Enjoying the rebirth of boy wonder Walcott

I’M not sure if it was my imagination, but as I studied the players through my binoculars when they trotted out at Ewood Park on Saturday, I sensed a distinct difference in Theo Walcott’s demeanour.

As he received the grateful applause of the Rovers fans, the somewhat diffident teenager seemed to have been transformed into a cocksure star, with the sort of confident swagger of a player who’s suddenly realised he has the potential to put the fear of god into any opposition.

As far as I’m concerned, the international breaks are an annoying interruption to Arsenal business, but I was still chuffed to bits, to see our boy wonder bag his England hat-trick and receive all the plaudits, from those same pundits who doubted whether Walcott was the real deal.