Theo Walcott says the current Arsenal squad are like a ‘big family’ and believes successive FA Cup triumphs have left them hungry for even more success this campaign.
The 26-year-old, who yesterday celebrated his ten-year anniversary as a Gunner, has been lauded left, right and centre by Arsene Wenger and his teammates for the way he’s established himself as a mainstay for both club and country under intense media scrutiny.
Reflecting on his career in an interview with Sport Magazine, the England international admits the Gunners should have won more since the all-conquering ‘Invincibles’ strut their stuff but believes glory is there for the taking in 2016.
“When you walk through the corridors here and see pictures of this group lifting trophies, you just think: ‘I want to do more of that.
“This is a big club – it needs more. It should have had more in years gone by. You look at the present squad and, at times, it is disappointing because we should be winning a lot more than we have. But that’s where those two cup wins come in. Everyone loves the taste of that. We want more of it, and bigger and better things.”
Currently top of the table, level on points with Leicester and one ahead of Manchester City, the Gunners are being tipped for their first league title since 2004.
Having experienced several failed bids for the title, the striker could be forgiven for being conservative in his prediction for the rest of the season, however, he firmly believes there’s a spirit in the current camp that can help Arsenal over the line this time.
“Having all the different nationalities together in the dressing room, it’s always difficult to get that blend and banter between the players,” he added.
“But this crop of players feels like a big family. Everyone gets on, everyone speaks English, everyone knows how everyone ticks and I don’t think the team spirit has been as good as it is now.
“The fact that this group has stayed together and won the FA Cup twice just shows that if you keep a group together, they will go on to better things.
“This squad I’m with at this moment is one of the best I’ve ever been with. I’ve played with a lot of great players, but I sense this is more of a group now than it ever has been. We must be doing something right if we’re top of the league.”
__
You can read the full Sport Magazine interview, in which Theo discusses how his game has changed, his first day at the club and this season’s results, here.
Bring home that trophy, it’s been a while.
Everyone under plays this but it will be quite an achievement to win it amongst all the oil money clubs buying their way (including our players) to success!
2008 called… They want their comment back.
Too bloody right re the oil money. Just show money doesn’t buy you everything
I wonder if that’s what made him extend his contract back when Van Persie left.. not the gazillion pounds we had to offer him to keep him around..
I think he needs to stop talking so much and start putting in performances that warrant his big pay cheque.
By the performance’s over the last 2/3 months you’d of thought Campbell was the player on the wad of dough each week, not Theo.
Agreed with the gist, maybe not so much the tone. Along with Oxlade-chamberlain, he’s been one of the underperformers in the last few games. I don’t remember the opposition, but he won a penalty this season when he ran onto the ball in the box and tried to hold off the defender with some upper body strength. He succeeded and the defender fouled him and gave us a penalty. I thought to myself “if Theo does that often, we’re gonna cause a lot of teams problems”. Sure enough, haven’t seen it since. He definitely needs to do better, but we… Read more »
LETS FUCKING DO THIS!!
Theo’s been present for the arrival and departure of so many shits in the past 5/6 years, and has pretty much been the only one to stick around. Impossible not to love him…and I really hope we win the league, obviously
well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. he’s no saint behind the scenes by almost leaving himself after having that big contract season and held us hostage until we caved to his demands. he’s lucky to have Arsenal, we’re just happy he’s trying to do his part in paying back the faith.
While the contract negotiations were painful, I don’t recall Theo ever stating he was close to leaving.
I do however, recall him, on both occasions recently where he was up for renewal stating two things:
1. His desire to play up top
2. His desire to stay at Arsenal.
He is certainly no RvP, Cesc or Nasri where his contract is concerned.
That makes him a lovable shit? The rarest kind.
COYG, one final push. All Guns blazing.
Let’s bring that title home!
I just wish we could have Ollie and Theo sharing the striker role.
Walcott was brilliant up front this season and yet strangely underwhelming as a winger.
With returning Sanchez, Wellbeck etc………maybe this will come to pass and we will WIN the TITLE!
It is high time for Walcott to prove he can be an outstanding player not just a good player. Gallas said he was too predictable and everybody criticized Gallas for it but this is still true as of today. Theo does not disappear from games because he wanted but because opposition coaches easily find the way to thwart his speed. We just do not see it.
February is a massive month for us. In seasons gone by we’ve been in equally if not more promising positions at this time in the season only to see it all fall down like a house of cards. If this squad is all we believe it to be, we need to do the business in 3 competitions and come out smiling. It’s got me nervous even remembering the pains of Februarys gone by but I believe in Arsenal, this group in particular and I hope they make a real statement of intent against Chelsea this weekend.
Yeah man, yeah.
I like Theo, I just wish he’d do his talking on the pitch.
You just saved me writing that
Me too. Let’s do that talking on the pitch! Let’s start by slaughtering those chavs this weekend and relegating them!
COYG!!!!
Mr Walcott, I’m glad you enjoy chewing your lips but can you please show half the work rate of Mr Camball and get stuck in during the sweet game we call football as you annoy the shit out of me. You should be a quality player by now and your sadly not.
When you reach the end of your career your gonna have so many regrets that you didn’t try alittle harder.
Mate. He’s been and is a fantastic ambassador of the club . That brilliant 2012 season .the Newcastle hat trick etc. Suffered that injury gainst spurs obviously . I reckon he’s a bit of a legend and maybe will fit in to the central striker role.. and his off the ball runs are a bit underrated as his work rate is a bit. Things maybe that are really good qualities but do agree he could step it up a bit.
Odd comment. IAf there’s one area Walcott has improved his game in this season, it’s work-rate / defending (perhaps at the expense of his attacking game)
Walcott must play as a striker against lumbering defenders like Terry! He and Ollie should be the two main strikers until Welbeck recovers. He is wasted on the wings.
I think Sanchez – Walcott – Cambell could be quite effective as a front three with Ozil in behind.
then the two remaining CMs can focus on protecting the defense and recycling possession over to Ozil
Giroud is doing great at the moment so it is a hard choice, but get Theo off the wings asap
Oh no, the whole “talking big” thing has started now. That’s never a good sign. Things usually go better when our players just let their feet do the talking.
Theo gives a great interview, doesn’t he? Says all the right things. I wonder how much the club have spent on media training for the speedy winger over the years. I can’t believe that it’s ten years since he signed for us: it seems like only yesterday when “the best young English talent in the country” was putting pen to paper in front of the nation’s sporting press. The time has almost literally flown by. Incidentally, a couple of years ago I heard an interesting story about that signing: apparently Walcott was promised that if he agreed to join us… Read more »
Sometimes I wonder if all that bitterness inside you the reason why you’re fat. Let go of the negativity buddy and you’ll find the world to be a much better place than you ever thought was possible.
Frighteningly low self-image!
Come on, people have the right to their opinion. Fatgooner is more useful to this forum than you an me. He sometimes points to the reality that we do not want to see as fans. On this one, everybody knows Theo hasn’t fulfiled his potential. To me, he is still a good player but he was brought in to be Henry’s replacement.
I seriously think the ‘gooner’ part of your name is a misnomer.
Get a girlfriend mate. Seriously.
Fatgooner is just consistent in his criticism. We all love that about him and i hope Arsenal can bring on that level of consistency in winning this season and in years to come.
Fatgooner is so fat that he can single handedly be a yin to our collective yang.
Oh dear. Fatgooner did you forget to take your diazepam again?
Fatgooner, Arseblog’s very own Piers Morgan.
I don’t think your a whiny little cunt like Piers. I agree with you sometimes but your lack of motivation and support for the team just brings me down. Bring it down a notch mate.
COYFG
As usual, the self righteous “positive fans” will criticize FG for stating something anyone with half a brain can see: that Theo has not fufilled the early promise that he has shown. Still is average technically, has a poor touch and poor decision making. Though I’ll admit his finishing has improved, but he’s no where close to being “henry’s heir” or whatever. I expected ALOT more from him.
‘A positive fan’ is a tautology.
Someone that isn’t a positive fan isn’t a fan, he/she is an oxy-moron. Especially if consistently so, with nothing good to say about Arsenal time after time after time.
Or he/she is a Spurs fan.
You lost me with “tautology”…
Fats I enjoy your comments but strongly disagree with your view on Wenger.
Walcott hasn’t been brilliant. He has been great in patches, especially when he wanted a new contract, but overall he has been decent – a 6/10, and that is the mediocre reality. Injuries haven’t helped, but Walcott is too one dimensional for me. He doesn’t put in the hard work when he is not having a good game.
Consistent in patches…..hehehehe
Fascinatingly non-committal: “We must be doing something right” … hopefully a little more than guarded optimism is shown on the pitch.
Fat Gooner’s back, fellas.
Completely off topic, but I just discovered an extraordinary review of referee Craig Pawson’s performance in the Stoke match, here: http://untold-arsenal.com/archives/49757
Every single decision point in the match in analysed in depth. I had originally thought Pawson was fair-to-middling in the match, but after reading this analysis (and allowing for the pro-Arsenal bias on the part of the writers), he really did have a shocker. One wonders if this depth of analysis is ever applied to the referees’ post-match reviews from PMGOL.
How do you account for gooner bias when you yourself is an Arsenal fan and therefor bias? 🙂