14: Theo Walcott, Arsenal, Topps Match Attax Trading Card Game, 2009/10

Shortly before the birth of our son my wife and I were told by a number of helpful friends and family members that we would find lots of time to read during the early months of his life. With the little man now approaching his second birthday we both managed to finish the books we had started reading back in the autumn of 2020 during our recent holiday. It’s amazing how much easier it is when a certain someone’s nap time doesn’t signal a mad rush to reload the dishwasher or get a third load of laundry done.

I finally completed Clare Pollard’s ‘Fierce Bad Rabbits’ which provides an in depth analysis of the stories behind children’s picture books. It’s fascinating how many children’s authors’ work was born of personal or national tragedy. Martin Waddell, the man behind the Little Bear and Owl Babies books, was nearly killed following an Ulster Defence Association bombing of his local Catholic Church in County Down and took to writing for children after spending six years as the primary carer for his own three kids due to his inability to work. Prior to this he had signed professional terms for Fulham and had scored a hat trick in his first game in senior football. However, he was soon convinced to become a goalkeeper and never actually made a first team appearance which meant I couldn’t find a sticker or card to try and retell his fascinating story with.

This led me to see if any other footballers had gone down the well-trodden route of so many celebrities and attempted to write a children’s book. Marcus Rashford’s ‘You Are A Champion’, a non-fiction motivational guide, won Book of the Year in the 2022 British Book Awards and has received rave reviews from my reading mad niece. Despite their accessibility and simplicity Steve Bruce’s exceptional, and hard to track down, crime novels can’t technically be classed as children’s fiction (plus I’ve probably written enough about them on these pages already). Surprisingly there haven’t been as many candidates for this post as you’d expect so thank you Theo Walcott, currently of Southampton, for his 2010 foray into this particular realm.

In 2010 it already seemed as if Theo Walcott had been around for ages when in fact he was just 21. This was in part due to his surprise call up to England’s squad for the 2006 World Cup following a solitary season at Southampton and a high profile move to Arsenal. Two years later he made his first competitive start for his country against Andorra before following this up with a hat trick against Croatia usurping Michael Owen’s record as the Three Lions’ youngest hat trick scorer. He had also scored in a League Cup final, scored twice in the Gunners’ infamous 2-2 draw with Birmingham City which was marred by Eduardo’s hideous leg break and caused problems for Pep Guardiola’s all conquering Barcelona with his pace and skill during the 2009/10 Champions League. Perhaps it was due to persistent injury problems rather than on-field talent that he was omitted from England’s squad for their miserable 2010 World Cup campaign in South Africa.

Walcott’s children’s books are, somewhat unsurprisingly, football themed focusing on Parkview School’s new student ‘TJ’ (in no way related to author Theo James) and the arrival of inspirational teacher Mr Wood. Under Wood’s guidance, and helped by a former Premier League star, the previously football ignorant school becomes a beacon for the community. All four books in the series were released in 2010 and, despite the lack of sequels to date, received generally positive reviews. Julia Eccleshare of The Guardian described them as “good on detail, nicely written with a light humorous touch” while The Observer’s Simon Burnton forecast that “like their creator, this series could run and run”. The series also received praise for engaging primary school students with reading and promoting healthy diets and physical exercise.

Perhaps Walcott’s literary career temporarily stalled due to his increasing success on the pitch at Arsenal. The 2010/11 season saw him score thirteen goals in all competitions, including a hat trick against Blackpool, and a further eleven goals in the following campaign saw him called up for England’s Euro 2012 squad. In the Three Lions’ epic 3-2 group stage win over Sweden, featuring Andy Carroll’s exceptional headed goal, Walcott came off the bench to cancel out Olof Mellberg’s goal and then assisted Danny Welbeck for the winner. The following season he scored 21 goals across 43 appearances for Arsenal finishing the season as the Gunners’ top scorer but unfortunately saw his 2013/14 campaign ended early due to a knee injury sustained against Tottenham Hotspur in an FA Cup Third Round clash. Despite the considerable physical pain he must have been in Walcott still managed to gesture the 2-0 scoreline to the less than supportive Spurs’ fans as he was stretchered from the field.

After 103 goals in nearly 400 appearances in North London Walcott departed Arsenal for Everton in January 2018. A further eleven goals in 85 appearances for the Toffees followed before he was loaned to his first club Southampton in October 2020. The deal was made permanent the following year although, despite two strikes in pre-season friendlies, Walcott found his game time limited last season at St Mary’s. Potentially, with more time on his hands as his career winds down, we will see the return of TJ and his plucky school chums to the shelves of a bookshop near you although Walcott’s impressive longevity and ability to bounce back from injury may well surprise us all. Saints fans might yet get to see the long awaited fifth book TJ and the Late Career Renaissance.