Norwich City PodJockey Dave Freezer is curious as to why Lee Croft has been overlooked by Glenn Roeder in recent weeks and wonders if his future is in the balance.

If there was one player who you could say has come on leaps and bounds since Glenn Roeder arrived as Norwich City boss, it is Lee Croft.
The Manchester City youth product had not exactly been a barnstorming success since being signed by Nigel Worthington ahead of the 2006-07 season for a fee in the region of £700,000.

His lack of first-team activity in pre-season for Manchester City meant that Croft arrived at Carrow Road unfit and slightly overweight.

He did score a couple of goals early in his City career though, both at Carrow Road against Luton and Barnsley, before picking up a 6-week injury in the 5-0 mauling by Stoke.

It wasn't until March of that season that Croft found the net again though, again against Barnsley, and this season he has added just one goal to his Norwich career tally despite being one of our best players.

Croft even managed to walk away with some credit from our disgraceful 4-0 thrashing by Leicester at the Walkers Stadium in February and was probably the only Norwich player who did that day.

Since Glenn Roeder and his management team have come in ‘Crofty' has looked reborn. Brimming with confidence, attacking intent, work rate, and pace, the former England under-19 winger had finally began to look the part.

The only problem has been the end product. One goal this season is just not good enough and Croft rarely looks likely to score, he may put crosses in but they rarely lead to a goal or hit their target.

In January Croft was linked with Premier League clubs such as Reading and Sunderland when he was at the peak of his form, yet on Saturday against West Brom he didn't even make Glenn Roeder's bench.

No reason has been given so we can only presume that it was purely down to Glenn's preference. Before he was left out of the 2-0 win against Burnley Croft had been involved in an impressive 31 consecutive Norwich games.

Now he has made just one substitute appearance in our last three games, against Ipswich when Jamie Cureton was bizarrely preferred to start at right-wing ahead of him.

Is Glenn taking him out of the shop window in anticipation of Croft becoming our main man in the post-Huckerby era next season? Or has the boss simply become frustrated at the lack of end product Crofty has been bringing to our still-relegation-threatened beloved Canaries?

It's an odd situation and one that I hope finishes in a positive way with Crofty finding that killer touch and becoming a Norwich legend because I really like the lad.

I've interviewed him a few times and he's so laid back he's almost horizontal but out on the pitch he's a livewire and could become our main attacking outlet once Hucks leaves.

Glenn still has my backing and I have full-faith that at the start of next season a much more organised, balanced and dangerous Norwich City side will be pushing towards the right end of the Championship table.

I just hope it's a side that contains Lee Croft fulfilling his exciting potential!

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