Theo Bair

[Gian-Luca]

On 5/3/2021 at 1:39 PM, costarg said:

I can't think of one person on here that didn't say the exact same thing about his showing at the Olympic qualifiers.  The guy just didn't show up.  In shape or not, the effort and drive just wasn't there.  He was literally picking flowers out there.

Really? Poor job by the groundskeeper in Mexico to let that kind of stuff grow on the fields. 😉

[cronaldo7]

17 hours ago, Watchmen said:

I'm sure he is. But generally, that kind of motivation only works short term. If he doesn't find a way to become a bit more self motivated, there's kids now coming up behind him who likely are, and his talent level isn't high enough to prevent the Whitecaps from cutting him.

My first real game-time (watched highlights etc in the past) exposure to him was watching all the WCQ games. I found him shockingly slow and ineffective. I knew there was hype around the kid so was expecting a lot more.

Let’s hope he can turn it around. All of us genuinely want our boys to progress and ultimately succeed. But we need to be realistic at the same time. Fingers crossed.

[Floortom]

1 hour ago, cronaldo7 said:

My first real game-time (watched highlights etc in the past) exposure to him was watching all the WCQ games. I found him shockingly slow and ineffective. I knew there was hype around the kid so was expecting a lot more.

Let’s hope he can turn it around. All of us genuinely want our boys to progress and ultimately succeed. But we need to be realistic at the same time. Fingers crossed.

I mean there is hype around almost every young Canadian around these parts.

ive watched him for two years with Vancouver and he’s never struck me as anything other than a rotational MLS piece at best. I don’t think he was surprisingly bad at Olympic qualifying or anything 

Edited May 4, 2021 by Floortom

[BearcatSA]

12 minutes ago, Floortom said:

I mean there is hype around almost every young Canadian around these parts.

ive watched him for two years with Vancouver and he’s never struck me as anything other than a rotational MLS piece at best. I don’t think he was surprisingly bad at WCQ or anything 

He gets really bigged up by one or two team fanblogs and, as such, the stats and eye tests are selectively chosen to fit the narrative.

I've said this before on this forum:   I really believe he would have benefitted from an off-season loan or training stint somewhere in Europe where he had to go up against serious age level competition and really had to grind it out.  For whatever reason, it's not been happening here.  He has some really good skills and sneaky pace for a big guy but needs to play a big man's physical game much more, either battling for 50-50s or making it really hard for defenders in possession during the upfield press.

[ag futbol]

18 minutes ago, BearcatSA said:

He gets really bigged up by one or two team fanblogs and, as such, the stats and eye tests are selectively chosen to fit the narrative.

I've said this before on this forum:   I really believe he would have benefitted from an off-season loan or training stint somewhere in Europe where he had to go up against serious age level competition and really had to grind it out.  For whatever reason, it's not been happening here.  He has some really good skills and sneaky pace for a big guy but needs to play a big man's physical game much more, either battling for 50-50s or making it really hard for defenders in possession during the upfield press.

Full disclosure, I find Bair as underwhelming as some of the other posters here. 
 

Now that said, is this one of those circumstances where a player gets pushed into a position based on his physical attributes rather based on the way he plays best? Could he actually be better in a wide role rather than being stuffed centrally where everyone wants to see him play cause of his size.

[Watchmen]

4 hours ago, ag futbol said:

Now that said, is this one of those circumstances where a player gets pushed into a position based on his physical attributes rather based on the way he plays best? Could he actually be better in a wide role rather than being stuffed centrally where everyone wants to see him play cause of his size.

With Cavalini in the middle, the Whitecaps have tried him wide a number of times. Still seemed ineffective and underwhelming most of the time.

[costarg]

14 hours ago, ag futbol said:

Full disclosure, I find Bair as underwhelming as some of the other posters here. 
 

Now that said, is this one of those circumstances where a player gets pushed into a position based on his physical attributes rather based on the way he plays best? Could he actually be better in a wide role rather than being stuffed centrally where everyone wants to see him play cause of his size.

There is more to it than that.  His height probably made things a lot easier for him coming through the ranks. 

However at this point it's not that he's played in the wrong position, it's the general and shocking lack of involvement.  A player out of position will still hustle, sprint, hound the opposition, in his case he showed NO will or determination.  He gave the impression he was there on his looks, and just always got by on what he "should" be able to do.  

[dyslexic nam]

Well, if he is in a bit of a funk, reading this thread sure will boost his confidence.  

[ag futbol]

2 hours ago, costarg said:

There is more to it than that.  His height probably made things a lot easier for him coming through the ranks. 

However at this point it's not that he's played in the wrong position, it's the general and shocking lack of involvement.  A player out of position will still hustle, sprint, hound the opposition, in his case he showed NO will or determination.  He gave the impression he was there on his looks, and just always got by on what he "should" be able to do.  

No argument here. He’s really got to snap into it and realize most people who successfully have a pro career have to battle for it, not rest on their laurels . 

[LeoH037]

Meh. Not at all surprised by Bair's performances. I previously got flak for not rating the guy and stating so. Guess its all just playing out now (not at all happy for it, I rather our players all have successful careers). Its important to remind ourselves that youth careers are rarely an indicator of how a player's senior career will pan out, and that not every player is going to be international caliber, or even be a consistent starter at club level, and that talent alone is rarely ever enough.

Edited May 5, 2021 by LeoH037

[VinceA]

Bair's time in VWFC is getting worse and worse. Vancouver have traded for Ben White from NYRB. Looks like the move was to get an experienced back u for Cavs.

Also a shame for Ricketts.

[Shway]

He needs a loan at this point, preferably the championship

[sebdeserio]

19 minutes ago, Shway said:

He needs a loan at this point, preferably the championship

Do you mean the USL Championship? 

[SpursFlu]

He's a winger

[VinceA]

Glass City saying him and Egbo are looking likely to be loaned out.

[Shway]

2 hours ago, sebdeserio said:

Do you mean the USL Championship? 

That’s exactly what I meant lol....what a difference leaving that acronym can do.

[VinceA]

35 minutes ago, VinceA said:

Glass City saying him and Egbo are looking likely to be loaned out.

JJ Adams is now refuting this saying the Whitecaps have said they have no plans to loan out Bair.

[Watchmen]

4 hours ago, SpursFlu said:

He's a winger

He's not anything if he doesn't put the work in.

[BearcatSA]

16 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

He's not anything if he doesn't put the work in.

I guess that's why Raposo gets the sub minutes ahead of him.  

[lamptern]

Another player I am not impressed, period.

Reason? Please refer my words on Brym.

 

[VinceA]

11 hours ago, lamptern said:

Another player I am not impressed, period.

Reason? Please refer my words on Brym.

 

I still maintain if we had taken Ongaro and Campbell to the OLYQ at the very least the workrate would have been higher.

[SpursFlu]

15 hours ago, Watchmen said:

He's not anything if he doesn't put the work in.

I know its a clever comment and I get it.. but it actual does matter. As a winger he gets the ball and can turn and run at people he can run in behind and operate in space. CF your battling for inches, its tight spaces, one touches, you've got your back to net. Its just different. Why didn't at the OQ move Tajon Buchanan to CF? Just tell him to work hard. You wouldn't and all the effort in the world wouldn't make him effective 

Its simple to say its about effort but he's just not comfortable playing that way. He's a monster so it doesn't make sense but thats what I've observed 

Edited June 3, 2021 by SpursFlu

[Watchmen]

1 hour ago, SpursFlu said:

I know its a clever comment and I get it.. but it actual does matter. As a winger he gets the ball and can turn and run at people he can run in behind and operate in space. CF your battling for inches, its tight spaces, one touches, you've got your back to net. Its just different. Why didn't at the OQ move Tajon Buchanan to CF? Just tell him to work hard. You wouldn't and all the effort in the world wouldn't make him effective 

Its simple to say its about effort but he's just not comfortable playing that way. He's a monster so it doesn't make sense but thats what I've observed

By all accounts he's not putting in the effort in practice and he doesn't have Allen Iverson's talent. So if he's not working hard in practice, his "best position" is an irrelevant discussion.

[SpursFlu]

19 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

By all accounts he's not putting in the effort in practice and he doesn't have Allen Iverson's talent. So if he's not working hard in practice, his "best position" is an irrelevant discussion.

Sure I'm not saying he's a hard worker or has the best attitude. Im just saying he's playing out of position and everyone is likely saying hey your 6'4 just work and man handle everyone.. whats your problem?

I think he's being type cast and its detrimental to him. I've observed on here several times that he's clearly not a run thru a wall type of guy. All the more reason for him not to play forward. Playing forward is as much a mental thing as a physical thing. Look at Cavallini, he loves the combat and he kinda comes across as a jerk. Great, perfect for a CF. Bair is not that, no matter how badly people think he should be

Edited June 3, 2021 by SpursFlu

[toontownman]

Hope he goes out on loan. His caps career is seemingly dead. Seems all mental for Theo which is the undoing of many a player, as we know all too well.