Theo?

[Jacko 0]

I think Morty has hit the nail on the head. I think Lambert had major reservations about many of the players he saw in that 7-1 drubbing. However Doherty got back in because of his hard work in training when he didnt make the bench against MK Dons (Stephens got the nod instead). Hoolahan in the reserves proved that leaving him out was just ridiculous such were the quality of his performances.

I am not saying for a moment Lambert''s judgement is unquestionable. We got into this trouble with Roeder when he kept us up and anyone who questions his decisions was ridiculed. But lets face it Theo has not performed in first team or reserve fixtures. While I can be accussed of a sweeping generalisation one must also question his professionalism if he fails to turn up for a game either. (Gillingham JP trophy when he made the bench).

[GJP 79]

[quote user="Indy_Bones"][quote user="morty"]You can''t put someone on the bench who isn''t up to the job, really you can''t. So we''re 2-1 up and Forster gets sent off and Theo steps between the sticks to face a pen.

Really, it can''t happen.

I should imagine that Lappin did enough in the reserves and in training to convince Mr lambert that he was worthy of recall, Theo clearly hasn''t.

The fan''s opinion doesn''t matter here, Lambert sees Theo in training, and its his opinion that counts. If Paul Lambert ever sees fit to recall Theo it will be because he deserves it and is ready, and I shall back the manager''s decision and get right behind Theo.[/quote]The point is that we don''t truly know if he''s up to the job or not, because he''s not been given the chance to show it.

Let''s not also forget that Doherty was on his way out of the club with Lambert''s blessing, and was only recalled due to injuries - not performances for the reserves. So again, why is it ok for Doherty to get the chance just because of injury, and not Theo?

No manager is infallible, but until we see more of Theo we just don''t really know if Lambert is right or not in this instance, I''m more than willing to back Lambert''s judgment, but I don''t think Theo should be unfairly slated on a single game, and virtually non-existent evidence regarding reserve team performances.
[/quote]

Was Doherty truly on his way out of the club? Or was it just mind games from the manager?

I said at the time that I wouldn''t be surprised to see Doherty come back into the team and that the manager would know when the time was right. Perhaps injuries forced the change but I think Doherty has shown, once again, that he''s the best defender at the club.

As for Theo... I didn''t like him in pre-season (which, again, I said at the time) we all know what happened in the Colchester game and since then I''ve seen him play for the reserves and he was errr not very good. The manager sees him on the training pitch everyday and has obviously seen plenty enough to form a solid judgement. He''s just not good enough.

[Bogbrush 0]

[quote user="GJP"]

[quote user="Indy_Bones"][quote user="morty"]You can''t put someone on the bench who isn''t up to the job, really you can''t. So we''re 2-1 up and Forster gets sent off and Theo steps between the sticks to face a pen.

Really, it can''t happen.

I should imagine that Lappin did enough in the reserves and in training to convince Mr lambert that he was worthy of recall, Theo clearly hasn''t.

The fan''s opinion doesn''t matter here, Lambert sees Theo in training, and its his opinion that counts. If Paul Lambert ever sees fit to recall Theo it will be because he deserves it and is ready, and I shall back the manager''s decision and get right behind Theo.[/quote]The point is that we don''t truly know if he''s up to the job or not, because he''s not been given the chance to show it.

Let''s not also forget that Doherty was on his way out of the club with Lambert''s blessing, and was only recalled due to injuries - not performances for the reserves. So again, why is it ok for Doherty to get the chance just because of injury, and not Theo?

No manager is infallible, but until we see more of Theo we just don''t really know if Lambert is right or not in this instance, I''m more than willing to back Lambert''s judgment, but I don''t think Theo should be unfairly slated on a single game, and virtually non-existent evidence regarding reserve team performances.
[/quote]

Was Doherty truly on his way out of the club? Or was it just mind games from the manager?

I said at the time that I wouldn''t be surprised to see Doherty come back into the team and that the manager would know when the time was right. Perhaps injuries forced the change but I think Doherty has shown, once again, that he''s the best defender at the club.

As for Theo... I didn''t like him in pre-season (which, again, I said at the time) we all know what happened in the Colchester game and since then I''ve seen him play for the reserves and he was errr not very good. The manager sees him on the training pitch everyday and has obviously seen plenty enough to form a solid judgement. He''s just not good enough.

[/quote]

No, not clever mind games. he just left him out .. and Russell.........and Hoolahan....Indeed, Lambert himself has subsequently admitted that leaving out Hoolahan was an error of judgement. Lambert is an excellent manager but he is fallible like everybody else.... and still learning his trade.

[Bogbrush 0]

[quote user="Yarmyed"]

I think Morty has hit the nail on the head. I think Lambert had major reservations about many of the players he saw in that 7-1 drubbing. However Doherty got back in because of his hard work in training when he didnt make the bench against MK Dons (Stephens got the nod instead). Hoolahan in the reserves proved that leaving him out was just ridiculous such were the quality of his performances.

I am not saying for a moment Lambert''s judgement is unquestionable. We got into this trouble with Roeder when he kept us up and anyone who questions his decisions was ridiculed. But lets face it Theo has not performed in first team or reserve fixtures. While I can be accussed of a sweeping generalisation one must also question his professionalism if he fails to turn up for a game either. (Gillingham JP trophy when he made the bench).

[/quote]

In fact, my understanding is that Theo was not notified that he was in the squad for that game which is why, unsurprisingly, he didn''t turn up and there was no subsequent fuss over the incident. Had the Club been able to prove he had been called up and that Theo had deliberately disobeyed the manager then that would have constituted gross misconduct and the Club could/would have terminated his contract. In fact, it would have been a gift of an opportunity for the Club to get rid of him.

[Jacko 0]

[quote user="Demonic Pen"][quote user="Yarmyed"]

I think Morty has hit the nail on the head. I think Lambert had major reservations about many of the players he saw in that 7-1 drubbing. However Doherty got back in because of his hard work in training when he didnt make the bench against MK Dons (Stephens got the nod instead). Hoolahan in the reserves proved that leaving him out was just ridiculous such were the quality of his performances.

I am not saying for a moment Lambert''s judgement is unquestionable. We got into this trouble with Roeder when he kept us up and anyone who questions his decisions was ridiculed. But lets face it Theo has not performed in first team or reserve fixtures. While I can be accussed of a sweeping generalisation one must also question his professionalism if he fails to turn up for a game either. (Gillingham JP trophy when he made the bench).

[/quote] In fact, my understanding is that Theo was not notified that he was in the squad for that game which is why, unsurprisingly, he didn''t turn up and there was no subsequent fuss over the incident. Had the Club been able to prove he had been called up and that Theo had deliberately disobeyed the manager then that would have constituted gross misconduct and the Club could/would have terminated his contract. In fact, it would have been a gift of an opportunity for the Club to get rid of him.[/quote]

He definitely was in the squad. We only had 4 substitutes that night. Plus Rudd was away on England duty so he availabe either. After that Steer was picked on the bench.

[Dutch 0]

Seen him play reserve games and he is just as bad as the 7-1 nightmare. Actually he has been dropped by the reserve team - I rest my case.

[Indy_Bones 441]

[quote user="GJP"]Perhaps injuries forced the change but I think Doherty has shown, once again, that he''s the best defender at the club.

As for Theo... I didn''t like him in pre-season (which, again, I said at the time) we all know what happened in the Colchester game and since then I''ve seen him play for the reserves and he was errr not very good. The manager sees him on the training pitch everyday and has obviously seen plenty enough to form a solid judgement. He''s just not good enough.[/quote]Ok,  both Doherty and Theo played in the awful match at Col U, both apparently seemed to be way out of Lamberts plans after this, and you accept that it was primarily down to injuries that Doherty was given another opportunity, which in turn has lead to him regaining his place in the first team. Surely if Doherty had been playing consistently well in the reserves he''d have been given another chance way before this, and not just when a spate of injuries struck?

With regards to your view on Theo in pre-season, I have to say that you formed an opinion very quickly on a player who only appeared in 2 pre-season games. Also the fact that he kept a clean sheet in one of them against Palace, and couldn''t really be faulted for the others against Wigan, and I struggle to see what put you off the guy so quickly?

Interestingly if we compare results from Reserve games where either Theo or Rudd played we see:

Theo: Southend Clean Sheet, conceded pen against Watford due to awful backpass from Francomb, Stevenage Clean Sheet, 1 against Northampton, 1 against West Ham,

Rudd: 5 against Peterborough, 1 against Ipswich, 3 against Wycombe, 1 against Ipswich, Stevenage Clean Sheet

So Theo conceded 3 in 5 games (0.6 goals conceded per game), compared to Rudd with 10 in 5 (2 goals conceded per game)

So how on earth was he deemed to be playing poorly in the reserves when he''s conceded far less goals that Rudd?

Until I see some concrete evidence that a once decent keeper has become a total liability I''ll fight his corner, because there seems to be a hell of a lot of idle conjecture and supposition here, and very little direct proof that they guy is not good enough, as against to not being favoured by the current manager.

[morty 0]

You''re Theo''s mum, aren''t you?[:)]

[GJP 79]

[quote user="Indy_Bones"][quote user="GJP"]Perhaps injuries forced the change but I think Doherty has shown, once again, that he''s the best defender at the club.

As for Theo... I didn''t like him in pre-season (which, again, I said at the time) we all know what happened in the Colchester game and since then I''ve seen him play for the reserves and he was errr not very good. The manager sees him on the training pitch everyday and has obviously seen plenty enough to form a solid judgement. He''s just not good enough.[/quote]Ok,  both Doherty and Theo played in the awful match at Col U, both apparently seemed to be way out of Lamberts plans after this, and you accept that it was primarily down to injuries that Doherty was given another opportunity, which in turn has lead to him regaining his place in the first team. Surely if Doherty had been playing consistently well in the reserves he''d have been given another chance way before this, and not just when a spate of injuries struck?

With regards to your view on Theo in pre-season, I have to say that you formed an opinion very quickly on a player who only appeared in 2 pre-season games. Also the fact that he kept a clean sheet in one of them against Palace, and couldn''t really be faulted for the others against Wigan, and I struggle to see what put you off the guy so quickly?

Interestingly if we compare results from Reserve games where either Theo or Rudd played we see:

Theo: Southend Clean Sheet, conceded pen against Watford due to awful backpass from Francomb, Stevenage Clean Sheet, 1 against Northampton, 1 against West Ham,

Rudd: 5 against Peterborough, 1 against Ipswich, 3 against Wycombe, 1 against Ipswich, Stevenage Clean Sheet

So Theo conceded 3 in 5 games (0.6 goals conceded per game), compared to Rudd with 10 in 5 (2 goals conceded per game)

So how on earth was he deemed to be playing poorly in the reserves when he''s conceded far less goals that Rudd?

Until I see some concrete evidence that a once decent keeper has become a total liability I''ll fight his corner, because there seems to be a hell of a lot of idle conjecture and supposition here, and very little direct proof that they guy is not good enough, as against to not being favoured by the current manager.

[/quote]

Well, what can I say, I''m a good judge. I hold my hands up, I know a good player when I see one and I know a bad one. Guilty as charged.

It was a few months back now but in the Wigan game I can remember being worried about how he went missing when the ball came into the box and also one of the Wigan goals went in on his near side and he was too far away from saving it. Put it this way, that same shot wouldn''t have beat Fraser Forster in a million years. And the last memory I have of Theo is when he came off his line in the West Ham reserve match and more or less did what he did for the opening Colchester goal...he just completely missed the ball without being under much pressure.

And also another thing I didn''t like abot Theo was that he seemed a bit on the small side. Didn''t look like he had enough height or sheer physical presence to do the job.

From a lot of your posts you seem to put a lot of faith in stats. For me, football is about all the grey areas and the gut feelings.

And, look back at it, was Doherty really out of the team for very long? He was back by the end of October and has played since then and improved us. He''s proven quality and at a higher standard than this. Theo is basically a nothing in the English game.

 

[Syteanric 1]

the fact of the matter is Theo is not better than Forster, Rudd or Steer, he is behind a loanee and 2 kids... this says all it needs too.. thanks for your time theo and good luck in the career.

 

[Indy_Bones 441]

[quote user="jas the barclay king"]the fact of the matter is Theo is not better than Forster, Rudd or Steer, he is behind a loanee and 2 kids... this says all it needs too.. thanks for your time theo and good luck in the career. [/quote]No Jas, that''s your opinion on the matter.I''ve not seen anything to suggest that Theo is superior to Forster who''s been excellent for us, but I''ve also seen very little from Rudd or Steer who are both meant to be excellent prospects, but were obviously not regarded as ready or why did PL sign Forster on loan?Anyway, it looks like everyone has already written him off regardless, so I may as well give up voicing my own opinion...

[Barclay Trucker 0]

Quick Theo, you could leave on the same bus as Paul Crichton....

[Largey 0]

[quote user="Barclay Block E Trucker"]Quick Theo, you could leave on the same bus as Paul Crichton....[/quote]

....is this even worth the joke as we know whats coming!

[Indy_Bones 441]

I have posted this analysis on other thread, but it is more appropriate here IMHO:With regards to the Col U game, being fair to Theo, I''d only put him at

real fault for 2 of the goals:

Goal 1 - Semmy''s fault for a dogshit backpass which left the keeper with no real options

Goal 2 - Theo''s fault partially due to the poor handling from Lisbie''s shot

which let Platt in, although Doherty did a piss poor job on marking Lisibe and no-one covered Platt when coming in

Goal 3 - Defensive issues, Platt again poorly marked

Goal 4 - Excellent free kick by Fox, can''t fault the keeper for that

Goal 5 - Again, piss poor marking, although Theo didn''t really move to attempt the stop, but clearly a defensive error

Goal 6 - Good finish after again some ropey defending, not much Theo could do

Goal 7 - AGAIN the defence, poor marking to allow the run into the

area, and when Theo is coming for the ball, instead of covering the men

in the area, Doherty followed Theo which left the gap for them to score

from.

The main reason we conceded so many, wasn''t down to having a crap

goalkeeper, but due to a god awful team performance, highlighted by

some of our worst defending in years. Amazing that the defence in

general (including a dire performance by Doherty) were given further

chances - but Theo wasn''t.When will people stop putting all the blame for this result at Theo''s door, and actually accept that although he didn''t have a great game, there were far worse players on show than him, and that he deserves another chance to perform.

[morty 0]

Seriously, are you his mum?[:)]

[Guest]

[quote user="Indy_Bones"]

Goal 4 - Excellent free kick by Fox, can''t fault the keeper for that[/quote]I disagree. It was nowhere near the corner and should''ve been either been blocked by the wall (which the keeper organises) or saved imo.

[GJP 79]

[quote user="Indy_Bones"]

Goal 1 - Semmy''s fault for a dogshit backpass which left the keeper with no real options


When will people stop putting all the blame for this result at Theo''s door, and actually accept that although he didn''t have a great game, there were far worse players on show than him, and that he deserves another chance to perform.
[/quote]

I''m only going to need these 2 points.

1 - A bad pass from Semmy but not one that couldn''t have been dealt with. The goalkeeper came off his line and then did absolutely nothing. Hit the ball with some body part, hit Kevin Lisbie with some body part...just don''t stand there and do nothing. More his fault than Otsemobor''s, without doubt.

2 - The vast majority of Norwich fans and Paul Lambert don''t think he deserves another chance to perform, so what makes you think you know better? It was a truly dreadful display from the goalkeeper that day, by far the worst performance of anyone in our team. If you can''t see that by now then you might as well start watching another sport.

[Tim Allman 1]

[quote user="Indy_Bones"]

Goal 1 - Semmy''s fault for a * backpass which left the keeper with no real options
Goal 4 - Excellent free kick by Fox, can''t fault the keeper for that

[/quote]

No4 went into the goal two yards from the post. He also had terrible flap at the ball for No1.

I think describing your post as "analysis" is an overestimation of your analytical ability. Sorry, Theo had a shocker against Colchester.

 

[Wandsworth Canary 0]

Ignoring the Colchester game - which is difficult. I was then at Brentford away. I took my wife who although not a huge footy fan did grow up watching her brother play semi-pro and has been to a few games with me. Not being a Norwich supporter she was aware of the Colchester result, but not the reasons. Anyway Theo was warning up in front of us before the match. My wife turned to me and commented how bad his positioning was for the warm up shooting, both stance wise and during saves (when they happened) and how he didn''t look like a professional keeper. Needless to say if my wife could spot this you would have hoped Gunn etal could have.

[Graham Humphrey 13]

Yes, I think a lot of us noticed that at Brentford.

And I''m sure several of us here were unfortunate enough to see his performances in the reserves...

[Indy_Bones 441]

[quote user="Wandsworth Canary"]Ignoring the Colchester game - which is difficult. I was then at Brentford away. I took my wife who although not a huge footy fan did grow up watching her brother play semi-pro and has been to a few games with me. Not being a Norwich supporter she was aware of the Colchester result, but not the reasons. Anyway Theo was warning up in front of us before the match. My wife turned to me and commented how bad his positioning was for the warm up shooting, both stance wise and during saves (when they happened) and how he didn''t look like a professional keeper. Needless to say if my wife could spot this you would have hoped Gunn etal could have.[/quote]Ok,On one hand we have a player who''s won the "goalkeeper of the year" award twice in a row in the A-League (And it arguably should have been 3 years with 08/09 as well), was clearly rated by Crook and Gunn, and a number of other knowledgable coaches in the game, and whom I''ve seen a small amount of footage of where he''s performed extremely well.Or we can take your wife''s opinion instead which is based on watching her semi-pro brother and seeing a guy warm up...No disrespect intended here Wandsworth, but I know which of the two I''d go with, and it wouldn''t be your other half.Theo is an excellent shot-stopper who normally performs very strongly in 1v1 situations, but has a tendency to punch more than we''re used to seeing in the English game. For a small example of this there''s a few semi-decent videos on youtube demonstrating this to a fair degree such as: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0tampI5098http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3dwyw5hOt0&feature=related (2 or 3 very good saves)Obviously you can''t base player judgment purely on youtube videos (remember Brellier?), and this is clearly far less indicative than watching full footage from

each game (it''s not that easy to get hold of a-league matches tbh), but it does show that he is more than able at making strong saves.Watch that link, and taking his performance against Colchester out of the equation, can you honestly say that he doesn''t look a decent keeper? He''s a victim of circumstance more than being a poor player IMHO, and I still don''t get why people are not willing to give him an opportunity.I say again - you cannot judge a player based on performance in a single game, and particularly not one where we as a team were dire.

[morty 0]

Mate, he''s crap.Whilst I admire you in sticking to your guns here, if you think you''re going to convince us that he is anything other than that then prepare to be disappointed.If he gets back into the first team and keeps 3 clean sheets I shall personally bare my arse on this message board with "Theo is great" written in biro on my cheeks.

[GJP 79]

[quote user="Indy_Bones"]
I say again - you cannot judge a player based on performance in a single game, and particularly not one where we as a team were dire.
[/quote]

Perhaps not. But there are people here who would have seen him pre-season, for the reserves and even just in warm ups and at no point has he ever looked convincing.

I remember at the Wigan friendly I was sat there thinking that the guy doesn''t look big enough to be a ''keeper. Then I thought I''d give the guy a chance because maybe he''s a brilliant shot stopper and a great organiser. Then I saw him flap at the ball a bit and get badly beaten at his near post and it was like...oh dear.

And any lingering hopes that he might be better when it comes to a competitive match were quickly dashed just a few minutes into the Colchester game.

Just a ridiculously poor signing. He''s in his late 20s and never been a success outside of the Australian game. That should tell you something.

Thankfully we''ve got a manager who knows he''s never even close to being good enough and has replaced him with one of the most outstanding young goalkeepers in the country and probably as good as anything outside the Premier League.

 

[Syteanric 1]

the free kick against Col U was bad positioning from Theo, he was standing on the far post giving Fox the pick of the net. theo needed to be in the middle of the goal.

1st goal he should have come out and headed away from lisbie, rather than trying to punch it when he wasnt allowed!, 7th goal he comes off his line leaving them with a simple tap in when Nelson was going to cover.. cant remember all the goals but im sure he flapped at the 2nd and 3rd.., in fact i think only the 5th and 6th he was helpless over.

I remmeber him looking towards the bench at 4 down and holding his arms out palms up as if to say to Gunn "what am i supposed to do?" we should have taken him off at 3-0 down in that game and maybe he would have been given another chance to restore dignity.

 

[Largey 0]

Are we still going on about this?

Had Alnwick played against Colchester, would we have done any better?

The scoreline probably wouldnt have been as one-sided, but you would be hard pressed to say Norwich would have got anything from the game, we were awful that day.

But the past is the past, lets move forward!

[Tim Allman 1]

[quote user="Indy_Bones"]

On one hand we have a player who''s won the "goalkeeper of the year" award twice in a row in the A-League (And it arguably should have been 3 years with 08/09 as well), was clearly rated by Crook and Gunn, and a number of other knowledgable coaches in the game, and whom I''ve seen a small amount of footage of where he''s performed extremely well.

[/quote]

So come on Indy - if you are in the know, which "other knowledgable coaches in the game" rated Theo? I''m dying to know so name the names. I''m not trying to wind you up or have a row, I''m genuinely interested. Cheers, Tim 

PS. I''m hoping that these are coaches that are UK or at least Eureopean based.

 

[Indy_Bones 441]

[quote user="Tim Allman"]So come on Indy - if you are in the know, which "other knowledgable coaches in the game" rated Theo? I''m dying to know so name the names. I''m not trying to wind you up or have a row, I''m genuinely interested. Cheers, Tim 

PS. I''m hoping that these are coaches that are UK or at least Eureopean based.[/quote]Fair question Tim, and I''ll mention the two I''ve heard of  that are Euro based :)

Before signing for us, Theo was apparently watched by 2 Bundesliga clubs - FC Schalke and VFL Bochum, where he is meant to have impressed both Oliver Reck and Peter Greiber (GK Coach). AFAIK this was purely based on A-League footage, and neither decided to take their interest further - Schalke due to having both Neuer and Schober who Reck considered stronger keepers than Theo, and I have no idea what happened with Greiber, although due to him just being a coach it could well be that the manager decided not to follow through (just like Roeder apparently did with Gunn).

Please bear in mind that this is purely information I was passed from a colleague who''s based over in Frankfurt who was made aware of this, I haven''t spoken to these guys, nor am I likely to, so it could be argued that neither coach/manager rated him because neither side even made an offer, but there was apparently some good feedback regarding his ability, and it''s likely that uncertainty over ability to perform at a much higher level stopped a potential move.

There was also the rumour about a move to Everton, but nothing was even confirmed about this being genuine interest from Moyes, although I don''t recall him coming out and stating he wasn''t interested...

Outside of this, I know he was very well thought of back in AUS, with a large number of coaches and fans thinking he should be 2nd choice behind Schwarzer for the Socceroos.

Hope this is of some use to you Tim

Indy.

[Wandsworth Canary 0]

[quote user="Indy_Bones"] No disrespect intended here Wandsworth, but I know which of the two I''d go with, and it wouldn''t be your other half. [/quote]

No disrespect taken. Point I was trying to make was someone with limited football knowledge could see he was poor. Forgetting that though, of all our recent managers Lambert has proven himself to be more than capable. However, he sees Theo week in week out and doesn''t rate him highly enough even to play for the reserves on a regular basis - to me that is enough of a statement on Theo ability or lack of it. I for one would go with Lambert''s judgement on a player over anyone on this board.

Theo NCFC 2009-10 ''I can''t even catch a bus....''

 

[Indy_Bones 441]

[quote user="Wandsworth Canary"]of all our recent managers Lambert has proven himself to be more than capable. However, he sees Theo week in week out and doesn''t rate him highly enough even to play for the reserves on a regular basis - to me that is enough of a statement on Theo ability or lack of it. I for one would go with Lambert''s judgement on a player over anyone on this board. [/quote]Wandsworth,I totally agree that Lambert is likely to know far more about Theo than I ever will, but we do need to keep in mind that he''s made snap judgments before and ended up changing his mind, the most obvious one being the Doherty situation.Lambert dropped him, removed the captaincy, and told him he had no long term future here and could leave the club. But then due to a spate of injuries Lambert was almost forced to play Doherty against Leyton Orient, and since that point, he and the rest of the defence have played well meaning he''s kept his first team place.Between Lambert coming in and the Leyton Orient game, he saw plenty of Doherty in the reserves and chose other options over him every single week for the first team (including unproven 18yr old David Stephens) and it was only the injury situation that changed this.This situation in itself proves that Lambert is not infallible, he can make mistakes like anyone can, and that sometimes you have to give people the opportunity to prove you wrong.If Theo had been given further chances like Lambert did with Doherty and played poorly, then I''d be with a lot of fans asking why he''s still here, but that hasn''t happened, and if the Doherty situation is any sort of marker, then performances or not in the reserves are unlikely to make a huge amount of different to the manager unless his hand is tipped.Let''s also not forget the amount of time Lappin spent languishing in the reserves under Roeder, did this mean he was a rubbish player, or was he a victim of the manager? His inclusion under Lambert would seem to argue for the latter, so it is so unreasonable to believe that Theo may well be in the same boat as Lappin was under Roeder in that he''s not a poor player, or even that he''s playing badly, but simply that the manager doesn''t want to give him a chance for whatever reason?