England hero discusses his feelings

Theo Walcott talks up roller-coaster Euro 2012 ride

By Zain Alvi | 18th June 2012

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott admits that despite being thrilled about scoring England’s memorable equalizer in the recent 3-2 win against Sweden, he does not act too excited because of his focus on earning more playing time.

Walcott came off the bench in the second half of Friday’s Group D fixture when the Swedes were up 2-1. He quickly made the difference with a splendid strike from distance before setting up Danny Welbeck for the match-winning goal.

However, it has been obvious in recent days that the 23-year old is not completely content with his role as a squad player in Roy Hodgson’s England set-up.

While the players insists that he is completely committed to the success of the Three Lions as a collective unit, he also believes that it is appropriate to show disappointment when one is not as involved in the team as desired.

“In tournaments you’ve always got to wait your moment if you’re not starting the game. You’ve got to always train well and be ready when the boss needs you. There’s no point sulking when you’re not playing – you just make sure you’re ready, and hopefully I showed that,” Walcott told reporters following England’s win against Sweden.

Moving on to his decision to avoid media discussions after the France match last Monday, he added: “As a player, it’s always disappointing not to play at all, but that’s all it was.

“I was very happy the team got a result but I’d be disappointed if you saw me coming out all ‘happy days’ and dancing past the media.

“You’ve always got to show your disappointment at the right time, but it’s about the way you bounce back from it and that’s what I did. I’m sorry if I blanked anyone that day!”