Theo Walcott - is he really any good?

There were some impressive results over the weekend in the Premier League, what with Chelsea (for the second week in a row), Arsenal, and even Newcastle, hitting their opposition for six. But perhaps the standout performer from the weekend was the Arsenal starlet Theo Walcott.

Ahh, Theo, where do we start with you? Still only 21, and seemingly around for years, Theo is the victim of his own teenage talent, when he was scarily quick running Championship defences ragged and being constantly tagged as The Next Big Thing. He still is frighteningly fast of course, and when he’s on song, he really is singing. But I think that it’s his lack of consistency which is frustrating many (Arsenal fans, Capello, England fans, Wenger…) and earning him the label of a one trick pony (I think you know what I mean: run fast down the flanks, take on a defender, falls over the ball or a defender’s leg, crowd moans).

Snapped up by Arsenal at the age of 17 from Southampton, he’s been nurtured ever-so-carefully ever since by Arsene Wenger. But injuries have definitely played their part in his stop-start career. Last season was typically off and on and when he needed to perform at the tail end of the season, in order to impress Capello and get a call up for the England World Cup squad, he fell short.

Perhaps being snubbed for the England squad will mean a different Theo Walcott in this season’s Premier League. Maybe he’s also reached an age where he realizes he really must change something. There’s no more room at the inn for steaming down the wing and running into a dead end. Having the summer off, getting fit, having a decent pre-season and now kicking off his campaign with a very well-taken hat-trick might just be the making of a new Theo Walcott.

But can we expect to see more awesome performances like the one against Blackpool this Saturday? Or are we in for yet another inconsistent season, providing more frustration for Arsenal and England fans…?

What do you think? Is Theo Walcott really any good? And are we about to see the dawn of a new Theo…? As an England fan, I really hope so…