour through the Arsenal forums I came across a thread that caught me off-guard. Someone had posted a message with the title ‘Is Theo Walcott good enough?’ The message got me to thinking whether other people felt like this about a 20-year-old lad who is currently at one of the biggest clubs in the world trying to make a name for himself.

Since moving to Arsenal in 2006, Walcott has enjoyed a remarkable rise to stardom, coming through the reserves to become a regular starter for both his club and country. To improve so quickly in such a high pressure situation is vastly impressive for a boy who has really only just become a man. To question whether Walcott is good enough shows just how impatient some of the Arsenal supporters have become.

Those Gunners who are demanding instant success from our current crop of youngsters are dreaming. Players rarely reach their peak until their mid-twenties no matter what position they play and for Arsenal to currently have youngsters who are better than a lot of seasoned professionals is incredible. Those who follow Arsenal have been blessed to see some great talent come through the ranks but previously there seemed to be a lot more patience amongst the supporters for a player to become good enough.

However, this worrying example with Walcott shows the mentality of the supporters today, not just at Arsenal but at a lot of clubs. What are the football odds Federico Macheda, the 17-year-old striker who scored Manchester United’s injury time winner against Aston Villa on Sunday, will now be expected to become a world beater overnight?

Having watched Walcott’s progression carefully, the difference between the young boy that arrived from Southampton three years ago and the player we see today is impressive. He has moulded his game to suit the Arsene Wenger way of playing whilst retaining those elements that make him a fairly old-fashioned English winger.

I lost count of the number of times he used to get his head down and run with the ball before ending up down in a cul-de-sac, so to speak. Now he gets his head up early and there is a sense of purpose about his runs. Certainly Walcott is not the finished package yet but for fans to expect him to be ready by now is just silly.

For those supporters who question Walcott’s ability all you are doing is adding to what is already a pretty heavy burden to carry. England expects Walcott to be great, as do Arsenal fans, and that is a lot to deal with. So I ask you to keep giving him a chance and keep faith in him because given a chance he will become a legend.