Give me a call, Arsene, and I'll turn Walcott into a world beater, plus Portsmouth farce shows Scudamore isn't the man to run the Premier League

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Published 22:32 21/02/10

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If Arsene Wenger wants to turn Theo Walcott into a top striker quickly then he should give me a call.

I was at The Emirates on Saturday to witness Arsenal’s victory over Sunderland.

And some Gunners’ fans are starting to lose faith in Walcott’s ability after the star joined from Southampton in January 2006 for an initial £5million.

Walcott, 21, played wide on the right against the Black Cats and he has pace there is no doubt about that.

But he has been running around like a headless chicken recently for Arsenal and I can understand why some Arsenal fans are frustrated with him.

Yet I really believe in the kid’s potential and would love the chance to work with him as a former striker myself.

So Arsene, and I know you read my column, if you want me to work with Theo twice a week for free teaching him some striking tips then get in touch.

Anyone who can score three goals for their country in Zagreb against Croatia in a game that is must-win clearly has ability.

I still get goose-bumps thinking about Walcott’s heroics in England’s 4-1 victory in a World Cup qualifier in September 2008.

So that is proof Walcott has the raw materials and he should draw heart from Wayne Rooney’s form this term.

Last season Rooney played wide left and right and dropped deep.

But this season he is playing upfront with the mindset of a striker and is in fantastic form.

Walcott has pace and has been used predominantly out wide for the Gunners.

But I think he could be a handful down the middle once he gets some coaching to show how to work in the 18-yard box.

And I think Walcott needs Wenger to say: ’son you are not a winger anymore’.

Walcott would still then require some work to turn a rough diamond into a polished striker who is capable of 20 goals a season.

But Wenger has a precedent for doing it as he turned Thierry Henry into 20-goal a season striker from a generic wideman.

Now Henry is one of the most feared strikers in the world but at the same age as Walcott, Henry was no-where near as good.

How Wenger could have done with an in-form marksman at Porto last week when they slumped to a 2-1 defeat.

All the excuses under the sun were made after Arsenal’s defeat in the Champions League.

And the referee Martin Hansson seems to have copped most of the blame despite the visitors’ schoolboy defending.

But I was told from nine years of age that if there is a dangerous position and a free-kick is given against you, to set your wall and prevent the other team from taking a quick effort.

Yet Arsenal’s defending was another example of one of the fundamental problems with Wenger’s men.

They can play some sublime football but are so sloppy at free-kicks and are guilty of over playing in crucial areas.

That awful defending when keeper Lukasz Fabianski gave the ball back and Porto scored from a quick free-kick was ridiculous.

It is all adds up to suggest Arsenal still just won’t win the biggest price of all.

**

Richard Scudamore has yet again showed he is not worthy of the post of being the Premier League chief executive.

We have an established club in Portsmouth on the verge of going out of business and the silence at the top is noticeable.

It is at precisely this time, with Pompey battling to stay afloat, that Scudamore should be showing leadership.

But all we have is talk of a play-off for the fourth Champions League place which is a ridiculous notion that should be consigned to the Sepp Blatter category.

It just shows to me that the Premier League is not confident enough in their own product.

And it is ludicrous at a time when the chief executive is suspiciously quiet on far more important issues such as finances in football.

Scudamore may well have brokered huge TV deals for the Premier League.

But most of us could do that and it is time for him to go.

**

The Premier League were right to hit Wolves with a suspended fine for fielding a severely weakened team at Manchester United.

Wanderers boss Mick McCarthy changed all ten outfield players for their trip to Old Trafford and the visitors duly lost.

The decision caused a huge stink and now the authorities have rightly reprimanded the Molineux club.

But I think the FA and Football League should act similarly tough with teams who do likewise in Cup competitions.

Both the FA Cup and Carling Cup have already been significantly devalued by the big guns treating them with disrespect.

So Wolves should not just be made a scapegoat for their actions.

The same rules should apply across the board - irrespective of the club or competition.

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