THERE is a fine line between bravery and stupidity and, in the eyes of most footballing experts, Sven-Goran Eriksson crossed it on Monday.

Naming the untried Theo Walcott in his 23-man World Cup squad was either a moment of madness or a stroke of genius. Despite everything that has been said and written in the last three days, we will not know which until the action gets under way in Germany next month.

After more than five years of playing it safe at every available opportunity, Eriksson has suddenly taken the biggest risk of his managerial career. We all knew that gambling was rife among the England squad - we just didn't expect the manager to be a party to it.

Yet a gamble is exactly what Walcott's startling and unexpected call-up is. Not only is the 17-year-old a novice on the international scene, he has not even made his Premiership debut since making an £11m move from Southampton to Arsenal in January.

If further proof of his inexperience was needed, it is provided by his last competitive match. It came against Queens Park Rangers on January 14 and it ended in a 1-0 defeat. As if that was not worrying enough, QPR's Dan Shittu marked Walcott out of the game for good measure.

His inclusion would have been risky at the best of times. Given the huge question marks hanging over Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen, it is little wonder that it is already being interpreted as an act of incredible folly.

It is all very well Eriksson looking on Walcott as a secret weapon to be used sparingly but, with just four recognised strikers in his squad, the teenager could turn out to be much more than that.

If, as expected, Rooney is unable to play until the quarter-final stage and if, as is possible, Owen's foot injury resurfaces during the group games, Walcott will be the only cover to Peter Crouch.

By the end of the tournament, the unassuming youngster from Newbury could have made more appearances for England than he has for Arsenal's reserves.

Perhaps, though, that is what Eriksson wants. Behind the Swede's bland and uninspiring demeanour, there has always been a more adventurous spirit attempting to break out.

At Fiorentina and Benfica, the England boss put his faith in teenagers. Roberto Baggio and Manuel Rui Costa were thrust into the limelight when others counselled against using them so readily. On each occasion, the respective youngster quickly became the best player in the team.

Similarly, it should be remembered that Eriksson took Rooney to Euro 2004 as a 17-year-old. Admittedly, the striker had considerably more first-team experience under his belt than Walcott, but the move was viewed as a bold one at the time and the Swede's bravery was richly rewarded before Rooney broke his foot.

The contrast with Glenn Hoddle's reluctance to play a teenage Michael Owen during 1998's World Cup could not be starker.

Is it too fanciful to imagine Walcott having as explosive an impact as those two players? Possibly not, if Eriksson is to be believed.

"If you take a 17-year-old boy to the World Cup of course it's a gamble," he said on Monday. "But I think he's ready and I don't think he will be nervous or feel the pressure. He's a very steady boy."

Arsene Wenger agrees and, while the Frenchman has been reluctant to give him his head domestically, the Arsenal boss would not risk one of his future superstars suffering a crisis of confidence that could affect him for years. If Wenger says Walcott is ready, we have to believe him.

Similarly, we have to believe that Eriksson's gamble could pay off. In the past, England's fans have blasted the Swede for refusing to throw caution to the wind.

It would be churlish if they were now to castigate him for doing just that.

Published: 11/05/2006