BACK TO ARCHIVE INDEX © All written site content is copyright ComeOnBoro.com 2004-2007, unless otherwise stated, and is not to be used without prior permission.	WALCOTT NOT READY YET Steve McClaren insists he was not tempted to recall Theo Walcott despite his England striker shortage. McClaren is without Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney and Dean Ashton for the Euro 2008 double-header against Andorra and Macedonia. Walcott, 17, has forced his way into the Arsenal team this season, making three appearances as a substitute after returning from his non-playing role with England at the World Cup. The new England boss has been impressed with the teenager's progress but wants him to gain international experience at Under-21 level before he returns to the senior squad. McClaren said: "I spoke to Theo and said he needed games. That's why we put him in the Under-21s. "He has had a couple of run-outs for Arsenal. I spoke to (Arsenal coach) Pat Rice last week about him and he has been delighted with him." Walcott, who has one England cap, made a dazzling debut for the Gunners as a sub against Aston Villa on the opening day of the season and the England boss has promised to keep tabs on his progress. McClaren said: "He was and is somebody that I'll be looking very, very closely at. But I just felt he needs a few more games before we consider him. "Theo has got great potential, that's the key word, potential. He has to become a regular at Arsenal and break through and consistently perform at that level. "He has had a lot to contend with. He was training with us and he was excellent in training. "But at 17 years old, you have a lot of developing to do, and I'm sure we will see that over the years. "He's at a big club, he's surrounded by big players and that's when you grow not just physically, technically, tactically, but also mentally. "That's something he has to develop. He has to mature, and he's at the right place to do that." McClaren opted to recall Andrew Johnson to the England squad after his impressive start to the new season. Johnson, who moved from Crystal Palace to Everton for £8.6million in the summer, is in contention for a starting place against Andorra on Saturday. McClaren is expected to start with Peter Crouch up front in a 4-4-2 formation, alongside either Johnson, Jermain Defoe or Darren Bent. Defoe started in the 4-0 win against Greece, earlier this month, but McClaren warned that does not guarantee him a start against the minnows ranked 132nd in the world by FIFA. Charlton striker Bent has also started the season in good goalscoring form. He has three goals for his club and should have been in the World Cup squad instead of Walcott, according to his old boss Alan Curbishley. Bent scored 22 goals in a season at the top level, last season, but failed to impress Sven-Goran Eriksson when he started a friendly against Uruguay in February. Curbishley said: "I was amazed Darren Bent did not go to the World Cup. "My understanding is they felt, in the warm-up match against Uruguay, he didn't do enough. "It was a friendly though, just one game. I couldn't understand how Theo Walcott had done enough. It was incredible. "I would have gone for Benty. He can go missing in matches but when he is presented with a chance he usually scores. "He and Clive Mendonca are the best two finishers I've worked with." McClaren has always been careful not to criticise Eriksson's decisions and today the Football Association's chief executive Brian Barwick also defended the Swede's five-year tenure. Barwick said: "In qualification terms, he was 100% in major tournaments but he himself would say three quarter-finals would not be considered the success he would have looked for. "An expensive mistake? I would not accept that notion but we were all disappointed, him included." By Bettingzone.co.uk Used with permission. SEND THIS TO A FRIEND ENGLAND v ANDORRA & MACEDONIA MATCH PROGRAMME INDEX
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